New to DCF

[eap620 0]

Hi everyone,

I was around this wonderful site all the time over a year ago when I was going through my I-129F process with my Belizean fiance. Everyone on here was always so amazingly helpful and I wouldn't have gotten through it if it wasn't for this place.

So naturally I wanted to return because I am now looking to encounter another aspect of this fun immigration process. Quickly...just to fill you in...I had my I-129F approved and then we never pursued it because I moved to Belize one month after the approval. We had a business opportunity that we didnt' want to pass up and so we put off him moving to the US at that time.

I've been living almost the entire last year in Belize and just came home (Texas) recently. I am going to teach in Belize and need to come back to get my certificate as well as attend to some family matters. I would love for Dean to just be able to come over here and hang with me for awhile because this is the slow season and business sucks right now. BUT...I doubt the embassy will hand us a travel visa since they know of us.

We will be getting married this December (hopefully) and I was just wondering if it will be a problem for us to file DCF if I will be in the states pretty much from now until then? What are the rules when it comes to the USC being in the foreign country. We will always be returning to Belize because we have a business there but I need for him to be able to come back and forth with me. I just need to know anything you all can tell me. What was it like for you going through it? What kind of information do they want from us? How much does it costs usually?

I appreciate any info. at all. I hope everyone is doing the best they can be and I look forward to hearing from you all.

Hugs,

Erin

[Anyta Holland 1]

Hi, you would need to call the embassy and ask them what their requirements are... DCF varies from Embassy to Embassy and from case to case...

Usually, the USC need to be a resident of the country where they are DCF'ing, but in some countries this is not a norm. In our case, I had to be... I am not sure though, if it will work for you, for hat you're saying I gather that you will not be sepnding much time in the USA so I don't really see the point of getting this tipe of Visa...

If you do pursue to do it, you will get a CR-1 visa, which is a conditional one, it's good for 2 years, and you can work and travel out of the USA as much as you want. As far as I know you cannot spend more than a year out of the country as this might cancel the visa...

I suggest you get a tourist visa if you are not planning to live permanently in the USA. It is much cheaper...

DCF can be quite expensive, just as any other of the visa processing. We have spent about $1000 in total. If not more!

Good luck!

[zyggy 9]

Why wouldn't the embassy hand you a travel visa... you have ties to Belieze that would require you to return... I believe in your case, you have a very good chance of getting a visitor visa approved. Why don't you try...

[eap620 0]

I'm actually the USC and my fiance Dean is the foreigner. But...he applied 2 years ago for a travel visa and they said no for whatever reason. He has a clean record, good work history, etc. Getting visas from anywhere in Central America is not always easy or much of a logical process.

I'm back in Texas right now for other reasons and we were thinking about having him apply for a travel visa later this month. One reason I was feeling that it probably won't work is because they once told us that they would never want to hand out a travel visa to someone who is engaged or married to a USC. They said it just didn't make sense.

Does anybody know someone who is the foreigner and involved with a USC and was allowed to travel back and forth as a tourist? Especially someone from the region below us. There is no way in getting around the embassy knowing about us in Belize because they remember me from previous emails asking them questions and then we did have an approved I-129F go through there last year that was cancelled because I chose to move there. Anyway...any additional thoughts.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Erin

[zyggy 9]

That's the rub... they wouldn't issue a travel visa in the past because they felt he had the intent to be with you. In your case, you went to be with him. So since your now a resident of Belize, there is no reason for him to overstay his visa to be with you, since you're qith him. The whole immigrant intent reason to deny the visa has been nullified...

I thin in your case, if you show your ties to Belize and that you are reisdent there, there is a good possibility of getting issued the tourist visa.

[eap620 0]

I'm not an official resident of Belize yet though. I have to pay for an extension in my passport every 30 days while I'm in Belize and after a year of being in the country without leaving then I can apply for residency. I came home 3 weeks before the year was up which I hated to do but had to for important family reasons back in Texas. Unfortunately I couln't wait.

