Marriage Green Card Interview Experiences

AOS (concurrent) · From B-2 · Interviewed together

My background is clean in EEUU I just overstay and work without authorization

AOS (concurrent) · From O-1 status · Interviewed together

Marriage-based AOS from O-1 status at the Newark NJ field office. No overstay and no unauthorized employment, my spouse is a U.S. citizen, and I'm not from one of the 39 listed countries. The I-485 was received on April 20, 2026. Biometrics were scheduled May 23 and done June 11. The case moved to "Case is being actively reviewed" on June 12, the interview was scheduled on June 22, held on July 28, and both the I-130 and I-485 were approved the next day, July 29, 2026. We waited about two hours at the office, but the interview itself was casual and quick — around 15 minutes, both of us in the same room.

AOS (concurrent) · From F-1 student visa (Polish citizen, UK resident since age 4) · Interviewed together · With attorney

Filed to approved in about 80 days at the Brooklyn NY field office. I'm a Polish citizen and have been a UK resident since I was four, adjusting from an F-1 student visa. My husband is a U.S. citizen. We had been dating since 2023, got engaged in March 2026, married on April 10, 2026, and filed the I-130 and I-485 together on May 12, 2026. We used a lawyer for the whole filing. It was a straightforward case: no overstay, no unauthorized work, no criminal record. An RFE was issued on the I-485 on May 19, 2026 — for my birth certificate and medical, both of which we had already submitted, so it seems they were simply lost on their end. We responded and the response was received on June 18, 2026. Biometrics were scheduled May 23 and completed June 11. The interview was scheduled on June 23, held on July 28, and both the I-130 and I-485 were approved on July 30, 2026.

AOS (concurrent) · From Humanitarian parole (Haiti), then pending asylum

Coming from a travel-ban country: I-130 and I-485 approved three months after mailing the package, at the New Jersey Central field office in Cranbury. I was a humanitarian parolee from Haiti until 2025, then applied for asylum, and then adjusted status through marriage to my U.S. citizen spouse. The package was mailed on April 27, 2026 and the receipt notice came on April 29, 2026. The interview was on July 24, 2026 and the approval notice came on July 28, 2026 — the I-485 case history shows Case Approved on July 28. There was one silent update on July 27 and the approval landed the day after it.

AOS (concurrent) · From F-1 (came on J-1 in 2022, changed to F-1) · Interviewed together · With attorney

F-1 to marriage-based AOS at the Manhattan (New York City) field office, approved in 71 days. No unauthorized work and no overstay. I've been in the U.S. since 2022 — my status went J-1, then F-1, now green card. We met on March 20, 2025 and married exactly a year later, on March 20, 2026. We gathered our documents and our attorney did most of the work, starting around the end of April / beginning of May. The petition was filed on May 14, 2026 and the card was charged on May 20. Biometrics were June 10, the interview was scheduled June 16 and held July 23. The next morning at 7:01 AM the I-130 was approved, and at 2:15 PM the same day the I-485 was approved.

AOS (concurrent) · Interviewed together

Interviewed at the Syracuse NY field office. We filed the I-130, I-485 and I-765 on February 25, 2026. Biometrics were scheduled March 7 and completed March 22. The interview was scheduled on June 15 and held July 21. The I-130 was approved July 23 and the I-485 on July 25, 2026. Back when I was a student I did some babysitting, which I disclosed properly both in the filing and at the interview. No other violations — no overstay. The interview was long and the officer was thorough, but nothing he asked felt tricky. He was friendly and made jokes.

AOS (concurrent) · From J-1

Marriage-based AOS at the St. Louis MO field office, coming from J-1 status. Everything below happened in 2026. The package was submitted on April 15 and biometrics were on May 27. The interview scheduled update came on June 20 and the interview was held on July 21. We were approved the next day, July 22. The approval notice PDFs for the I-130 and I-485 were uploaded on July 23 and the paper notices arrived on July 27. About a week later USPS pre-shipment info showed the card packaged and about to be mailed from the production facility. One thing that makes our case unusual: we live apart, so our evidence had to lean on the financial and documentary side rather than a shared address.

AOS (concurrent)

Filed I-130/I-485 concurrently at the Chatsworth (San Fernando Valley), CA field office. Biometrics appointment came about a month after filing, the interview notice followed about 2 weeks after that, and the interview itself was roughly 5 weeks after the notice. Both I-130 and I-485 were approved the day after the interview. Total time from case received to approval: 84 days, under 3 months.

