DCF in South Korea

[SDinKorea 1]

Hi there to all of you and great to read your experiences. I'm American and my wife is Korean. We've been married 6 years and will do the I-130 soon.

My question for any of you concerns the I-864 affidavit to sponsor your non-American spouse in order to get the green card. I did not see this part mentioned in any of your posts.

Could any of you please share your experiences with this portion of the green card process?

We have no children and we do have savings but I'm an English teacher here and do not have a steady job in the US. So I will have to prove some cash savings and/or assets.

Any info you can provide will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

My wife and I did DCF through the US embassy in Korea. From filing in April to my interview in June, it took less than 7 weeks. I could have done it in 4 weeks if I didn't have to wait for my police clearance from South Africa.

In short. Great embassy, and helpful staff. We entered the US through Honolulu, Hawaii, and I received my green card within two weeks of arriving, and my SSN card was there after 4 days.

Just one bit of advice: Do make sure you follow everything on the checklist. The two couples ahead of me at my interview were given a blue sheet indicating missing documents.

Good luck to y'all! and ask questions if you need any help, :-)

Hi there to all of you and great to read your experiences. I'm American and my wife is Korean. We've been married 6 years and will do the I-130 soon.

My question for any of you concerns the I-864 affidavit to sponsor your non-American spouse in order to get the green card. I did not see this part mentioned in any of your posts.

Could any of you please share your experiences with this portion of the green card process?

We have no children and we do have savings but I'm an English teacher here and do not have a steady job in the US. So I will have to prove some cash savings and/or assets.

Any info you can provide will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

[jolsen87 0]

Hiya!

My research has showed me that because I am, too, an English teacher in Korea, I had to get someone who lives in the US [my dad] to be a joint sponsor, showing his income as evidence of support. Although, someone had posted in a thread to me that they used their Korean income and just brought documentation of it, and the interview didn't even bother with the joint sponsor they provided. I'm not sure if this is protocol or sheer luck on their part. To be safe, you'll need a joint sponsor, who lives in the US and has adequate income, to show they can support your non-american half . My dad fortunately was over the line for income so he did not have to show assets, and I have no assets! So neither did I haha. Sorry I am of no help on that part! Our interview is in 2 weeks [ahhhh!!!] so I will gladly post back any info I gather from it! Good luck!

[SDinKorea 1]

Hiya!

My research has showed me that because I am, too, an English teacher in Korea, I had to get someone who lives in the US [my dad] to be a joint sponsor, showing his income as evidence of support. Although, someone had posted in a thread to me that they used their Korean income and just brought documentation of it, and the interview didn't even bother with the joint sponsor they provided. I'm not sure if this is protocol or sheer luck on their part. To be safe, you'll need a joint sponsor, who lives in the US and has adequate income, to show they can support your non-american half . My dad fortunately was over the line for income so he did not have to show assets, and I have no assets! So neither did I haha. Sorry I am of no help on that part! Our interview is in 2 weeks [ahhhh!!!] so I will gladly post back any info I gather from it! Good luck!

Hi and thanks, Jolsen! I'm having a pickle of a time with this forum and posting responses but learning! I have a couple of questions.

1. When during the process did you have to file the I 864? Was it after you filed the I 130?

2. Did you apply the math equation and determine that you didn't have enough money? Did the embassy tell you that you didn't have enough money? Did they give you a minimum amount of money that you had to have? This is the main point of my curiosity. I have money and assets but wondering if it is enough and I don't want to drag family into this.

Thanks again!

[jolsen87 0]

Hi and thanks, Jolsen! I'm having a pickle of a time with this forum and posting responses but learning! I have a couple of questions.

1. When during the process did you have to file the I 864? Was it after you filed the I 130?

2. Did you apply the math equation and determine that you didn't have enough money? Did the embassy tell you that you didn't have enough money? Did they give you a minimum amount of money that you had to have? This is the main point of my curiosity. I have money and assets but wondering if it is enough and I don't want to drag family into this.

Thanks again!

1. I haven't filed it yet. I will bring it along with 10 pounds of other paperwork to the interview and they'll process it then. So yes, after the I-130; not until the interview day!

2. The actual I-864 instruction sheet [i think! sorry left my papers at work] has the income bracket on it, as in, how much you need if your household is X amount of people. the embassy didn't tell me. since I went from the peace corps [volunteer haha] to korea, I have pretty much no taxable income to show for the last few years, and no future job in the US to vouch for me, so I just knew I'd need a joint sponsor. I think most people doing DCF need joint sponsors, since we're all relocating and leaving our jobs behind. Check the instructions for the I-864- it's very wordy and should cover everything you need in terms of how to use salary, savings, or assets. Also, if not family, friends can be sponsors too!

[SDinKorea 1]

1. I haven't filed it yet. I will bring it along with 10 pounds of other paperwork to the interview and they'll process it then. So yes, after the I-130; not until the interview day!

