DCF I-130 average time approval South Korea

[MattandJihyun 4]

Hello,

I have been lurking this website for a while now reading numerous visa stories. I finally started my own visa journey on January 9th 2012. I am in the United States Air Force and me and my Korean wife went to the Seoul US Embassy on January 9th to file our CR-1 I-130 petition. It took us a while to get married because we had to get the military's approval. I would of filed the petition earlier, but our circumstances wouldn't allow it. So unfortunately I couldn't stay longer in Korea so I had to fly to Texas where my new Air Base is located.

So me and my wife are just waiting patiently for an email response to our I-130 case. What's the best way to get updates from Seoul USCIS office? I have tried sending numerous emails over a month to CIS-Seoul.Inquiries@DHS.Gov

They have only replied to my email once and that was for setting up the initial I-130 filing appointment at the Embassy. Other than that I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall when I send them any emails. I have these two numbers 02-397-4548 and 02-397-4282 that Seoul Info.gov told me to try and use. Do these numbers actually help?

I've heard rumors that the embassy in Seoul has been backed up from November and December. To anyone that filed CR/IR-1 DCF recently in Seoul how long did it take you to receive an I-130 approval notice in email?

[Slade&Natasha 7]

I've heard rumors that the embassy in Seoul has been backed up from November and December. To anyone that filed CR/IR-1 DCF recently in Seoul how long did it take you to receive an I-130 approval notice in email?

Not much data (8 records, including yours, dating back to 2005). But what's there isn't too promising:

http://www.visajourney.com/timeline/k1list.php?op6=All&op7=South+Korea&dfile=Yes&op1=&op2=&op3=5&op4=1&op5=5%2C6%2C8%2C10%2C11%2C13%2C14%2C15%2C16%2C17%2C18%2C20%2C21%2C22%2C25%2C26%2C27%2C28%2C108%2C110%2C111%2C208%2C210%2C211&cfl=

Maybe you could find a phone number and call them? You can also try to expedite with a letter from your commanding officer. Not sure it'll help, but it certainly won't hurt either.

[MattandJihyun 4]

Not much data (8 records, including yours, dating back to 2005). But what's there isn't too promising:

Yay!!! I was feeling like ####### today because I had to file my DCF CR-1 I-130 so late because of military had to delay my marriage. I got good news though today. My wife surprised me, she called me up and told me she has a case number. So we filed on Jan 9th and it got approved on February 8th.

The bad news is I can't come help her with her interview, pack up all of her stuff, help her at the Point of entry, and navigating the US airports because I have mandatory military leadership school that I have to go to for the whole month of March. *face palm*

[MattandJihyun 4]

I don't know about civilian marriages, but I feel like being in a military marriage is rough. My wife says she thinks military is a good career, but yet she is mad at me because I am trying to push the visa interview date further back.

Embassy called her and told her that her interview date would be March 9th. So she called me and told me, but she didn't even ask me if I was busy on March 9th. She doesn't want to go to the visa interview alone, so she wanted me to support her morally and with sorting out all the paperwork. The problem is I had military orders to move back stateside as the I-130 was being reviewed. I have mandatory military leadership school training for the whole month of March so I can't come help her with the interview. So I told her to reschedule it for 2nd week of April and now she's mad at me and told me she wants to give up.

I don't know how many times I told her that military lifestyle isn't easy. She claims that she understands, but I really don't think so.

Anyways I tried calling the visa inquiry, but they are closed. Only open for 2 hours a day so I sent an email and will try and call them again.

I'm going to have a rough marriage if she says "I give up" every time the military requires me to be at a certain place for a certain amount of time away from her. *sigh* I'm just surprised that they automatically gave us an interview date because all interviews for DCF are supposed to be scheduled through the online appointment website. I guess because we wanted it expedited they decided to try and expedite the interview as well >.<

[MrsNelson 10]

Hi, my husband and I (I'm the USC, he's from New Zealand, neither of us are military) just got approved for our visa at New Years, and are preparing to move home in 2 weeks. I would strongly advise you to try and be there for your wife's interview (even if that means pushing it to April), especially if your wife isn't fluent in English. They honestly don't seem to mind if you have to change your appointment date (especially if it's further away). Just my opinion, but it DID make a big difference if the American spouse was there. Also, that is a lot of paperwork in that packet, and my husband had enough on his mind.

