DCF Mexico

[DerZinker 4]

Ok, I was wrong.. It's really not that clear to whom the payment (Money Order / Cashiers Check) should be made out to..

Who should the Money Order be made out to?

EDIT: Nevermind, found it:

"Mexico City Office only accepts Money Orders or Cashiers Checks payable to the DHS U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (The money orders, or Cashiers Checks MUST be in English"

Edited October 5, 2011 by DerZinker

[DerZinker 4]

This is for anyone on here that might find it useful, but I saw the mention of Skype...you do know that they aren't the only kid on the playground, right? With Skype you can obviously video talk, but with SkypeOut you can have phone calls, and even get a US number to call in. I myself have used Vonage and currently MagicJack for US calls which gives me a US number for people to call. Waaaay cheaper, and just as easy to use, but much more versatile. What I mentioned before, though, is something that everyone might find interesting or useful: Google Voice. This isn't chat, but rather a call forwarding service. Basically you are assigned a US telephone number of your choice (you can even pick the area code and prefix, or try to make it a vanity number too!) and you can set it up ONLINE to forward to the number of your choice. The wonderful thing about this is that it even gives you texting capability too...even if the number you are forwarding to is a landline. For example...I have my Google Voice number forwarding to my Vonage account...but here in Mexico I can log onto the system and text message friends and family in the US almost like an email or IM account..and they text back of course through the number. Then if anyone wants to call me, they call my Google Voice number and I set it up to forward to me. When I am visiting in the US, I add the number for my parents house, or my US cell phone, and it automatically forwards there as well. VERY useful for the international traveler, I feel. Oh yeah...and FREE!!!!

Ok, enough of that commercial.

In response to your questions, DerZinker, long story short I studied in Guad for 4 years, and am finishing up in SLP. I still live here as a temp resident (FM3) but chose the Chicago Lockbox because I can ship everything there, and they take care of everything through them, the National Visa Center, and finally the USCIS in Juarez. I won't have to ship anything in Mexico, which as we know can take a while, be expensive, or worse get lost...and I won't have to wait for Mexico City to ship to the US...since I am taking care of this from the start. The changes in August are listed on the US websites, but basically say the Chicago box MUST be used for all countries that don't have a USCIS office, and those that do (like Mexico) can choose between Chicago and Consular/USCIS. When I spoke to the guy in Juarez he felt that since everything is done online nowadays, the Chicago route might be just a bit faster. Basically, DCF doesn't necessarily HAVE to involve the consulate any more. It USED to require the Consulate, but technology has taken it home once again. From what I understand, once the first step is approved, all the secondary forms and such are filled out online as well. Ain't tech great? Cuts MONTHS off the process, from what I gather.

Hey Reepicheep are you still on target to file tomorrow or what's your plan? Let us know how it's going...

[Reepicheep 2]

Hey Reepicheep are you still on target to file tomorrow or what's your plan? Let us know how it's going...

Sorry...1 hospitalization later and 2 weeks of recovery, I am back in the world of the living. Long story...just avoid any showers and/or slippery floors fot the rest of my life. Anyway...Application was delayed a day or so, and was picked up here in Mexico by my family who was visiting, and dropped in FedEx on Oct. 5th...received Oct. 6th (Thursday). I received email notice the following Tuesday (Oct 11th) of the receipt, and today (Oct. 15th) the actual mailed letter. I do have one question for those that have been through this process? According to the email, it was forwarded to the California Servicing Center. Great, fine and dandy...how long do you think I might have to wait now? I logged into the USCIS website and checked on the progress with my Account number, and it says the processing time is FIVE MONTHS!!! What the heck?!?! I thought DCF was faster than that? Should I not worry about that processing time, or what is going on? I am honestly kind of bummed, because I am leaving country in 4 months and was HOPING to leave with a wife, not leave behind a wife. Any advice??

