DCF London (merged)

[Missynick0903 2]

Hoping to possibly move back to the Us wih5 my husband. 

 

Im a USC and my husband is a UKC. He came to the states on a K1 visa in 2015. We got married that same year and stayed until 2017. I moved here to London in April 2017 but we’re wanting to move back. 

 

I was advised on here that DCF would be a faster way to go. But I’m having trouble figuring out the process even with the link I was given when I first asked about it. It seems like a much more straight forward process, but I think that’s what is throwing me off a little bit. 

 

Is there someone who can easily explain it for me?  Also, I feel like the fees aren’t clear to me from the US embassy website either. Just trying to plan ahead so that I can get organized. We’ve done two of these already so I’m confident I can do it....I’m just getting jumbled with the forms and acronyms I’m reading on other posts (DCF, IR-1/CR-1 etc.) 

 

lastly, because he had to forfeit his green card when we moved here....will he get it straight away when we go back, or will we have to wait for it again.  Because obviously, with that comes a right to work....which is obviously helpful. 

Edited May 12, 2019 by Penguin_ie

[Crazy Cat 41,904]

DCF is rapidly closing world-wide.  I would suggest contacting the London consulate directly to check if they will even accept an I-130.

[Missynick0903 2]

14 minutes ago, missileman said:

DCF is rapidly closing world-wide.  I would suggest contacting the London consulate directly to check if they will even accept an I-130.

What do you mean it’s rapidly closing?  Why would this be?  Also just rang the embassy and the just sent me to a recording that said I have to contact the USCIS. Now I’m even more confused. 

[Crazy Cat 41,904]

1 minute ago, Missynick0903 said:

What do you mean it’s rapidly closing?  Why would this be?  Also just rang the embassy and the just sent me to a recording that said I have to contact the USCIS. Now I’m even more confused. 

It has been announced that all overseas USCIS offices are closing.  Manilla has already stopped accepting I-130s....

 

[Missynick0903 2]

Just now, missileman said:

It has been announced that all overseas USCIS offices are closing.  Manilla has already stopped accepting I-130s....

 

So what would that mean for us trying to go back to the states?  

 

I think that that was my confusion with how to go about getting back in the first place. When it says Direct Consulate Filing....does that literally just mean that the paperwork goes right to the USCIS office in londonrather than us having to send it to the States first?  

 

And if the london office closes....is the paperwork side of things the same and just that it goes to the States first?  

 

Im quite confused about the entire process and what our course of action is/should be in the first place. Which was the initial intent of my original post n

[Crazy Cat 41,904]

3 minutes ago, Missynick0903 said:

So what would that mean for us trying to go back to the states?  

 

I think that that was my confusion with how to go about getting back in the first place. When it says Direct Consulate Filing....does that literally just mean that the paperwork goes right to the USCIS office in londonrather than us having to send it to the States first?  

 

And if the london office closes....is the paperwork side of things the same and just that it goes to the States first?  

 

Im quite confused about the entire process and what our course of action is/should be in the first place. Which was the initial intent of my original post n

It means you will file your I-130 just like everyone else.......and your process will proceed just like everyone else......inside the US.....Everyone lines up in the same queue now.

 

With DCF, the I-130 is filed directly with the foreign USCIS office......until now.

Edited May 7, 2019 by missileman

[Boiler 45,558]

I think it is still possible to DCF London and may be for the rest of the year, obviously much quicker than the usual route, depends on your timeline if this is important.

Edited May 7, 2019 by Boiler

[Hypnos 6,576]

16 minutes ago, Missynick0903 said:

When it says Direct Consulate Filing....does that literally just mean that the paperwork goes right to the USCIS office in londonrather than us having to send it to the States first?  

Yes, this is exactly what that means. 

 

If London still accepts I-130s, get yours in asap. Your husband would likely have his immigrant visa in his hands in ~2-3 months from the date of filing, compared to ~12-14 months under the usual method that everyone else must follow. 

