Cornflake

Well our case went from zero to sixty yesterday 21 January 2021.  Our case stayed Interview  Scheduled for 122 days after our interview and all inquires would only tell us that the Baltimore office has our case. Ended up renewing Combo card even through our Interviewer stated she would have her Green Card way before  December when the card expired 🙄 received new one 31 December 2020. What a roller coaster but now just waiting on her Green Card to show up in the mail and then a short break before ROC .
  Baltimore Office August 17, 2020 We scheduled an interview for your Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. September 21, 2020 Interview Baltimore Office  January 21, 2021 We ordered your new card. January 22, 2021 Case Was Approved (AOS I-485)  

Don't worry, it's pretty normal lately that USPS delivers mails with some delays. This information even on the website. 

Chances are 0.00 % that miracles like that happen.  

I can see you approval was a month away from the interview? was there a specific reason? 
Well i discussed this with my husband and he said he would ask at the end and see tho my interview and 2 years anniversary are 1month apart i highly doubt to begin with that he would hold of for a whole month... Maybe if it was 1-2weeks but i don’t think so!
I will just go with the flow and if not i will just do it again in 2 year no big deal! 
My work permit expires in May! 
I will come back after my interview and leave my experience for others!

Card arrived in the mail today. Sooo excited! wish the rest of you still waiting the best of luck.

So here is our update. November 2019 San Francisco Bay Area filer (Interview was scheduled at Fresno office)
 
December 15: date of scheduled interview (read above for what happened)
December 18: notification that interview was canceled 
Jan 6: RFE issued (for I-693 and proof of bona fide relationship)
Jan 7: I-130 approved 
Jan 14: USCIS received RFE response 
Jan 20: Green card in production
Jan 21: I-485 Approved 
 

So, this question tends to come up here a lot as people think about going the CR-1 route instead of the K-1. Here's a basic run down of how to get married in Russia. As state on the Embassy website, this applies to Russian and American citizens only, things could get trickier if the other party is not a Russian citizen.
https://ru.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/marriage/
 
