Adjustment of Status - I-485

Hey guys! My husband and I went on our interview yesterday at the Indianapolis field office and were approved on the spot! Just want to share our experience.

The interview was scheduled at 11:45 and we arrived at 11:30. The gentleman who was working at the security checkpoint was very nice and friendly. As soon as we got through the metal detector, he told us in the friendliest, most sincere voice to relax and just be ourselves, and everything will be fine. He also told my husband that the first rule after we are done, is to take me out to dinner lol! It was such a pleasant start to our overall experience there.

We checked-in at the first window and were told to wait for our name to be called. We sat down and were called in at exactly 11:45. The officer was friendly from the beginning. She was chatting with us as we walked to her office. She took my biometrics to confirm my identity and swore us both in. The interview lasted about 25-30 mins. It was very casual and felt more conversational than an actual interview. The first round of questions were just in confirmation of the info we put down in our application. She asked my husband why he had an Illinois ID, my husband said because he lives in Chicago. (We were living in different states at the time of filing. I was living in Indiana, 2 hrs away from Chicago.) When our lawyer filed our case in March, the forms I filled out had my Indiana address and the I-130 filed by husband had his Chicago address, hence why we had our interview in Indianapolis. She seemed confused and raised her eyebrow upon learning that we were living separately. I explained to her that I lived in Indiana because that's where my job was. I couldn't move to Chicago until I get my green card bc I was out of status and won't be able to get a job. I finally moved to Chicago in May, but didn't change my address because I was afraid they might reschedule and move my interview to the Chicago field office, which is significantly busier. After we gave her all the facts, she changed back to her friendly tone and moved on with the rest of the interview. We had plenty of photos, letters addressed to us, trip itineraries, joint lease, bank statement, and gave her photocopies of each. At the end, she made us sign a piece of paper indicating that she was recommending us for approval! When she asked us if we had any questions, I asked her if it was possible to get a stamp because we have a wedding to attend next week in Mexico (we plan on leaving next Wednesday, the 14th). I showed her the wedding invitation as proof, and she said, "yes it is possible, just give me 5 mins. I have to do something first." 5 minutes later, she hands me my passport with the stamp! FYI, I know stamping isn't common practice anymore that's why she was hesitant at first. But when I showed her proof of immediate travel, she happily obliged. I thanked her profusely and was on our way out of the building by 12:30. We even rode the elevator with our IO and still chatted with her on our way down! I am so happy this is all over but also wishing everyone else who are still waiting for their turn the best of luck!

Here are some pieces of advice that I've acquired from reading this forum religiously for the past few months!

1.) Be organized. Put everything in a folder/clear binder. I had all my originals in a clear binder so it was easy to pull out when she asked for documents. I even had labels on every tab which helped a lot.

2.) Look presentable. Okay, this I think is very important. You don't need to wear business casual or anything, but just showing a clean and presentable appearance helps. When we were in the waiting room, we saw a man wearing a shirt with a picture of a GUN AND BULLETS all over it. It also said, "GUN SAFETY RULE #1: CARRY ONE." I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING. He was also wearing something on his head that is required in his religion. With today's political and social climate, it doesn't take a genius to figure out why this wasn't a good choice of clothing to wear to a GOVERNMENT OFFICE.

3.) Be honest. Remember you're under oath!

Also, just a little background on my case and my timeline.

I entered the US in 2004 as a tourist. My mother was a LPR at the time and filed a petition for me before my 21st bday. I-130 was approved before my 21st bday but because my mom was only an LPR, I had to wait for my PD to become current. Which didn't happen until 2008. By then, I had already been out of status for 4 years and wouldn't have been able to adjust status here in the US and would be subject to a 10 year bar. My mom eventually naturalized in 2010, but since I was over 21, I still wasn't able to file for AOS. In 2016, I hired a lawyer to file I-601A waiver on my behalf since the law has changed and I was finally eligible for it. I paid him but he never actually did anything, so I asked for a refund. Fast forward to Feb 2017, my husband and I finally got married after 2.5 years of dating. We used the refund I got from the previous lawyer to hire a new lawyer to prepare our applications. Honestly, we could have done without a lawyer and would have been fine filing it ourselves. But since there are a lot of documents and steps to be followed, we didn't want to risk it.

02/18/17 - Got married
03/09/17 - Lawyer sent our AOS packet. I-130, I-485, I-765 (Lawyer advised us not to file I-131 since I am out of status)
Late march - NOA for Biometrics scheduled for April 14.
04/10/17 - Early walk-in for Biometrics
05/04/17 - NOA for Interviewscheduled for June 8th
06/08/17 - Interview, approved on the spot
1 hr after the interview, online status updated to "New card is being produced"

FYI: My online status never really updated since they received my app. I-485 only updated when my interview was scheduled, and approved.
I-1765 - now says "Case closed, benefit received by other means"
I-130 - still remains the same "Case was received"