[Missynick0903 2]

1 minute ago, Boiler said:

I think it is still possible to DCF London and may be for the rest of the year, obviously much quicker than the usual route, depends on your timeline if this is important.

Ok....thank you. We have to figure out our timeline and are in early stages of working it out. It’s mostly going to be based on jobs...we were both teachers in Las Vegas when we lived there a few years ago and an opportunity may be coming up there for me. But the school doesn’t open until Sept 2020. 

 

Our main issue...is that my visa expires in January of 2020 and it’s really expensive to renew it. I hate the thought of having to renew it, and then turn around and head back to the States only a few months later. That’s the bit that’s causing us the most trouble at the moment. 

 

For us to get get back to the States....is it really just as easy as the I-130 form?  Will he have an interview again and a medical exam?  If it’s approved, do we have to wait again for a green card and his right to work? 

[Missynick0903 2]

2 minutes ago, Hypnos said:

Yes, this is exactly what that means. 

 

If London still accepts I-130s, get yours in asap. Your husband would likely have his immigrant visa in his hands in ~2-3 months from the date of filing, compared to ~12-14 months under the usual method that everyone else must follow. 

Thanks. 

 

I wish our our timeline would allow for us to file it straight away. This is adding a heck of a lot more stress than what we’re already under trying to make this decision. 

[NikLR 13,227]

DCF is currently still available in the UK.  I suggest taking advantage of it while you can.  

https://uk.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/government-agencies/dhs/uscis/i130filing-html/

[Crazy Cat 41,904]

1 minute ago, Missynick0903 said:

Ok....thank you. We have to figure out our timeline and are in early stages of working it out. It’s mostly going to be based on jobs...we were both teachers in Las Vegas when we lived there a few years ago and an opportunity may be coming up there for me. But the school doesn’t open until Sept 2020. 

 

Our main issue...is that my visa expires in January of 2020 and it’s really expensive to renew it. I hate the thought of having to renew it, and then turn around and head back to the States only a few months later. That’s the bit that’s causing us the most trouble at the moment. 

 

For us to get get back to the States....is it really just as easy as the I-130 form?  Will he have an interview again and a medical exam?  If it’s approved, do we have to wait again for a green card and his right to work? 

Get your I-130 into the London USCIS office ASAP!!!!    Otherwise, the Green Card process will take more than a year......

[Hypnos 6,576]

Yes, it's as simple as an I-130, a medical, and an interview. 

 

Since this would be for an IR-1 immigrant visa, he would immediately become a permanent resident upon entering the US, with the ability to work and travel from day 1.

 

The plastic green card would appear in the mail a couple of months after entry. 

 

Keep in mind that an immigrant visa is valid for around six months upon issuance (technically six months from the date of the medical), so if he had a medical in, say, November, once issued his visa would be valid for his initial entry to the US until May 2020. And he could always just activate it by entering, then turn around and leave again for up to around a year to close up his UK affairs before his LPR status in the US would be threatened. 

Edited May 7, 2019 by Hypnos

[Missynick0903 2]

4 minutes ago, missileman said:

Get your I-130 into the London USCIS office ASAP!!!!    Otherwise, the Green Card process will take more than a year......

Yeah. We will have to make a decision as soon as we can but still have quite a bit to work out. Hopefully once we get things in order as far a work and when will be best to go....well still be able to file it in London. 

[Missynick0903 2]

Just now, Hypnos said:

Yes, it's as simple as an I-130, a medical, and an interview. 

 

Since this would be for an IR-1 immigrant visa, he would immediately become a permanent resident upon entering the US, with the ability to work and travel from day 1.

 

The plastic green card would appear in the mail a couple of months after entry. 

 

Keep in mind that an immigrant visa is valid for around six months upon issuance (technically six months from the date of the medical), so if he had a medical in, say, November, one issued his visa would be valid for his initial entry to the US until May 2020. And he could always just activate it by entering, then turn around and leave again for up to around a year to close up his UK affairs before his LPR status in the US was threatened. 

Oh my goooooooooosh this literally just SAVED ME SO MUCH STRESS. you are an angel.