Adjustment of Status - I-485

I have put this off for too long but I immediately wanted to post in a few forums I was constantly reading through during the application and waiting stages of filing for an AoS after my wife and I got married in 2022. My wife and I had a unique experience that I'm sure some readers can relate to and I wish I had more good experiences like mine to read prior to going through the process. Here is a rough timeline of all events:
-Wife and I met hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2016 and started dating just after finishing the trail in October 2016
-Wife was on a tourist visa only and had to cross back and forth from the US to Mexico many times. Always crossed prior to expiration of her tourist visa
-Got COVID vaccine to continue allowing for border travel and scheduled international flights instead of land crossings during border closure. Visa durations were reduced during this time as well
-Wife acquired computer science bachelor's degree (2nd bachelor's degree) and found a job in Mexico
-Made plans to propose to my wife while I was in the US and she was in Mexico (2022)
-Found out my wife was pregnant (girlfriend at the time)
-Drove to Mexico and picked up my wife from work and traveled back into the US for the weekend
-Proposed on the trail we met on (July 2022)
-Following proposal, explained to my wife that two options were in front of us. 1. Her stay with me in the US from that point forward and we start the immigration paperwork to transition her visa from a Tourist Visa to a Green Card via marriage OR 2. She return to Mexico and we apply for a Fiancee Visa and she will no long be able to cross back into the US until that completes
-Decided to stay in the US
-Wife quit her job and her mother sold her car and brought some belongings to the US over the next few months
-Wife and I got married ~1 months later (Aug 2022)
-Filed all necessary paperwork ~3 weeks after marriage
-Wife received a notice to complete biometrics at USCIS office
-Wife gave birth to our daughter! (March 2023)
-Got a notification that we had been selected to attend an interview (scheduled for June 2023)
-Attended interview altogether (wife, husband, daughter)
-Verbal approval followed by official approval shortly after on the USCIS site
-Conditional Green card in hand in July

I know there are some specific dates I left out that some may be interested in but those are the highlights I can recall. I'd like to elaborate on a few specific chapters of this journey.

Complications due to wife's travel history and usage of the Tourist Visa:
My wife lived in Mexicali, which is a border city. She traveled into and out of the US hundreds of times in her life and after we started dating, a flag must've been added to her name because eventually she was stopped at every crossing in both airports and on roads/foot. These interviews were extremely stressful for her and border agents would intimidate her often and even call me to confirm I was really who she said I was. We were advised to stop travel for the relationship like this a few times. We were told during our AoS interview that she was likely selected for the interview by the "system" since it saw she had a lengthy history of travel into and out of the US.

Proposal and options following:
I had done by research by both chatting with an immigration lawyer and online. My wife would be in violation of her tourist visa conditions if she knowingly ventured into the US using it to stay permanently here. When we left Mexico the final time, she truthfully did not expect to potentially be staying in the US. She packed for couple days only and made no changes to her job or finances in Mexico prior to us leaving. After the proposal, we weighed pros and cons and decided even with all the complications, it would be better to just start our lives in the US now. Wait times for fiancee visas were very long at the time and to stay in compliance with the law, this all seemed like the better option for us all. Research online made me doubt this approach over and over, thinking something was done on accident that would make our application process very difficult. I read online that the fact we were dating since 2016 made it impossible for us to qualify for the "spontaneous" decision to stay in the US on the non-immigrant visa. I can finally say that this did NOT matter for us during our interview. The only thing that mattered with our officer was that she did legally enter the US on her tourist visa.

Other interview details:
I read online that it would maybe be looked at as a negative thing to bring our infant daughter to the interview. There were mixed opinions online and I decided to simply bring her and not overthink it. Our office was all very courteous and made complimentary comments to us about her constantly. Our interviewer was professional and had no issues with her being in the room at all. He cracked a joke at the end of the interview that to him everything seemed perfectly fine unless we were planning an 18 year trick on them (by having and raising a child together just to get a visa). I think bringing your child to the interview can only HELP provide evidence of your legitimate relationship. All in all, the interview experience was nerve wracking but to us, it simply seemed like a live repeat of most of what was asked within the application documentation with a couple additional non-threatening questions about our marriage and child. The main goal appeared to be to see if we were a legitimate couple and we had packets of photos and documents to help prove all of that (and again a baby) and he had no doubt from the moment we walked in.