2. The actual I-864 instruction sheet [i think! sorry left my papers at work] has the income bracket on it, as in, how much you need if your household is X amount of people. the embassy didn't tell me. since I went from the peace corps [volunteer haha] to korea, I have pretty much no taxable income to show for the last few years, and no future job in the US to vouch for me, so I just knew I'd need a joint sponsor. I think most people doing DCF need joint sponsors, since we're all relocating and leaving our jobs behind. Check the instructions for the I-864- it's very wordy and should cover everything you need in terms of how to use salary, savings, or assets. Also, if not family, friends can be sponsors too!

Thanks again. I've read the instructions for the I-864 numerous times and there is a formula for figuring just how much in assets you need IF you are applying from abroad (like us) and you will not have your regular income upon returning to the states. So confusing it is.

If you can write me back and let me know how the interview goes (and all the details) I would certainly appreciate it.

Best!

[richardkorea2010 15]

My wife didnt have a job back in the states when we did our process to come over.my mother in law was my co sponsor, and my wife filed her taxes. When we had the interview, the embassy handed back my co sponsor's documents and said my wifes income was good enough. He said because she was still employed at the time of my interview,

Thar was it.

I got my green card, ssn everything within 2 weeks after I arrived in america.

[SDinKorea 1]

My wife didnt have a job back in the states when we did our process to come over.my mother in law was my co sponsor, and my wife filed her taxes. When we had the interview, the embassy handed back my co sponsor's documents and said my wifes income was good enough. He said because she was still employed at the time of my interview,

Thar was it.

I got my green card, ssn everything within 2 weeks after I arrived in america.

Hi Richard and thanks for the informative response!

Was your wife working and being paied by a Korean organization/business/school?

Did you by chance list any assets like savings/pension/retirement/stocks etc. that you and your wife had on your affidavit?

The I-864 says income must be 125% or above the Federal poverty line for 2 people ($18,912)= $23,640. I make this easily so I'm wondering as long as I'm currently employed at the time of my wife's interview if that will suffice.

According to what I have read if one does not have employment in the US then it would be 3X this amount in savings assets $23,640 X 3 = $70,920. Hmmmmmmmm.

Quite the journey but your words and the others here make it sound not as bad I as imagine.

Cheers.

[richardkorea2010 15]

Hi. To answer your questions.

Was your wife working and being paied by a Korean organization/business/school? We worked at Korean public schools.

Did you by chance list any assets like savings/pension/retirement/stocks etc. that you and your wife had on your affidavit? We did not list any savings, pensions, etc.

The I-864 says income must be 125% or above the Federal poverty line for 2 people ($18,912)= $23,640. I make this easily so I'm wondering as long as I'm currently employed at the time of my wife's interview if that will suffice.

According to what I have read if one does not have employment in the US then it would be 3X this amount in savings assets $23,640 X 3 = $70,920. Hmmmmmmmm. We did not have $70 000 in assets. My mom in law was my co sponsor who made well over that, but like i said before. They didnt even look at our co sponsor. At my interview, all he did was ask me 2 questions. I had all my things, and the consular was pleased in how organized my things were.

Saying that. I was the 3rd person interviewed and the two couples ahead of me was refused because they lacked things on the checklist(packet 3). I think one was about a criminal check not being correct and the other one didnt do a medical. I checked my checklist 3-5 times before my interview, and contacted the embassy if I had questions. They always answered quickly and were great.

Just keep your packet 3 checklist and do your latest taxes and submit a tax return of 2012 with your interview and you should be good. My wife filed her taxes for the three years we were in korea and we had all 3 years tax returns.

The best advice I can give you. Get your 2012 taxes filed and submit a 2012 tax return that shows that you earned more than $23 640

Get a Korean police check that includes expunged records, there are two and the basic one doesnt do that. Also it has to be translated into english.

From filing to having my passport back took just over 2 months for us and it could have been even faster if I made my appointment in May but I thought it would be good to wait till June since we left in July.

Good luck. They are very professional and the best embassy I have dealt with.

Quite the journey but your words and the others here make it sound not as bad I as imagine.

Cheers.

[SDinKorea 1]

Hi. To answer your questions.

Was your wife working and being paied by a Korean organization/business/school? We worked at Korean public schools.

Did you by chance list any assets like savings/pension/retirement/stocks etc. that you and your wife had on your affidavit? We did not list any savings, pensions, etc.

The I-864 says income must be 125% or above the Federal poverty line for 2 people ($18,912)= $23,640. I make this easily so I'm wondering as long as I'm currently employed at the time of my wife's interview if that will suffice.

According to what I have read if one does not have employment in the US then it would be 3X this amount in savings assets $23,640 X 3 = $70,920. Hmmmmmmmm. We did not have $70 000 in assets. My mom in law was my co sponsor who made well over that, but like i said before. They didnt even look at our co sponsor. At my interview, all he did was ask me 2 questions. I had all my things, and the consular was pleased in how organized my things were.

Saying that. I was the 3rd person interviewed and the two couples ahead of me was refused because they lacked things on the checklist(packet 3). I think one was about a criminal check not being correct and the other one didnt do a medical. I checked my checklist 3-5 times before my interview, and contacted the embassy if I had questions. They always answered quickly and were great.

