Case Processing

S
Steph H
Apr 5, 2025
Green Card Approved! Thankful and blessed.
Hi, everyone. I wanted to share my experience with you. We filed on August 2 of last year, received my work permit on 8/24. I got my interview scheduled on 3/3. The interview happened on 3/31, and we got approved on 4/2. At the immigration office, they don’t necessarily call the numbers in order, so that is a little confusing. The interview was fairly quick. we had brought a lot of supporting documents, but we were just asked to upload some photos from our wedding. Most of the questions were directed to me, and they were mostly from the eligibility section of Form I-485. The agent also asked about the sponsorship and medical exam, but we said we had submitted those with our applications and he didn’t ask for any additional documents. We had brought updated tax returns, bank statements, etc., but nothing was required. My first visitor visa was denied when I has 21 (I’m 40 now), and that was one of the questions. After finishing the interview, the agent said he couldn’t make a decision because he needed to wait for a document from the NRC (National Records Center). He didn’t say what document, but we think it might be related to that visa denial. My husband got bummed, but two days later we received the approval, and two days after that we received a case status update saying that my card had been generated. I’m currently waiting for it to arrive. Overall, the process was very straightforward and quicker than I expected. The agent, though serious, was very calm and pleasant, and the attention at the immigration office was very organized. My husband and I have been married since 2019, and this process has been very long for us. My green card process wasn’t that long, but I had to get a waiver for a J1 visa in order to file, and that took almost three years. Another mistake we made was getting married on a non-immigrant B1/B2 visa due to my husbands impulsive thinking. I’m thankful that didn’t seem to be a big problem, but we were nervous about it, and I’ve heard it’s an issue for some people with newly filed cases. My recommendation, get informed before doing anything and do things as tight as you can. You won’t regret it. Also, for any of you with a J1 visa, if you haven’t complied with the two-year of foreign residence requirement, I recommend you do before attempting and adjustment of status. Trying to get a waiver—mostly just the extreme hardship ones are approved—is long and crippling. If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t attempt to get the waiver, I would just go out of the country, complete the requirement, and start my green card process. It would have been much easier and less tolling for my mental health. However, what’s done it’s done, and I feel very blessed today! For those still waiting, be patient, use your time wisely, and trust your Higher Power in this process. Feel free to reply to this post with your questions if you have any. I’m happy to help.

IR-1/CR-1

U.S. citizen filing for a spouse

Total Days: 245 days
Case
2024-08-02
2025-04-04
I-485
245 Days
Texas Service Center: I-485
14
A L
Apr 4, 2025
Three emails today
My PD is 10/12/2024. CR1/CR2. CR1 was at Texas Service Center and was transferred to Potomac. CR2 started and remains at Vermont. I received the classic “we have taken an action on your case” email on 03/28/2025. Today we were finally able to ask Emma about the email, and she said: “The most recent update was on 3/28/25, a check was completed. Nothing significant, just a part of the process.” When I asked before, some people said it meant approval was coming. I wonder, could it be? ChatGPT gave me an estimate of possible approval by the end of May or June. Should I believe that? Or should I keep in mind that approval might only come in January/February? Thank you all! Update 04/04: Today I received THREE emails saying "we have taken an action on your case." Nothing changed except for the status "case is being reviewed" So… what should I think?! I checked the API, and both cases had the event code FTA0 today. WE WERE APPROVED
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