I-485 Approved: EB-2 ROW (France) Green Card Timeline Shared

A French national with a PhD in Pharmacology recently shared their complete EB-2 ROW (Rest of World) green card timeline on Reddit, offering a detailed look at the I-485 adjustment of status process from start to finish. The applicant filed their I-140 petition in January 2024 without premium processing, receiving approval in October 2025. Because their priority date was current at the time of I-140 approval, they immediately filed the I-485 in November 2025 through the National Benefits Center (NBC), with biometrics scheduled and completed in December 2025. After biometrics, the applicant pursued congressional assistance to expedite the case. An important lesson emerged: USCIS advised waiting to confirm whether the case is at the NBC or a local Field Office before requesting congressional outreach, as each office handles expedite requests separately. The case was eventually transferred to the Brooklyn Field Office in January 2026. The approval came on March 7, 2026 — approximately 3.5 months after I-485 filing — following a series of silent case updates and a third FTA0 biometrics event logged in February. Based on community observations, approval after a third FTA0 event typically occurs within 24 hours to 6–8 weeks for applicants whose priority date was current at filing. This timeline is particularly useful for EB-3 applicants in ROW countries, as the adjustment of status process and Field Office handling mirrors the EB-3 pathway closely. Monitoring internal case events and proactively engaging congressional offices at the right stage appear to be effective strategies for staying informed.