DCF Mexico

[Natalien 0]

Hi Natalien,

You won't get anything like a NOA, cause you didn't file through NVC.

Most of us that went in person were approved the next day, but we didn't know until we got a letter stating that our petition was approved.

In my case I filed on December 16, 2010, and got the approval letter on january 4, 2011. The letter stated that my petitions were approved on december 17.

I wouldn't be worried if I were you. Where do you live? Did you give a different address than where you live in form I-130? Usually USCIS in Mexico sends the letter to your current address, not to the address you specify in I-130. That happened to me at least, and they send it via UPS I think, but UPS in turn hired a different carrier called am/pm in Guadalajara, and they never showed up in my home, finally they called me to let me know that they had a packet for me and if I didn't pick it up they would return it to Mexico city.

Be patient, all of us here have suffered the same anxiety, but believe me, the process is pretty fast.

For me, the whole process took exactly 4 months.

Thanks so much Ulises! I just got a little freaked out because the woman at the embassy told me I wouldnt get an approval letter from them for 2 months and that it would be sent by regular Mexican mail! She also told me the whole process would take 8 months. I didn´t realize that everyone else that was approved the next day didn´t actually find out until later. Now I know. Thank you! I live in Guadalajara, and my address was the same on all forms, so it should get sent here. I´ve also heard the the process should take around 4 months. One of my colleagues did DCF and that´s about how long it took. It´s nice to know it was the same for you. Take care!

-Natalien

[Natalien 0]

Hi Natalien! Welcome!

ulises is right, there is some anxiety due to the reliability of the postal service here, and they told us two months as well. But in reality if your papers were in order they approve them really fast. It has been two months for us and we are waiting for an interview date! Hang in there, NOA1 and NOA2 will come in the coming weeks. We never received an NOA1, just NOA2 (which actually isn't called that) - it's the approval of the I-130 and that they're forwarding it to Juarez.

Best of luck, and do keep us updated on how everything is going.

Thanks Chuk! And good luck to you with everything. I´ll keep everyone posted.

-Natalien

[ulises 0]

Thanks so much Ulises! I just got a little freaked out because the woman at the embassy told me I wouldnt get an approval letter from them for 2 months and that it would be sent by regular Mexican mail! She also told me the whole process would take 8 months. I didn´t realize that everyone else that was approved the next day didn´t actually find out until later. Now I know. Thank you! I live in Guadalajara, and my address was the same on all forms, so it should get sent here. I´ve also heard the the process should take around 4 months. One of my colleagues did DCF and that´s about how long it took. It´s nice to know it was the same for you. Take care!

-Natalien

Yes, they also told me the same when I went over there. They also told me that the whole process would take one year. But here I am, for me it may have taken less than 4 months because the letter from the consulate asking for packet 3 was sent on december 27, because again the consulate used my last address (in Guadalajara) instead of using the one I put in the forms. That letter reached my old address in Guadalajara on last days of january, but as I rented the house, the people who rented it never phoned me to call the letter had arrived. I realized my case numbers only after I sent out an inquiry (using the ciudad juarez consulate visa inquiry form), and after that I called the us consulate to change my address and receive all the correspondence in a US address. I sent packet 3 to the us consulate po box in El Paso, and got my appointment letter one month after.

So good luck, and remember be patient. If you haven't received anything in 3 or 4 weeks, then you can call the USCIS in Mexico where you filled your petition.

[DerZinker 4]

Yes, they also told me the same when I went over there. They also told me that the whole process would take one year. But here I am, for me it may have taken less than 4 months because the letter from the consulate asking for packet 3 was sent on december 27, because again the consulate used my last address (in Guadalajara) instead of using the one I put in the forms. That letter reached my old address in Guadalajara on last days of january, but as I rented the house, the people who rented it never phoned me to call the letter had arrived. I realized my case numbers only after I sent out an inquiry (using the ciudad juarez consulate visa inquiry form), and after that I called the us consulate to change my address and receive all the correspondence in a US address. I sent packet 3 to the us consulate po box in El Paso, and got my appointment letter one month after.

