My employment-based I485 application for adjustment of status was finally approved today after 2.5 years. I am hereby sharing some of my experience with you and also thanking you all in this forum.
Background:
RD: 8/30/2003. I140 & I485 concurrent filing.
AD: 1/2004 for I140, I485 pending
1st interview and fingerprint Date: 3/2005
2nd interview Date: 5/2006, I485 approved.
Experience with Name Check.
I have gotten to know the term of “name check” since I went to the first interview in USCIS local office. The immigration officer told me that she would have had approved my case if my name check was cleared. She said that the request for name check was sent to FBI since my I485 was filed, but she could hardly understand why it took so unreasonably long. She was very nice to suggest me to ask for the senator’s help. When I came back home, I started searching everything about FBI name check. Among all the information I found, one article wrote by an Indian guy was very impressive. He described his story about fighting with FBI for expediting his name check process. All the information this article provided was very useful and most importantly, his spirit encouraged me to fight for my case. I have started to wrote to FBI head in charge of name check, send emails to FBI name check inquiry, gave them phone calls and send faxes every month since 3/2005, even I got no response from them. At the same time, I turned to my senator for his help. My senator gave me a solid help with updating my case status and pushing FBI headquarters for my name check process. But FBI responded to the senator that name check is a national security issue and they were working hard right now so that my senator cannot do further more about it. I kept writing to them and it seemed that no progressed has been made until 9/2005. In 9/2005, USCIS local officer told me that my name check was just cleared, but FBI soon launched another two rounds of name check for me due to too many duplicates occurred in my previous 3 round check. I was so frustrated. But still, I felt that my effort in theses 6 months was not in vain because the progress has been made much faster than the last one and half years. From 8/2003 to 3/2005, there was no progress at all! It seemed that I saw a bit of light in the long tunnel. I kept writing to FBI as usual. Thank God, another two rounds of name check cleared finally in January 2006. I soon wrote to the director of USCIS local office to inform them with this progress. Two month later, I was set up for an interview (second interview). During the interview, my application for I485 was approved and my passport was stamped.
Never Lose Hope
So, for those who are still suffering name check or whatever obstacles, it is very important that you never lose hope anytime. During my application, my boss and friends gave me a lot of help and courage and the successful stories in this forum also gave me a lot of strength. I can get those help not because I am lucky but that I never lose hope. You may not follow my way exactly, but it is better to do something than doing nothing.
Finally best wish to all of you and thank you.
God Bless you.