DCF Frankfurt timeline?

[burmabebe 0]

Hi!

 

My husband and I are filing our I-130 and are wondering how long we should expect the process to take. Our case should be pretty easy (married for six years, I'm American, he's German, I've been a German permanent resident since 2010)... Has anyone gone through the process recently and could share their timeline?  I'm especially interested in how long it takes until we receive the NOA2. We've heard anything from 3 months to a year and a half for the whole process!

 

Thank you!

Edited March 21, 2018 by burmabebe

[Soup Dragon 104]

My husband and I did DCF through Frankfurt but it was three years ago.  If you don't have red flags I don't believe the whole process will take a year.  Take a look at my timeline below anyway.

 

Good luck!

[Hypnos 6,577]

For DCF, you're usually looking at 3-4 months, tops. 

[burmabebe 0]

Thanks, @Sunflower18 that's actually really helpful!

 

@Hypnos is that information fairly current? I had heard that the waiting time has gotten significantly longer in the past year or two. Thanks! 

[Hypnos 6,577]

That's just generally what I've read about DCF. I can't claim first-hand knowledge. 

 

https://egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/international-operations-office indicates two months. 

Edited March 22, 2018 by Hypnos

[MRSW1709 0]

We are DCF Frankfurt too. Phase 1 took two months until we received the acceptance (May 2017). It was really quick. 

[burmabebe 0]

@MRSW1709 Oh that's great news! Thanks for sharing!

 

[TootsieTails 2]

We are DCF Frankfurt also. Feel free to check out our timeline to see how long it has taken us, filed the I-130 in February, we now have an interview date (towards the end of April). 

[Hattivatti 35]

1 hour ago, TootsieTails said:

We are DCF Frankfurt also. Feel free to check out our timeline to see how long it has taken us, filed the I-130 in February, we now have an interview date (towards the end of April). 

How long did it take to get the interview letter after they received your package or from the time ceac showed ready for interview?

 

My package seems to be missing in the mail, but ceac had updated "ready" for interview so I wonder if the letter might already be in the mail and my package tracking just isn't working. Or if they marked it ready for interview by mistake.

[TootsieTails 2]

14 hours ago, Hattivatti said:

How long did it take to get the interview letter after they received your package or from the time ceac showed ready for interview?

 

My package seems to be missing in the mail, but ceac had updated "ready" for interview so I wonder if the letter might already be in the mail and my package tracking just isn't working. Or if they marked it ready for interview by mistake.

From what you wrote here, I'm having trouble understanding which part of the process you are going through, and which package is possibly missing. Are you doing the K-3 or the CR-1 Visa? I wasn't sure of that either from your question, so I wanted to make sure that you know which one we are doing in case yours is different. We are doing the CR-1 Visa, as we are already married. I have no experience with the K-3 Visa application process, and this is just our experience, so everyone has a different timeline, so a slightly longer time wait could be totally normal. 

 

Marriage: 1/15/2018

Mailed I-130 package: 2/5/2018

Received NOA1: 2/13/2018

Received I-130 Approval: 3/24/2018

 

Since we are applying DCF with Frankfurt, we received a mailed letter from Frankfurt about one week after the letter with the I-130 Approval. The I-130 approval date was 3/24/2018. 

 

This letter from Frankfurt arrived on 4/7/2018, and the date on the letter was from 4/4/2018. This mailed letter from Frankfurt contained our case number. The mailed letter from Frankfurt was directing us via a link to the website of the US Embassy here in Germany, where you could find all the application instructions. Specific directions in the letter said documents submitted by fax or e-mail would not be accepted. 

 

Reading through the instructions, we were directed to complete the DS-260 (online) and fill out our mailing information with where we wanted our Visa packet mailed upon completion (a URL/link was provided for this). In addition, the link to a checklist with the required documents- and where to send them- was provided. 

 

We completed the online portion, which was the DS-260 AND entering the mailing address for our Visa packet, on 4/9/2018. We mailed the requested documents on 4/10/2018. 

