DCF in London - January 2020

[Wuozopo 4,293]

8 hours ago, FA081 said:

 

I am very confused and overwhelmed by the tax filing process - I’ve lived my whole adult life in the UK so never filed before and only worked in the UK and so I am completely lost what to do in prep for the next step. 
 

If anyone knows where to look for easily digestible information or how to go about this process I’d love to hear more. 

 If you just have a normal job and not a lot of investments, trusts, etc, then it is a fairly simple return to fill out yourself. You shouldn’t owe anything.
 

2017 forms are the last of decades of the same basic way of doing taxes. 2018 and 2019 will be the new version so that’s annoying that you will have to do one old way and two newer way. All the forms for past years are on the IRS website.  My wife probably has a sample filled out that she shared with people in the past. 

[Aliciaftw 0]

Hi all, I'm in the same boat. We filed on March 9th and my credit card was charged for the application on March 13th. I'm feeling pretty anxious - I'm pregnant and due for early November. At this point I have no clue where I'll be at that time!

 

This video showed up in my YouTube suggestions and states that interviews for employment-based visas are being waivered and that there's been cases of family-based ones as well. I wonder if that's possible for clear-cut DCF cases or if that's a silly dream.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

5 hours ago, Aliciaftw said:

Hi all, I'm in the same boat. We filed on March 9th and my credit card was charged for the application on March 13th. I'm feeling pretty anxious - I'm pregnant and due for early November. At this point I have no clue where I'll be at that time!

 

This video showed up in my YouTube suggestions and states that interviews for employment-based visas are being waivered and that there's been cases of family-based ones as well. I wonder if that's possible for clear-cut DCF cases or if that's a silly dream.

In that video, he is talking about interviews in the US for adjustment of status  family based applicants like K1 fiancés or somebody already in the US on a work visa who marries an American and applies for a green card based on that marriage. Here’s a thread from someone who got their interview waived. https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/736928-aos-interview-waived/

 

You aren’t interviewing for a greencard, but rather a visa to enter the US. Your interview will not be with USCIS. It will be with the consulate, part of the Department of State.  

So that video doesn’t apply to your IR1/CR1 visa interview. 

[Aliciaftw 0]

14 hours ago, Wuozopo said:

In that video, he is talking about interviews in the US for adjustment of status  family based applicants like K1 fiancés or somebody already in the US on a work visa who marries an American and applies for a green card based on that marriage. Here’s a thread from someone who got their interview waived. https://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/736928-aos-interview-waived/

 

You aren’t interviewing for a greencard, but rather a visa to enter the US. Your interview will not be with USCIS. It will be with the consulate, part of the Department of State.  

So that video doesn’t apply to your IR1/CR1 visa interview. 

Oh, I see, thank you. I'm not familiar with all the terminology, but I guess that means the two situations aren't comparable at all. 

[Wuozopo 4,293]

32 minutes ago, Aliciaftw said:

Oh, I see, thank you. I'm not familiar with all the terminology, but I guess that means the two situations aren't comparable at all. 

For now get as ready as you can with your documents to take to your visa interview to be ready as soon as the embassy and medical clinic In London open up again.  Check the list on the embassy website.

https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/family-immigration/required-documents/

 

Check what the clinic says to bring to your medical.

http://www.visamedicals.co.uk/us-bring.htm

 

[Aliciaftw 0]

3 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

For now get as ready as you can with your documents to take to your visa interview to be ready as soon as the embassy and medical clinic In London open up again.  Check the list on the embassy website.

https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/family-immigration/required-documents/

 

Check what the clinic says to bring to your medical.

http://www.visamedicals.co.uk/us-bring.htm

 

Awesome, thank you! We'll get to working on it; been feeling like we're in limbo but we can start prepping.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

19 minutes ago, Aliciaftw said:

Awesome, thank you! We'll get to working on it; been feeling like we're in limbo but we can start prepping.

Some people are able to access their health care summary online depending on your NHS practice. It’s often short and mentions any meds you may be on and any issues/illnesses you might have on record. It’s not your actual records from the GP.  If anybody is working at your surgery, maybe they could email your immunization  list.  You actually will only need proof of one of the four adult shots.

1. Tetanus/diphtheria dated in last 10 years. Might be easier to let them give it at the medical exam. 40 quid.
2.  Mumps/measles/rubella- waived because of pregnancy even if you didn’t get as a child.
3.  Varicella- waived based on your word saying you had chickenpox, or waived as “not routinely available” in UK if you didn’t have chickenpox.
4. Influenza- waived because it is no longer flu season as of Mar 31. (Ha! That’s a bit ironic right now)

Edited April 15, 2020 by Wuozopo

[Robyn-n-Kris 72]

Wondered if anyone who mailed the I-130 around mid March has had the fee charged to their credit card? I emailed the London office back on March 27th and they stated at that time that they were not processing any payments at that time. I may be trying to follow up again soon, but wondered if anyone around my timeframe has seen their card charged yet.

[The4Sands 67]

Just to let people know, I emailed USCIS about my RFE and this is what they replied:

 

Hello,

We can see in our systems that we issued you a Request for Evidence on March 16. We are currently short staffed and have stopped our normal operations and shifted to emergency services, due to the seriousness of COVID-19. Once we are able to access the Embassy Mail Room, we will add your response to the Request for Evidence to your case file and finish adjudicating your case.

