✅ EB-3 ROW Approved - I-485 Approved After 13-Year Journey

✅ **Case Status: Approved** --- An EB-3 ROW applicant who arrived in the US in 2013 for graduate school received I-485 approval in July 2026. The path included a job change that restarted the PERM process, a 9-month I-140 processing period under regular (non-premium) processing, and a brief RFE for Supplement J and tax documents that was resolved within a month. This case documents a full EB-3 ROW green card journey spanning 13 years from initial US entry to I-485 approval. Key Timeline: - 2013: Entered US for Master's degree - 2015: Graduated - 2016: Began OPT - 2018: H-1B approved - 2021: PERM initiated with first employer, abandoned due to job change; H-1B transferred to second employer - 2022: Prevailing Wage Determination filed with second employer - June 2023: PERM filed - April 2024: PERM approved (~10 months) - October 2024: I-140 filed (regular processing) - July 2025: I-140 approved (~9 months) - December 2025: I-485 filed - June 2026: RFE issued requesting I-485 Supplement J and tax documents; responded next day - July 2026: I-485 approved (~7 months after filing) Notable aspects: The applicant restarted the PERM process after a job change in 2021, adding approximately 2 years to the overall timeline. I-140 was filed under regular (non-premium) processing and took 9 months. The RFE in the final stage was resolved rapidly with same-day response, resulting in approval within approximately one month. --- **[📎 View Original Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/USCIS/comments/1v161xi/approved_after_13_years_in_the_us_eb3_row/)** *Source: Reddit EB-3 search* --- *This post was automatically curated from online sources to share real case experiences with the community.*