French/American Couples - Part III - 2014

[TBoneTX 45,241]

This is the continuation thread for Part II, which has been closed because of its size.

[Mumu 10]

Thank you TBone

[california_luv 56]

Present!

[melliehenri 1]

This is the continuation thread for Part II, which has been closed because of its size.

Thank you !

[kathlyne 0]

Dossier medical (RFE) reçu par l'USCIS le 3 Janvier ... Maintenant patience et doigts croisés pour la GC !

[shikimo 8]

Bonjour !

I'm brand to new to the forum, and I'm here because I'm planning on moving my family from our home near Lyon to the Twin Cities. I am American, my wife is French (married 7+ years), and we have one small child (about 2 YO) who already has his US passport. I've been doing my homework and I think I understand, but I would like to run an outline of what I think we need to do by those of you who have already been through the process.

I will move back to Mpls. this spring, start working, rent an apt., etc., and then:

1) File I-130 with USCIS

2) After approval notice, file 129f for K3 visa (in case the I-130 takes longer than expected)

3) Dossier will be sent by USCIS to NVC, which may or may not send me an RFE

4) Dossier will eventually be sent to the US Embassy in Paris, which will send Packet 3 to my wife in Lyon, which we prepare together and send back

5) Embassy sends packet 4 to my wife, which contains an interview date

6) I (or we, depending on where we all are at that time) hop emergency flight to Paris for interview

7) If approved, my wife waits for POE materials in France before bringing herself and our son to Mpls. (hopefully not in the dead of winter!!)

Does that sound about right? Am I missing any big steps? We've got all manner of documents to support our case (joint home ownership, dual-citizen child, bank account, clear re-establishment of domicile in US for me, decent financials, etc.), but I really want to dot every I and cross every T to ensure that we are apart for as short of a period as possible...

…any additions, recommendations, or tips from more experienced folk are welcome, en français ou en anglais, merci par avance !

[california_luv 56]

Welcome to the forums Shikimo.

Your plan sound solid. I am not sure i-129Fs are much faster than i-130s these days but I guess you did you homework and seem to be well informed.

A RFE can come at any stage, it's not only a NVC bonus

Our two sons are also US citizens, we actually went to the consular post in Lyon this summer for our youngest's CRBA.

All the best to you!

[shikimo 8]

Thanks for your response, California.

Yeah, evidence seems pretty sketchy regarding the worth of I-129 these days, but it doesn't seem like it could hurt.

That "consular presence" in Lyon on the quai is pretty interesting, isn't it? I've been there a few times…their security measures are serious business.

So you sent your I-130 directly from here (France)? I wanted to do that, but my lack of "domicile" in the US seemed to be a pretty big potential red flag, which is why I decided to move ahead of time. Do you feel as if that's a concern?

[loladolly 51]

shikimo: the K3 is now obsolete. The IR1 is the visa you need. Even if your I129f is approved fast, uscis will match it with your pending I130 (with longer processing times) and it won't go any faster. Plus NVC will not process the visa as a K3 but directly as an IR1 (the k3 is no longer issued)

[california_luv 56]

Thanks for your response, California.

Yeah, evidence seems pretty sketchy regarding the worth of I-129 these days, but it doesn't seem like it could hurt.

That "consular presence" in Lyon on the quai is pretty interesting, isn't it? I've been there a few times…their security measures are serious business.

So you sent your I-130 directly from here (France)? I wanted to do that, but my lack of "domicile" in the US seemed to be a pretty big potential red flag, which is why I decided to move ahead of time. Do you feel as if that's a concern?

Yes it's a little strange going to the Lyon post but they were very friendly and helpful.

We did file from abroad, my wife has kept some strong ties with the US so we hope it'll be alright. We'll take extra steps to show her intent to re-establish domicile though (there are some good advice here on VJ). We'd hate to be apart, especially with two young kids in the mix

I'd say you're taking the safest road by going there first.