So good luck, and remember be patient. If you haven't received anything in 3 or 4 weeks, then you can call the USCIS in Mexico where you filled your petition.

I was going to ask you about that, Ulises.. since you filed DCF but said you were living in California for the most part. I have a US permanent address (for the Affidavit of Support), but will probably be at my Guadalajara address throughout the process when I get around to filing. That is, unless I get some like really nice job offer in the states and we have to move sooner. But staying at our address in Mexico I think would have a lot of advantages, especially if there were to be some kind of hiccup and we need to stay here in Mexico longer. You just never know.

Natalien, you say you're in Guadalajra too? Did you guys all really make a special trip to DF just to file the I-130? That seems like an awful lot of work to me, especially when you could just send it UPS. I'm starting to wonder if maybe going in person would really be worth it though? What do you guys think? Good luck to you Natalien and Ulises, let us know how it works out! Ulises, are you still in Juarez ?

[ulises 0]

I was going to ask you about that, Ulises.. since you filed DCF but said you were living in California for the most part. I have a US permanent address (for the Affidavit of Support), but will probably be at my Guadalajara address throughout the process when I get around to filing. That is, unless I get some like really nice job offer in the states and we have to move sooner. But staying at our address in Mexico I think would have a lot of advantages, especially if there were to be some kind of hiccup and we need to stay here in Mexico longer. You just never know.

Natalien, you say you're in Guadalajra too? Did you guys all really make a special trip to DF just to file the I-130? That seems like an awful lot of work to me, especially when you could just send it UPS. I'm starting to wonder if maybe going in person would really be worth it though? What do you guys think? Good luck to you Natalien and Ulises, let us know how it works out! Ulises, are you still in Juarez ?

Hi dhudson, it all depends, since you have no rush to move, then I would say you should be safe in doing everything by mail. If you live in Guadalajara (not zapopoan, tlajomulco or tonala) there should be no problem in getting the mails.

Once you get your I-130 approval, just check the date when it was approved, they send it right away to the US consulate in Juarez, so it may be that you get the packet 3 instructions almost at the same time you get the I-130 approval. If after the I-130 approval you don't get packet 3 instructions let's say in a month, you would probably want to send an inquiry over the inquiry form of the Juarez consulate.

I crossed the border today, so at this moment I am at an uncle's appartment in El Paso, TX.

Tomorrow I'll drive back to California.

Now if you don't have a job in the states, you'll probably better send your affidavit and have somebody in the US sponsor your wife. Don't know how many kids you have, but the poverty guidelines limit is not that hard to reach, I reached it with my mexican salary, but I still decided to use a sponsor, you know, just to be safe. Besides, I think they don't allow to use a mexican salary, cause you are petitioning to bring your family, not send them alone :=)

So I'm done with the whole process, just await for green cards and SSN. But I'll keep around, will be glad to be of help to new members.

Good luck everybody!

[DerZinker 4]

Hi dhudson, it all depends, since you have no rush to move, then I would say you should be safe in doing everything by mail. If you live in Guadalajara (not zapopoan, tlajomulco or tonala) there should be no problem in getting the mails.

Once you get your I-130 approval, just check the date when it was approved, they send it right away to the US consulate in Juarez, so it may be that you get the packet 3 instructions almost at the same time you get the I-130 approval. If after the I-130 approval you don't get packet 3 instructions let's say in a month, you would probably want to send an inquiry over the inquiry form of the Juarez consulate.

I crossed the border today, so at this moment I am at an uncle's appartment in El Paso, TX.

Tomorrow I'll drive back to California.

Now if you don't have a job in the states, you'll probably better send your affidavit and have somebody in the US sponsor your wife. Don't know how many kids you have, but the poverty guidelines limit is not that hard to reach, I reached it with my mexican salary, but I still decided to use a sponsor, you know, just to be safe. Besides, I think they don't allow to use a mexican salary, cause you are petitioning to bring your family, not send them alone :=)

So I'm done with the whole process, just await for green cards and SSN. But I'll keep around, will be glad to be of help to new members.

Good luck everybody!

I posted a reply to this, but I guess it didn't take? Hoping it didn't get deleted Anyway, thanks Ulises for your help and congratulations on getting through the whole thing. I will keep tabs with you once we file, which could come pretty soon.