Time frame: Roughly 2-3 months
 
Physical locations involved:
Local Russian consulate closest to you for getting a Russian visa You can use a third party visa service to apply and it is possible to do via mail - check options in your area Local office where you can register the foreigner's Russian visa (post office, other bureaucratic office...options vary) https://www.visahouse.com/en/information/visaregistration/ US Embassy in Moscow - US Citizen Services Department Bolshoy Devyatinsky Ln, 8, Moscow, Russia, 121099 // Большой Девятинский пер., 8, Москва, 121099 https://ru.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/  - email and how to get an appointment Hours: Monday-Friday currently by appointment only, no walk ins. Department of Legalization of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Moscow 1-Y Neopalimovskiy Pereulok, 12, Moscow, Russia, 119121 // 1-й Неопалимовский пер., 12, Москва, 119121 Hours: Monday- Friday 10:00am-12:30 p.m. and 2:30pm-5:00pm (until 4:00pm on Friday) - walk ins allowed Legalization Department Official Site (in Russian only) Local ZAGS in your city in Russia ЗАГСы Российской Федерации (in Russian only)  
Step 1:
Obtain a visa to Russia
Type of visa is irrelevant as long as you'll be able to stay a few months, preferably multi-entry if you want the freedom to come and go while waiting. Ideally a 3 year visa with stays of up to 6 months would be the best bet (preferably a private visa). The entire paperwork to marriage process will take a least a few months. Ballpark it at 2-3 months of waiting to be on the safe side. Once you arrive in Russia, be sure to register your visa in the town where you will be staying ASAP and get the registration. Also always keep your migration card together with your passport and do not lose it.  
Step 2:
Get the information page of your passport translated into Russian (the page that has your name and photo)
Can be done anywhere as long as it is certified that the translator knows both Russian and English Technically, you can do it yourself but taking it to a professional will ensure certainty plus a nicer looking format Translations in Russian tend to be cheap so it's worth the money - turn around time is also very fast, usually takes only 24 hours This document will later be given to ZAGS when you go to get married, so they can read and verify your passport NOTE: If you have previous divorces, you need to go ahead and get those divorce certificates translated into Russian as well  
Step 3:
US citizen completes the "free to marry" affidavit at the US Embassy in Moscow and get it notarized
You must complete this form in Russian stating that you are free to marry. Must be completed in Russian - so get a Russian speaker to help if you can't write. You must state if you have ever been married before; if you've been married before and are now divorced (list date/place of divorces) Email US Citizen Services to request an appointment for notary services. Wait time for getting an appointment is currently unknown. Bring affidavit, your US passport and any divorce certificates with you (get translations into English if necessary) Pay $50 at the US Citizen Services unit at the Embassy in Moscow and sign the form in the presence of the notary there. Do not sign the form until you are at the window with the notary officer! The affidavit is only valid for 3 months after it is signed by a notary  
Step 4:
Get the affidavit authenticated at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow
Right after you get your affidavit notarized, take a short trip over to the Legalization Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs You do not need a prior appointment for this, walk in is possible - but during Covid, that might be different now One you hand in your affidavit for authentication, there will be at least 5 day turnaround time to process it - NO EXPEDITES or fast processing are available! This paper must be picked up in person when it is ready, no mail option is available. So either plan 2 trips to Moscow or plan to stay there for a week. Cost is 200 rubles, pay nearby in the building at the cashier. According to website, it might be 350 rubles now?  
Step 5:
Choosing a marriage date and place at the local ZAGS
Contact the ZAGS office in your town or city in Russia where your Russian fiancée/fiancé's is registered/currently living. Walk ins are possible but again check in advance due to Covid if you can walk in still. Bring all above mentioned documents to ZAGS for review. If you bring any foreign documents such as divorce certificates, bring translations into Russian and Apostille if applicable. Note: you will need to get the Apostille in the country where the document originated, so take care of that ideally before entering Russia. There is a 32 day obligatory wait before you can actually get married. At some ZAGS locations they will have a calendar right there where you can pick an available date and time from an option of available slots. Some cities have more than one ZAGS location, so think about it in advance which one you want to get married at Some ZAGS offices have rooms where many guests can attend, some are bigger and more ornate than others. If you want, you can have a bunch of people attend the civil ceremony at ZAGS and make it quite formal, or you can just do a quick in and out style eloping with no fanfare at all. Some ZAGS offices are very elaborate and decorated and accommodate guests better, so think about it in advance which office will be good for your needs if there's more than one to choose from in your city. Talk to the staff at ZAGS which one might best fit your needs. Once you select a date you'll be given an invitation paper with your selected date. You can leave Russia during this time or you can stay and wait it out. If you choose to leave, just make sure to register your visa again when you re-enter.  
Step 6
Get married at ZAGS!
Once your wedding day arrives, arrive to ZAGS with all the proper paperwork mentioned above Submit it to the office where you will go through a couple steps of signing papers and getting your documents checked and reviewed again Once you both sign all the necessary papers and the ceremony is complete, you'll get a marriage certificate in Russian with both your names on it. It's a good idea to get it translated while you are in Russia and also buy a plastic cover to keep it protected (it only costs a few rubles.) That's it - now you're officially married in Russia!  
Now you can start the CR-1 process if all steps go according to plan.
 

I dont know if it was mentioned in the thread yet but you can ask in the interview for them to hold approval on your case until the 2yr mark has passed. Its a courtesy they sometimes do but they are not obligated to do so. Hopefully you get a friendly and helpful Officer who is willing to do such, sometimes they even offer it w/o you asking.

Late update, but my interview Wednesday went well!! We were told on the spot that the officer had no concerns and that I would be receiving my Green Card in 2-4 wks. A couple hours later, my case status changed to New Card being Produced. I wish everyone fast progress and good luck with their cases!

Yeah mine got cancelled too. I didn’t receive text and email but saw an update in my USCIS online account, saying that they will mail out a notice if an appointment will be rescheduled, a decision made, or if they need something from us. So I will just wait:) 

We had our interview yesterday! 
It was super good and way better than the stern serious one I had for the K1. 
We were called into the officers office, we sat on the other side of the room from him, took the oath and began. 
He asked a few casual questions about us and our life. Luckily we play a lot of video games and so did the interviewer.
 
After that he went through our form with us, asking all the yes/no questions about trafficking, terrorism etc. 
Then we gave our joint sponsor paperwork and after a brief look through he thanked us for being so organised and said he would be approving us. 
The appointment was maybe 30/40 minutes and we definitely got lucky with the interviewer. 
He only asked for our IDs, my work auth, passport and then any evidence of our relationship. 
Good luck everyone! 

I assume terrorism threat. 

I cant think of a reason why you should wait to have your medical done now, you might as well get it done asap so when you get the RFE you can send it straight away.

