DCF from Panama?

[Melissa! 0]

I'm a little confused about what visa I should start filing for for my husband (Panamanian). I live in Panama currently, and have been living here since August of 2007 (I'm a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer). We got married this past February at the Justice of Peace, and are having our church wedding next May (the "big one" in Panamanian Culture, but for all legal reasons, we are already married). I plan to stay here until the day that my husband is able to move to the US with me, but I'm not sure if I can file DCF. My main concern is that I know my "residency status" is needed in Panama, but that term is really vague. I am in the immigration process currently, and will probably have an identification number and be a legal resident within a month or two, but Panamanian law dictates (as far as I understand) that someone is a "full, permanent, legal resident" after two years of being a normal resident. Do I need to be a PERMANENT resident of Panama to file DCF, or can I just have normal residency (as in, I don't need a tourist visa every time I come in and out of the country)? I really hope it's the latter because we're planning on moving to the US next August (2010).

Additionally, I am definitely going to need an affidavit of support from my mom/someone, because I've been living here in Panama for 2 years and have no job in the States currently. How much money does she need to make in order to be able to sponsor him? And I can prove domicile in the US by presenting bank accounts/stuff mailed to my mom's house (my permanent address)/etc, correct?

So is DCF right for me (pleasesayyespleasesayyes...)?????? I really want to avoid K-3/etc. D: D:

[txladykat 1]

Yes you can file DCF. You only need to show 6 months continued residence in the foreign country. I wouldn't start the process yet though if you aren't planning on moving until 2010. DCF is a very fast process (usually 2-3 months) and the visa is only good for one year from the date of issuance.

As for the Affidavit of Support, the amount of income will depend on how many people your sponsor is supporting. Here is the link to the income guidelines: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-864P.pdf

If say for example your sponsor lives alone, then they would only need to meet the income requirements for 2 people (the sponsor and the immigrant), but if they are married, then its three, then add each additional dependent they have living in their home.

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

Yes you can file DCF. You only need to show 6 months continued residence in the foreign country. I wouldn't start the process yet though if you aren't planning on moving until 2010. DCF is a very fast process (usually 2-3 months) and the visa is only good for one year from the date of issuance.

That isn't the case for everyone. It depends on where the beneficiary is from. It is usually only that quick when the beneficiary is from western Europe or other 1st world nations like Japan or Australia, etc. For Iranians, DCF usually takes a minimum of 8 months. I'm sure the DCF time-line would be longer for those from Latin America as well.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

I do not know if Panama accepts DCF filings. the VJ Panama page does not mention it: http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/inde...&cty=Panama

you would first need to see if they offer it.

[meauxna 15]

So is DCF right for me (pleasesayyespleasesayyes...)?????? I really want to avoid K-3/etc. D: D:

Probably.

http://panama.usembassy.gov/filing_the_i130.html

Note the info on that page is old (use of BCIS is your clue). It would be a good idea for you to find out directly from the consulate what *they* require since it is still post-dependant. You want to make it abundantly clear to them that you have been a full time resident there since 07, and I'd imagine you'd want to find out now what the filing requirements are so that you aren't caught short when the actual time to file comes along. It never hurts to make friends at the Consulate either.

If you will need the extra time to file your I-130 in the States, you'll want to start about 12 months before you want to travel.

Yes you can file DCF. You only need to show 6 months continued residence in the foreign country. I wouldn't start the process yet though if you aren't planning on moving until 2010. DCF is a very fast process (usually 2-3 months) and the visa is only good for one year from the date of issuance.

That isn't the case for everyone. It depends on where the beneficiary is from. It is usually only that quick when the beneficiary is from western Europe or other 1st world nations like Japan or Australia, etc. For Iranians, DCF usually takes a minimum of 8 months. I'm sure the DCF time-line would be longer for those from Latin America as well.

txladykat: the visa is valid only for 6 months, not one year from issue.

Die: the Latin American countries don't take longer than other posts; you've done a sort of backward conflation. The T country beneficiaries do take longer due to additional administrative processing. Iranians (from your example) also have to travel to a 3rd country to complete their process, making it even longer. Just saying, it's not a 3rd world/1st world argument, but more related to security issues.

I do not know if Panama accepts DCF filings. the VJ Panama page does not mention it: http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/inde...&cty=Panama

you would first need to see if they offer it.

The old DCF guide showed ppl how to find that info. http://panama.usembassy.gov/filing_the_i130.html

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

Ok. That's good to know, meauxna. You're always very informative.

[txladykat 1]

my bad, I meant to say 6 months. My husband just entered last week on his visa, and I had just responded to something about the I-551 stamp being valid for a year and mistakenly posted that.

For the one that commented on my post about the timeframe, I did say USUALLY, I didn't say ALWAYS! Even then, if they aren't returning until August of next year, to begin the process now could be a mistake if it only takes say 6 months...being that the visa is only valid for 6 months.

Edited July 7, 2009 by txladykat

[cherriesss 4]

Even though this is an old thread, I wanted to post the info below in case it is useful to anyone.

Information given to me by the U.S. Embassy in Panama in July 2010 about filing DCF:

HOW TO FILE AN I-130 PETITION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY/CIS IN PANAMA IN ORDER TO OBTAIN AN IMMIGRANT VISA FOR AN IMMEDIATE RELATIVE

In order for you (THE PETITIONER) to file an I-130 immigrant visa petition for your spouse, parents, or children (THE BENEFICIARIES) at our office, YOU MUST BE A UNITED STATES CITIZEN AND A LEGAL RESIDENT OF PANAMA and must present PROOF of this (receipts minimum 6 months for light, water, telephone, bank accounts), together with the following supporting documents:

1. Completed form I-130 petition for each BENEFICIARY.

2. Completed form G-325A (Biographic Information) for both the PETITIONER and the BENEFICIARY. (Not required for beneficiaries under 14 years of age.)

3. Original MARRIAGE certificates from Registro Civil (custodian of such record).

4. Original BIRTH certificate of BENEFICIARY / COPIA INTEGRA of birth certificate if applying for child or child applying for parents.

5. Original or certified true copies of DIVORCE DECREES or DEATH CERTIFICATES of any previous spouses of both the PETITIONER and BENEFICIARY.

6. Your U.S. BIRTH CERTIFICATE or U.S. PASSPORT (for verification of date of birth and proof of U.S. citizenship).

7. One passport-sized picture (2”x2”) white background for both PETITIONER and BENEFICIARY.

8. One COPY of all documents. (Please make sure copies are front and back of the documents.)

9. $355.00 USD for CIS petition fee.

NOTE: ANY DOCUMENT IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION WHICH HAS BEEN CERTIFIED BY A COMPETENT TRANSLATOR PER TITLE 8, CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, PART 204 1(F) (3).

To submit your petition please present to the INS office TUESDAY or THURSDAY from 8:30 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Numbers are issued at 8:30 A.M. The BENEFICIARY as well as the PETITIONER must be present while filing the I-130 petition. Telephone inquiries are from 2:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. TEL: 207-7415/7251.

For additional information or to download forms, go to the INS website: www.ucis.gov