Even though I am currently a resident of Mexico, I don't think we'll have any problems with the affidavit of support. I have a permanent address in the US and co-sponsers ready to go, so we should be fine there. I live in Guadalajara and have had no problems receiving mail at my address in the past, but I do have several questions for you:

- Did the US Embassy send you visa information - like your packet 3 and Approvals - using the Mexican Postal Service? Or do they send packets, etc.. from a shipping company (i.e. UPS, Multipak, DHL, etc...?) The consulate in Guadalajara sends documents (US visas and whatnot) using the carrier Multipak, which has always made it to my house effectively.

- Did they also send packets / approvals and info to your US address or only to your place in Guadalajara? Can you get most of this stuff online or do these things all come in hardcopy only?

- About how long from the time of filing your I-130 did it take for you to be able to schedule your appointment in Juarez? How booked were they in Juarez when you went to schedule your interview?

- I've seen this come up, but do you think I could just write a check from my US Bank to pay for the I-130 when I send my application to DF? I have my checkbook here with me and don't see why they would have a problem with that... But I have seen that it needs to be a money order

- Did you need to get a Police Certificate for your wife (like the certified letter saying that she's never been arrested or convicted of a crime)? I have good information that I found from a Canadian site telling their would-be immigrants where to go, but don't know if this is the same for a US Applicant or if this is even necessary: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/security/police-cert/north-america/mexico.asp

- When scheduling your wife's Interview in Juarez, did you also have to schedule an 'ASC Appointment'? I'm not really sure what this is all about, but is apparently related to Biometrics and is required before the interview.

Sorry for the barrage of questions, but that's what I have for now. There will be more Anyone else please feel free to respond too! Thanks and good luck!

[DerZinker 4]

I posted a reply to this, but I guess it didn't take? Hoping it didn't get deleted Anyway, thanks Ulises for your help and congratulations on getting through the whole thing. I will keep tabs with you once we file, which could come pretty soon.

Even though I am currently a resident of Mexico, I don't think we'll have any problems with the affidavit of support. I have a permanent address in the US and co-sponsers ready to go, so we should be fine there. I live in Guadalajara and have had no problems receiving mail at my address in the past, but I do have several questions for you:

- Did the US Embassy send you visa information - like your packet 3 and Approvals - using the Mexican Postal Service? Or do they send packets, etc.. from a shipping company (i.e. UPS, Multipak, DHL, etc...?) The consulate in Guadalajara sends documents (US visas and whatnot) using the carrier Multipak, which has always made it to my house effectively.

- Did they also send packets / approvals and info to your US address or only to your place in Guadalajara? Can you get most of this stuff online or do these things all come in hardcopy only?

- About how long from the time of filing your I-130 did it take for you to be able to schedule your appointment in Juarez? How booked were they in Juarez when you went to schedule your interview?

- I've seen this come up, but do you think I could just write a check from my US Bank to pay for the I-130 when I send my application to DF? I have my checkbook here with me and don't see why they would have a problem with that... But I have seen that it needs to be a money order

- Did you need to get a Police Certificate for your wife (like the certified letter saying that she's never been arrested or convicted of a crime)? I have good information that I found from a Canadian site telling their would-be immigrants where to go, but don't know if this is the same for a US Applicant or if this is even necessary: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/security/police-cert/north-america/mexico.asp

- When scheduling your wife's Interview in Juarez, did you also have to schedule an 'ASC Appointment'? I'm not really sure what this is all about, but is apparently related to Biometrics and is required before the interview.

Sorry for the barrage of questions, but that's what I have for now. There will be more Anyone else please feel free to respond too! Thanks and good luck!

Sorry, just thought of one more - Who did you go to to have your Mexican documents translated? Or did you translate your docs at all? When I filed for our I-129F I didn't have anything translated and we were still approved. I know I could easily do this myself, but apparently you're not supposed to do that. Anyone know of a good, 'certified' translator for the immigration documents (Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, etc...) in the Guadalajara area or have advice as to how to approach this? Is it even necessary?

