✅ EB-3 Skilled Worker I-485 Approved - India PD 2013-12

✅ **Case Status: Approved** --- An India-born applicant with a December 2013 EB-2 priority date successfully downgraded to EB-3 and received I-485 approval for the principal applicant and two derivatives in July 2026. The case involved an initial rejection due to visa unavailability, an RFE for birth certificate clarification, and eventual approval approximately 6 months after refiling. The applicant deliberately chose not to interfile back to EB-2 when it became current, a decision that proved advantageous. This case involves an EB-2 to EB-3 downgrade strategy for an India-born applicant with a December 2013 priority date. The initial I-485 filing in November 2025 was rejected due to visa number unavailability. After refiling in January 2026, an RFE was issued for the principal applicant only, requesting clarification on the birth certificate. Biometrics were completed in February 2026, and the EB-3 I-140 was approved in March 2026 without premium processing. The RFE response was submitted in March and acknowledged in April. When EB-2 became current in the April 2026 visa bulletin, the applicant opted not to interfile, which turned out to be the right call as EB-3 India became current in the July 2026 bulletin. All three I-485 cases were approved on July 16, 2026. Cases were split across two field offices (Nebraska for I-765/I-131, Philadelphia for I-485). I-765 and I-131 were left pending post-approval. --- **[📎 View Original Post](https://www.reddit.com/r/USCIS/comments/1uybbv3/eb2_eb3_india_i485_approval_timeline/)** *Source: Reddit EB-3 search* --- *This post was automatically curated from online sources to share real case experiences with the community.*