u/Crazy_Hotel5691

finally it’s my time to shine.

I got approved today!

Husband and I met in November 2023, got married in November 2025. I entered the USA on a J1 in 2024, no overstay.

filed I-130 and I-485 January 21st, 2026. Biometrics done February 4. RFE for I-864, RFE received February 5. interview scheduled, May 6.

interview went well. all yes/no questions, asked what my SSN number was, and what we did last summer. that’s it. verbal approval but RFE for the medical.

may 21st: approved.

god is good.

I had my interview May 6 and got a verbal approval, but had an RFE for medical because the doctor forgot a check mark. easy fix. the following Monday I walked into my field office (Albany New York) and handed it over to the front desk. the girl asked me what agent I spoke to, then she told me to wait and she walked out with the packet in hand. she returned without it and said “you’re all set”.

my online status is still USCIS received RFE response; but the lady said it won’t take too long for them to process it?

im confused it’s almost been a week and a half and just nothing. no update. is my package lost or does processing just take a bit?

My husband and I have bad luck with cars for some reason, and we cannot seem to escape the doom hole we are in currently, looking to see if someone has some sort of advice, because Google is no help at all.

In 2024, my husband was on his way to pick me up from the airport, due to the weather he hydroplaned into a guardrail. Car was totaled, he wasn't thank God.
We got an autoloan for an Nissan Altima after that, I think it was from the year 2017 or 2018, somewhere around that time. In October of that same year, while we were sleeping, a drunk driver slammed into our car that was parked outside, and totalled our car.

Since October 2024 we have been driving a beater, a pontiac vibe 2006.
The car lost it's life this evening, it won't start anymore, jump doesn't work, the wheel barring is done for, it's a mess. We need a car for him to go to work, due to immigration process I am currently not working at all until the process has been completed.

My husband does not feel safe driving the beater anymore, and we called our insurance, progressive, to see what they would quote us for a 2021 Hyundai, I am not sure what model it was, but it was kind of like the Nissan Altima. Guess what? 1000 USD per month would be our rate.

What other options do we have? We are now looking to do an older Toyota Camry, but we think progessive will mess with us and give us a high rate. I do not know what to do from here.

Thanks!!

My husband turns 30 in January (I know, it is some ways away) but I want to plan a surprise birthday party for him. Do you guys have any recommendations what venue I should check out, and that also has decent pricing? I want a venue big enough for both sides of the families, some friends etc could be, it doesn't have to be enourmous, but also not too small if that makes sense? Open to every suggestion as I am slowly but surely planning this. Thank you all so much!!!

Sharing my experience for people from the state of NY, our interviewer told us that a lot of people closer to NYC are getting send to the one to Albany NY, because of NYC backlog.

My husband and I had our interview today, and everything went well.
We walked in and the security officers there are very, very friendly and they chit chatted with us. It wasn't too busy, I think a total of 5 or 6 other couples were in the waiting room.
We were early, and so we waited about 45 minutes. I think 15 minutes after our appointment time we got called in.

The lady swore us in, and she asked if we had anything that we wanted to show her, that wasn't uploaded yet. I brought a photobook, mail to our house showing the same address, and all of that good stuff. She scanned everything in and asked us about our trip to FL last summer, and stated she went there as well.

After that, she said she was going to continue the 485 form. She asked me for my SSN number, and she asked me all the yes/no questions, and that was it.

She told me she will put in my new married name in the system, so that my greencard will have my married name on there and then the SSN department and the DMV and such can change my name legally. so yay!!!

It felt like a very casual conversation honestly! Nothing scary about it.
My husband and I were the only ones not being seperated, there were a few couples who only could go in by themselves and then afterwards their spouse was called in and so forth.

Now, she couldnt approve it on the spot because my doctor messed up my medical, and forgot to check one box. I went there after the interview, I can pick up my medical tomorrow morning, and then I will drop it off at the field office again. She said everything else looks good and she is going to recommend for approval.

All in all a very relaxed experience, it wasn't as nervewrecking as I thought it would be!

The end of my journey is almost here! Tomorrow my husband and I are having our interview at 1:00 PM EST, I will make sure to report back here and give you guys my experience and such. Our field office is Albany, New York. It is a smaller field office, and I have been in touch with some people who went there, and all of them had excellent experiences and nothing was high stress. Our case is very straightforward too.

A little back story:
I am from a Western European country, and this is our first marriage (and last lol)
Growing up, I came to the USA almost every year with my family due to having family and friends living here, so I have a really strong travel history. I also held a J1 visa in 2021, and then in 2024 again. Always entered legally, never overstayed, no criminal history.

Hubs and I met each other on Tinder, November 2023.
We met face to face in December 2023, and we had been dating ever since.
I got my J1 visa in June of 2024, and we moved in together shortly after... His daughter from a previous relationship calls me mama, and we have a great bond together and we are truly just a happy little family. October of 2025 he asked me to marry him, we got married November of 2025. Filed everything at the end of Janaury of 2026, biometrics were done in the first week of february. My original interview date was late March, but it had to be rescheduled to tomorrow, May 6th!

All in all, a very smooth experience. If anybody has had their interview recently (especially at the Albany field office) - please share your experiences. I will be back tomorrow with a more detailed update for you guys, and I will let you know what they asked and such.

hi all, my husband and I have been harassed three times now by the same guy here in Colonie. Quick back story:

last summer, we were in the Stewart’s on Sand Creek RD, and this guy walks in. He walks past me and shoulder bumps me, and we think nothing of it. accident happens, whatever. he bumps into me again and my husband looks at him, just to see what was going on. this guy goes NUTS. starts yelling to my husband “wtf he is looking at”, he got 20 years on him (?) and to fight him. my husband stayed calm, and eventually he walked out of the store, still yelling at my husband.

We saw him again, same Stewart’s, few months later. he didn’t do anything but stared us down until we left.

today, we drove from the parking lot and apparently he was pulling up to the stewarts. he saw us, flipped my husband off, turned his car around and followed us towards Albany Shaker road. he took a left at the light and we went straight to go to the grocery store. he found us while we were parking our car, and again kept yelling at my husband. He threatened to hurt my husband, and that he wants my husband to hit him first so that he doesn’t have to deal with any legal issues. He drives a Toyota pick up truck, older version.

We don’t know what to do. sometimes it feels like he has mental issues, but the fact that he followed us is very scary. He also could potentially have a weapon, because he kept telling my husband he doesn’t need muscles to take care of him..

We didn’t report anything because the lady behind us called the non emergency line while everything transpired, but we are looking to see if other people have this issue with potentially the same man?