DCF Mexico

[DerZinker 4]

Hi dhudson,

you can find phone numbers and address here;

http://mexico.usembassy.gov/eng/einsinfo.html

Our mailing address inside Mexico is:

BCIS Mexico City District Office

Paseo de la Reforma 305

Colonia Cuauhtemoc

06500 Mexico, D.F.

You the man, Ulises. Thanks for the link!

[chuk686 0]

Hello Again Circle. Sorry to hear that you guys have a lot to go through, but it sounds like you guys have a pretty solid plan and are optimisitc going forward. What you could do, if you choose to go for her treatment in the United States, is file her I-130 via DCF here in Mexico and then go to the states and get her treatment while you are waiting for the interview / approvals, etc.. (which, according to Ulises who just went through it, should take about 4-5 months for the whole shot).

Like Ulises said, just applying for her immigrant visa will not nullify her tourist visa and you two could in theory travel to the US to 'Visit' prior to her interview. I do want to point out, however, that when she goes to Juarez for her interview for her immigrant visa, I'm pretty certain that they will take away her B2 visa at that time and she won't get it back, regardless of the results. So that's something to keep in mind.

Also as Ulises said, there's always the slim chance that they won't let her into the US, especially once you are married, but honestly I think this is very rare. I've heard some horror stories on these forums where this has happened, but I've travelled to the US with my Mexican wife at least a dozen times and not one officer has ever even batted an eye at us, so I think it would be atypical for them to deny her entry.

As far as getting hitched in the US on her tourist visa, that's kind of complicated. Part of me wants to think that it would be fine so long as you and her come right back to Mexico after getting married and she doesn't overstay her I-94. But they might see it as some kind of fraud or something. Frankly, while I think it might be a little more direct and safer to do a civil marriage here in Mexico, I honestly don't see why it would be a big problem if you two were to get married there in Texas and just come back. Remembering now all the steps I had to take to get married here in Mexico it was a hassle, so I see where you're coming from. Ask around and like Ulises suggested maybe double-check with an immigration lawyer, although I'm sure if you post that question elsewhere here on VJ someone will be able to answer that question with confidence.

Just to corroborate this: although I'm a CDN citizen living in Mexico on FM-3, shouldn't make any difference. We were married in Houston in Feb. filed I-130 shortly after. Traveled back 3 times since then and had zero problems. Bottom line is it comes down to the POE officer. If you don't have any history of overstay, and always bring evidence of ties to Mexico. You will be fine. I've never been asked for any evidence, never been hassled. It was SO much easier to have the wedding in Texas, not have to have documents translated or have a medical... I encourage you to do it this way.

[Natalien 0]

Hello Everyone!

Sorry I´ve been MIA for awhile. I just wanted to report that my husband´s docs were accepted in Mexico City the same day! I finally called to find out after 2 weeks instead of waiting for the mail. She was very nice and told me that the case was accepted and mailed and probably has already gotten to Juarez. I read that someone wasn´t sure if it was worth it to go all the way to Mexico City to file. I would say it definately is if you´re in a hurry. You never know with Mexican mail, and I have read that the documents can sit around for days or weeks before they´re correctly distributed. I also read that someone posted that Casa Tiber wasnt around anymore, but it is. That´s where I ended up going to get my money order. It´s only a couple of buildings down the street from the embassy, but it´s on the 14th floor or something like that. They told me where to go at the embassy. A word of advice- don´t bring dollars if you still need a money order. The guys at the exchange house told me I had to purchase pesos with my dollars (at a horrible rate) then proceed to buy the money order (to be written in dollars) with pesos! I ended up running around different banks to get a better exchange rate to convert my dollars back to pesos. You would think it would be more logical to use dollars to get a money order in dollars, but apparently not! Good luck to everyone!

[DerZinker 4]

Hello Everyone!

Sorry I´ve been MIA for awhile. I just wanted to report that my husband´s docs were accepted in Mexico City the same day! I finally called to find out after 2 weeks instead of waiting for the mail. She was very nice and told me that the case was accepted and mailed and probably has already gotten to Juarez. I read that someone wasn´t sure if it was worth it to go all the way to Mexico City to file. I would say it definately is if you´re in a hurry. You never know with Mexican mail, and I have read that the documents can sit around for days or weeks before they´re correctly distributed. I also read that someone posted that Casa Tiber wasnt around anymore, but it is. That´s where I ended up going to get my money order. It´s only a couple of buildings down the street from the embassy, but it´s on the 14th floor or something like that. They told me where to go at the embassy. A word of advice- don´t bring dollars if you still need a money order. The guys at the exchange house told me I had to purchase pesos with my dollars (at a horrible rate) then proceed to buy the money order (to be written in dollars) with pesos! I ended up running around different banks to get a better exchange rate to convert my dollars back to pesos. You would think it would be more logical to use dollars to get a money order in dollars, but apparently not! Good luck to everyone!

