DV 2025 AOS (Adjustment of Status) Process Only

[Sm1smom]

Thanks You Mom,

I have few question,

1. if I do refile shall I send the same package papers I mean forms and supporting documents.
2. do I need to do repackage my medical form since it has been opened.
3. do I send the package as soon as next week (again early filing)

Thanks.

1. Yes you can use the same I-485 if you’ve confirmed there’s nothing wrong with the original form.
2. In the past, I would have confidently said "YES" as to re-using the medical report. However, USCIS recently updated their adjudicator's manual and it says: "If the immigration benefit application with which the Form I-693 is submitted is withdrawn or denied, then an applicant needs to submit a newly completed and signed Form I-693 with any future immigration benefit application that requires an alien to demonstrate that he or she is not inadmissible on health-related grounds." Now, admittedly yours was not withdrawn (or denied), it was rejected by the Lockbox, but because of the uncertainties we are currently dealing with, immigration wise, my recommendation will be to obtain a new (sealed medical report) to go with the new submission.
3. You'll need to make a personal decision on this, I'm afraid I can't tell you whether to try again with early filing or wait to ensure your package is delivered at the Lockbox no earlier than Sept. 1st.

 

[blackchemist]

There’s no standardized period for receiving the IL following bio appointment completion. The fact that someone completed the background check appointment doesn’t necessarily mean they cleared the background check. Some FOs, as a matter of fact, do not wait for the bio appointment completion before sending out the IL, while some actually wait until after the background check clears before sending out the IL. So the timing varies.

I keep telling folks wanting confirmation as to if their application is already with the FO or not is a complete waste of time. It is not unusual for one frontline agent to confirm the case is already at the FO, and for another to tell you a couple of days later that the case is at the NBC. Per the standard procedure, the NBC forwards the case file once the bio appointment has been scheduled. It is as simple as that.

Your CN is current in Sept. Wait until the end of August to see what happens.

What little information did you find about your FO from the Timeline spreadsheet(s)?

There are just 2 cases in 2025 and 1 case in 2024 at Detroit FO. All of them are at the beginning of th FY (before January) and the time between the NOA and the interview letter is huge, as expected, so I can’t compare with mine. Also, I was searching for a Google Sheet about how many interviews each FO waives and the average approval time. I saw it in the past. Do you know what happened to it?

 

[Sm1smom]

There are just 2 cases in 2025 and 1 case in 2024 at Detroit FO. All of them are at the beginning of th FY (before January) and the time between the NOA and the interview letter is huge, as expected, so I can’t compare with mine. Also, I was searching for a Google Sheet about how many interviews each FO waives and the average approval time. I saw it in the past. Do you know what happened to it?

There are actually 2 Detroit FO listed cases in 2024. The first one was current in February (certainly not before January), filed in February and interviewed in April. Second case current in April (also not before January), filed in February and interviewed in April - the month in which the case was current. This processing timeline for the 2nd case is really not much different than yours so far by the way.

 

[blackchemist]

There are actually 2 Detroit FO listed cases in 2024. The first one was current in February (certainly not before January), filed in February and interviewed in April. Second case current in April (also not before January), filed in February and interviewed in April - the month in which the case was current. This processing timeline for the 2nd case is really not much different than yours so far by the way.

Oh sorry, I missed this one in April 2024. So it seems they send the IL and schedule the interview in the same month when you become current. But since we’re now at the end of the fiscal year, maybe they’re a bit faster? Of course, it’s only two examples, so I’m not sure how reliable that is, probably not at all? Also, I don’t know if you had a chance to see my earlier question about the Google sheet on how many interviews each FO waives and the average approval time. Thanks so much for all the work you do, mom!

 

[Sm1smom]

Oh sorry, I missed this one in April 2024. So it seems they send the IL and schedule the interview in the same month when you become current. But since we’re now at the end of the fiscal year, maybe they’re a bit faster? Of course, it’s only two examples, so I’m not sure how reliable that is, probably not at all? Also, I don’t know if you had a chance to see my earlier question about the Google sheet on how many interviews each FO waives and the average approval time. Thanks so much for all the work you do, mom!

1. Well it’s okay if you feel the data is not “reliable” for you. The essence of the Timeline spreadsheet is to give the folks in this forum an idea of how the FO handles DV cases on average - a purpose which I believe the data meets. In general DV based AOS is roughly about 5% of the AOS applications USCIS gets each FY. The US has 50 States, plus the District of Columbia and Maryland where those 5% cases are spread. In addition not all DV based AOSers visit this forum, and of those who do, about 10% do not bother to register or add their case data to the Timeline spreadsheet. I said all of that to say seeing just one case from your FO is a good enough starting point to get an idea of how your FO operates - you can’t get this information directly from USCIS as a matter of fact.

