I-485 EB-3 ROW Approved: Full Timeline from J-1 to Green Card

An EB-3 Rest of World (ROW) applicant recently shared their full immigration journey on Reddit, culminating in an I-485 approval on March 12, 2026. The case provides a detailed end-to-end timeline from J-1 visa status through H-1B, PERM labor certification, I-140 petition, and finally adjustment of status. The PERM process began in June 2021 and was filed in May 2023 with a priority date of 5/17/2023, receiving approval in June 2024. The I-140 was subsequently filed under premium processing in July 2024 and approved within two weeks on July 16, 2024. The I-485, I-131, and I-765 were filed on October 21, 2025, shortly after the priority date became current on October 1, 2025. The EAD was approved within approximately five weeks. The I-485J (joint sponsor affidavit) was approved on March 11, 2026, followed by the I-485 itself the next day. Notably, the case was routed through the National Benefits Center (NBC) before being transferred to the Los Angeles County Field Office on February 2, 2026. The full adjustment of status process from filing to approval took approximately five months. This timeline serves as a useful reference for EB-3 ROW applicants currently in the adjustment of status process, particularly those monitoring NBC-to-field office transfer patterns and overall I-485 adjudication durations under current USCIS processing conditions.