Thanks for sharing Natalien! I think it was me who was unsure about traveling directly to DF to file. I can definitely understand the advantages, but since we're not in a big hurry (at least not yet ) and DHL / UPS / FedEx etc... usually gets where it needs to go if you're sending or receiving in one of the big 3 (Guadalajara / Monterrey / DF) I think I will just ship my petition to DF, even if it means a longer wait. As far as the Money Order - I hate to be redundant b/c I know I've asked this question before, but when using DCF can one really not write a check from a US Bank ? I could get a money order here in GDL, but since it's not something that's very common here in Mexico from what I've seen and I'd feel so much better just writing a check If I can't write a check, are there any other payment options?

[zeezee44 0]

Hi All,

I'm a USC married to a Spanish citizen, both living and working in Mexico City with FM-3's. We turned our I-130 application into the Embassy and they told us 36 hours later it was approved and in the mail.

A few questions for those of you familiar with the next steps:

1) What do I do now? Wait for an approval number? Will they send me packet 3? Is there anything I can be preparing now/sending in to speed up the process?

2) I've heard some people have had problems not having the invoice number from NVC when doing form DS-260. Is this a problem?

3) I've also heard we'll be needing a police report? Where/how do we obtain this? If my husband is Spanish but a resident of Mexico, which country does he need the police report from?

Any and all advice is very much appreciated!

[DerZinker 4]

Hi All,

I'm a USC married to a Spanish citizen, both living and working in Mexico City with FM-3's. We turned our I-130 application into the Embassy and they told us 36 hours later it was approved and in the mail.

A few questions for those of you familiar with the next steps:

1) What do I do now? Wait for an approval number? Will they send me packet 3? Is there anything I can be preparing now/sending in to speed up the process?

2) I've heard some people have had problems not having the invoice number from NVC when doing form DS-260. Is this a problem?

3) I've also heard we'll be needing a police report? Where/how do we obtain this? If my husband is Spanish but a resident of Mexico, which country does he need the police report from?

Any and all advice is very much appreciated!

Hi ZeeZee. Congratulations and good luck on your quest. I am planning on filing an I-130 for my wife as well and have been doing a lot of homework. I can't help you much on your first two points, but thought I would chime in and at least tell you that in regards to the Police Certificate, at least as of right now, a Police Certificate is NOT required for Mexicans intending to Immigrate. It's a little confusing because on one of the official requirement forms of the USCIS (I think it was some variation of the OF-169; anyway check the link I pasted below.. It has basically the same info I saw) it clearly states in both English and Spanish the details surrounding the Police Certificate, but then there is a list of countries for which the Certificate isn't required and Mexico is right on there. Now, since your spouse is Spanish, that makes the situation a little more interesting and you just may have to get the Spanish Police Certificate since that county is not on the no-fly list. In any case, you wouldn't want to get her a Mexican Police Certificate since the USCIS doesn't give them any credibility for Mexico:

http://www.***removed***/immigration/police-certificates.html

Now, here is a link to a Canadian Immigration website and they list how / where to get a Police Certificate for every country where applicable. Here is the link for Spain, I think this should help you:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/security/police-cert/europe/spain.asp

As far as things you can start working on in the meantime (if you haven't already) would include getting together the info for your I-864 Affidavit of Support which includes copies of your last 3 years of back tax returns as well as the 3 years of tax returns of any co-sponser you might have lined up. That's the biggest pain IMO, so that's something you'll want to get started on. The other pre-interview stuff is pretty easy to get together by comparison. If you haven't seen this stuff already, these links have some helpful info in regards to what you'll need going forward:

http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1

Check the 'What Happens After You Mail the I-130 Out?' section...

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/IR1_and_CR1_Immigrant_Visas

I'm looking forward to other responses to your post so I can know what else to expect too

[chuk686 0]

Hi All,

I'm a USC married to a Spanish citizen, both living and working in Mexico City with FM-3's. We turned our I-130 application into the Embassy and they told us 36 hours later it was approved and in the mail.

