Is filing via the lockbox facility like DCF?

[Ye Williams 0]

Originally was planning to file for DCF as my husband has been residing here in the Philippines for 3 years. However due to a family emergency, he had to go back to the US to help his mom recover before we were able to file DCF here in the Philippines. 

We sent an email to uscis regarding our situation and requesting if we can still file DCF or request for an expedited process once we file our application.

 

Below was their reply:

"If the US citizen petitioner does not reside in the Philippines, he cannot file Form I-130 with our office. Please refer to our previous email (below) regarding the residency requirements for filing with our office. 

 

If your US citizen husband is presently residing in the U.S. we strongly encourage him to file your form I-130 petition to the Lockbox directly. The reason we encourage the lockbox  facility is because it provides a direct filing and whereby payment transaction should be easier. To specifically address your question pertaining to the filing for a spouse, please visit the USCIS website at https://www.uscis.gov/i-130 - form and instructions.  

 

When filing the Form I-130 petition, you may wish to consider requesting that the petition receive expedited processing by attaching a written request and proof of the need to expedite to the submitted I-130 petition.  Please note that all expedite requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and granted at the discretion of office leadership.  For more information, please visit the USCIS website at https://www.uscis.gov/forms/expedite-criteria."

 

My question is, what is a lockbox facility and how is it different from the regular spouse visa filing? How long does it take? Is it like DCF?

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[aleful 1,905]

no, that is the regular route for a spousal petition

 

all i130 are sent to a lockbox, which in turn are sent to the appropriate service center. the whole process will take over a year

 

 

[Jorge V 195]

7 hours ago, aleful said:

no, that is the regular route for a spousal petition

 

all i130 are sent to a lockbox, which in turn are sent to the appropriate service center. the whole process will take over a year

 

 

Seconding this. When they say to file via the lockbox, they're telling you to file the regular spousal way. The process will take 12-14 months if everything goes smoothly.

 

@Ye Williams I know this won't help you now and I don't want it to seem like I'm piling on, but I do think it's important to mention this in case other people in similar situations read this: When filing via DCF the petitioner (the US citizen) only needs to be abroad at the moment of filing the I-130. After the I-130 is filed the petitioner can return to the US. In this case, the ideal scenario would've been for you and your husband to file the I-130 immediately upon realizing that he had to go back to the US. After submitting the I-130 and receiving NOA1 a few days later, your husband would've been able to travel to the US without jeopardizing the DCF petition, and his trip would only have been delayed a few days at most.