Hi,

I got a notification after the I-485 interview saying that the application has gone to a USCIS office and it is in "initial review". The IO didn't mention anything during the interview. The website says this:

"During this step, USCIS initiates the background checks of the applicant/petitioner and identifies issues that may need to be addressed either during an interview or by asking the applicant/petitioner to submit additional information or documentation. USCIS reviews the applicant's/petitioner's criminal history, determines if there are national security concerns that need to be addressed, and reviews the application/petition for fraud indicators."

Could this mean that there's an RFE possible, or is it normal?

The latest update is that the application has been transferred to the local USCIS office for further processing, which is strange since the application never left the local USCIS office (Newark, NJ) in the first place. I have no idea what USCIS is up to! 😕

The second status update could be an error. For first status, it could mean that they may be doing some more background checks. Maybe something you wrote in the application form could trigger it or it could be a random audit.

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An update: A few days I got a letter saying that the case had been transferred to Lee's Summit, MO to speed up processing and today (12/11) I got an email saying that card production had been ordered!