A few questions for those of you familiar with the next steps:

1) What do I do now? Wait for an approval number? Will they send me packet 3? Is there anything I can be preparing now/sending in to speed up the process?

2) I've heard some people have had problems not having the invoice number from NVC when doing form DS-260. Is this a problem?

3) I've also heard we'll be needing a police report? Where/how do we obtain this? If my husband is Spanish but a resident of Mexico, which country does he need the police report from?

Any and all advice is very much appreciated!

Hi zeezee44, welcome!

Here is my advice, we're also two people on FM-3's doing Direct Consular Filing.

1) You need to get your IV-Case Number to be able to proceed. You'll need that number to go ahead an fill out the DS-260 form (will look like CDJXXXXXXXXXX). And for the DS-230. They will send you in the post a letter with it, but I recommend calling the 703# (See previous posts in this thread to find it) and getting it over the phone; it will be quicker that way. Packet 3 won't be a packet it will be a letter with this link: http://ciudadjuarez.usconsulate.gov/immigrant-visa-and-fiancee-visa-forms.html you can begin filling out Form DS-230, there is also a checklist of things you need to prepare, and fill it out and sign it, and I-864 affidavit of support. As soon as you find out your case number, you can go ahead and fill out the forms and mail them in. One reason we got set back a few weeks was because I waited on the letter and didn't call to find out our case number. Just follow the instructions on the checklist in the link I provided. As soon as you have a number, send it in.

2) The invoice ID # ( I e-mailed and inquired about this is: beneficiary's year of birth/ month/ day example: 19771122) You will need it to log in and fill out the DS-260. Along with your Case number. (Also in the link)

3) See Dhudson's post for this - he answered it brilliantly.

Hope this helps.

[Natalien 0]

Thanks for sharing Natalien! I think it was me who was unsure about traveling directly to DF to file. I can definitely understand the advantages, but since we're not in a big hurry (at least not yet ) and DHL / UPS / FedEx etc... usually gets where it needs to go if you're sending or receiving in one of the big 3 (Guadalajara / Monterrey / DF) I think I will just ship my petition to DF, even if it means a longer wait. As far as the Money Order - I hate to be redundant b/c I know I've asked this question before, but when using DCF can one really not write a check from a US Bank ? I could get a money order here in GDL, but since it's not something that's very common here in Mexico from what I've seen and I'd feel so much better just writing a check If I can't write a check, are there any other payment options?

Hi dhudson! As far as I know there are no other payment options at the Mexico City consulate. They told me they only accept money orders. I know it´s a pain in the ####, and it´s not typical here. Maybe someone else out there had a different experience, but that´s what the woman in the USCIS/homeland security office in Mexico City told me when I filed. She said they don´t accept personal checks. You can check at the casa de cambio around your city and see who can do it. Let me know if I can help you out more.

-Natalien

[DerZinker 4]

Hi dhudson! As far as I know there are no other payment options at the Mexico City consulate. They told me they only accept money orders. I know it´s a pain in the ####, and it´s not typical here. Maybe someone else out there had a different experience, but that´s what the woman in the USCIS/homeland security office in Mexico City told me when I filed. She said they don´t accept personal checks. You can check at the casa de cambio around your city and see who can do it. Let me know if I can help you out more.

-Natalien

Thanks Natalien! I know I had posted this question once before so again, sorry to be repetitive. Although it really makes no sense that they won't accept a US-based check, I have already scoped out some casas de cambio closeby and I already know of some places that do it.. So I can get one pretty readily if that's the only way to do it It just puts me on edge a little since we're talking about a good sum of money and a system that isn't widely used and maybe even unreliable.

All other payment stuff is directly at the US Embassy in Juarez and / or online, right? Or do they still have you deposit some stuff at the banks and then bring in the receipt(s)? Thanks again Natalien!

[zeezee44 0]

Thank you so much for all your help!

I heard from the consulate today that we can schedule an appointment from june 1 to june 15, but we don't have our letter or case # or anything yet!

Chuck 686, you said we can go to http://ciudadjuarez....visa-forms.html to get the letter - does that mean I just print out the letter that opens as a PDF when I click "Packet 3"? If so, do you mind telling me exactly what you sent in with that letter? The letter checked off and signed, the form I-864 without the attached evidence, the DS-230... or what?