You better call again and try to find out what's the date of your interview ASAP. I got a notification on Dec 23, LA office as well, and I already received the notice in the mail like a week ago. Also, the most important fact is our interview scheduled for Feb 1, so if yours scheduled around the same date and if you wait till Feb 4 it could be too late.

Best for luck! Call again, until they tell you the date or resend the notice.

Hey folks,
 
So we had out interview last Friday and it didn't feel so great. We are hoping for a positive outcome but I wanted to share the experience. As many folks have noted you come in and go thru airport like security ( shoe removal, jewelry removal etc.) We took the lift to the second floor and checked in for our interview. Initially I was excited to hear our IO escort a couple and verbally say you are all set, congratulations, etc. I thought wow I hope she interviews us and says the same thing. But once we got into the room it just seemed to go downhill. The IO wasn't very friendly. The questions asked were all standard. I was taken off guard by her request to know more about my ex husband. She asked what my husband's parents do and asked if we had met each others family. She was noting down all updates she needed to make to our file such as new employment, visa status etc. There were four updates in total that she would need to make but she gave no verbal indication that we were approved ( not required I know). She also walked us out very quickly and all in all wasn't friendly. Sorry to hammer on this point but it just wasn't a good experience as so many other folks have said everything went well and case updates were made so quickly. I will say if you have a new job bring your letter of employment or a pay stub. She also wanted to see utilities which we don't have ( included. paid in the rent) and insurance documents ( we had a letter from our car insurance with our names and policy but that wasn't enough for her ( she stated this is just a piece of mail). She never asked for pictures and my husband mentioned it as we were leaving the office. Good luck to anyone with an upcoming interview. No status updates made online and I assume it is due to the number of updates she needed to make to our file. 
 
*DC Office (Fairfax va)

it does not work that way. he said she said .. not going to work 

Went to the interview this morning. Scheduled at 7:45, as if having to be at USCIS office isn't bad enough  The officer asked how we met. Then she went over the question listed on the I485 form. They took copies of bank statements. insurance, etc. but showed little interest in our pics together. It took about 30 minutes and we were told that it was approved and to expect the card in the mail within 7-10 days. Wish the rest of you still waiting the best of luck.

Received notice that our interview is scheduled for Feb 23!

I thought I'd post this (speculation) as a potential ray of sunshine this week. I was taking a look at the Q3 FY2020 data (April to June 2020) and if I'm reading this right it looks like there could be about to be significantly more throughput in application processing.
 
I'm basing this off the following number of received AOS applications (family/work/total):
 
Q1 2020: 101,936/40,239/142,175 
Q2 2020: 83,323/26,489/109,812 
Q3 2020: 43,632/12,301/55,933
 
As you can see that's a pretty significant drop in cases (both overall and also for each category. Worth noting that as of end of Q3 2020 the pending number was around 330,000, but given that it looks like submitted AOS forms from Q2 2020 are already being processed for interview on the forum, I wonder if we will see things start to speed up a bit for Q3/Q4 2020 applicants given it looks like a lot fewer applications were submitted during COVID...
 
Fingers crossed!
 

But if a family member would have filed it wouldn't be employment but family based. Anyways, not so much important right now since the question is only about how long it might take to get a receipt notice and that should be the same for everyone. 

My interview is next week! Woop! 
Any tips or advice?

Nope. Again, if there was any way to speed things up with a government agency, all applicants would be doing/requesting that method. And yeah, with COVID, expect for a longer-than-usual wait.

Don't reschedule it. Go to the interview and say you didn't receive the medical yet. They will issue a RFE. You will mail it to the office and they are gonna issue the GC after that.

After filing in November 2018, I finally got the interview on Dec 17th 2020. Case was outside of processing times twice during this time period and I inquired about it. Got responses each time that didn't say anything of value. Interview went smoothly but I still haven't heard back of anything as of today. They said (and gave me a piece of paper) that I will get my decision within 30 days of the interview. Fingers crossed

Update: 
 
We called USCIS yesterday and requested a Tier 2 on an urgent basis. The rep said that a Tier 2 would call back within 48 hours.
 
The Tier 2 called this afternoon. We explained the situation and she said that since it had been 10 days since the notice was mailed, that she would email us the notice. The notice appeared as a scan in our email 10 minutes after the call.
 
Interview date is February 3rd.
 
FWIW, the notice actually was mailed to the correct address (our new address). I guess it just hasn’t arrived yet. And USCIS actually scheduled our interview in our new city, which is nice! 
 
Crisis averted.