I am relatively new to this... so I definitely don't wish to claim myself an expert or indicate that I have insider knowledge relating to the immigration process.
I would however note the following -
Assuming there is no Visa waiting period (because you have a Priority Date that is current - As would be the case for the spouse of a US Citizen) - It would generally take between 1 day and 12 months to secure a decision from the USCIS on your I-130 application. I note however that research indicates that it usually takes around 6-7 months.
Following on from this your case (if approved) will be sent to the National Visa Center for processing. It will normally take between 2 and 6 weeks for your case to be registered by the NVC and for them to send a "Welcome Letter".
You will then need to pay fees and assuming you do this on receipt of your "Welcome Letter", it can take around a week for this to be registered by the NVC such that you can access required online forms.
You will then need to complete your Visa application forms with the NVC. For me this is the DS-260 form, and I-864 along with providing the requested supporting documentation. The time for this to be done will be dependant on how quickly you can provide response to all the questions asked, and how quickly you can assemble and upload the required documentation to the NVC.
The NVC will then need to process your application documents and review supporting information provided. I am led to believe that there are substantial backlogs at the moment and review of the NVC website tends to indicate that this process is taking around 3-4 months from when you submit your response.
Assuming your application is deemed acceptable it will be marked as "Document Qualified" and the NVC will commence liaison with your local consulate to schedule your interview.
Depending on the workload and capacity of the relevant consulate the time delay associated with coordinating an interview may vary quite a lot. For me - I am in Australia and will need to attend interview in Sydney. I am led to believe that the NVC is able to schedule an interview in around 4-6 weeks at the moment however with the impact of Covid I imagine this can change.
You will then attend the interview at your local consulate, and assuming that your interview is appraised positively, you will be formally notified (and provided the required stamp in your passport) in 1 - 14 days (generally).
You will then be able to make plans to travel to the USA and when entering the country your Green Card will be released for delivery to the USA address you have nominated/specified. Note your Green Card will generally take 10 - 30 days to arrive.
This sums up the process as I understand things. On a positive note, I have only just received my approval for my I-130 from the USCIS (Nebraska) and this took 59 days from the date that Nebraska received and registered my I-130 application. I say this to make it clear that things can happen quicker than you expect as well. I realise that it is very easy to become disenchanted by how long and complex the process of immigration seems, however timeframes and experiences vary and whilst it is possible that things take longer than you want, it is also possible that things happen more quickly as well.
Wishing you all the best and hope you have a positive story to share about your Visa Journey.
