Does the priority date mean anything really?

pri_date12_01

Registered Users (C)
For the experts and those who are in the same boat as I am!

I am waiting for the approval of my 485 since Dec 7th 2001.

My priority date is Dec 7th 2001 as per the online uscis.gov processing status check.

The current processing dates on the uscis.gov site for the texas service center is shown to be jan 31st 2002.

I still have not heard anything back from the center.

Additionally two of my friends...One with a priority date of March 2002 already received an approval for his 485 and the other (listen to this)
priority date Jul 28th 2003 did as well!!!!

All our cases are filed in the Texas service center.

Does anyone else have a similar experience of this not being a First In First out system?

Does the online site timing mean anything really?
 
First in first out is definitely not a concept that TSC believes in. When you say priority date, do you mean "Receipt Date" or "Notice Date"? If so, then you should (i) call the national customer service line and file an inquiry (ii) fax an expedite request form to the TSC Director's attention requesting that your case be expedited, since it is 30 days past the current processing date. You can find the expedite request forms and the fax numbers if you search this forum - by the way, there are two fax numbers (apparently recently changed) - fax to both numbers (iii) contact your senator or congressman and ask for their help (again, search this forum to find links to sites that you can use to find who your congressperson/senator is). If you did your fingerprinting more than 15 months ago, you probably need to do it again.

Good luck with your case - your approval is long overdue.
 
pri_date12_01,

I agree with picsarus, I am afraid you're confusing between Priority Date (I-140 Approval Date) and RD (received date) or ND (notice date, on your I-485 receipt). Official TSC dates are ND dates.

Please be advised that Official TSC dates are NOT reliable. The stark evidence is what you can see from my dates (see below) and others on this forum. The official dates may be used, as picsarus correctly advised, to "call the national customer service line and file an inquiry..."

Good luck and please keep us posted...
 
Priority Date

I am afraid there is much confusion.
Priority date is the date the labor certification application is filed, and has relevance only for immigrant visa availibility. The I-140 approval makes you eligible for an immigrant visa and you can only file your AOS (I-485) or CP application if an immigrant visa is available--it is here that the priority date comes in.
If it is of any consolation one of my cases has the PD of 13 January 1998, and the I-485 receipt/notice date of February 14, 2002.
Still no signs of any movement--the first fingerprint taken in March 2003 has expired and even a fax has not elicited a response.
Cheers!
 
I agree with Samir Das. Here is explaination.
Priority Dates are no longer used (at least right now) because processing is so slow. In the past when the processing was a little faster people were assigned priority dates because they could give only so many green cards per year to nationals of a particular country. Hence people from India, China, Mexico, and a few other countries had to wait a long time for their priority dates to be current, and once the priority dates were current, they could apply for their 485. That is where EB1, EB2, and EB3 comes in. Each of these categories had different priority date and EB1 cases become current earlier than EB2, and EB2 before EB3. The priority date was assigned when you filed for your labor cert. In each case the processing time was around six months. But now since the processing is so slow...that priority dates are always current for employment based cases (meaning they are not reaching the limit of GC they are allowed to give for each country)
Hope this clears up some confusion

I'm EB2 and I know of an EB3 from my company who applied his 485 much after me has already been approved...and I'm still waiting for my FP.... :mad:
 
I am still waiting for FP. This is really frustrating.
Hope for more approvals soon.

EB2

RD 08/2002
ND 08/2002

2nd EAD

NO FP yet.
 
still confused please help

Hi Experts,

Here is what my online status says

Receipt Number: SRC020545XXXX
Application Type: I485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status
Current Status:
On December 7, 2001, your fingerprint fee was accepted as complete, and processing of your case has resumed.


And for my wife:

Receipt Number: SRC020545XXXX
Application Type: I485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status
Current Status:
Your I485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or to Adjust Status was received on December 7, 2001. We mailed you a receipt with information about processing. It is taking between 850 and 900 days for us to process this kind of case. We will mail you a decision as soon as processing is complete.


Confusion on my side is multi-fold.
1] What do these dates mean then?
2] Why do we have different status for what should be tied to the same approval case?

Thanks in advance for your advice and information...

Regards,
pri_date12_01
 
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