AOS (concurrent) · From K-1 fiance(e) visa (Canadian citizen) · Interviewed together

K-1 route, so no I-130 was needed. Applied for the K-1 in July 2021 as a Canadian citizen and it was approved in April 2023. Moved to Arizona in August 2023, married a U.S. citizen in October 2023, and filed I-485, I-131 and I-765 in December 2023 based on the K-1. Biometrics were in January 2024 and the EAD was approved the very next day. Advance Parole came through in July 2024 and was used six times with no issues at the border. Then came a long silence. A move from Arizona to Florida in October 2024 may have delayed the case. During the wait the polio vaccine requirements changed, which was a worry, but the medical had been done within a year of filing and was still valid. A congressional inquiry was submitted on March 15, 2026, and the case status updated to "Still being processed by USCIS" two days later. An interview was first scheduled in Fort Myers FL on May 11, 2026, then cancelled on May 30 — which was crushing — before being rescheduled in Tampa FL on June 11, 2026. The interview was on July 16, 2026 and the case was approved on July 31, 2026. There were two silent API updates on July 30 with no event codes, and the status never changed from "Interview Scheduled" to anything else before it went straight to "Case Approved". No RFE was ever issued in the whole case.

AOS (concurrent) · From F-1 with STEM OPT · Interviewed together · With attorney

Approved after a very unusual interview at the San Fernando Valley (Chatsworth) field office. I was on F-1 with STEM OPT, no overstays and no unauthorized work. My spouse is a U.S. citizen. We met in early 2024, moved in together in September 2024, got engaged in October 2025 and married in December 2025. Our lawyer submitted the application on April 8, 2026, but did not come to the interview — it was just us. The appointment was for 8:15 AM and we got to the parking lot at 7:40. Check-in was quick and friendly; they took my photo and fingerprints and we were done by 7:53, with a ticket and a warning that the order would be random. Officers started calling tickets around 8:30, roughly in order, then skipped us. They seem to call people in waves. We were finally called at 9:30 — and of course I had just gone to the restroom, so my husband had to phone me and I hurried back. An awkward start. We were in her office for about an hour. Afterwards she said the system was having technical problems and sent us back to the waiting room until IT fixed it, saying she would call us back to sign. While waiting we got a USCIS notification saying our interview had been cancelled. An hour later she came out, said we could go, that no signature was needed and not to worry about the cancellation notice. No receipt, just "wait for a response in the mail in 4-6 weeks". The next morning at 10:15 AM I got a notification: interview scheduled for today at 11 AM — 45 minutes' notice. We work far from the field office and had none of our documents with us. Our lawyer said to go anyway, even late. We left work, went home, changed, grabbed the documents and arrived at noon. Security gave us a hard time because we had no physical notice, but let us in after checking inside. The officer was at lunch, so we waited about another hour — and in the end she only needed us to sign. She gave me a receipt saying the case was under review. The I-130 was approved on July 22 and the I-485 on July 29, 2026.

AOS (concurrent) · From F-1 student visa, with unauthorized work · Interviewed together

Filed to card in the mailbox in under three months, at the West Palm Beach FL field office (the office is in Royal Palm Beach). I'm from Brazil and was on an F-1 with unauthorized work. My spouse is a U.S. citizen. Documents went in on May 7, 2026. Biometrics were scheduled May 16 and done June 6. The interview was scheduled on June 10 and held on July 14, 2026. The I-130 was approved the same day as the interview, the I-485 the next day, July 15. The card was produced on July 20 and arrived in the mailbox on July 27, 2026. Small thing that made me laugh afterwards: I was nervous and went to the bathroom, and of course that is exactly when they called us in.

AOS (after I-130)

F2A case — spouse of a lawful permanent resident, interviewed at the Irving / Dallas TX field office. Married on August 2, 2024 and filed the I-130 five days later, on August 7, 2024. The I-485 went in separately on April 1, 2025. The biometrics notice was generated on April 27, 2025 and the appointment was completed two days later, on April 29, 2025. The interview was scheduled on June 9, 2026, attended on July 14, 2026, and the case was approved on July 31, 2026 — roughly two years from filing the I-130. One detail worth noting for other F2A filers: the approval notice showed the code F26 rather than CR6, even though the approval landed two days before the marriage reached the two-year mark. F26 is the immigrant class for the spouse of an LPR without conditions (a 10-year card), while CR6 is the conditional two-year version. Anyone in the same window should check which code is on their own notice rather than assuming.

AOS (concurrent) · From Entered on a B2 tourist visa, overstayed · Interviewed separately

US citizen spouse filing for husband, concurrent I-130/I-485/I-765/I-131 filing with NBC. Immigrant spouse entered on a B2 tourist visa, overstayed, and had some unauthorized work history. Because of the overstay and unauthorized work, the officer conducted a Stokes interview, separating the couple for about 40 minutes each. Total time from USCIS receipt to approval was 314 days. I-130 was approved first, with I-485 following about 7 minutes later the same afternoon.

