My name is Victoria, and I am a graphic designer. My husband, Victor, and I went through the family-based green card process after we got married, from May 2023 to June 2024. It was a long and difficult process, and I thought there had to be a better way to explain to families what they could expect along the way. Somewhere between the paperwork, the waiting, and the questions, I started keeping track of what we were learning.
There is a lot of correct information out there. What's harder to find is someone explaining it in language we could understand. We kept wishing for something that told us what to expect and how our reality would change rather than just laying out the steps we needed to take. The Reddit community r/USCIS was very helpful for us in this way, and made us feel less alone.
This guide is what I wished we had. It's shaped by our own timeline, but also by the experiences of people across the r/USCIS community. I made this for those filing without a lawyer, juggling full lives, and/or figuring it out one document at a time.
I'm not an attorney, and this website shouldn't be taken as legal advice. I'm only someone who has been through the process, trying to build the resource we couldn't find.
"We've Been There" is a guide to the family-based green card process, built for the everyday person going through it.
Each chapter follows a stage of the journey, in the order we moved through it. You don't have to read it front to back, and there are many correct orders to go in depending on your situation. If you know where you are in the process, jump straight to that chapter. If you're just starting out, the Plan Your Route section is the best place to begin.
Along the way, you'll find:
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1
Plain-Language Explanations
What each step is and what you need to do, without confusing legal jargon.
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2
Victor's Journey
Visual snapshots of Victor's journey through the process, so you have a reference for how long some of these steps took for us.
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3
"I've Been There" Callouts
Real experiences from the r/USCIS community on Reddit, so you know what to expect and find some comfort in the fact that you are not the only one asking these questions.
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4
Field Notes
Practical, specific advice for organizing and preparing your case.
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5
Visual Timelines & Checklists
Tools to help you track where you are and what's next.
Then a helpful tip from the author will be here
Read the ThreadA title for the tip will go here
A helpful tip will be written here.
This site can't replace an immigration attorney, and it isn't official USCIS guidance, but it can sit next to you while you navigate this experience. It can give you clarity about what's happening, steadiness when it feels uncertain, and the company of people who've gone before you.
I hope this website is as helpful to you as it would have been to us.