Approved! Atlanta FO

Approved! After many hours of reading this forum, I’m so happy to finally share that my green card was approved in 4.5 months at the Atlanta Field Office.

Background:
I adjusted my status from F-1 (Post-OPT) to a marriage-based green card. I have been in the U.S. since 2018 as an F-1 student. My record is completely clean: no criminal history, no overstays, no removal proceedings, no unauthorized employment, no prior marriages, no children, no asylum applications—nothing complicated. My case was very straightforward.

I met my now-husband (U.S. citizen) in mid-2023, and we had a court wedding in August 2025.

Timeline (Concurrent Filing of I-130, I-485, I-765, I-131):

• PD: September 19, 2025
• Biometrics: October 14, 2025
• Interview Scheduled: January 6, 2026
• Interview Date: October 2, 2026
• Approval: November 2, 2026

We spent countless hours watching Kseniya International videos and carefully reading all USCIS instructions. We consulted a lawyer for a few basic questions, but we completed and filed everything ourselves. We attended the interview alone, just the two of us.

For every form, we followed the official USCIS instruction PDFs and uploaded/submitted all required documents. We prepared a large amount of evidence to submit online, include in the physical package, and bring to the interview (my binder was heavy smh). I may forget a few items, but here’s what we included:

• Copies of both IDs and passport-style photos
• Copies of both birth certificates
• Copies of all passports (I have dual citizenship, so we included all of them)
• All of my F-1 visas (undergrad and grad), all I-20s, and my latest I-94
• Current joint lease, previous lease, and proof of prior shared addresses before signing a lease together
• Employment verification letters for both of us
• Letters from family
• My husband’s W-2s, 1040s, and state tax returns for 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025
• IRS Tax Return Transcript for 2025 (we filed jointly for the first time in 2025)
• Flight tickets from my husband’s visits to my home country to meet my family
• Screenshots of messages between us
• Other family members' social media posts
• Money transfers between us throughout the 2-year relationship
• Joint health insurance through husband's job
• 401-K beneficary list

Additionally, I created a PowerPoint-style relationship timeline in Canva. It included 44 slides with 4–5 photos per slide, organized chronologically. For each month, I added brief context (2–3 lines) explaining dates, locations, and key events.

On the day of the interview, we arrived 30 minutes early. I accidentally spilled coffee on my shirt and had to throw away my drink because beverages are not allowed inside—so I recommend skipping coffee beforehand (if possible lol). We were called in right on time. The environment was not hostile at all. Although the officer was not overly expressive, they were professional and pleasant to speak with.

Interview Experience:
At the beginning, they asked us individually for our full names, dates of birth, Real IDs, SSN and our passports.

Most of the relationship questions were directed to both of us. They asked when and how we met, when we started dating, our marriage date, and whether anyone was present as a witness at our court wedding. They also asked about some of the previous addresses that we had submitted proof for. She asked the latest date I had entered the USA and if it was through F-1.

They asked me when I knew I loved my husband (sweet). I was asked my husband’s parents’ names, and he was asked my parents’ names. They asked whether I have family in the U.S. and whether all of my husband’s family lives in Georgia. They also asked if I had met his family and if he had met mine.

My husband is shy and not a man of many words. Instead of explaining how he had met my entire family — including traveling with me to my home country and the fact that my family visited us last year — he gave a very short answer. I obviously said something because why on earth and we ended up lightly bickering right there in the office lol

After that, the officer went through the standard I-485 yes/no questions with me.

We did not receive verbal approval at the end of the interview. We left with that white post-interview paper with first option marked. However, I asked about a potential name change, and the officer mentioned that it would be easier to do it during the naturalization process. In my slightly delusional mind, I took that as a small positive sign.

The I-130 was approved shortly after the interview, and the I-485 was approved today.

Just a little “yay” for my ATL fellows — stay strong!