2. I have no idea what happened to the sheet. I did not even create it, so I haven’t bothered to pay any attention to it. Personally, I don’t see the relevance of knowing how many cases each FO waives because the FOs do not operate the same way. Some habitually waives the interview while some do not. IMHO, knowing if one’s specific FO habitually waives the interview or not is what the focus should be. Also each applicant should be focusing on the average processing/approval time for their specific FO which should be easy for each person to compute (if needed) considering the amount of embedded formulas already in the spreadsheet that shows this data for each listed case.

So it seems they send the IL and schedule the interview in the same month when you become current.

This is precisely why I earlier wrote “Your CN is current in Sept. Wait until the end of August to see what happens.”

p.s. number your questions if you have more than one per post - this ensures they all get answered.

 

[ryukk]

Hi @Sm1smom, Given that UK CP applicants are experiencing expedites in light of the lawsuit, do you think it’s worth contacting a congressperson or the London consulate to try and get an advocate that will push the AOS case along (once there’s a case number from USCIS)? Thanks for your help

 

[bchura]

Doing so is likely to complicate things IMO, as it could further delay the approval process.

Thanks for the Reply!

We got our biometrics dates after chatting with EMMA again. However, we got into two different ASCs (which is expected). Do you think there's an advantage in terms of processing for me to reschedule and fly to my husband's (principal applicant's) place and give biometrics together at his ASC?

 

[Sm1smom]

Hi @Sm1smom, Given that UK CP applicants are experiencing expedites in light of the lawsuit, do you think it’s worth contacting a congressperson or the London consulate to try and get an advocate that will push the AOS case along (once there’s a case number from USCIS)? Thanks for your help

USCIS was not a named defendant in the lawsuit, so there’s no internally assigned advocate for UK selectees processing AOS. I’m not even sure USCIS was aware of the lawsuit in the first place.

Consulates (DOS) cannot influence how the FOs (USCIS) process their DV cases, they’re separate organizations. Congress also cannot influence or dictate the pace at which USCIS operates - they can obtain status updates which might have been difficult for an applicant to obtain on their own, or ensure cases that might have inadvertently dropped through the cracks gets brought back to attention.

In general, USCIS try their best at expediting DV based AOS cases because they’re already aware of the sun-set factor associated with such cases.

 

[Sm1smom]

Thanks for the Reply!

We got our biometrics dates after chatting with EMMA again. However, we got into two different ASCs (which is expected). Do you think there's an advantage in terms of processing for me to reschedule and fly to my husband's (principal applicant's) place and give biometrics together at his ASC?

You can reschedule and complete your bio appointment ant any location of your preference, it however will make no difference as to the FO assigned with jurisdiction over your I-485.

 

[Morris_moriel]

Hi mom
I went for my AOS interview today.... questions were simple, mostly from the form i 485..
straight forward questions like the name and age of my husband...
the interview barely lasted 15minutes..
at the end of the interview she said theyll give a response in two weeks..
what does that mean?
also, i brought about the issue of FTJ, she said shes not allowed to interact with me past the interview, but she was kind to give me a number
that ill use to follow up my status
please analyze this?

 

[Sm1smom]

Hi mom
I went for my AOS interview today.... questions were simple, mostly from the form i 485..
straight forward questions like the name and age of my husband...
the interview barely lasted 15minutes..
at the end of the interview she said theyll give a response in two weeks..
what does that mean?
also, i brought about the issue of FTJ, she said shes not allowed to interact with me past the interview, but she was kind to give me a number
that ill use to follow up my status
please analyze this?

It means the IO was unable to decide on your case immediately following your interview. The decision could take less or longer than the two weeks the IO said.

It’s unfortunate the IO told you they’re not allowed to interact with you beyond your interview, some have been known to assist with forwarding the AOS case file in the past, which is why I recommended bringing it up. Anyway, even if she was willing to assist with the FTJ, she cannot do anything while your case approval is still pending. So for now, you just need to be patient for your case adjudication.

Meanwhile, I noted a while back that some sections of your data was missing in the Timeline spreadsheet, they’ve been highlighted as red so if you could update those, that would be great. You can guesstimate some of the dates if you no longer remember the precise dates.

And do continue to keep us updated with your progress.

 

[Morris_moriel]

It means the IO was unable to decide on your case immediately following your interview. The decision could take less or longer than the two weeks the IO said.

It’s unfortunate the IO told you they’re not allowed to interact with you beyond your interview, some have been known to assist with forwarding the AOS case file in the past, which is why I recommended bringing it up. Anyway, even if she was willing to assist with the FTJ, she cannot do anything while your case approval is still pending. So for now, you just need to be patient for your case adjudication.