[ulises 0]

Hi dhudson, please read my answers below:

I posted a reply to this, but I guess it didn't take? Hoping it didn't get deleted Anyway, thanks Ulises for your help and congratulations on getting through the whole thing. I will keep tabs with you once we file, which could come pretty soon.

Even though I am currently a resident of Mexico, I don't think we'll have any problems with the affidavit of support. I have a permanent address in the US and co-sponsers ready to go, so we should be fine there. I live in Guadalajara and have had no problems receiving mail at my address in the past, but I do have several questions for you:

- Did the US Embassy send you visa information - like your packet 3 and Approvals - using the Mexican Postal Service? Or do they send packets, etc.. from a shipping company (i.e. UPS, Multipak, DHL, etc...?) The consulate in Guadalajara sends documents (US visas and whatnot) using the carrier Multipak, which has always made it to my house effectively.

A. The USCIS in Mexico city sent them via UPS I think, and UPS in turn hired am/pm and for some reason they didn't find my address, but they at least called me before returning the packet to Mexico. So I was able to retrieve the packet but had to go directly to am/pm offices to get it.

- Did they also send packets / approvals and info to your US address or only to your place in Guadalajara? Can you get most of this stuff online or do these things all come in hardcopy only?

A. USCIS only send packets to my address in Guadalajara (which was not the same address I had put in the I-130 petition for receiving mail).

The US consulate also send packet 3 instructions to my home address in Guadalajara (not the address I had put in I-130), but after I called the 703 number posted in this forum before, I was able to change the address where to receive further correspondence.

As I said before, a letter from the US consulate did arrive home (they did use SEPOMEX I believe), but the people to whom I rented my home never called me to tell me, so I was not aware of that. Since I was not aware of that and it had already passed like 5 weeks after I received the I-130 approval, I used the "Inquiry form" of the US consulate in Juarez.

They replied with an e-mail to me, like 5 days after with the case numbers and a copy of the Packet 3 instructions they had already sent by SEPOMEX.

- About how long from the time of filing your I-130 did it take for you to be able to schedule your appointment in Juarez? How booked were they in Juarez when you went to schedule your interview?

A. I filed I-130 on December 16th, got the approval letter in my hands on January 4th, received the response to my inquiry on February 15, sent packet 3 on February 19, and got the letter instructing to make an appointment on March 10 (I had my uncle's home in L.A. as the postal address, but I live in the Sacramento area, so it took an extra week for me to receive it).

I called the 703 number (you can actually call any number listed on http://mexico.usvisa-info.com/es-MX/selfservice/us_service_options) to make the appointment (the letter said that I was eligible for an appointment between 1-12 april). It was the same number I used to change my postal address. I think you can also make your appointment using the web-page but as I was making 3 appointments I wanted to make sure all the 3 appointments were for the same day, that's why I chose to call.

I also asked if I could have my appointment later then april 12, and they said no, you have to make your appointment for the period of time the letter indicates, so be prepared, because you may receive the letter 1 week before the actual appointment should happen.

I did book an appointment for ASC (CAS), because now for most visas they ask you to fill DS-260 online, but only for certain cases, in the case of the US consulate in juarez, only the cases starting with MEP need to fill DS-260. That is the replacement for DS-230. Not sure if in the near future everyone will have to fill DS-260. But you should be ok if you follow instructions in the packet 3 letter you get.

- I've seen this come up, but do you think I could just write a check from my US Bank to pay for the I-130 when I send my application to DF? I have my checkbook here with me and don't see why they would have a problem with that... But I have seen that it needs to be a money order I think they do not accept personal checks. I also had my checkbook in Mexico by the time I filed, but when I called they said they wouldn't accept personal checks (unless you file in the US). I think people who have filed in Monterrey, they accept credit card too.

- Did you need to get a Police Certificate for your wife (like the certified letter saying that she's never been arrested or convicted of a crime)? I have good information that I found from a Canadian site telling their would-be immigrants where to go, but don't know if this is the same for a US Applicant or if this is even necessary: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/security/police-cert/north-america/mexico.asp

A. In the packet 4 instructions, you get a list of countries that do not need police certificates because they don't issue them. Mexico is on the list, so no, you don't need a police certificate (although they do give "Certificado de no Antecedentes Penales" in Mexico, so I don't know why it says they don't issue them, of course, for us it's better as it is a document less that we need).