AOS (concurrent) · From Overstay with a pending asylum application · Interviewed separately

Concurrent filing at the Cranbury NJ field office, no lawyer — we filed everything ourselves. I got here in 2021, my second time in the U.S., and that's when I met my husband, who is a U.S. citizen. We married in 2025. I had overstay, unauthorized work, and a pending asylum petition — no interview and no movement on that case at all. Our case looked straightforward but had a couple of weak points. My husband was studying abroad for several years and visited me in the U.S. twice a year, so we submitted the plane tickets proving that. We had also recently moved, and my husband refused to get a driver's license with the new address. We knew that would be seen as a red flag, so we submitted extra paperwork showing he had changed his address at the DMV, and I provided my old driver's license with the matching address. On top of that we brought bills, bank statements and insurance in our names to prove we live together. Other than that we had plenty of evidence. The package was received on April 10, 2026, biometrics were May 15, the interview was scheduled June 3 and held July 8. The I-130 was approved the next day and the I-485 on July 16, 2026.

AOS (concurrent) · From F-1 student status on STEM OPT · Separately, then together · With attorney

Marriage-based concurrent AOS, US citizen spouse. Entered on F-1 and was on STEM OPT at the time of filing, no overstay or unauthorized work. Hired an immigration attorney but did not bring them to the interview. Uploaded all supplemental evidence to the USCIS portal a few days before the interview, so the officer had already reviewed it. Officer said she could approve the I-130 herself on the spot, but the I-485 needed supervisor sign-off, which came the next day.

AOS (concurrent) · From B2 visitor visa, out of status at time of filing (no unauthorized work) · Interviewed together

Based on an experience shared in r/USCIS: filed I-130, I-485 and I-765 concurrently (lockbox: Chicago), with a field office interview at Orlando. Applicant was previously on a B2 visitor visa and out of status, with no unauthorized work, at the time of filing.

AOS (concurrent) · From F-1 since 2018, changed to H-1B in 2024 · Interviewed together · With attorney

I-130 and I-485 approved in under two months from acceptance, at the Boston MA field office. I'm married to my U.S. citizen husband. I entered the U.S. on an F-1 in 2018 and changed to H-1B in 2024, and I'm not from a travel ban or visa pause country. We met in late 2024 and married in March 2026. I lost my H-1B job in February 2026, which added a lot of stress to the timing of everything. We submitted the I-130, I-485, I-765 and I-131 package on April 22, and it was rejected on April 24 for an incomplete public charge questionnaire. We resubmitted and USCIS generated the receipt on May 13. Biometrics were scheduled May 22 and completed June 12, the interview was scheduled June 24 and held July 7, the I-130 was approved July 8 and the I-485 on July 9, 2026 — within about 40 hours of the interview. The rejection cost us: my H-1B grace period ended April 27, so the resubmission left me with about 15 days of overstay. Our intent was always to file within the grace period and there was no unauthorized work involved. The officer wasn't too concerned — she just added a note.

AOS (concurrent) · From F-1 student from Nigeria, on OPT · Interviewed together

San Francisco field office. I'm an F-1 student from Nigeria, a country on the pause list. My immigration journey had a few personal turns but I'm glad it materialized. The full picture: I arrived in the U.S. as an F-1 student from Nigeria on September 12, 2022. I married for the first time on July 5, 2024 and we separated on August 9, 2024; the divorce/annulment was finalized on May 14, 2025. I remarried on November 18, 2025 and we filed 48 days later. The I-130 and I-485 were received by USCIS on January 5, 2026. Biometrics were on January 27. The interview was scheduled on May 13 and held on June 17, after which the case changed to "actively reviewed" and stayed there until approval. Both the I-130 and I-485 were approved on July 2, 2026 — 178 days from filing, about five months and 27 days, and 15 days from the interview. There was no RFE at any point. I did have unauthorized work, about eight months to a year of it, but no overstay — my OPT work permit was valid until mid-July.

AOS (concurrent) · From ESTA / visa waiver, expired before filing

Chicago field office, filed concurrently, no lawyer — we did it ourselves and had no problems and no RFE. My spouse is a U.S. citizen. My ESTA expired on March 28, 2026. We got married on April 2 and sent the package on April 18 — I didn't want a lot of unlawful presence, so we acted quickly. Biometrics were scheduled on May 8 for May 28, and I rescheduled two weeks earlier to May 11. The interview was scheduled on May 19 and held on June 10, just 51 days after filing, which felt incredibly fast. The I-130 was approved the next day, June 11. Then came over six weeks of waiting before the I-485 was finally approved on July 25, 2026. I almost thought I'd have the green card in under two months, but the I-485 took a little longer. There was no unauthorized work in my case. Total cost: $2,400.

