question for doing a dcf early?

[dd0914 0]

Yes, you will need to mail or file in person the I-130 petition with all the necessary documents, including the G325a and filing fee. What documents are necessary vary from couple to couple. You will need to see your instructions given with the I-130 for more information. Generally when you e-mail USCIS Frankfurt, they will send you a Word document with all the I-130 instructions specific to that field office.

After that your petition will be processed and either be approved or denied. Few petitions through Frankfurt are denied. Worst that can happen is an Request for Further Evidence, or RFE. It just means that you will have to send them whatever they want if if you want your petition to continue processing. Generally approval takes 6 weeks to 4 months. There is no real rhyme or reason for it.

When your petition is approved, your husband will recieve Packet 3 that includes instructions for the DS-230, medicial, document checklist, and the invitiation to set up an interview in Frankfurt. The checklist and DS-230 will need to be faxed back.

Generally, most people do the medical between Packet 3 and Packet 4.

After your husband has arranged a date for the interview, he will receive Packet 4 with instructions on how to get to the embassy and reminders of what to bring.

He will go for the interview with all of his documents requested in the checklist, including the I-864. All of these will be looked over and then the application will be approved or denied.

When approved, he will give a self-adressed and stamped envelope to the counsular officer and they will take his passport, place the visa in it, and send it back within a few days. What kind of visa he gets depends on how long you have been married. If less than two years, he will get a CR-1, which means shortly before the 2nd anniversary, he will have to file to remove conditions on his residency. If you have been married more than 2 years, he will receive an IR-1. This is an automatic 10 year green card.

Once he gets to the US, he goes to the SSA to apply for a social security number about two or three weeks after arrival. The green card usually arrives within a month or so. Until then he is allowed to travel out of the country on his I-551 stamp and has authorization to work.

now when they want copies can they just be copies or do they all have to be certified?? and all german things must be translated correct?

[Dr. Obvious 49]

All things have to be translated...kind of. For processing of the I-130, it generally needs to come with translations. However, you can do these yourself if you have the ability. Most of them speak German there and are familiar with what things should look like. I did all self-translations at that level with zero problems. At the visa section level, I don't think my husband had anything translated. At least I don't remember doing his police certificate or anything like that. German birth certificates come in an international form with English on them. Your husband might want to request this one from the Standesamt of whatever city he was born in. They also tend to know German and I don't think they need German language translations so much as if you were petitioning from a third country like Romania or Ukraine.

Obvioiusly, you are more than welcome to translate everything. You have to attest to knowing what you are doing though and sign a document you create yourself to that effect. If you don't know what you are doing, best to leave that to another translator, particularly if some documents are complicated like foreign language divorce decrees.

[dd0914 0]

All things have to be translated...kind of. For processing of the I-130, it generally needs to come with translations. However, you can do these yourself if you have the ability. Most of them speak German there and are familiar with what things should look like. I did all self-translations at that level with zero problems. At the visa section level, I don't think my husband had anything translated. At least I don't remember doing his police certificate or anything like that. German birth certificates come in an international form with English on them. Your husband might want to request this one from the Standesamt of whatever city he was born in. They also tend to know German and I don't think they need German language translations so much as if you were petitioning from a third country like Romania or Ukraine.

Obvioiusly, you are more than welcome to translate everything. You have to attest to knowing what you are doing though and sign a document you create yourself to that effect. If you don't know what you are doing, best to leave that to another translator, particularly if some documents are complicated like foreign language divorce decrees.

i am going to begin doing the I130 for him and his daughter next week. if i need help can i write you?

[payxibka 10,045]

All things have to be translated...kind of. For processing of the I-130, it generally needs to come with translations. However, you can do these yourself if you have the ability. Most of them speak German there and are familiar with what things should look like. I did all self-translations at that level with zero problems. At the visa section level, I don't think my husband had anything translated. At least I don't remember doing his police certificate or anything like that. German birth certificates come in an international form with English on them. Your husband might want to request this one from the Standesamt of whatever city he was born in. They also tend to know German and I don't think they need German language translations so much as if you were petitioning from a third country like Romania or Ukraine.

Obvioiusly, you are more than welcome to translate everything. You have to attest to knowing what you are doing though and sign a document you create yourself to that effect. If you don't know what you are doing, best to leave that to another translator, particularly if some documents are complicated like foreign language divorce decrees.

i am going to begin doing the I130 for him and his daughter next week. if i need help can i write you?

It might be confusing because you have multiple governmental agencies located in the same building, each having there own set of "rules".

Would it be safe to say that even in Frankfurt, all evidence submitted to the USCIS in a language other than English requires an English translation.. (this would mean items associated with the I-130 petition).?

Once the petition is approved and it moves to the Consulate side of the Embassy that English and German documents are acceptable?

Edited June 3, 2008 by fwaguy

[Dr. Obvious 49]

I would say you should translate all of it and you should only translate it yourself if you feel confident you can do it yourself at the I-130 USCIS level.

At the Embassy level, it says now that I look:

Translations

All documents not in English or German must be accompanied by certified English translations. The translation must include a statement signed by the translator that states that the translation is accurate, and the translator is competent to translate.

Edited June 3, 2008 by Wacken

[Dr. Obvious 49]

You can PM me whenever you have a question. There also a few other current DCF filers (I did this last year) on the DCF Germany thread. Hopefully they stick around to help support you too.