- When scheduling your wife's Interview in Juarez, did you also have to schedule an 'ASC Appointment'? I'm not really sure what this is all about, but is apparently related to Biometrics and is required before the interview.

A. I already answered this, for now don't get so anticipated. Wait for submitting packet 3 and receive the appointment letter instructions.

Sorry for the barrage of questions, but that's what I have for now. There will be more Anyone else please feel free to respond too! Thanks and good luck!

[ulises 0]

Sorry, just thought of one more - Who did you go to to have your Mexican documents translated? Or did you translate your docs at all? When I filed for our I-129F I didn't have anything translated and we were still approved. I know I could easily do this myself, but apparently you're not supposed to do that. Anyone know of a good, 'certified' translator for the immigration documents (Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, etc...) in the Guadalajara area or have advice as to how to approach this? Is it even necessary?

As for the translator I did go with a certified translator, but apparently you don't need a certified translator (I think many people have done it themselves), actually, the packet 3 instructions from the consulate state that all the documents must be either in Spanish or English. But for I-130 they do ask for translations.

So in case you want to go for the certified, I went with http://www.peritotraductor.com.mx/

She is cheap. Don't remember her name, I can check later, but she makes the translations in her home, she lives near "Mariano Otero SAMS", don't remember the name of the neighborhood, but it has Indian street names.

To me she charged $150 pesos per sheet. I only translated 4 documents (birth certificates for my wife and 2 kids and marriage certificates).

There is another link:

http://www.portal-guadalajara.com/regional/dir/traductores.html

I remember I called Grizelda Garcia, but no one answered the phone or

You can also call the USCIS numbers in Mexico, it may take you a lot of attempts to get somebody on the line, but eventually you'll be able to contact someone and they can answer questions about translations and how to pay.

[DerZinker 4]

As for the translator I did go with a certified translator, but apparently you don't need a certified translator (I think many people have done it themselves), actually, the packet 3 instructions from the consulate state that all the documents must be either in Spanish or English. But for I-130 they do ask for translations.

So in case you want to go for the certified, I went with http://www.peritotraductor.com.mx/

She is cheap. Don't remember her name, I can check later, but she makes the translations in her home, she lives near "Mariano Otero SAMS", don't remember the name of the neighborhood, but it has Indian street names.

To me she charged $150 pesos per sheet. I only translated 4 documents (birth certificates for my wife and 2 kids and marriage certificates).

There is another link:

http://www.portal-guadalajara.com/regional/dir/traductores.html

I remember I called Grizelda Garcia, but no one answered the phone or

You can also call the USCIS numbers in Mexico, it may take you a lot of attempts to get somebody on the line, but eventually you'll be able to contact someone and they can answer questions about translations and how to pay.

Wow, you are the man Ulises. I think the translator you are talking about probably lives in or around Ciudad del Sol, which is very close to me. I lived in that neighborhood for several years and could never give people good directions due to the crazy street names (i.e. Nezahualcoyotl) HaHa. Ordering a pizza was always an adventure too! Anyway, I know right where the Sams Club you are talking about is and it isn't far.

Thanks so much for your prompt and detailed response. You really just answered 90% of the burning questions I have regarding the whole process, so I feel much, much more prepared now. I think I am going to start filling out the forms, making copies, etc... just in case. I have some possible job interviews coming up so I'll want to file right away in case I get hired. I'll keep you posted; thanks again for all your help!!

Edited April 29, 2011 by dhudson

[ulises 0]

Wow, you are the man Ulises. I think the translator you are talking about probably lives in or around Ciudad del Sol, which is very close to me. I lived in that neighborhood for several years and could never give people good directions due to the crazy street names (i.e. Nezahualcoyotl) HaHa. Ordering a pizza was always an adventure too! Anyway, I know right where the Sams Club you are talking about is and it isn't far.

