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Hi, I have a J1 Research Scholar visa valid until 09/06/2025. I will be starting grad school on 8/15/2025. I will be applying for a Change of Status within the country, with premium processing. I will still be working until the last week before my program starts, because I have to finish projects and I need the salary. As a result I am very concerned that they will not adhere to my desired "effective date of change" and if my visa is approved, they will immediately start my F1 status "too early" and thus I will not be able to work my current job. I have seen guidance on ways to avoid this, and I wondered what experience people had -- whether this was an issue or it was fine, whether the approval respected your desired effective date or not. Any experience would really help, thank you.

My fiance and I have an age gap, and we both have only met for 3 weeks once. We have an attorney and thinks we have a strong case. I'm just here cuz I'm curious about what you guys think, is meeting once enough?

Hey y'all!

My husband's (LPR) family applied for visit visas and has their interview coming up in Bogota early next month and I have questions.

I know nobody has a crystal ball but I am just hoping for perspective. His parents and 2 younger brothers all applied and are having their interview at the same time. The parents own a business together manufacturing clothing and also have a small coffee farm; both of the younger brothers are in college. The parents own their primary home and the farm. Their income isn't particularly 'high' or stable and a lot of their business is cash (pretty common for Colombia) but they have good savings and of course assets. Our plan for their visit is pretty budget friendly and I work for the airlines so they can fly with basically just paying tax, but I'm not sure how much the officer would put stock in any of that. Just curious on everyone's thoughts about what to talk up and what to bring. We have suggested proof of ownership of the house/farm/business talking about how they care for their elderly parents... the brothers are of course both in college and one of them works. Some bank statements... anything else??

P.S. they were SUPER lucky when they went to schedule their interview appointment - there were dates available 2 weeks later so this was a very quick turnaround. Wishing everyone the same luck

Hi everyone,

I m preparing for my marriage-based Green Card interview (Adjustment of Status) and I would really appreciate any guidance or shared experiences. Here s my situation:

* I m 27, and my husband is 57 we re a same-sex couple.
* We met online (Grindr) and talked a lot for two months before meeting in person. I visited the U.S. on a tourist visa and dated him for a month before marrying. We spent almost every moment together during that time.
* We got married four months after I entered the U.S. A paralegal told us I could stay and apply for AOS, and my overstay will be forgiven because he is United States citizen and I couldn t bear the thought of being apart from my husband so I overstayed. We filed for AOS six months later (so, ten months after I first entered).

My case is now pending, and I ve received my work permit (EAD).

Challenges in our case:

* We don t have a formal lease because of his poor credit, but we submitted weekly rental receipts showing we live together.
* Other evidence includes:

* Life insurance from his workplace where he listed me as a beneficiary.
* Emergency contact from his work place listing me as his husband.
* An active joint account with a lot of transactions (only he works and earns money now).

* Screenshot of a WhatsApp call of us with my parents
* I m from a Western country, and he is white if it matters.
* My husband met my family over FaceTime. They are religious and don t speak English, but they accept us and support our relationship.
* His family is not in contact with him.
* We didn t submit our chat logs or message history initially.

* We filled Tax return as Married filling jointly but it was rejected and we will amend it in few months whenever possible

Our biggest struggle:
We are very poor and cannot afford a lawyer if we re denied. We also don t have shared health insurance or many joint financial documents because of our limited means. But we are truly in love. He is the best thing in my life, and my biggest fear is being forced to leave him. I want to fight for our life together, and I m scared of losing him.

My questions:

1. What should we expect at the interview?
2. What documents or evidence should we bring to strengthen our case?
3. Should we bring our chat logs, message history, or other relationship proof we didn t submit before? If yes should we upload it as unsolicited evidence?
4. Is there anything specific that same-sex couples should be prepared for in interviews?
5. Any advice, encouragement, or experiences would mean so much to us.

Thank you for taking the time to read. We just want to be together and are trying our best.

Hi! When my parents showed up to their interview, the officer asked them to submit petitioner s I-864. I had already submitted 864ez for each parent last year. The CEAC portal shows that form was accepted. Now, their case is marked Refused, under administrative processing . I immediately submitted I-864 on CEAC portal. Anyone knows how long it might take for the officer to process this now? The embassy kept their passports. I m unsure how to handle this situation. I have received no notification whether they received my latest submission.

Thanks in advance for your insights.