I-130 (DCF) - My Story so far - Professional advice?

[Rosewellma 0]

Hi all,

So this is my first post! I hope to talk to likeminded couples going through this process! So here is our short story:

I hold dual nationality (USA & UK) and have been living in the UK for 13 years now. My Fiancé (we are getting married September 2014 in the UK) is British. Our ideal situation is that we get married, honeymoon, then move to California. I get the inkling that this is easier said than done…

I do not currently have a ‘docile’ in California, although I have a relatives address. I believe I can secure a job in the states in advance of us moving out, even if it requires us to be apart for a few months (not ideal).

I worked in New York for a year in 2009, not sure if this will affect the process, I guess ill have to mention that??? (anyway, minor detail at this stage!)

I would personally feel much more confident if we had some professional advice, either a session or the whole ‘hold your hand’ package, can anyone recommend somewhere in London?

Are there any important details I have missed out? Let me know!

Looking forward to participating in this forum!

Matt

[Merrytooth 5,748]

here:

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/DCF_London

[lost_at_sea 995]

Hi,

See my signature for a DCF guide (the link above is mine too, still finishing off the tidying of links etc. for the wiki version).

My husband and I did a consult with a lawyer in London before we switched paths to do DCF. She seemed nice and competent, but we didn't use her services (the process is really, really easy). I'll see if hubs remembers her name and get back to you.

You probably don't need one though. Your lack of domicile can be overcome by instead making a "good faith effort" to reestablish domicile. Basically, read the instructions for the I-864. That'll be your trickiest part. Have you been filing your US tax returns?

Working in NY is no big deal.

HTH.

Edited January 3, 2014 by lost_at_sea

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

I'd put my money on lost_at_sea's guide. It is current, accurate, detailed, and FREE. If you haven't been filing US tax returns, you might need to spend that money on an accountant. If you didn't earn any money in the US, then you likely have no tax to pay, but they want you to file a return for any year you earned money in any locale. There is a large foreign income exclusion that gets most people out of paying, unless you are a zillionaire.

[lost_at_sea 995]

Found her. Kay Kavanagh. This is her website: http://www.usvisalawyers.co.uk

We only went in for a consult, because we had been on the K1 path and were deciding whether to change but at the time weren't sure if we qualified. We just wanted a second opinion before we blew the K1 out of the water. She was very nice, helped set our expectations for processing time (which we ended up beating by a good 6 weeks). We went in with a lot of knowledge though, thanks to VJ, so likely knew what to ask.

She only does full-process (we were willing to engage her services on an "advice only" basis, but she doesn't do that).

VJ advice ended up being more than sufficient, and free.

In my experience, lawyers for a simple case like yours are just there to fill out forms. They can't make it go faster - often slower because of the back-and-forths. It doesn't sound like speed matters to you, though.

+1 to money better spent on an accountant.

Edited January 3, 2014 by lost_at_sea

[Rosewellma 0]

Hi all,

Thanks for your advice thus far! I am going to have a good read of lost_at_sea's guide and the I-864 and may even call our local Consulate before i return will inevitably more questions!

Also thanks for Kay Kavanaghs details, i will see how i get on this weekend before contacting.

I will respond how i get on in due course!

Matt

[bigdog 376]

Good Luck with your progress.