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You may use the Priority Date attached to an approved I-140 Petition. The Priority Date is printed in the top left portion of the I-140 Approval Notice. When this date is current, you may file your Adjustment of Status or Immigrant Visa application based on your current employer's Immigrant Visa process.

Yes. Fingerprint results expire after 15 months. USCIS will review the fingerprints when they are ready to complete adjudication of the I-485, and if the results have expired, they will issue a new fingerprint appointment notice.

Yes. Although your case was approved, your dependent's application is still based on your priority date, and USCIS cannot approve your dependent's application until the Priority Date is current. The quota backlogs were not in affect when I filed my I-485 application.

If you plan to marry soon, filing for AOS should be weighed carefully, as approval of the AOS prior to your marriage will substantially constrain your ability to bring your spouse to the U.S. quickly. If you are already married, applications can be filed for your spouse and any dependent children. If time is fast coming to a close on your temporary visa, filing concurrently for AOS may prove beneficial.

Generally, H-1 stay is limited to six years, and you must either leave the U.S. or change to another visa category (if eligible) before the allotted six years is exhausted. There are, however, some exceptions to the six year limit on H-1 stay based on the status of a pending permanent residency petition. Specifically, an H-1B may be extended beyond the six year limit in certain circumstances under the American Competitiveness in the Twenty-first Century Act of 2000 (AC21). Section 104(c) of AC21 permits the extension of H-1B nonimmigrant status in three year increments beyond the six year limit where the H-1B nonimmigrant is the beneficiary of an approved I-140 and an immigrant visa is not immediately available (i.e., they are awaiting a current priority date). Section 106(a) of AC21 permits the extension of H-1B nonimmigrant status in one year increments if the I-140 petition or underlying labor certification has been pending for at least 365 days. These extensions are also granted to H-4 family members. Additional extensions are permitted in three and one year increments as the case may be provided that the applicant remains eligible for them. The above provisions of AC21 do not apply to individuals holding L status. As such, L visa holders may not extend their status for more than the maximum allotted five or seven years based on the status of a permanent residency petition.