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Case Stories
✅ EB-3 Skilled Worker Approved - ROW PD May 2023
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✅ **Case Status: Approved**
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An EB-3 skilled worker (Rest of World) filed I-485 in October 2025 after priority date became current in February 2026. Despite receiving I-485J approval, unrestricted SSN, and EAD approval, the online USCIS portal still shows 'Case Is Still Being Processed' for both principal and dependents.
An EB-3 skilled worker (Rest of World) with a May 2023 priority date filed for Adjustment of Status in October 2025. The priority date became current in February 2026. Biometrics were completed in November 2025. On April 29, 2026, the I-485J was approved and a third FTA0 was recorded for both principal and all dependents. By May 4, 2026, the I-485J approval notice and an unrestricted SSN card were received by mail — a strong indicator of permanent residency approval. On May 10, 2026, EAD was also approved unexpectedly. However, the USCIS online portal continues to show 'Case Is Still Being Processed' for all family members, and both Emma (automated) and live USCIS phone agents confirmed the same portal status. This is a known USCIS system discrepancy where backend approval actions (SSN issuance, I-485J, EAD) are processed and mailed before the online case status updates to reflect approval.
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**[📎 View Original Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/USCIS/comments/1tao7jk/uscis_status_discrepancies/)**
*Source: Reddit EB-3 search*
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*This post was automatically curated from online sources to share real case experiences with the community.*
This case illustrates a well-documented USCIS backend/frontend system lag. Receipt of an unrestricted SSN card is a near-definitive indicator that I-485 has been approved — SSA only issues unrestricted SSNs upon USCIS confirmation of LPR status. Similarly, I-485J approval and EAD issuance are downstream of I-485 adjudication. Online portal status can lag days to weeks behind actual case decisions. For ROW EB-3 filers with May 2023 priority dates who filed in late 2025 after date became current in early 2026, this case suggests an approximately 6-month adjudication window from filing to approval. No action is typically required when physical documents (SSN, approval notice) are received, even if the portal hasn't updated.