Just keep your packet 3 checklist and do your latest taxes and submit a tax return of 2012 with your interview and you should be good. My wife filed her taxes for the three years we were in korea and we had all 3 years tax returns.

The best advice I can give you. Get your 2012 taxes filed and submit a 2012 tax return that shows that you earned more than $23 640

Get a Korean police check that includes expunged records, there are two and the basic one doesnt do that. Also it has to be translated into english.

From filing to having my passport back took just over 2 months for us and it could have been even faster if I made my appointment in May but I thought it would be good to wait till June since we left in July.

Good luck. They are very professional and the best embassy I have dealt with.

Quite the journey but your words and the others here make it sound not as bad I as imagine.

Cheers.

**Excellent stuff. Many thanks again!

[klmorgan 0]

Hi there,

I found this while researching the process through the Seoul embassy. My husband (UK citizen) and I are living here while he is teaching. (I WAS teaching as well, but there was a nightmare situation with the private school that hired me and I quit. I'm here legally though, having transferred to an F3 visa with a new aliend registration card and everything.)

I was wondering if anyone has advice on copies of legal documents. Do they need to be certified copies done by someone who can "notarize" them? For example, we had my husband's boss go to the US Embassy and sign an affidavit stating that we live together in the apartment provided by her school. It was certified/authenticated at the embassy itself. If we make a copy of that, does THAT need to be certified too? (I'm hoping the answer's no... not a fan of paying $40 for a signature and a stamp.)

Any input would be helpful!!

[jolsen87 0]

Hi,

We just had our visa interview [and were approved!!!] at the Seoul US Consulate and hopefully can help out! My husband [a Brit] and I are teachers too. We didn't get anything certified haha. I had an official marriage certificate copy [from the town we got married in] and a photocopy of that certified copy, and they looked at the certified one and only kept the photocopy. They took the photocopies of everything, instead of the certified copies [birth certificates, marriage certificate] although they took the original police certificates. We had a korean-to-english translation of the korean criminal check, but that wasn't even certified. We called the embassy and they confirmed that we could translate it ourselves if we had the bilingual abilities. We had a Korean-American friend do it, and had him sign it and that was fine. My dad wrote a similar letter, stating that we would be living with him in the US during our transition back [to help prove domicile] and that wasn't certified, just signed [a copy, not original signature] and it was also fine. Any more questions about specific documents, I'll try to help!

[jepa 0]

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are also going through the DCF in South Korea and this thread has been so helpful! Our interview is in a couple of weeks and we are so excited/nervous :0

One quick question regarding the i-864:

Like some of you I've read in this thread, I won't have income when I return to the States as I am a student. My husband is also a student so he doesn't either. When I read the i-864 instructions, since we don't have income, we need 3x the 125% HSS of poverty guidelines in assets (it comes out to ~$60,000 I think). My father-in-law, who is a korean citizen, offered to transfer that amount into my husband's bank account as our parents plan to support us while we're in school. So, as long as my husband's bank account shows that amount of money, is that sufficient without listing any co-sponsors (who are gc holders or US citizen)?

Thank you for all your help!

[jolsen87 0]

Unfortunately, I am useless here! I didn't even bother looking at the assets part since we are nomads and don't have any haha- we went straight for a joint sponser- my dad, who lives in the US and has a steady job [the income he needed to cover himself and my husband under the poverty guidelines was pretty doable- a minimum of around $25,000] so I have no info on asset stuff! Sorry! I hope someone else can help!

[jepa 0]

Thanks jolsen87,

I'll try starting a new thread to see if anyone has an answer

[SDinKorea 1]

Thanks jolsen87,

I'll try starting a new thread to see if anyone has an answer

Hi. I haven't begun the process yet but you have a very similar question. As far as I know the federal poverty rate for 2 people is $18,912 for non US military people...ie teachers like me and students like you. If you are filing the affidavit of support without a cosponsor (you are the support for your spouse) AND you have no current income then you must have 3 times 125% of poverty level. $18,912 x 1.25 = $23,640 x 3 = $70,920. This is the amount you need to have in cash, accounts, stocks, property and/or retirement pensions etc. Here is the pdf link for the poverty levels http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-864p.pdf

I was encouraged by another post here by a gent from S.Africa. His wife was currently working as an English teacher here in Korea at the time of his interview. The embassy official said they didn't require the affidavit of support because at the time of the interview his wife had a current income (in Korea) equivalent to $23,640. This poster said that his wife's parent was cosponsoring but it was not needed.

If your in law puts cash into your account I think that would suffice as proof of ability to support. This is just a guess.

I'm about a year away from starting this whole process. Hope my math is correct because my number is 10K larger than yours.

Can I ask you a question? Did you have to make an appointment to FILE the I130 and physically go to the embassy or did you just email it in? I've seen both of these possibilities posted here and wondering what you experienced recently.

Could you also briefly walk me through the steps you have gone through from beginning to scheduling your interview?

Thanks!