 

On 4/13/2018, we received an e-mail from Frankfurt directing us to schedule the medical exam. We followed the directions provided in this e-mail for the medical exam. Later on the same afternoon, we received another e-mail stating our request for an appointment had been approved, and we could schedule our own appointment online by following the directions provided in the e-mail. The appointment was scheduled for the interview, which will occur on 4/24/2018.

 

Hope this helps. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hattivatti 35]

Thanks, Tootsie.

I sent out our IR1 package 3 (ds-260 confirmation, i-864 etc) as priority mail, because it was sent from outside Germany. Priority mail comes with a tracking number so you can see online where your package is going. That package has been missing in the mail (ugh, all those original papers in it) and then some few days later it's been scanned here and there and has still not arrived to Frankfurt if trusting on those tracked scans.

 

Which is why I was so curious about when you had sent in your package and when did you receive the interview letter. From your other post it seems you have not used ceac (where you can see online what is going on in your immigration process). Our case updated as "ready for interview" there this week, and I was rather surprised by it, since our papers has not got to consulate yet as far as I know. But, since it's a weekend, can't even ask about it from the consulate. But, I'll be emailing them at the start of the week to see what's going on there.

[TootsieTails 2]

3 hours ago, Hattivatti said:

Thanks, Tootsie.

I sent out our IR1 package 3 (ds-260 confirmation, i-864 etc) as priority mail, because it was sent from outside Germany. Priority mail comes with a tracking number so you can see online where your package is going. That package has been missing in the mail (ugh, all those original papers in it) and then some few days later it's been scanned here and there and has still not arrived to Frankfurt if trusting on those tracked scans.

 

Which is why I was so curious about when you had sent in your package and when did you receive the interview letter. From your other post it seems you have not used ceac (where you can see online what is going on in your immigration process). Our case updated as "ready for interview" there this week, and I was rather surprised by it, since our papers has not got to consulate yet as far as I know. But, since it's a weekend, can't even ask about it from the consulate. But, I'll be emailing them at the start of the week to see what's going on there.

Ah, this makes a lot more sense now. Ok, per our letter from Frankfurt, we were directed to file the DS-260 online (I assume you did as well) and sent the IR1 package 3 (same as you) which was sent 4/10. I'm wondering if yours is going through Deutsche Post once it went through the international system. Perhaps there is something wrong with their tracking right now, if it is. 

 

We sent ours via Deutsche Post, since we are in Germany, with a tracking number, and it hasn't updated at ALL since we sent it. As far as the CEAC, I looked this up because I actually didn't know what you were talking about. I think the reason I didn't know was because my husband is the beneficiary, and hence filled out the DS-260. We had the confirmation page from CEAC/DS-260, of course, which we mailed, but our entire package is still "missing." As I mentioned in the first sentence, it says it's just sitting here in Düsseldorf since the 10th, which not only seems unlikely - but also really strange, per Deutsche Post tracking.

 

The e-mail that you register your document mail address return is the one we received the confirmation from to schedule both the medical exam AND the actual appointment. This isn't through the federal (CEAC) website at all; I didn't really even know you could check your status there, to be honest. So I would say it's possible that you're actually ready to make the appointment since CEAC says so, I just don't have any experience with that. Check the website with the document mailing address. If for some reason you didn't register (you should have already, with the packet 3), it is listed in checkbox #2 in the Immigrant/Fiance & K Visa Applicant Checklist from Frankfurt. Go to the web address, log in, and see if you have a message or e-mail waiting for you that says it's ok to schedule the medical / and / or the appointment. And if for any reason you didn't fill that out already, make sure you do - you also have to bring the confirmation page from that to the interview in Frankfurt (if I understand correctly). So although it's possible they already received packet 3 from us and Deutsche Post just didn't update the status for some strange reason, I have no real confirmation that they have this - and they still sent us the Medical appointment e-mail (first) and once that was scheduled, they e-mailed us the confirmation to schedule the actual interview appointment. I hope all this makes sense.