Should my mailing address on the I-130 be my overseas or American address?

[Dongbei 22]

I'm looking to file my I-130 for my spouse but I'm confused about if I should write my mailing address as my U.S. address or my overseas one? The thing is that the postal service is notoriously unreliable in China, so I'd like to avoid having important materials sent via the postal system, if at all possible. 

[Crazy Cat 41,985]

You are free to use any mailing address you want. It won't impact your case.  Just don't confuse "mailing address" with "physical address"

[Dongbei 22]

What do they actually mail to that address?

[Nitas_man 3,100]

25 minutes ago, Dongbei said:

What do they actually mail to that address?

In our case they mailed my wife's passport with visa back to her after everything was done.  It was via the local version of FedEx.

[Jorge V 195]

On 7/21/2018 at 4:02 PM, Dongbei said:

What do they actually mail to that address?

The address on the I130 is used for things like NOA1/NOA2 and other notifications. You should put an address that you can check at least reasonably frequently in case they send something important.

 

The visa will not be delivered to that address. Instead, you'll select a location to have it shipped to before the interview. They typically use Fedex/UPS/DHL.

[Dongbei 22]

4 hours ago, Jorge V said:

The address on the I130 is used for things like NOA1/NOA2 and other notifications. You should put an address that you can check at least reasonably frequently in case they send something important.

 

It seems that putting my family's US address would be best then? They check the mail every day and can scan stuff and send it to me. As long as the visa or other paperwork I need won't be sent there, then I think I'm okay.

[Nitas_man 3,100]

On 7/23/2018 at 7:24 PM, Dongbei said:

It seems that putting my family's US address would be best then? They check the mail every day and can scan stuff and send it to me. As long as the visa or other paperwork I need won't be sent there, then I think I'm okay.

You are not dealing with USCIS and you will not get an NOA1 or NOA2.  Your next notification will be a packet preparation list from the embassy.  Ours was by email. 

 

Our DCF, filed by requirement in person, was reviewed on the spot and we were notified to start gathering documents for interview (by the embassy) two weeks later.

Your ovearseas address and country-specific residency permit is part of the evidence required that you legally reside in the country where you are filing DCF.  As noted earlier, the only thing we received by mail was the returned passport with visa and sealed envelope that is turned in to immigration when your beneficary enters the US.

[Jorge V 195]

8 hours ago, Nitas_man said:

You are not dealing with USCIS and you will not get an NOA1 or NOA2.  Your next notification will be a packet preparation list from the embassy.  Ours was by email. 

 

Our DCF, filed by requirement in person, was reviewed on the spot and we were notified to start gathering documents for interview (by the embassy) two weeks later.

Your ovearseas address and country-specific residency permit is part of the evidence required that you legally reside in the country where you are filing DCF.  As noted earlier, the only thing we received by mail was the returned passport with visa and sealed envelope that is turned in to immigration when your beneficary enters the US.

Some of this is country specific. For example, for DCF in Mexico you can mail your packet in and it usually takes around 5 days to get reviewed. You'll also get an NOA1 and NOA2 via both email (if you include G1145) and mail. RFEs are also received by mail.

 

As far as overseas address for proving residency, that applies to your physical address. Your mailing address does not have to be in the country where you're filing. When I filed for DCF in Mexico, I listed my physical address as Mexico, but my mailing address as my mom's house in the US. This is because the postal system in Mexico is terrible, and I wanted to be sure to receive everything from USCIS in a timely manner. Sure enough, my mom received NOA1 and NOA2 via mail without any problems. 

 

Finally, you are still dealing with USCIS for the I130. This is why only countries with USCIS field offices qualify for DCF (full list here: https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/international-immigration-offices). The USCIS field office is typically located inside the same building as the embassy, but they are still entirely different departments. This is also why you can't file DCF in most countries even though nearly all of them have an embassy. Once the local USCIS office approves your petition, they'll forward it to your embassy (usually down the hall).

 

It seems like DCF in Saudi Arabia is different as your case is reviewed on the spot. This explains why you don't get NOA1 or NOA2 via mail, as it'd be redundant. And even though you technically turned in your petition at the US embassy, you were still dealing with USCIS.