But I have all the stamps in my passport showing that I am in the country for long periods of time and I have a business there. Neither one of us have any big bank accounts in Belize because this is a horrible time of year for business and we're just not making any money. The embassy in Belize wants 3 things for a Belizean to get a tourist visa and we are pretty much screwed on 2 of them: Payslips for the last 3 years of work and a hefty bank account showing enough money to travel to the US.

Dean has had great jobs for the last 3 years but practically everybody pays you in cash in Belize. Unless you work in a bank or some official building you probably don't get a check. He even used to work for the largest cruise ship organization in Belize as a boat captain and they don't even issue checks to employees like Dean. I guess he can just explain this to them and then maybe we can get some letters of reference or something. I'm just tired of him never being able to come here. Do you think that I should send anything with him when he applies for his travel visa? Or should I stay out of it completely?

I was thinking maybe I should send the copies of my passport stamps as well as a letter stating that I live in Belize and I am only in Texas at the moment for family purposes and a wedding coming up that I am the maid of honor in. What do you guys think?

Erin

By the way...thanks for all your help and insight with my circumstances. I appreciate all of the help.

[zauberblume 0]

Does Belize offer DCF? I couldn't find any information about it online in a quick Google search.

[zyggy 9]

I think it's worth a shot.. looks like to me that you have a decent case. If it's practice in Belize to pay in cash, I would think the Consulate would be aware of that.

You know what they say, you can win if you don't play.

[eap620 0]

Does Belize offer DCF? I couldn't find any information about it online in a quick Google search.

Yes they do offer DCF unless something has changed very recently. The US Embassy website for Belize is not very helpful though.

Zyggy...you're absolutely right about the fact that it doesn't hurt to try. So as soon as we can get good documentation together we will give it another go and hope for the best. Thanks for your help and if anyone else ever has any informative advice, please throw it my way.

Thanks again!

Erin

[meauxna 15]

Does Belize offer DCF? I couldn't find any information about it online in a quick Google search.

Yes they do offer DCF unless something has changed very recently. The US Embassy website for Belize is not very helpful though.

Zyggy...you're absolutely right about the fact that it doesn't hurt to try. So as soon as we can get good documentation together we will give it another go and hope for the best. Thanks for your help and if anyone else ever has any informative advice, please throw it my way.

Thanks again!

Erin

hey Erin!

Small world, you were just on my mind as I was in your general neighborhood. Ran into some folk who'd just come from CC & I was talking you up.

I'm with zyggy on your Q here. A B visa seems much more appropriate for your case. I had great luck dropping in on my Consulate and asking them questions---you could do the same next time you're passing through the city. They will be well-used to the way things work in BZ.

PS: keep away from the square grouper---there was a big catch north from you just before that storm blew in & it was the talk of the island!

[eap620 0]

Hey meauxna,

So very very good to hear from you!!!! And thank you for talking me up to your friends. I've been back in Texas for a month and I miss my home on the island so much...not to mention Dean as well. Today is our 3 year anniversary and it sucks to not be together.

And I will definitely make sure to stay away from those groupers next time I'm enjoying myself in those waters. Hopefully I can run down there for a quick trip soon but we really need to save our money so we can try to have Dean go for a tourist visa and then actually get him up to TX. I unfortunately don't think that I would be able to be with him during the visa process but I don't think they would care to see me anyway. I figure if I send business info. and my passport stamps along with him, that will be as much of me as they need. I guess maybe a letter stating that I "officially" live in Belize and I'm just home for a wedding and family reasons at the moment. Even though I think that I might hang here for the next year and get my teaching certificate because when I go back I want to teach in Belize.

Anyway...I'm so happy to have heard from you and know that you are doing well. I sure do hope we can run into each other one day. Take care and I hope to talk to you soon.

All my very best,

Erin