Payment of the I-130 from abroad

[BoogyPup 1]

We sent our petition from Fiji Islands...we had a bank draft made in US dollars and it cost us additional $10 fee by the bank for their paper work.....process took about 10 mins and we sent it with our petition..there was no problem at all....

[pushbrk 12,884]

We sent our petition from Fiji Islands...we had a bank draft made in US dollars and it cost us additional $10 fee by the bank for their paper work.....process took about 10 mins and we sent it with our petition..there was no problem at all....

Your profile says you filed DCF. This is not a DCF filing, so payment must conform to USCIS lockbox standards, not USCIS foreign field office standards. Context is important here.

[Nick1980 11]

Yes I am, okay so the first thing I'll do is to try to get a check at my bank (ABN-Amro, which luckily is an international bank). If not, do you think I can purchase a money order? How does that work?

Regarding the comment about having somebody in the U.S send it, do you mean they should send us the check first? Because the package and the check need to be combined right?

You could have them mail you the check, or what we did was mail them the package and have them put the check in the package. It seems safer to mail a package then a 420$ check. International mail is suspect at best, at least where I am at it is.

[calibob 73]

You could have them mail you the check, or what we did was mail them the package and have them put the check in the package. It seems safer to mail a package then a 420$ check. International mail is suspect at best, at least where I am at it is.

:thumbs:

Either of the two choices work. There shouldn't be any problems with them. It is when you try to improvise and not give them what they ask for is when you'll be rejected or delayed. Remember always, the USCIS IS the 800 lb. gorilla in the room, so don't mess with them. You need them to do their job correctly and without causing them ANY trouble or doubts. When they have to think or interpret the rules, you will be the loser.

Bob

[T_Kuilderd 1]

From a Western Union you may be able to get US travlers checks or money orders based on a US bank since, if im not mistaken, this is a US based company. I am not completely sure on this but it is worth checking into.

T Kuilderd

[Jasontnyc 9]

Here's what I did since I am living abroad. I sent my entire package in an envelope within an envelope, if that makes sense, (be sure to have 2 copies of your entire package for your records) to a family member in the US. I left a blank page in the package with a paperclip where they could put the check.

Once they received it, they attached the check and sent the package as it was on to the Chicago Lockbox.

I had my NOA2 within something like 9 business days (since I am abroad, just like yourself).

It is actually possible to get a US check issued from SOME foreign banks but it is FAR EASIER to do the above.

Edited September 24, 2012 by Jasontnyc

[Nick1980 11]

:thumbs:

Either of the two choices work. There shouldn't be any problems with them. It is when you try to improvise and not give them what they ask for is when you'll be rejected or delayed. Remember always, the USCIS IS the 800 lb. gorilla in the room, so don't mess with them. You need them to do their job correctly and without causing them ANY trouble or doubts. When they have to think or interpret the rules, you will be the loser.

Bob

I didn't mention USCIS in my comment. I agree with what you say, but I never said anything of the opposite. I just said it is safer to mail the package to the US rather than risk a 420$ check getting lost

[Aqid 1]

Okay, our local bank wouldn't cooperate so I guess I'm going to do the same thing as you Jasontnyc. I was wondering if I sent it to the States first, if our case would still get auto-expedited, but it looks like yours was. Then I'm just going to make sure its exactly what they want and send it to a U.S. family member first. Thanks so much for all your replies guys. On a side note, is the G1125 still used for e-mail/sms notification? Can I just add that to the package?

Edited September 24, 2012 by Aqid

[Jasontnyc 9]

Okay, our local bank wouldn't cooperate so I guess I'm going to do the same thing as you Jasontnyc. I was wondering if I sent it to the States first, if our case would still get auto-expedited, but it looks like yours was. Then I'm just going to make sure its exactly what they want and send it to a U.S. family member first. Thanks so much for all your replies guys. On a side note, is the G1125 still used for e-mail/sms notification? Can I just add that to the package?

Yes - add that to the top of the package.

If you read the thread about auto expediting, at least 1/3 of the people had someone "send" to package from within the US and it had no ill effect on expediting. The rest sent from abroad. So far, that seems to have no bearing.

[Aqid 1]

That's good to hear, thanks!

[pushbrk 12,884]

Yes - add that to the top of the package.

If you read the thread about auto expediting, at least 1/3 of the people had someone "send" to package from within the US and it had no ill effect on expediting. The rest sent from abroad. So far, that seems to have no bearing.

It only takes once. That's why I recommend mailing from abroad with a check somebody mails you first. People make mistakes. I suggest you refrain from making those mistakes easy to make.

[Jasontnyc 9]

It only takes once. That's why I recommend mailing from abroad with a check somebody mails you first. People make mistakes. I suggest you refrain from making those mistakes easy to make.

Its up to the OP if they think the family member is more likely to make a mistake - My post doesn't make it any easier or more likely.

There was another post highlighting the risk of sending a check to a country with an unreliable mail service.

All risks need to be measured by the petitioner.

[pushbrk 12,884]

Its up to the OP if they think the family member is more likely to make a mistake - My post doesn't make it any easier or more likely.

There was another post highlighting the risk of sending a check to a country with an unreliable mail service.

All risks need to be measured by the petitioner.

The family member making mistakes is a minor concern. My concern is to make it as easy as possible for USCIS to process the case without mistaking it for one filed from within the USA. Again, it only takes one mistake on YOUR case to nullify all other mostly successful cases mailed from within the USA.

If this were a country with unreliable mail service, I would be recommending sending all by courier anyway.

[BoogyPup 1]

Your profile says you filed DCF. This is not a DCF filing, so payment must conform to USCIS lockbox standards, not USCIS foreign field office standards. Context is important here.

sorry but it WASNT DCF filing...I sent my bank draft with the documents to Chicago lockbox via Fedex and it was safe with no problems....there was error in my profile and i corrected it...thanks for pointing it out...

[pushbrk 12,884]

sorry but it WASNT DCF filing...I sent my bank draft with the documents to Chicago lockbox via Fedex and it was safe with no problems....there was error in my profile and i corrected it...thanks for pointing it out...

Your profile still says DCF.