Reepicheep

[DerZinker 4]

Sorry...1 hospitalization later and 2 weeks of recovery, I am back in the world of the living. Long story...just avoid any showers and/or slippery floors fot the rest of my life. Anyway...Application was delayed a day or so, and was picked up here in Mexico by my family who was visiting, and dropped in FedEx on Oct. 5th...received Oct. 6th (Thursday). I received email notice the following Tuesday (Oct 11th) of the receipt, and today (Oct. 15th) the actual mailed letter. I do have one question for those that have been through this process? According to the email, it was forwarded to the California Servicing Center. Great, fine and dandy...how long do you think I might have to wait now? I logged into the USCIS website and checked on the progress with my Account number, and it says the processing time is FIVE MONTHS!!! What the heck?!?! I thought DCF was faster than that? Should I not worry about that processing time, or what is going on? I am honestly kind of bummed, because I am leaving country in 4 months and was HOPING to leave with a wife, not leave behind a wife. Any advice??

Reepicheep

Good to hear back from you, Reepi. First of all, I hope you are recovering alright man. Those Mexican showers (and hospitals for that matter) can be a doozy. I try to wear crocs always here when bathing. Not that they help hugely as far as slipping but better than nothing I guess.

Congratulations on having filed. I'm a little suprised that they forwarded to California (wasn't it supposed to go to Chicago?). But yeah this is mostly why I was confused that you filed in the US when you are eligible to file DCF in Mexico. On the brightside, I mean at least you know that they received your paperwork and you know how your case is going and all that. And it's certainly possible that filing DCF in Mexico could take just as long as what you described, but this year many people wrote on the forum here that from filing to visa in-hand it took approx 3-4 months.

If your wife has a tourist visa then I don't think she'd have any problems travelling to the states with you to wait out the extra 1-2 months, so you could just do that. If she doesn't have one, then you might just have to bite the bullet and be apart. Is there anything that's forcing you to move in exactly 4 months? New job or something?

[Reepicheep 2]

Good to hear back from you, Reepi. First of all, I hope you are recovering alright man. Those Mexican showers (and hospitals for that matter) can be a doozy. I try to wear crocs always here when bathing. Not that they help hugely as far as slipping but better than nothing I guess.

Congratulations on having filed. I'm a little suprised that they forwarded to California (wasn't it supposed to go to Chicago?). But yeah this is mostly why I was confused that you filed in the US when you are eligible to file DCF in Mexico. On the brightside, I mean at least you know that they received your paperwork and you know how your case is going and all that. And it's certainly possible that filing DCF in Mexico could take just as long as what you described, but this year many people wrote on the forum here that from filing to visa in-hand it took approx 3-4 months.

If your wife has a tourist visa then I don't think she'd have any problems travelling to the states with you to wait out the extra 1-2 months, so you could just do that. If she doesn't have one, then you might just have to bite the bullet and be apart. Is there anything that's forcing you to move in exactly 4 months? New job or something?

Thanks for the concern on the recovery...falls: no good...the hospital, however, was EXCELLENT..and trust me when I say I have seen my fair share of hospitals all over the world. Anyways...as for the application, Herr Der...you might want to check the sites since the updates, but DCF no longer needs to mean that you apply directly at the consulate. Here in Mexico, maybe...but the thing is that DCF is more a "situational" application, as I see it. It is for those of us that are here IN COUNTRY and want to apply, rather than having to go back home. Snce they changed it, there are a lot of countries (those without a USCIS office that processes visas) that can't apply in their consulates, and thus are stuck applying through the Chicago Lock Box. Those that DO have an office (Mexico has one: Juarez) can apply through their office, or the Chicago LockBox, but in the end it is the same procedure. You apply at the consulate, it gets sent to Juarez, and they in turn send it to the Visa center, and when it all gets processed, it gets sent back to Juarez for the final parts. As I understand it, I sent it to Chicago, they send it to the Visa center, they send it to Juarez for the final process. In the end, the same result, and I didn't have to make the trip to Mexico City, or wait for all the paperwork to get shipped all over the place. Who knows...maybe I understood wrong and screwed it up. I called Juarez, though, and made sure I qualified and everything, and they did tell me that it was probably a bit quicker through Chicago...but like I said, who knows. We can only wait and see now.

As for leaving in Feb...well, I am finishing up my medical license in Mexico. I could have left earlier, and skipped the licensure in Mexico, but decided it would be nice to have for BOTH countries, and woo and court the young lady who is now my wife. Needless to say, I am ready to get back to US soil and not have the Mexican health bureaucracy breathing down my neck for every cotton ball I use, but rather have an Insurance Company do the same to me

With my wife's visa...would there be any trouble for her to travel using her Tourist Visa, during the DCF process?? Does her visa get invalidated or would it be taboo to travel during this time?? I mean...she not only has had a tourist visa since she was just a wee babe, but several J1 Visas in her lifetime as well. I mean, for crying out loud...she already has a social security number, and payed more in taxes last year than I DID!

