Hi Vivek and others,

Thank you for your reply Vivek. I guess that we just have to be patient. Many people say that CP is much faster than AOS. But since all CP applicants need to wait for their priority dates current before getting their interviews, I really do not see its advantage if AOS applicants live in Northern California districts because the I-485 processing time is close to 6 month or less.

Yes you are right about that and it all depends on individual situation. If your PD is going to be current soon then better go back home and get the visa through CP then AOS. For example in NYC AOS takes around 24 or more moths so if PD is going to be current soon then CP is the better option. But if AOS takes around 6 months only then CP is not a good idea since you can save some money of going back and forth around 2K. but I have noticed lately that some of the straight forward case get approval easily in 12 month in NYC so all depends and how easy or complicated your case is. Good luck.