Thinking ahead for DCF in London

[kisschick1976 0]

Just moved to Hull, UK on 13 December, 2007. The plan is, we stay here and I eventually get my British citizenship and passport. Soon after we file for DCF to move back to the US.

I'm already having to get things lined up for my ILR and later citizenship but what I'm wondering now is, what should I start keeping track of now for our DCF? I know I will need tax returns and bank statements, but are there any other items I should be holding on to NOW?

Also, for now I am keeping busy as a housewife so I have very little income other than left over commissions coming in from my old job. I may or may not get a job later but as for now, we are doing very well with the one income. Will this hurt us later when we try to file or can we have sponsors in the US other than myself?

I'm looking for personal experiences of UK DCF so this is why I am posting it here since some countries are different.

While I'm here, does anyone know where I can get decent tortillas in the UK? I'm nervous about making my own and the Tesco's brand are... well they're #######. The only Mexican food selection I've found is Old El Paso, I wouldn't even touch that ####### in the states but now I'm clinging on to it like a damn life raft.

[YuAndDan 153]

Do not give up your US domicile, or forget to file IRS returns every year, they will be needed when you provide the I-864 for the visa.

http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/faqs/...4_domicile.html

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

Ah, tortillas. Yes, they are a major problem in the UK! You'll get used to the flour ones after a while (I always thought the Sainsbury's own brand were best), but I never found corn ones in a normal shop. I used to buy mine from a Mexican restaurant run by Mexicans (a rarity in the UK!) in London called Mestizo. The owner had stopped by our table to ask how we were enjoying it, and I mentioned that my dad is Mexican-American and where, oh where could I buy tortillas in London? She hugged me like I was her long-lost daughter. She said it was pretty impossible to buy them in a normal shop, so I ended up buying a whole bunch from her from time to time. I don't think I could have bought them if I hadn't asked... perhaps there's a real (or real-ish) Mexican restaurant around Hull where you could ask a similar question. I also used to buy up tons when I was visiting the States and then freeze them when I got back.

Getting on to far less important topics than tortillas: yes, maintain domicile. This is a piece of p**s when you're dealing with the London Embassy. I had for all intents and purposes abandoned domicile myself -- moved to the UK in 1995 with no intention of returning. No bank account, no driver's licence, hadn't filed taxes for 12 years ( ), no credit cards. All I did was open a bank account on a visit to Connecticut before we got to the Embassy phase, and found a piece of recent mail addressed to me at my parents' house from the Social Security Administration. I wrote a letter stating my intention to re-establish domicile as of the date my husband and I entered the States. Not hard at all.

My advice would be to keep an address active in the US -- can you use your parents'? Keep a bank account open and if you have a driver's licence, keep it up to date. That's more than enough for London. You will most likely NOT need bank statements in any great detail -- just one to show you have a US bank account is fine. UK statements will only be necessary if you choose to use UK liquid assets to sponsor your husband.

You will probably need a joint sponsor when you file the I-864. That's fine; most DCF people do as they have no US-based income. The joint sponsor MUST be a US citizen and must be able to prove that he/she can support your husband as well as his/her household members with income at a rate at least 125% of the poverty line for their household. This amount changes from year to year, so it's best checked closer to the time you do file. It is also possible to use assets in place of income, but there are slightly different rules for this.

London DCF is really straightforward, and there's nothing to fear from it! You can do it. Good luck on the tortillas!

[Lansbury 19]

Yes DCF in London is quite easy, they take a very broad view of what is US domicile and as long as the paperwork shows you have the required funds they don't seem to check to hard that you have.

If you go here http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/.../visaforms.html you can look at the forms and it will give you a good idea of what information you will need to have to hand.

The process starts with the I-130 to get your spouse accepted as an immediate relative and hence entitled to an immediate visa. Then the visa application when the I-130 has been approved. For the application the main forms are the DS-230 and I-864. You might also look at the IV-15 checklist as this will give an idea of any other documents you will need during the process. There are other forms but I think these are the major ones.