Marriage green card interview at Boston MA field office — approved after the interview (May 2026)

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.

We submitted strong evidence, which probably contributed to how straightforward the interview was: - Shared lease - Joint insurance - Joint bank account statements - International travel itineraries - Photos with each other's immediate family members

Congressional inquiries can work. My I-130 had been approved but the I-485 had been silent since May, so I asked my House representative's office for a status check — I simply explained that the I-130 was approved and the I-485 was not, and that I wanted to know what was going on. The case was approved one day after the inquiry went in. It depends on whether your representative is willing to check this early; some will only do it after a couple of months. It does not hurt to ask. Expect to be separated at Boston: every couple that day was, with the petitioner going in first. Biometrics can be moved up. I rescheduled from 4/17 to 3/31 and the new appointment letter showed up about three hours later. Also, don't count on the EAD — mine never got approved; the green card arrived first.