dcf in london when usc is <2 years resident there ?

[meauxna 15]

However, there is an outpost field office of the USCIS attached to the London Embassy and it looks like we can file there- it isnt DCF as it isn't the consulate -

Did you read the Guide? London "DCF" is not at the Consulate, you are correct. The rules discussed are for filing the I-130 with DHS (USCIS Field Office) in London. It's all the same thing.

[Shalacat 0]

I applied for and was approved for DCF after being a resident of the UK for 11 months. I don't know what is the shortest amount of time they will approve, I am just thankful that they took mine.

The one thing that really stands out to me in your original post is that you are already anxious to know the procedure for returning to the U.S. It's as though the move is being made with negative expectations already in place. Has your wife spent any appreciable time in the UK before?

If there are huge questions as to whether or not she will like the UK, perhaps it may be wise to take an extended trip there before pulling up stakes and making the move. Just a thought

Good Luck

[homesick_american 1]

jeepers !

When we got her UK 'green card' at the British Consulate in Chicago there was no blood tests,no pants down, no police check - nothing - it took her 20 minutes to get her 2 year UK residency with right to work and free health care...

Having done K1 to the USA, I knew this was going to be tough but I didnt realise she would have to return to the US alone and get an address alone to even start the process..

anyway folks, thanks for warning me... worst comes to the worst we would have to wait until her 2 years are up in the UK and then we can do DCF

I see DCF is immediate in Poland with no length of residency requred - I have the right to reside there as an EEC national - perhaps we should go to warsaw and do it from there ! its a joke - it cant be that easy.

She won't have to move back alone; I'm a USC living in the UK and we did a DCF. If you don't meet the 2 year residency requirement you still may be able to do it but you will have to look at the US Embassy in London's website to see precisely what their requirements are.

As I understand it they will usually not allow US residents in the UK on limited visas (like your wife's) to make a DCF. When I immigrated to the UK I was eligible to apply for a permanent resident visa after only one year, not two. My permanent resident visa was issued in 2002; perhaps they've changed the rules since then.

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/dhs/uscis/i130filing.html

I applied for and was approved for DCF after being a resident of the UK for 11 months. I don't know what is the shortest amount of time they will approve, I am just thankful that they took mine.

The one thing that really stands out to me in your original post is that you are already anxious to know the procedure for returning to the U.S. It's as though the move is being made with negative expectations already in place. Has your wife spent any appreciable time in the UK before?

If there are huge questions as to whether or not she will like the UK, perhaps it may be wise to take an extended trip there before pulling up stakes and making the move. Just a thought

Good Luck

I completely agree with this.

In my opinion moving to the UK was one of the worst decisions I have ever made. I'm very unhappy here and I can't wait to leave. I came here with the best of intentions but after a couple of years of trying but failing to make friends and have even a marginally acceptable career (I'm a database programmer) I gave up and suggested to my husband that we move back to America. Last year he agreed, and we started the process.

It can be extremely difficult to be an American in the UK right now; personally I am fed up of having to answer for Bush, having to absorb constant anti-American rhetoric in the press and at work, and just hearing nothing but negative things about my country and its people. I get sick to death of British people accusing us of being nothing but 'fat, stupid, obnoxious slobs.' Way to make me feel welcome!

That is not to say that all Americans living in the UK are miserable. They're not. A childhood friend of mine lives in London and is an investment banker. She adores living in London, but she's a workaholic and makes over £1 million a year, so the obscene cost of living here isn't an issue for her. She also doesn't have to put up with the dingy, dirty, creaking NHS. She's also married to an American, so there are no visa issues if they decide to return to the United States. Some Americans (regardless of income) absolutely adore living in Britain, and some others absolutely despise it. It's all a matter of personal preference, but moving to the UK is for most people a permanent step and is NOT to be taken lightly.

If there is any doubt, I think you should strongly consider staying put in the United States.