Asylum referred to Immigration Court + marriage-based green card — looking for experiences/advice
Hi everyone hope you’re doing great . I’m looking for experiences from people who have been in a similar situation.
I entered legally on a B-2 visa in May 2023. My original I-94 was valid until November 2023. Before it expired, I applied for Venezuelan TPS in October 2023. TPS was approved and came with an I-94 valid until April 2025.
Before that expired, I filed affirmative asylum in March 2025. My asylum claim was genuine and supported by evidence. USCIS accepted my application under an exception to the one-year filing deadline, interviewed me, later issued a NOID, and I responded with additional evidence.
In August 2026, USCIS referred my asylum case to Immigration Court and issued an NTA. The referral says this is not a denial of asylum and I can continue pursuing asylum before the Immigration Judge. My first court hearing is scheduled for November 2027.
I’m also in a genuine relationship with a U.S. citizen and we were already discussing our future before the NTA. We are now seriously considering marriage and filing an I-130.
From what I understand, now that I’m in removal proceedings, USCIS would handle the I-130 while the Immigration Judge would generally have jurisdiction over my I-485/adjustment.
I also have legal insurance through my employer. I’m currently speaking with an immigration attorney in the insurance network. His normal rate is $350/hour, but through my plan I would pay about $262.50/hour after my covered benefit is used.
My plan also gives me 4 covered attorney hours for this immigration matter, and I still have time remaining because most of our conversations so far have only been short calls of a few minutes.
So I’m trying to decide how to use those hours wisely — whether to use some for a full review of my entire case and then use the remaining covered time to help prepare the I-130/marriage case, and whether I should keep this attorney for Immigration Court or eventually hire someone else.
My main questions are:
If your I-130 was pending at your first Master Calendar Hearing, did the judge give you a continuance?
How long did your I-130 take while you were in removal proceedings?
Once the I-130 was approved, how long did adjustment before the Immigration Judge take?
If you married after proceedings began, how difficult was proving the marriage was bona fide?
For those who used employer legal insurance, how did you make the best use of limited covered attorney hours?
Would you use the remaining covered hours for case strategy/document review, or save them for preparation of the actual filing?
I already have an immigration attorney, so I’m not using Reddit as a replacement for legal advice. I’m mostly looking for real experiences, timelines, and opinions from people who have been through this, especially in Orlando Immigration Court.