Thanks so much for your prompt and detailed response. You really just answered 90% of the burning questions I have regarding the whole process, so I feel much, much more prepared now. I think I am going to start filling out the forms, making copies, etc... just in case. I have some possible job interviews coming up so I'll want to file right away in case I get hired. I'll keep you posted; thanks again for all your help!!

I'm glad of being of help. You know after all, we are like neighbors cause I lived in Guadalajara for almost four years :=)

Let me know of that other 10% questions you have if no one else has answered!

Good luck with the job interviews!

[CIrcle110 10]

Hi Mexico DCFers,

The folks in the K-1 forum here at VJ told me I should look into DCF in Mexico instead of the K-1 process since we live here in Mexico (Guanajuato) and we are looking for the quickest process possible. They told me to come check out the DCF forum.

After reading this DCF-Mexico thread I find myself a little confused since I am a pure newbie.

Here is my/our situation:

I have lived here in Guanajuato for a little over a year. My fiancee has lived here with me that whole time.

I do not have my FM3 but, according to the expat crowd in nearby San Miguel, there are facilitators there that can get your FM3 in about a week (legitimately) for 400 pesos extra.

We are not married yet (since we were thinking K-1 was the best way to go) but we are willing to do a quick civil wedding to accelerate the process.

Is this going to work for us? Do I need to have my FM3 for 6 months or only be able to prove that I have lived here that long. We live in an apartment with all utilities included in the rent so I have no utility bills but the landlords would gladly provide written proof that we have lived here for a year... will that suffice?

Any feedback would be wonderful,

Thanks!

[DerZinker 4]

Hi Mexico DCFers,

The folks in the K-1 forum here at VJ told me I should look into DCF in Mexico instead of the K-1 process since we live here in Mexico (Guanajuato) and we are looking for the quickest process possible. They told me to come check out the DCF forum.

After reading this DCF-Mexico thread I find myself a little confused since I am a pure newbie.

Here is my/our situation:

I have lived here in Guanajuato for a little over a year. My fiancee has lived here with me that whole time.

I do not have my FM3 but, according to the expat crowd in nearby San Miguel, there are facilitators there that can get your FM3 in about a week (legitimately) for 400 pesos extra.

We are not married yet (since we were thinking K-1 was the best way to go) but we are willing to do a quick civil wedding to accelerate the process.

Is this going to work for us? Do I need to have my FM3 for 6 months or only be able to prove that I have lived here that long. We live in an apartment with all utilities included in the rent so I have no utility bills but the landlords would gladly provide written proof that we have lived here for a year... will that suffice?

Any feedback would be wonderful,

Thanks!

Hi Circle, welcome to the Mexico DCF Thread I've been prowling this thread for a few months myself since I am gearing up to file an I-130 for my wife and we live in Guadalajara. I'm a bit of a noob myself, at least as far as DCF goes, but I'm pretty familiar with the general process and can answer some of your questions.

If you want quick, then filing DCF is definitely the way to go (but you probably already know that). It can cut the total time in half approx, so the main advantage of filing DCF is that it cuts the wait time way down. As far as the FM3, I'm pretty sure there isn't a minimum time that you need to have it for in order to qualify for DCF. On the contrary, from what I understand is that the expiration date shouldn't be for several months when you file DCF, so a new FM3 should work fine if not to your advantage. I think if you can come up with some sort of rent receipt with your name written on it, that should be proof enough.. If you have a job here, I think a pay stub and / or a notorized letter from your employer would work well too. That I can't answer for sure, so it might be worth a call to the US Embassy in Mexico City (although who knows how helpful they'd be, worth a shot anyway). Someone else on this thread could probably help enlighten us there.

I'm going to call the embassy in DF this week to ask a few questions myself (namely, to confirm which address to send the I-130 to) and here's the number they have listed on their website: 01-55-5080-2000, extension 0

The FM3 was kind of a pain to get for me the first time around, but is easier to renew. I guess it depends on each individual case. I don't know anything about getting it more quickly or not, but generally speaking, do be prepared to make several trips to the Mexican Immigration office when trying to get it since you can never get it done in one trip.