The embassy is very friendly, just keep emailing them. They will get back to you. Calling, I have found, doesn't help at all.

If you have anymore questions, let me know.

Oh, also, even though your wife's appointment letter will say 8am, they tell EVERYBODY to come at 8AM. Get to the embassy at 7:30 and line up. You won't regret it. My hubby and I stood outside in line at 7:20 in December (haha, brrrr) and we were third in line. We were out of there in 2 and a half hours, and had no hold ups.Good luck!

[MattandJihyun 4]

Hi, my husband and I (I'm the USC, he's from New Zealand, neither of us are military) just got approved for our visa at New Years, and are preparing to move home in 2 weeks. I would strongly advise you to try and be there for your wife's interview (even if that means pushing it to April), especially if your wife isn't fluent in English. They honestly don't seem to mind if you have to change your appointment date (especially if it's further away). Just my opinion, but it DID make a big difference if the American spouse was there. Also, that is a lot of paperwork in that packet, and my husband had enough on his mind.

The embassy is very friendly, just keep emailing them. They will get back to you. Calling, I have found, doesn't help at all.

If you have anymore questions, let me know.

Oh, also, even though your wife's appointment letter will say 8am, they tell EVERYBODY to come at 8AM. Get to the embassy at 7:30 and line up. You won't regret it. My hubby and I stood outside in line at 7:20 in December (haha, brrrr) and we were third in line. We were out of there in 2 and a half hours, and had no hold ups.Good luck!

Thank you. Yes I have been emailing them and they told me that they would reply back to myself or my wife with a new appointment date or ask for more information. Coming to the interview with her would definitely help her with the paper process. To be honest, my wife barely knows anything about the whole visa process. I pretty much did everything for her. She just had to sign in the appropriate sections, and give me her background history (jobs, schooling, and etc.) I took her Korean home address papers and filled all of that out for her. So I think if she went to the visa interview by herself she would most likely screw something up. Also I would like to wait for April so that I can help her pack all of her stuff, and help her with the US airports, customs, and going through POE visa process. We will definitely try to go there early. She lives like a hour or so away from Seoul, but most likely I think we will just try and find a hotel/motel somewhere close to the Embassy the night before so that we can get there quick in the morning.

[Slade&Natasha 7]

To be honest, my wife barely knows anything about the whole visa process. I pretty much did everything for her. She just had to sign in the appropriate sections, and give me her background history (jobs, schooling, and etc.)

Don't worry, you're hardly an exception here. USCs usually do the lion's share of the paperwork, while the beneficiaries get to do all the fun stuff like medical exams and interviews.

She lives like a hour or so away from Seoul, but most likely I think we will just try and find a hotel/motel somewhere close to the Embassy the night before so that we can get there quick in the morning.

Good call, chief. And good luck!

[MattandJihyun 4]

Don't worry, you're hardly an exception here. USCs usually do the lion's share of the paperwork, while the beneficiaries get to do all the fun stuff like medical exams and interviews.

Good call, chief. And good luck!

Yeah I wasn't too happy finding out that my wife has to do the medical exam twice. Military logic of making us do a pre-marital medical exam. So now my exam expires before the visa interview so she has to do it again. *Face palm*

Oh well...

Thanks for the good luck! Hopefully the interview and visa delivery will go smoothly and we can leave together on time!

Edited February 12, 2012 by MattandJihyun

[MattandJihyun 4]

Yeah I wasn't too happy finding out that my wife has to do the medical exam twice. Military logic of making us do a pre-marital medical exam. So now my exam expires before the visa interview so she has to do it again. *Face palm*

Oh well...

Thanks for the good luck! Hopefully the interview and visa delivery will go smoothly and we can leave together on time!

Well they told me the visa appointment system is changing on March 9th, but they sent me an email saying that they went ahead and scheduled me for April 16th. I bought my plane ticket. Now I just have to finish my work projects and fly to Korea.

I just hope the Visa Interview goes smoothly