AOS (concurrent)

Hartford CT field office. Filed January 29, 2026, receipt February 2, biometrics February 20 (originally the 22nd, rescheduled earlier). The interview notice came May 7 and the interview was June 2. The I-130 was approved June 29 and the I-485 on July 29, 2026 — almost two months after the interview. After way too much doomscrolling on r/USCIS, here is what my own case actually showed about the theories people repeat there. Silent updates: some posts claim you'll see exactly two silent (timestamp) updates before approval. I had them on 6/18, 6/23, 6/28, 7/1 and 7/28 before being approved on 7/29. The number you see mostly depends on how often you poll the API. FTA1: some posts claim you need two FTA1s before approval. I had one, and only one, after my interview. As far as I can tell it simply means the interview has been completed — it doesn't predict when or whether you'll be approved. Changing the phone number on your profile: I changed mine twice, on 7/7 and 7/20, hoping it would draw attention to my case. It made no difference. What did work was a congressional inquiry. I had a job offer starting in August, so in late June we contacted both of my senators and my congressman. Only Senator Murphy's office agreed to help, and my EAD was approved a day after they got a response from USCIS.

AOS (concurrent) · From F-1 · Interviewed together

Six months from filing to approval at the Seattle field office. I was on F-1, not from any banned country, with no overstay and no unauthorized work. USCIS received our application on January 27, 2026. Biometrics were scheduled February 7 and done February 9. The interview was scheduled April 21 and held May 28. The I-130 was approved June 5, and the I-485 on July 28, 2026. Since I was checking my case often, I noticed several silent updates before the approval: June 26, July 6, July 10, July 13, July 15, July 24 (twice) and July 27 (twice). Then on July 28 the I-485 was approved. On July 16 my Congresswoman's office contacted USCIS about my pending I-485 to request additional information. I honestly can't say whether it made a difference — the case was approved 12 days later, but I never got any follow-up from the congressional office. The last I heard from them was that they were still waiting for USCIS to respond.

AOS (concurrent) · From NLS to DACA to Advance Parole to AOS

Marriage-based AOS, filed I-130 with I-485 concurrently. Immigrant spouse's path was NLS to DACA to Advance Parole to AOS. Got an RFE for extra tax info before the interview. No lawyer used. For the interview, brought condensed evidence rather than a large stack of documents to keep the process moving. Interview happened right after a new USCIS memo came out; questions were basic. I-130 approved first, I-485 approved about 6 weeks after the interview.

AOS (concurrent) · From H-1B · Interviewed separately

Marriage-based AOS at the Boston MA field office. I'm on H-1B and my spouse is a U.S. citizen. Our case was straightforward — no overstays and no joint sponsor needed — so we never consulted a lawyer. We only paid $299 for Green Card Hero software to help prepare the application. The I-130, I-485 and I-765 packet was delivered to the Chicago lockbox on 3/19. The cases were linked to my USCIS account automatically on 3/23 and the ACH payment processed on 3/24. On 3/27 biometrics were scheduled for 4/17; I rescheduled to 3/31 and the new appointment letter appeared in the system about three hours later. I completed biometrics on 3/31 and roughly five minutes later both the I-485 and I-765 moved to "Case Is Being Actively Reviewed by USCIS". On 4/9 both the I-485 and I-130 updated to "Interview Was Scheduled", set for 5/15. The I-130 was approved on 6/3, and then nothing. By 6/29 I had seen no API updates on the I-485 since May, so I contacted my local congressperson's office (my House representative) and asked for a status check. A staff member confirmed the request. On 7/28 they confirmed the inquiry had been submitted, and on 7/29 they forwarded an email from the Boston field office saying my case had been approved that day — the portal still showed nothing, but the API had a silent update. The official I-485 approval appeared in the portal on 7/30. My case was approved literally one day after the inquiry was submitted. I was shocked. One more note: the I-765 never got approved — the green card came first. We interviewed after the enhanced background check began and one week before the new memo was issued, and I've wondered whether those delayed things.

AOS (concurrent)

Chicago field office. I-485, I-130 and I-864 were all filed together on December 10, 2025. In February 2026 we got an RFE on the I-864 — we had simply forgotten a tax form, so it was an easy fix. In March 2026 we missed the biometrics appointment because of a USCIS error; it was rescheduled and completed on April 2, 2026. The interview was scheduled on April 10 and held on May 1, 2026. Then came almost three months of waiting after the interview. On July 24, 2026 the officer emailed us for our newborn daughter's birth certificate, and on July 28 emailed again for a few more documents from the college my husband attended. Both of these came as personal emails from the officer, not as formal RFEs. The document request about the college was proof of attendance: my husband is a med student and one of his entries into the U.S. was for a clinical rotation partnered with his college, so she wanted to confirm he had actually attended. The I-130 was approved on July 29, 2026 and the I-485 on July 30, 2026 — just four weeks after our daughter was born, and seven months after filing.