time out of country before DCF option is voided??

[xelance 31]

In July, my Colombian wife and I will be filing our I -130. My question is how long can I be out of the country where I am filing the DCF? We plan on filing the I-130 and then I will go to the US for a couple of weeks to see my family and try to do a quick job search..is this at all possible? Does it matter how long I am out of the country under the rules of the DCF provided I meet the 6 month residency requirement beforehand? Any experiences with this??

[Darnell 8,478]

Not sure about Columbia -

but for China - is OK to leave once the I-130 is accepted - The IV unit sees it as a positive thing, actually, as the USC , more likely than not, is going back to USA to re-establish domicile, which is 'required to show proof of' on interview day.

The Canadiens have this topic 'licked' , by the way - have a read?

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/164618-proving-domicile-when-not-living-in-the-us/

[Saddle Bronc 124]

http://bogota.usembassy.gov/index.html

Also

http://www.visajourney.com/consulates/index.php?ctry=Colombia&cty=Bogota

Try contacting embassy by email or phone (yes, I know this can be quite flustering, but...)

[xelance 31]

oh believe me it is HORRIBLE. I have done both, contacted by email and by phone..here is how it went for me. Phone question: Ummmm I am not sure (in broken english) Email: You can leave the country for some period of time. Some period of time ?? LOL..thanks for the help buddy!

[xelance 31]

oh and thank you for the links and the help. Re-establishing domicile? No problem...filed 2009 taxes, both federal and state, valid CA drivers license, bank still open in the US with checking/savings/credit card, permanent address in US (mom's address for now), voter reg..yeah no problem in that aspect. Not having a job aspect?? UHHHHHH Big problema! That is why I want to go back to the US. Trying to find a job long distance absolutely SUCKS.

[Lia792 5]

Recently, someone who is doing DCF in Italy had some difficulties because he left before the I-130 was approved. I would wait until the petition has been approved and once it moves into the Packet 3 stage you should be fine. I really recommend lining up a co-sponsor because that's what most people do with DCF. I'm not doing that and it makes for a substantially more stressful visa journey. I had thought it was once the petition was accepted too, but I guess it depends on the country. When I asked the Embassy in Mexico about when I should go back they didn't seem to care or think it was a big deal in terms of the interview, but you might want to read up on interviews in Colombia to see how difficult they are.

[Penguin_ie 5,993]

No problem in Ireland- my husband, the USC, went to the US for almost 3 weeks after we filed the I-130, to buy a house for us to live in. He had a look at jobs, but was unable to apply for any as we were not sure how long the DCF process would take and when we'd move (had to arrange a place for our cats to stay etc before emigrating). It didn't even come up at my interview. You don;t need to have a job, but you will need to be able to support the immigrant financially (via a job, assets or a co-sponsor). Keep in mind that a job prospect may not count towards the I=-864, unless you have already started work and have paystubs to show for it.