On that letter it says to send DS-230, but on the website it lists DS-260. Should I send both?

If I call the 703 number they'll give me my case number if I have my passport number?

Sorry for so many questions! I just wasn't expecting to be given such an early appointment and I want to make sure we don't get delayed because I screwed up the paperwork!

Thanks!

[ulises 0]

Thank you so much for all your help!

I heard from the consulate today that we can schedule an appointment from june 1 to june 15, but we don't have our letter or case # or anything yet!

Chuck 686, you said we can go to http://ciudadjuarez....visa-forms.html to get the letter - does that mean I just print out the letter that opens as a PDF when I click "Packet 3"? If so, do you mind telling me exactly what you sent in with that letter? The letter checked off and signed, the form I-864 without the attached evidence, the DS-230... or what?

On that letter it says to send DS-230, but on the website it lists DS-260. Should I send both?

If I call the 703 number they'll give me my case number if I have my passport number?

Sorry for so many questions! I just wasn't expecting to be given such an early appointment and I want to make sure we don't get delayed because I screwed up the paperwork!

Thanks!

Hi zeezee, well, that is very strange. How could you get an appointment without having a case number or having sent the packet 3 yet?

I would suggest you to call 703 number, and select the option to follow up on a case. You may need your passport, but for now you only need to provide your wife's data, and ask if there is case number already.

Unless things have changed now, you are the first case I hear of that has an appointment without even sending packet 3 documentation. The normal process is you get an appointment letter only after you have sent packet 3.

DS-260 you have to fill it online. But you should be ok if you send DS-230, because for DS-260 it will ask you for invoice ID which most probably you won't have.

So again, first call 703 number and have them resolve your doubts ASAP.

Do let us know what they tell you about this. Maybe you'll just have to take all the documents with you to your appointment :=) and may become the fastest ever immigrant visa given in Ciudad Juarez!!!!!

[chuk686 0]

Thank you so much for all your help!

I heard from the consulate today that we can schedule an appointment from june 1 to june 15, but we don't have our letter or case # or anything yet!

Chuck 686, you said we can go to http://ciudadjuarez....visa-forms.html to get the letter - does that mean I just print out the letter that opens as a PDF when I click "Packet 3"? If so, do you mind telling me exactly what you sent in with that letter? The letter checked off and signed, the form I-864 without the attached evidence, the DS-230... or what?

For our Packet 3 I sent in:

1. DS-230 Part I Signed and filled out

2. Checklist in the PDF when you open Packet 3 (Signed and all boxes checked).

3. I-864 Affidavit of Support filled out by my wife.

4. 3 Years tax returns.

5. Financial support documents (Bank statements of savings accounts, asset Statements.)

On that letter it says to send DS-230, but on the website it lists DS-260. Should I send both? Fill out both (DS-260 is online and they'll e-mail you the confirmation. Print and bring the confirmation PDF to your interview.) DS-230 only send in Part I. Part II Bring to the Interview you'll need to sign before a consular officer.

If I call the 703 number they'll give me my case number if I have my passport number? If a case number has been assigned, you'll need the beneficiary's passport number to receive it. It's like a security code to be able to identify you as the beneficiary.

Sorry for so many questions! I just wasn't expecting to be given such an early appointment and I want to make sure we don't get delayed because I screwed up the paperwork!

Thanks!

Hope this HELPS! Let us know if you have any more questions. I know at the Packet 3 stage is where I was a bit confused.

[MiguelFC 0]

Hello,

I am getting ready to go to the Mexico City embassy to drop off the i-130 for my wife. Just to be clear, the only thing I need to get translated is the marriage certificate, correct? If so, are there any examples of translations or maybe a template I can use to translate the certificate? I went through this thread a couple of times but I could not find an example or template.

Thanks

[zeezee44 0]

Hi MiguelFC,

If the information is in English or Spanish, you don't have to get it translated. We had our marriage certificate translated into English as well as my husband's birth certificate, but they only took the original copies. If you need translating from another language, try this site:http://www.foxtranslate.com/. It's not cheap, but we got our copies really fast.

Good luck!

[MiguelFC 0]

Hi MiguelFC,

If the information is in English or Spanish, you don't have to get it translated. We had our marriage certificate translated into English as well as my husband's birth certificate, but they only took the original copies. If you need translating from another language, try this site:http://www.foxtranslate.com/. It's not cheap, but we got our copies really fast.

Good luck!

Thanks for the info!