✅ EB-3 Skilled Worker Approved - Priority Date Not Yet Current Under Final Action Dates

✅ **Case Status: Approved** --- An EB-3 applicant received I-485 approval and green card despite their priority date never becoming current under Final Action Dates. The applicant filed under Dates for Filing in April 2026 and is questioning whether the approval is legitimate or a USCIS error. They are awaiting the August 2026 visa bulletin to determine if forward movement retroactively validates the approval. An EB-3 applicant received an unexpected I-485 approval and green card issuance while their priority date remained approximately 2 months short of being current under Final Action Dates. The applicant had only ever been current under Dates for Filing (DFT), under which they filed in April 2026 and completed biometrics two months later. The approval raises questions about whether the Department of State pre-allocated a visa number in anticipation of the August 2026 bulletin advancing sufficiently to cover their priority date. The applicant draws a parallel to July 2025 approvals that survived retrogression because DOS had already allocated visa numbers before cutoff dates moved backward. If the August bulletin does not advance enough to cover their priority date, the applicant plans to treat this as a USCIS processing error and pursue remediation through the USCIS Ombudsman and congressional office, with the goal of having the card revoked and the case restored to pending I-485 status. --- **[📎 View Original Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/USCIS/comments/1uze6dv/eb3_green_card_1485_approved_but_priority_date/)** *Source: Reddit EB-3 search* --- *This post was automatically curated from online sources to share real case experiences with the community.*