[shikimo 8]

shikimo: the K3 is now obsolete. The IR1 is the visa you need. Even if your I129f is approved fast, uscis will match it with your pending I130 (with longer processing times) and it won't go any faster. Plus NVC will not process the visa as a K3 but directly as an IR1 (the k3 is no longer issued)

OK, that's good to know, thanks…in that case, there are a lot of "official" websites that need to be updated!

[Lemonslice 4,831]

shikimo: Pour réduire le temps de séparation, pourquoi ne pas envoyer le tout dès maintenant? Le temps de vous installer, puis de commencer à travailler, vous aurez de bons liens et preuves documentaires de votre retour aux États-Unis... et le salaire pour compléter le i-864 avant l'entrevue. Enfin, personnellement, pour réduire le temps de séparation le plus possible, c'est ce que je ferais.

[shikimo 8]

shikimo: Pour réduire le temps de séparation, pourquoi ne pas envoyer le tout dès maintenant? Le temps de vous installer, puis de commencer à travailler, vous aurez de bons liens et preuves documentaires de votre retour aux États-Unis... et le salaire pour compléter le i-864 avant l'entrevue. Enfin, personnellement, pour réduire le temps de séparation le plus possible, c'est ce que je ferais.

Merci pour votre réponse.

En effet, je pensais attendre parce que je n'ai actuellement pas beaucoup de liens avec les USA (je suis en France depuis presque une décennie) et il me semblait prudent d'attendre jusqu'au moment où j'avais au moins une adresse locale--le premier pas pour reprendre "domicile" comme défini par l'INS--pour éviter des ennuis pendant les premières étapes du processus. Pensez-vous que cela n'est important que vers la fin du processus (au même temps que les autres preuves, c-à-d les formules pour démontrer une revenue suffisante, la vente de notre bien immobilier en France, le transfert d'argent, etc….)? Si c'est le cas vous avez raison, ça peut bien réduire le temps de ne pas être en famille, ce que je crains beaucoup...mais je ne veux surtout pas prendre aucune risque de faire les choses plus compliquées que nécessaire...

[andreaj14 4]

Hello Fellow Journeyers!

Happy New Year! Bonne Année et Bonne Santé!

I'm American and my fiance is French. We submitted our paperwork at the end of August and received the approval October 18, 2013. We waited for more than 2 months to receive our case number, which the NVC says was forwarded to the Embassy in Paris on December 27. My fiance filled out the DS-160 and we tried to schedule an appointment with the consulate after filling out the visa application, but it wouldn't let him actually schedule the appointment. Is this normal? He has not received any packet from the Embassy, yet.

What do we do at this point? Do we wait until he receives the information from the consulate or do we try and call the embassy (which is impossible, by the way!)

What is the CEAC and where do I find that?

What has been your experience with the embassy in Paris?

Thanks for your help and time.

Much Love and Blessings,

A

[didopage 337]

Hello, and welcome here!

With the K-1, you don't choose your interview date, the embassy does it for you. Your fiancé should receive the packet 3 by mail from the embassy soon. Once the few documents needed are sent, he will receive another packet (4) with his interview date and the final instructions.

Good luck!

Hello Fellow Journeyers!

Happy New Year! Bonne Année et Bonne Santé!

I'm American and my fiance is French. We submitted our paperwork at the end of August and received the approval October 18, 2013. We waited for more than 2 months to receive our case number, which the NVC says was forwarded to the Embassy in Paris on December 27. My fiance filled out the DS-160 and we tried to schedule an appointment with the consulate after filling out the visa application, but it wouldn't let him actually schedule the appointment. Is this normal? He has not received any packet from the Embassy, yet.

What do we do at this point? Do we wait until he receives the information from the consulate or do we try and call the embassy (which is impossible, by the way!)

What is the CEAC and where do I find that?

What has been your experience with the embassy in Paris?

Thanks for your help and time.

Much Love and Blessings,

A