In the meantime, you may check for general updates on our operating status at our USCIS London webpages, at https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office/international-offices/united-kingdom-uscis-london-field-office and https://uk.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/government-agencies/dhs/uscis/.

Best,
USCIS London

 

So it kind of sounds like they're doing what they can remotely but if it involves stuff that's at the USCIS office or embassy, it's all on hold.  @Robyn-n-Kris I would guess this means they're probably not processing credit card payments at this time either if they're only offering "emergency services."  

[Robyn-n-Kris 72]

33 minutes ago, The4Sands said:

Just to let people know, I emailed USCIS about my RFE and this is what they replied:

 

Hello,

We can see in our systems that we issued you a Request for Evidence on March 16. We are currently short staffed and have stopped our normal operations and shifted to emergency services, due to the seriousness of COVID-19. Once we are able to access the Embassy Mail Room, we will add your response to the Request for Evidence to your case file and finish adjudicating your case.

In the meantime, you may check for general updates on our operating status at our USCIS London webpages, at https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office/international-offices/united-kingdom-uscis-london-field-office and https://uk.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/government-agencies/dhs/uscis/.

Best,
USCIS London

 

So it kind of sounds like they're doing what they can remotely but if it involves stuff that's at the USCIS office or embassy, it's all on hold.  @Robyn-n-Kris I would guess this means they're probably not processing credit card payments at this time either if they're only offering "emergency services."  

Which is fair enough. I kind of figured that may be the case. We are in no rush. Our plans aren't really to head back until next year anyway. Just would like to see the payment post at some point soon lol

[os306 103]

On 4/17/2020 at 11:31 AM, Robyn-n-Kris said:

Which is fair enough. I kind of figured that may be the case. We are in no rush. Our plans aren't really to head back until next year anyway. Just would like to see the payment post at some point soon lol

We're in the same boat as you! Have been checking my credit card statement regularly o see if a charge has been made, but nothing yet. As The4Sands indicated above, once the COVID19 situation improves, hopefully they'll be able to access the embassy mail room and process our payments finally

[SalishSea 17,970]

On 4/14/2020 at 2:11 PM, Aliciaftw said:

Hi all, I'm in the same boat. We filed on March 9th and my credit card was charged for the application on March 13th. I'm feeling pretty anxious - I'm pregnant and due for early November. At this point I have no clue where I'll be at that time!

 

This video showed up in my YouTube suggestions and states that interviews for employment-based visas are being waivered and that there's been cases of family-based ones as well. I wonder if that's possible for clear-cut DCF cases or if that's a silly dream.

US visa interviews cannot be waived.

[Morgan5698 58]

On 4/17/2020 at 10:56 AM, The4Sands said:

Just to let people know, I emailed USCIS about my RFE and this is what they replied:

 

Hello,

We can see in our systems that we issued you a Request for Evidence on March 16. We are currently short staffed and have stopped our normal operations and shifted to emergency services, due to the seriousness of COVID-19. Once we are able to access the Embassy Mail Room, we will add your response to the Request for Evidence to your case file and finish adjudicating your case.

In the meantime, you may check for general updates on our operating status at our USCIS London webpages, at https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office/international-offices/united-kingdom-uscis-london-field-office and https://uk.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/government-agencies/dhs/uscis/.

Best,
USCIS London

 

So it kind of sounds like they're doing what they can remotely but if it involves stuff that's at the USCIS office or embassy, it's all on hold.  @Robyn-n-Kris I would guess this means they're probably not processing credit card payments at this time either if they're only offering "emergency services."  

That explains why I've heard nothing since our i-130 approval which was just over 5 weeks ago. I figured as much. Thanks for posting the response by the way. 

[The4Sands 67]

Anybody had any movement lately?  We're now past the 90 days that USCIS suggested it would take to process our I-130.  Obviously that goes out with the window with COVID-19, but I was still a little sad about it.  I know, I know, I shouldn't complain.  I'm on the fastest track there is, pretty much.  It's just grappling with expectations vs the reality (even if they're not reasonable expectations any more).

 

Here's hoping now that things have eased a bit in the UK that maybe somebody will at least be back in the building and start the behind-the-scenes processing back up!

[Robyn-n-Kris 72]

1 hour ago, The4Sands said:

Anybody had any movement lately?  We're now past the 90 days that USCIS suggested it would take to process our I-130.  Obviously that goes out with the window with COVID-19, but I was still a little sad about it.  I know, I know, I shouldn't complain.  I'm on the fastest track there is, pretty much.  It's just grappling with expectations vs the reality (even if they're not reasonable expectations any more).

 

Here's hoping now that things have eased a bit in the UK that maybe somebody will at least be back in the building and start the behind-the-scenes processing back up!

I don't think they are back in the office yet. Based on USCIS website it mentions June 4th as the earliest date. Now if they have already begun processing yours, it may get done before they reopen the office. Someone in a FB group I'm in just got her I-130 approval today from London. So just keep your fingers crossed. I'm in the boat of my application is stuck sitting in the mailroom at the moment.