Filing documentation and interview prep:
I used these sites and various YouTube channels to help me learn about and file all the necessary paperwork for our AoS and Green Card Applications (big shoutout to
Kseniya International on youtube). I wanted to learn as much as I could about interview experiences which mostly just made us more and more nervous. We over-prepared but that didn't make nerves subside. I think the only thing that would've helped us both would've been us reading more and more similar stories that ended up working out.

Final thoughts:
The main things I learned in the end:
1. Most border crossing agents make experience for tourist visa users very uncomfortable if you are crossing often. No amount of explanation of your travel plans and mentions of your US boyfriend and his legitimacy will get you removed from a suspicion list. I wish I didn't underestimate the stresses this was causing on my loved one all those years.
2. The interviewing officer's main priority seemed to be to determine if we were a legitimate couple. If you are a legitimate couple, this should be very easy and the officer's job will be easy.
3. The interviewing officer also was reviewing for anything illegal like overstaying visa durations. He put no focus on the use of a tourist visa to come across and be married. Zero questions or comments on it. As long as it was a legal visa, he didn't care. I think I worried far too much about this.

Sorry for any typos or unclear details in my experience above. I wrote this out quickly after waiting almost a year to finally relay my experience to you all.

How long should I wait for USCIS to change the status on a RFE from 'RFE sent' to 'Response Received'?
Got an RFE on expired medical records, mailed USCIS requested documents within 2 weeks of receiving RFE. It 's been 4 days and when I check status on 'case status page', it still says 'RFE sent, please act on it and provide evidence'.

I petition I -130 for my father in 2020, and I listed all my siblings name including my 13 yr old brother as at then. My father’s case was transferred to NVC but my underage bro and my step mum were not called. My father got his green card sept .2022, so we decided to wait for my brother to finish high school.
He is done and now I want to petition for him
1. Should my dad petition for him or should I?
2.do we need to fill out the form I-130 or should we just apply for immigration visa
, I would like to confirm if I can just file an immigrant visa for my brother at this point since original i-130 ( my father’s which his name was listed) was approved

Hi family,
I am a permanent resident. I filed i130 for my 38 years old son last month and got approved with priority date current on the i130. He is currently visiting me in the US and he has a valid B2 visitor visa.
Can i apply for i485 for my son including i765 ead card and i131 advance parole?

Does anything change if the parents get divorced during the I485 application being under process for the child

Am a US citizen and I filled form i-130 for my 16 year old daughter that is living with me currently, Last week I received an interview notice to appear in the uscis office. Should I go with a lawyer or what should I do? I thought this is a direct case that doesn't require an interview

Does anyone has any idea how long is actually taking USCIS to process a VAWA (I-360) Application? My receipt date is June 2022.
According to their website, is taking 38 months. If you have a receipt around the same time and have received any updates, can you share?

I have been fighting for my adjustment of status since 2019 and I just feel drained.

I obtained my US passport through marriage, but my wife, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, decided to end our six-year marriage. Despite all efforts to salvage it, she filed for divorce, leaving me with the shared debts, which I have since managed to handle. It has been two years since our divorce, and I find myself feeling lonely, realizing that I cannot be without a partner. I am 40 years old and have three children from a previous marriage.

During a recent visit to drop off my kids after spending a few days with me, I noticed a positive change in my ex-wife. She appeared younger and more desirable, having overcome the addictions that contributed to our divorce. Now, I am contemplating remarrying her and exploring the possibility of filing for a green card for her to join me in the USA with our children.

Our original marriage, through which I obtained US citizenship, was genuine, spanning seven years with shared experiences. Despite the serious issues that led to our separation, I am seeking advice on the possibility of remarriage and the feasibility of filing a green card for my ex-wife. Your guidance on this decision would be greatly appreciated.

Hello Guys,

My I-130 & I-485 just approved today. When should I be expecting the card in the mail?

I just sent in my package, how long till they give me a PD and case number? How long does it take nowadays for i130 and 485 to be processed?
What’s your experience like?

Thank you!!