Update: timeline for DCF from a non-DCF country with exceptional circumstances

[pyridine 12]

11 hours ago, atn2018 said:

Were you allowed to file through mail? Just wondering as we will more than likely be appointed to bangkok as we are located in australia at the moment however im not certain we would be able to  fly there to file. Also, Do they have you do your interview at nearest embassy for immigrants (ours would be sydney ) or do they make you go to the consular at which you filed Sorry I have so many questions noone seems to be able to answer 

You don't need to file at the USCIS office, rather the embassy will ask permission from the USCIS office in Bangkok to file the I-130 at the US embassy in Australia. For that I believe you have to go in person (although you could ask about mail filing, for us this was not an issue as we live in the Copenhagen metro area and Denmark is small anyway).

 

My husband will have to travel for the visa interview but that's only because the State Dept consolidated the Scandinavian embassies such that the one in Copenhagen handles only non-immigrant visas, and the one in Stockholm is the only one in the region that handles the immigrant visas. We were passed over to Stockholm right after the I-130 was approved. So that'll be an 8 hour train ride or a trip by plane requiring at least one overnight stay. I imagine that the main embassy in Australia does everything anyway.

Edited January 25, 2018 by pyridine

[Mr_B 3]

13 hours ago, atn2018 said:

Were you allowed to file through mail? Just wondering as we will more than likely be appointed to bangkok as we are located in australia at the moment however im not certain we would be able to  fly there to file. Also, Do they have you do your interview at nearest embassy for immigrants (ours would be sydney ) or do they make you go to the consular at which you filed Sorry I have so many questions noone seems to be able to answer 

 

DCF, in countries without a USCIS office, is a favour by the consul you're asking it to, because of an urgent exception (see list elsewhere in this forum/thread) which requires you to get a VISA a lot more quickly than through the lockbox. The "intake" can therefore vary by embassy and even applicants, and acceptance is not guaranteed (see, e.g. a denied French couple with immediate job offer, recently in this subforum).

In our case (DCF USCIS Frankfurt through Brussels embassy), we had to email the consular section first. That same day we got written confirmation back from the embassy that they received USCIS Frankfurt approval and which included an invitation to the embassy a few days later for filing the I-130. We had to bring all the filled out documents related to I-130 and I-130A, plus additional documentation to proof the exception. We also had to see the consul personally who asked us a few questions before accepting to file on our behalf. That was a good reminder that DCF is/was a favour to us by the embassy to help us with an urgent relocation and certainly not a right or a standard thing.

Due to upcoming travel to the US for real estate and school appointments, we did not want/need the VISA asap (rather in 2 months) but they quoted us an average processing time of 4 to 6 weeks for the entire process. 

Also, something which is rarely mentioned: DCF is also a little easier than lockbox. The embassy can make copies of marriage, divorce etc. records so you don't need to get certified copies (obtaining certified copies can be expensive and/or cumbersome, especially in rural US) and these documents can be in one of the official languages of the embassy's country so need no certified translation. One can also pay in the embassy, which is easier for people overseas than e.g. getting a check from a US bank.

 

[festin 2]

On 1/9/2018 at 4:43 AM, festin said:

The cost of medical exam is fixed price to $270 and the vaccination cost between $20 to $200 depending on how many shot one has to take.

Immigrant(CR1/IR1) Visa fee which is connected with DS-260 cost $325

Affidavit of Support(AOS) also known as the form I-864 cost $120 and you probably pay in cash at the embassy.

And then after receiving the visa CR1/IR1 you have to pay USCIS Immigrant Fee(Issuance of Green Card and it delivery) cost $220 it's advised to pay it before traveling to the US but you can also pay it after arrival. You can pay it with your card on USCIS website. So nothing more than $1,200 in total.

 

The schedule of interview is up to you, it can be a month away or a week away but you must definitely have your medical exam done before the interview. Is your case number ready for interview appointment?

 

 

Pyridine, we attended the interview on the 23rd of January and status online changed on the 25th to ISSUED and we picked up passport today the 28th.

I will also like to tell you that surprisingly, we were not ask to pay any of the fees(

Immigrant CR1/IR1 Visa fee which is connected with DS-260 cost $325

 and Affidavit of Support I-864 cost $120) i mentioned on my quoted post. We realized after we got out of the Embassy and we went back to ask the embassy staffs they told us all is well and okay. We checked on visajourney and they were people with similar issue. So far all we've paid is $535 for I-130, $390 for vaccinations and $117 for medical exam.

 

Lastly, on the visa package $220 is states as Immigration Fee to be paid on on USCIS website.