Ugh...just been a long couple of weeks. Need to recover from my recovery I think. Hopefully I can get some advice and words of wisdom from those that have been through this! Anyone?? Beuller? Bueller??

[ulises 0]

Thanks for the concern on the recovery...falls: no good...the hospital, however, was EXCELLENT..and trust me when I say I have seen my fair share of hospitals all over the world. Anyways...as for the application, Herr Der...you might want to check the sites since the updates, but DCF no longer needs to mean that you apply directly at the consulate. Here in Mexico, maybe...but the thing is that DCF is more a "situational" application, as I see it. It is for those of us that are here IN COUNTRY and want to apply, rather than having to go back home. Snce they changed it, there are a lot of countries (those without a USCIS office that processes visas) that can't apply in their consulates, and thus are stuck applying through the Chicago Lock Box. Those that DO have an office (Mexico has one: Juarez) can apply through their office, or the Chicago LockBox, but in the end it is the same procedure. You apply at the consulate, it gets sent to Juarez, and they in turn send it to the Visa center, and when it all gets processed, it gets sent back to Juarez for the final parts. As I understand it, I sent it to Chicago, they send it to the Visa center, they send it to Juarez for the final process. In the end, the same result, and I didn't have to make the trip to Mexico City, or wait for all the paperwork to get shipped all over the place. Who knows...maybe I understood wrong and screwed it up. I called Juarez, though, and made sure I qualified and everything, and they did tell me that it was probably a bit quicker through Chicago...but like I said, who knows. We can only wait and see now.

As for leaving in Feb...well, I am finishing up my medical license in Mexico. I could have left earlier, and skipped the licensure in Mexico, but decided it would be nice to have for BOTH countries, and woo and court the young lady who is now my wife. Needless to say, I am ready to get back to US soil and not have the Mexican health bureaucracy breathing down my neck for every cotton ball I use, but rather have an Insurance Company do the same to me

With my wife's visa...would there be any trouble for her to travel using her Tourist Visa, during the DCF process?? Does her visa get invalidated or would it be taboo to travel during this time?? I mean...she not only has had a tourist visa since she was just a wee babe, but several J1 Visas in her lifetime as well. I mean, for crying out loud...she already has a social security number, and payed more in taxes last year than I DID!

Ugh...just been a long couple of weeks. Need to recover from my recovery I think. Hopefully I can get some advice and words of wisdom from those that have been through this! Anyone?? Beuller? Bueller??

Hi Reepicheep

She must not have any issue to visit you, other then the normal bother of having to go through visitors line in immigration.

When I moved to the States, I had just received approval for immigration petition. I brought my entire family with their tourist visas, and when the officer asked me who I was visiting in the States, I said that I was moving back over here, and that my family were going to be visiting me, that I had already filed an immigration petition. We had no issue at all, the immigration officer stamped their passports for 6 months. That was in January.

In March we got the letter from Juarez saying that we were eligible to get an appointment the first week of april.

So the whole process for my family took less than four months (the shortest that I've had noticed has been 3 months).

But I did file in Mexico City. Usually when you go to Mexico City, they approve the very next day, and that was my case. I filed in december 17, and on december 18 I had already been approved.

Anyways, good luck with your process.

[Reepicheep 2]

Hi Reepicheep

She must not have any issue to visit you, other then the normal bother of having to go through visitors line in immigration.

When I moved to the States, I had just received approval for immigration petition. I brought my entire family with their tourist visas, and when the officer asked me who I was visiting in the States, I said that I was moving back over here, and that my family were going to be visiting me, that I had already filed an immigration petition. We had no issue at all, the immigration officer stamped their passports for 6 months. That was in January.

In March we got the letter from Juarez saying that we were eligible to get an appointment the first week of april.

So the whole process for my family took less than four months (the shortest that I've had noticed has been 3 months).

But I did file in Mexico City. Usually when you go to Mexico City, they approve the very next day, and that was my case. I filed in december 17, and on december 18 I had already been approved.

Anyways, good luck with your process.

