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
Timeline Map
2024-08-02
I-485
Submission to USCIS
2025-03-03
I-485
D+213
Interview
2025-04-04
I-485
D+245
Decision (Approval or Denial)
This timeline was created with the Lawfully App. Download the Lawfully App now.
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mariam TApr 5, 2025
congratulations 😍
Karina SApr 5, 2025
congratulations @Steph H where was your interview? and do you have kids with your husband? my interview is coming up
p manApr 5, 2025
that was so fast ….. what was your status prior to adjustment
nina avorqxApr 5, 2025
congrats!!!
Ib God is GoodApr 5, 2025
congratulations...can you please share some of the questions asked..
Lia wynterApr 6, 2025
congratulations!! I’d appreciate you sharing the questions asked
Steph HApr 6, 2025
@Karina S my interview was in the Houston office. After 5 years of marriage, I’m currently pregnant. I did upload a copy of one of the ultrasounds in the portal as additional evidence a few months back. Good luck during the interview.
Steph HApr 6, 2025
@p man during the time I was waiting for the waiver for the J1 visa foreign residence requirement, I was in a limbo. That was tough because I couldn’t work nor get a driver’s license (in Texas.). This lasted since 2020 until I got my work permit, EAD by the end of August 2024. That’s why I really urge people not to skip that J1 visa requirement. It was horrible to feel like I had no rights at all. I hope this helps.
Steph HApr 6, 2025
@Ib God is Good they started about asking about our wedding date. We married at the court house, with just a couple of friends as witnesses in July of 2019, but we celebrate our anniversary on 11/8/2019 because that’s when we had our big celebration in Guatemala. For family, friends, and us, that’s our official anniversary, so we explained all that. Then, if you go to the eligibility section of Form I-485, that’s basically what they asked. They Asked if I had ever had a visa denied, if I had ever been in any deportation procedure, if I had ever entered US territory without proper authorization to enter, if I had ever been accused of a criminal act, if I had ever had a J1 visa, if I had complied with the foreign residence requirement for it or had a waiver, etc. They were all yes or no questions, apart from the wedding date ones.
Steph HApr 6, 2025
@Lia wynter see my answer to @Ib God is Good :)
Steph HApr 6, 2025
Questions they asked me:
*I just realized when I wrote this I say “they”, but it was just one person leading the interview.
-Personal info for both of us (names, date of birth)
- Preivous marriages and children info (pregnant now, husband had been marrried here before and has three more kids, they asked about divorce date)
- They asked how we met.
- They asked how and when we married. I had printed pictures of many things, but not the weeding, so they also asked us to upload pictures from our wedding celebration to my I-485 application in the portal as additional evidence. I did it from my phone.
- They asked since when I was in the US, last entry, which for me was 1/5/2020.
-They asked if I ever overstayed a visa. I said yes and explained that it was the last time I entered and that I did it following an attorney reccomendation and Covid. Times were uncertain and the attorney suggested I adjusted my status while here instead of going back to my country. I never overstayed before.
-When asked if I had ever been denied a visa, I said yes. I explained that my first tourist visa was denied when I was young, but a few months after that, I got it approved and had many renewals and trips to the US since 2008. They asked for the date of the denial, and I couldn’t remember exactly, just the year. I guess this is why they needed the NRC records, but that’s just a guess.
After those, they focused on me with these questions:
-They asked if I had ever been part
of a group or association of any kind here or in my home country.
- Then, Questions 10-21 in Part 9 of Form I-485.
I responded yes to question 13 because I married with a B1/B2 visa due to my husbands insistence, but that is technically a violation of a nonimmigrant visa terms. I know they’re getting more strict with this now, so try doing things as right as possible. The correct thing would have been to wait and get a Fiancé visa.
Questions 23-25 in Part 9 of Form I-485.
- Questions 76, 77, and 78b
- They asked if I had ever used any government benefit, like Medicare
- They asked a very strange question I couldn’t find in any of the forms, asking if I was ineligible based on something related to income, and it cited something that sounded like the number of a Law. I hesitated and said “No… I think…”. The person explained rhe question was confusing and the right answer was “Yes” for anyone who had to have a sponsor to apply. He changed the answer and added a note.
At the end, he gave a a summary of the notes and changed answers we added, and I reviewed and signed it.
Those are all the questions they asked me and my husband.
I hope you find this helpful.
@Ib God is Good @Lia wynter
Karina SApr 6, 2025
@Steph H thanks for your response and your wishes
Lia wynterApr 7, 2025
@Steph H thank you so much this was very helpful
Ib God is GoodApr 15, 2025
thank you very much @Steph H for the response and time..that's very helpful
