Why Filing I-485 Now Matters Beyond Just Getting Your Green Card

The April 2025 Visa Bulletin has generated significant attention for its historic forward movement, including EB-2 Rest of World going Current and India advancing 303 days. However, immigration practitioners are highlighting that the most compelling reason to file Form I-485 now extends well beyond the prospect of receiving a green card. Filing an I-485 while dates are current immediately unlocks three critical protections: an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) allowing work independent of employer sponsorship, Advance Parole for international travel without abandoning the pending case, and AC21 portability after 180 days which allows job changes or promotions without jeopardizing the green card case. Critically, these benefits remain in effect even if visa dates retrogress after filing. This distinction proved consequential in a prior cycle: when EB-2 ROW went Current in November 2022 before retrogressing to February 2022 by May 2023, applicants who filed during that window retained their EAD and portability rights. Those who waited lost access to all such protections and remained fully dependent on employer sponsorship and H-1B status. The current bulletin movement is partly driven by reduced immigrant visa issuance stemming from travel bans and visa processing pauses affecting 75+ countries, causing unused visa numbers to spill into employment-based categories as noted in Section D of the State Department bulletin. Because these are executive actions subject to modification or reversal, the spillover — and the favorable dates — may not persist. Additionally, when the filing date is current, applicants have the option to file Form I-140 concurrently with I-485, offering flexibility even for those who have not yet submitted their I-140 petition. Immigration practitioners advise that understanding the full scope of protections available upon filing is essential to making the most of the current window.