One year ago, my I-140 and I-485 (EB1B) were filed through my university to USCIS Texas Center. Now my I-140 is still pending. My university officer subsequently faxed three times to USCIS asking about my I-140 status in January, March, and May, 2007. USCIS only responded to our first fax request by saying that my I-140 was under background check and did not make any response to the second and third fax request.
My questions are: (1) Is the background check normal for I-140 and how long does it take? Is the background check for I-140 the same as the background check for I-485? (2) If my I-140 is still pending, will they start processing my I-485? In other words, will the delay in my I-140 delay my I-485? (3) What shoud I do if USCIS keep ignoring our fax inquires? Usually USCIS will respond in 30 days after phone inquiry, but they did not respond to our last two fax request in almost 50 days. Our university officer said fax is the only way used by our university for communication with USCIS.
Thank you for your help!