Mr. X was in the U.S. on F-1 status, working on OPT. His wife is a U.S. green card holder. The couple wanted to pursue his green card from within the U.S. and apply for advance parole at the same time, so he could travel while the case was pending.

• His wife, the petitioner, had no current employment income, so her affidavit of support alone could not meet the USCIS income requirement.
• The I-130 family petition was filed on its own first, with the I-485 adjustment of status and I-131 advance parole following a few days later. Because the packages were mailed separately, USCIS could not link them automatically.
• Leaving the U.S. without advance parole while an I-485 is pending is treated as abandoning the green card application, so the advance parole had to move forward together with the green card case.

• We brought in a joint sponsor. The joint sponsor and spouse signed Form I-864 and Form I-864A together and included three full years of tax records, filling the gap in the household's financial support.
• When filing the I-485 and I-131, we wrote the I-130 receipt number in the cover letter and the applications and enclosed the I-130 receipt, so the officer could link all three filings to one case.
• The I-485 and I-131 went in the same package so the advance parole would ride on the pending green card case. Mr. X already held a work permit, so he could keep working without interruption.

Date	Milestone
July 10, 2026	I-130 family petition accepted
July 13, 2026	I-485 adjustment of status and I-131 advance parole accepted
August 27, 2026	Biometrics completed
September 25, 2026	Advance parole approved, valid for 18 months

A spouse with no income does not rule out a green card. With the right sponsorship plan and filings that line up with each other, the case moves forward just the same. Two and a half months after filing, Mr. X had his advance parole and can travel freely while he waits for his green card.

Advance parole approved September 25, 2026, valid for 18 months.