Gracias Ulises...

She has absolutely no issues. They wouldn't have given her her latest J1 Visa a year ago if she had...so we aren't worried about that. As for the Chicago vs Mexico City thing...approval didn't take long. 2 days, actually...not counting the weekend. Ok, so it isn't the next day, but then again we won't have to wait for documents to go from Mexico City to the Visa Center either...truth be told, since they are trying to do everything online, I know it is about the same. I just saved myself the trip to DF...can't STAND that traffic!

So...oraciones para el exito! Gracias

[Anatopia 0]

October 10, 2011-shipped I130 overnight via UPS to Monterrey MX

October 12, 2011-I130 approved

October 19, 2011- sent to CDJ, waiting on case#

anyone know how long it will take to receive a case # or how long we will have to wait to get an appointment after we turn in the DS230? Mainly, how long we will have to wait before we receive the case # so that we can start working on the next step and get it turned into CDJ so they CAN set our appointment. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

Edited October 30, 2011 by Anatopia

[OSOS 0]

anyone know how long it will take to receive a case # or how long we will have to wait to get an appointment after we turn in the DS230? Mainly, how long we will have to wait before we receive the case # so that we can start working on the next step and get it turned into CDJ so they CAN set our appointment. Thanks for any insight you can offer.

Hi Anatopia: The paperwork that we sent to Juarez on Sept. 7th (mainly DS-230 and the I-864 forms and supporting documents) was apparently received on Sept. 14th. I have been speaking with a VISA call center (I think they are located in Juarez) since that time. During the initial call after Sept. 14th I was told that it could take from 2-3 months for them to review our paperwork and tell us if we need to send more information or if we can schedule. We were told to call back at the end of October. I just called this past week and they told me to wait 6 more weeks and call back again. I will probably wait 2 and my patience will falter! Don't know if that information helps. Saludos y suerte!

To the DCF Mexico Group: I have been reading that many of you had to bring letters sent by USCIS or NVC or the Consulate in Cuidad Juarez to your medical exams and/or your interviews. Since my husband and I live in Quintana Roo and have had VERY little success in receiving the documents being sent to us do to the Mexican Post, does anyone know how we will be expected to do this? I'm a little nervous, since it seems like these letters are a requirement at these times. HAG!! If there is anyone out there with some advice, I'd be grateful - this has been a very slow process for us and we take turns losing patience with the system... The upside is that you can do a lot of research on hotels, travel arrangements, etc. while you wait.

[ulises 0]

Hi Anatopia: The paperwork that we sent to Juarez on Sept. 7th (mainly DS-230 and the I-864 forms and supporting documents) was apparently received on Sept. 14th. I have been speaking with a VISA call center (I think they are located in Juarez) since that time. During the initial call after Sept. 14th I was told that it could take from 2-3 months for them to review our paperwork and tell us if we need to send more information or if we can schedule. We were told to call back at the end of October. I just called this past week and they told me to wait 6 more weeks and call back again. I will probably wait 2 and my patience will falter! Don't know if that information helps. Saludos y suerte!

To the DCF Mexico Group: I have been reading that many of you had to bring letters sent by USCIS or NVC or the Consulate in Cuidad Juarez to your medical exams and/or your interviews. Since my husband and I live in Quintana Roo and have had VERY little success in receiving the documents being sent to us do to the Mexican Post, does anyone know how we will be expected to do this? I'm a little nervous, since it seems like these letters are a requirement at these times. HAG!! If there is anyone out there with some advice, I'd be grateful - this has been a very slow process for us and we take turns losing patience with the system... The upside is that you can do a lot of research on hotels, travel arrangements, etc. while you wait.

Hi OSOS,

I assume you already have your case numbers.

If so, then it will take them less than 4 weeks I would say. Or did you send DS-230 and I-864 without a case number?

If you are afraid you won't receive your appointment letter, call the visa center you have been calling and ask them to change your postal address. Give a US address if possible. That's what I did. When I got my case number, I sent the DS-230 an I-864, and 4-5 weeks after I got the appointment letter in my US address.

Actually I also had sent the forms to the PO Box the consulate has in El Paso, TX.

So don't be afraid, everyone is anxious, but things are moving faster these days, there is people that has spent less than 4 months in the whole process (since filing I-130 to go to the actual appointment).