As far as the K-1, I can help you out there... There is certainly nothing wrong with the K-1 and it might actually be a somewhat easier visa to obtain, but there is a lot of hassle associated once you enter the US. With that visa, once you two are married, your wife would have to apply to adjust her status to a permanent resident (which is pricey) and thus you have to deal with (and pay) the USCIS that much more. It also makes it a big pain (if not impossible) if she wants to travel back to Mexico or anywhere internationally for a while after you enter the US on a K-1. If you were to do the civil marriage here then you could apply for a CR-1 visa (Conditional Relative) via an I-130 which would give her automatic permanent (conditional) resident status for 2 years upon entering the US, which makes things considerably easier in the long run IMO. We applied for a K-1 in 2005 and were approved but ended up staying in Mexico and it subsequently expired. In any case you have to go to Juarez which is the part I resent most

Anyway, I hope that was of some help. Whatever other questions come up, I'm happy to share what I know

[CIrcle110 10]

Thanks dhudson,

Sometimes a newbie who is slightly less new is one's best source of info!

We will know within 2 weeks just how much of a hurry we are in. I figure that I should start FM3 process in any case, just in case. Maybe I should call the embassy to clarify the FM3 time requirement to be 100% sure; thanks for that number.

Yes, the requirement of having to go to Juarez is ridiculous, but what can you do?. It's not like you can turn it into a vacation or something. When we got my fiancee's B2 tourist visa we went to Guadalajara and made a little 3 day vacation out of it. I like Gdl. and we had a good time. Not quite the same in Ciudad Juarez!

Good luck to you guys with the CR-1 and if we go down that same road, I'll keep in touch and we can compare notes.

Edited May 1, 2011 by CIrcle110

[DerZinker 4]

Thanks dhudson,

Sometimes a newbie who is slightly less new is one's best source of info!

We will know within 2 weeks just how much of a hurry we are in. I figure that I should start FM3 process in any case, just in case. Maybe I should call the embassy to clarify the FM3 time requirement to be 100% sure; thanks for that number.

Yes, the requirement of having to go to Juarez is ridiculous, but what can you do?. It's not like you can turn it into a vacation or something. When we got my fiancee's B2 tourist visa we went to Guadalajara and made a little 3 day vacation out of it. I like Gdl. and we had a good time. Not quite the same in Ciudad Juarez!

Good luck to you guys with the CR-1 and if we go down that same road, I'll keep in touch and we can compare notes.

Good deal, Circle. It would be cool to be going through the process with someone else simultaneously. I would go ahead and get started with the FM3, since especially the first time around it takes a little while and there is a lot of back and fourth. They have changed the process considerably starting about a year ago and of lot of it can be done online, so that should make life easier on you. If I'm not mistaken you actually file your application online.. This is the Mexican Immigration site and, although the navigation is kind of confusing, could help you get the ball rolling: http://www.inm.gob.mx/index.php/page/Tramites

I have to renew my FM2 in just a few weeks, so I need to start thinking about it anyway.

Yeah, Gdl. has been pretty good to me. It's certainly not perfect, but which city is, right? Our quality of life here is pretty great in general and considering the size it's a pretty safe city. Guanajuato is definitely on the list of the few places I would live in Mexico. I've never actually been to the city of Gto., but have been to Leon and Salamanca and it's pretty nice over there.

Like you said, nothing we can do about Juarez but just roll with it. I have explored pretty much all options in order to avoid travelling there and there's really no way around it, at least not without consequences. One thing I like that they have changed since we originally filed is that you can apparently choose the DHL location in Mexico to where they will send the visa, which is pretty nice. Since it is very commonplace that there are hiccups during the interview process there in Juarez (like their computer systems failing, etc..), this option is nice because assuming you are approved for the visa you can just travel to a much more attractive part of Mexico and wait for your visa to arrive as opposed to having to stay an extra week in Cd. Juarez.

We'll be applying for the IR-1 visa since we've been married for 5 years. It's basically the same as the CR-1, at least the application process is the same, but the IR-1 has some slight advantages over the CR-1 - namely, the green card lasts longer and there's really not much else to do upon entering the US until / unless she wants to apply for citizenship.

Enjoy your Sunday; I'll post again once I've spoken to the guys at the US Embassy in DF with any relevant info.