DCF Question

[Andrea.Michelle 1]

Hello!

 

This may be a dumb question but the whole DCF process is a bit overwhelming for me. I’m hoping someone can shed a little light on my situation.

 

I am an American married to a German. We live in Germany and would like to file for his greencard through a DCF in Frankfurt. We have filled out the I-130 petition and would like to submit it. If we mail the documents to Frankfurt does this start a DCF process? Or do you have to apply for a DCF? How is this done?

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance

[MjC772 94]

41 minutes ago, Andrea.Michelle said:

Hello!

 

This may be a dumb question but the whole DCF process is a bit overwhelming for me. I’m hoping someone can shed a little light on my situation.

 

I am an American married to a German. We live in Germany and would like to file for his greencard through a DCF in Frankfurt. We have filled out the I-130 petition and would like to submit it. If we mail the documents to Frankfurt does this start a DCF process? Or do you have to apply for a DCF? How is this done?

 

Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance

Hi. I also will be filing DCF, not in Frankfurt but in Lima. I asked and received an email with some instructions for filing the petition (I'm guessing the steps are pretty similar):

Thank you for contacting the USCIS Lima Field Office. If you are an American Citizen residing in Peru, you may start the immigrant petition process through our office in Lima,

You may schedule an appointment with our office through  the INFOPASS system. The day of your appointment, please bring the following:

-          Migratory Movement (Certificado de Movimiento Migratorio) and other evidence of your residency in Peru (for example: copy of bills of services, letter from an employer, lease   agreement, bank statements, carné de extranjería, driver’s license, etc.)

-          Form I-130 Please bring the form already completed (in black ink) as applicants are not allowed to complete them in the USCIS office.

-          Form I-130 A  Completed (in black ink) and signed by your spouse

-          Copy of your US passport (biographical page only) and copy of your US birth certificate

-          Copy of your spouse’s passport (biographical page only)

-          Marriage certificate

-          Copy of divorce decrees/death certificate for any previous marriage (if applicable)

-          Two 5x5 cm pictures for each of you

-         Evidence of the relationship with your spouse, such as photos, affidavits from those who are aware of your relationship, etc. 

-         Copy of your children’s birth certificates or Consular Reports of Birth Abroad (CRBA) (if applicable)

-          $535 fee payment (to be made at the Embassy once we have reviewed all the application) 

Any document issued in a foreign language (including the Movimiento Migratorio and evidence of residency) must be accompanied by a full certified English translation.

You can also find complete instructions for Form I-130 here:  https://www.uscis.gov/i-130

Your spouse does not need to be present when you submit the petition, but you should be sure that your spouse completes and signs Form I-131A before coming into your appointment.

We hope that you find this information helpful.

 

 Anyway, hope this helps a little...

[Mark88 184]

Send all the documents that are required for the IV + a cover letter requesting for direct processing in Frankfurt + a "Meldebescheinigung" that your USC husband has been living in Germany for over 6 months.

[Nitas_man 3,100]

We filed DCF as well (also not Germany), and the consulate required me (petitioner) to make an appointment and appear in person to file the I-130.  The list of attachments in the above applies to all I-130's as well as my (petitioner) proof of residency which establishes eligibility for DCF.

They went through the I-130 right there at the counter, and about 2 weeks later we had a case number with the embassy and received the packet for the beneficiary to start gathering the visa application documents. 

Hope that helps.

[Paulonto 29]

Make sure you follow the instructions from the GERMAN consulate/embassy....

It supersedes the US gov website!!!

 

The German consulate/embassy is the one processing the whole thing so follow THEIR instructions.

 

Good luck!!! 😁

[geowrian 22,337]

DOS rules are the end-all-be-all. The consulates and embassies report to the DOS. But generally the consulate/embassy websites are more updated or specific than the general DOS website.

[Jorge V 195]

As you're seeing, you're getting different answers for different countries. This is because each USCIS office has slightly different instructions. Some field offices accept petitions by mail, others only in person, and most others accept both. Your best bet is to check Frankfurt's USCIS field office's (not the embassy) website, found here: https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/international-offices/germany-frankfurt-field-office . Their instructions for the I130 section (which you have to expand), say this:

 

Quote

Residents of Germany filing with USCIS Frankfurt must submit the petition and supporting evidence by mail.  Petitions are adjudicated in the order in which they are received.  You may use our Form I-130 Petition Checklist (PDF, 386 KB) or Form I-130 Petition Checklist for Members of the Armed Forces (PDF, 380 KB) to help ensure you submit a complete application package.

Evidence of residency must be submitted with the petition.  The evidence you submit must support a determination that you are a resident in Germany.  Please note that certain pieces of evidence may more strongly support a finding of residency than others.  For petitions filed at this field office, you must submit one or more of the following:

 

As far as having to "apply" for DCF, no you don't have to do anything special. By submitting your I130 and supporting documents in accordance with the instructions above, you are implicitly applying for DCF. You may see things such as having to get approval from the local USCIS director, but again, this all happens implicitly after submitting your petition.

Edited July 24, 2018 by Jorge V