By the way, the only thing you need to bring to the medical exam, is your appointment letter (which you haven't got yet) and your passport.

[Marisol73 0]

Don't worry about the letter. We never received the letter in our mexican address. When you fill out the forms, did you put a US address? I used one of my friend's address and she scanned the letters for me. So I just printed a copy and that's what we used.

Also You can request a copy of the letter in the Consulate. (its just across the street of the clinics)

I did the process for my son, then for my husband. For my son was almost 4 months (since the I-130 was approved) and for my husband was 3 months.

Good Luck !

[Marisol73 0]

The NVC now is involved in DCF???? because when I did the petition NVC didnt do anything in the process (supposed was the "saving time" part of doing DCF)

[ulises 0]

The NVC now is involved in DCF???? because when I did the petition NVC didnt do anything in the process (supposed was the "saving time" part of doing DCF)

As far as I know, NO it's not. I think a Repichep (new user) got confused with this whole DCF stuff. Don't know if a lawyer actually got him confused about the difference.

Anyway, it seems that even if you file in the states (no DCF) NVC is now taking less time to process the visas. But I really doubt it would be as fast as going through DCF.

[DerZinker 4]

It was a phone call to Juarez who instructed him to file in the US and I highly doubt it will be faster than filing DCF, but time will tell I guess. Anyway to my fellow DCFers I have a question. I'd love to get as many people to answer as possible to have a better idea on this, but I'm really concerned about the payment when filing the I-130 and sending to Mexico City. Since I'm going to the US in one week, while there I plan on getting a Money Order from the U.S. Postal Service or from my bank there in the amount of $420 USD and making it payable to: Department of Homeland Security / United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Exactly like that.

I'm concerned for a few reasons but mainly because filers early on in this thread said that often Mexico City didn't like one thing or another about their Money Order or Cashiers Check and handed it back and thus the petitioner had to change it. This freaks me out because for one I'm sending my packet to DF (not going in person) and for two $420 smackers is a lot of money to me and I'd probably lose it if that $ just disappeared into a black hole or something. So help me out here; on the 'Required Documents for I-130 Petition for Alien Relative (Spouse)' document that is issued by the Embassy in Mexico City it says right there: $420 USD filing fee by Cashier's Check or U.S. Postal Money Order, payable to: DHS/USCIS We cannot accept checks / money orders from HSBC bank. But I've read on the USCIS website that you need to write out the full agency name when creating the money order (i.e. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and NOT USCIS). So what to do?

Anyone who can share thier experience as far as the payment goes or steer me in the right direction would be most helpful.

Edited November 3, 2011 by DerZinker

[ulises 0]

It was a phone call to Juarez who instructed him to file in the US and I highly doubt it will be faster than filing DCF, but time will tell I guess. Anyway to my fellow DCFers I have a question. I'd love to get as many people to answer as possible to have a better idea on this, but I'm really concerned about the payment when filing the I-130 and sending to Mexico City. Since I'm going to the US in one week, while there I plan on getting a Money Order from the U.S. Postal Service or from my bank there in the amount of $420 USD and making it payable to: Department of Homeland Security / United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Exactly like that.

I'm concerned for a few reasons but mainly because filers early on in this thread said that often Mexico City didn't like one thing or another about their Money Order or Cashiers Check and handed it back and thus the petitioner had to change it. This freaks me out because for one I'm sending my packet to DF (not going in person) and for two $420 smackers is a lot of money to me and I'd probably lose it if that $ just disappeared into a black hole or something. So help me out here; on the 'Required Documents for I-130 Petition for Alien Relative (Spouse)' document that is issued by the Embassy in Mexico City it says right there: $420 USD filing fee by Cashier's Check or U.S. Postal Money Order, payable to: DHS/USCIS We cannot accept checks / money orders from HSBC bank. But I've read on the USCIS website that you need to write out the full agency name when creating the money order (i.e. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and NOT USCIS). So what to do?

Anyone who can share thier experience as far as the payment goes or steer me in the right direction would be most helpful.

Hey DerZinker. When I went there, they actually told me to make it to USCIS, and not the whole United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. So go figure! I guess it will depend on who actually receives the check.

Try to find out from the other people that actually sent their packets to the embassy instead of going in person. I think you can reach them by e-mail.