Meanwhile, I noted a while back that some sections of your data was missing in the Timeline spreadsheet, they’ve been highlighted as red so if you could update those, that would be great. You can guesstimate some of the dates if you no longer remember the precise dates.
Th
And do continue to keep us updated with your progress.

thanks mom, il do just that
she also mentioned something about the uscis website, she said my case cant update online because im using a lawyer,
is it true?

 

[Sm1smom]

thanks mom, il do just that
she also mentioned something about the uscis website, she said my case cant update online because im using a lawyer,
is it true?

I’ve never heard of such. Maybe she meant your update notifications will get sent to your lawyer (if that’s what the lawyer you used indicated on your form)? Anyway, what does the lawyer have to say about the comment?

 

[Sm1smom]

thanks mom, il do just that
she also mentioned something about the uscis website, she said my case cant update online because im using a lawyer,
is it true?

One other thing, I noticed your CN was current in January, why did you wait until mid July to apply for AOS?

 

[wichy]

Hi Mom,

I'm waiting for my biometrics to be scheduled. I have requested to expedite my case due to urgent humanitarian situations. The agent said that an officer will call me from a specific number.

Today, I got 4 missed calls from another number, but it's based in my FO region. The number is no longer active when I called back, so I thought it's a scam. But then I got an email from domain @uscis.dhs.gov. A screenshot of the email is attached. Is it legit?

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[SusieQQQ]

Hi Mom,

I'm waiting for my biometrics to be scheduled. I have requested to expedite my case due to urgent humanitarian situations. The agent said that an officer will call me from a specific number.

Today, I got 4 missed calls from another number, but it's based in my FO region. The number is no longer active when I called back, so I thought it's a scam. But then I got an email from domain @uscis.dhs.gov. A screenshot of the email is attached. Is it legit?

Thanks so much for your help!

Quite likely, USCIS do call people when they are trying to arrange something at short notice and the number doesn’t go through when you call back - I assume to prevent people harassing individual USCIS officers.

 

[wichy]

Quite likely, USCIS do call people when they are trying to arrange something at short notice and the number doesn’t go through when you call back - I assume to prevent people harassing individual USCIS officers.

Thanks so much for your quick response, Susie!

I hope it is legit. I'm quite worried since my job is on the TAL list but I have not even done biometrics. My status on the online account is still at case received and EMMA said no biometrics appointment scheduled for me.

 

[MrBobert]

I'm waiting for my biometrics to be scheduled. I have requested to expedite my case due to urgent humanitarian situations. The agent said that an officer will call me from a specific number.

How did you request to expedite your case?

 

[Morris_moriel]

One other thing, I noticed your CN was current in January, why did you wait until mid July to apply for AOS?

Hi mom,
i came to the US on January 2024, filed for asylum July 10th 2024 after finding out i was a dv selectee,
i sent my first package end of february 2025, i got a rejection notice on 6th march 2025, my debit card had an issue,
i did a money order a week later, got my reciept April 17, 21 April my biometrics was waved, then they went silent..........until
i got my interview today.....oh, before the interview, i found a voice mail from uscis, they left a number i could reach them with, and when
i called back, they said they had been trying to reach me for two months, which wasn't true!!!!

 

[Sm1smom]

Hi Mom,

I'm waiting for my biometrics to be scheduled. I have requested to expedite my case due to urgent humanitarian situations. The agent said that an officer will call me from a specific number.

Today, I got 4 missed calls from another number, but it's based in my FO region. The number is no longer active when I called back, so I thought it's a scam. But then I got an email from domain @uscis.dhs.gov. A screenshot of the email is attached. Is it legit?

Thanks so much for your help!

I agree with Susie’s above explanation about IO’s calling applicants out of the blue to schedule their interview appointment, and yes it is possible for the interview to get scheduled prior to the bio appointment being scheduled or completed. In such situations the final adjudication gets pushed forward until after the background check clears. So yeah, the missed calls could indeed be from your IO. I suppose you can go ahead and respond to the email as requested, as long as subsequent follow up isn’t asking for some personal details which they should already have.

I have a couple of follow up questions for you to help me get a better insight to your case, plus other members could potentially benefit from this information

1. Your package was delivered on 8/11, when did you contact USCIS to request an urgent or humanitarian expedite for the case?
2. How did you make the request? Did you submit any supporting documents for the request?
3. If you don’t mind sharing, which criteria was the urgent or humanitarian expedite request based on - illness, disability, death of a family member or close friend, or extreme living conditions, such as those caused by natural catastrophes or armed conflict?
4. In your above post, you stated you were told to expect a call from a “specific number”, but you got 4 missed calls from another number number - where you provided with the actual specific number from which to expect the call?