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Annemieke

Experience DCF I-130 for IR1 in Singapore

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Filed: Citizen (apr) Country: Russia
Timeline

Thank you for the helpful report!

🇷🇺 CR-1 via DCF (Dec 2016-Jun 2017) & I-751 ROC (Apr 2019-Oct 2019)🌹

Spoiler

Info about my DCF Moscow* experience here and here

26-Jul-2016: Married abroad in Russia 👩‍❤️‍👨 See guide here
21-Dec-2016: I-130 filed at Moscow USCIS field office*
29-Dec-2016: I-130 approved! Yay! 🎊 

17-Jan-2017: Case number received

21-Mar-2017: Medical Exam completed

24-Mar-2017: Interview at Embassy - approved! 🎉

29-Mar-2017: CR-1 Visa received (via mail)

02-Apr-2017: USCIS Immigrant (GC) Fee paid

28-Jun-2017: Port of Entry @ PDX 🛩️

21-Jul-2017: No SSN after three weeks; applied in person at the SSA

22-Jul-2017: GC arrived in the mail 📬

31-Jul-2017: SSN arrived via mail, hurrah!

 

*NOTE: The USCIS Field Office in Moscow is now CLOSED as of February 28th, 2019.

 

Removal of Conditions - MSC Service Center

 28-Jun-2019: Conditional GC expires

30-Mar-2019: Eligible to apply for ROC

01-Apr-2019: ROC in the mail to Phoenix AZ lockbox! 📫

03-Apr-2019: ROC packet delivered to lockbox

09-Apr-2019: USCIS cashed check

09-Apr-2019: Case number received via text - MSC 📲

12-Apr-2019: Extension letter arrives via mail

19-Apr-2019: Biometrics letter arrives via mail

30-Apr-2019: Biometrics appointment at local office

26-Jun-2019: Case ready to be scheduled for interview 

04-Sep-2019: Interview was scheduled - letter to arrive in mail

09-Sep-2019: Interview letter arrived in the mail! ✉️

17-Oct-2019: Interview scheduled @ local USCIS  

18-Oct-2019: Interview cancelled & notice ordered*

18-Oct-2019: Case was approved! 🎉

22-Oct-2019: Card was mailed to me 📨

23-Oct-2019: Card was picked by USPS 

25-Oct-2019: 10 year GC Card received in mail 📬

 

*I don't understand this status because we DID have an interview!

 

🇺🇸 N-400 Application for Naturalization (Apr 2020-Jun 2021) 🛂

Spoiler

Filed during Covid-19 & moved states 1 month after filing

30-Mar-2020: N-400 early filing window opens!

01-Apr-2020: Filed N-400 online 💻 

02-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received online 📃

07-Apr-2020: NOA 1 - Receipt No. received via mail

05-May-2020: Moved to another state, filed AR-11 online

05-May-2020: Application transferred to another USCIS field office for review ➡️

15-May-2020: AR-11 request to change address completed

16-Jul-2020: Filed non-receipt inquiry due to never getting confirmation that case was transferred to new field office

15-Oct-2020: Received generic response to non-receipt inquiry, see full response here

10-Feb-2021: Contacted senator's office for help with USCIS

12-Feb-2021: Received canned response from senator's office that case is within processing time 😡

16-Feb-2021: Contacted other senator's office for help with USCIS - still no biometrics

19-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice - canned response from other senator's office 🌐

23-Feb-2021: Interview scheduled - notice to come in the mail

25-Feb-2021: Biometrics reuse notice arrives via mail

01-Mar-2021: Interview notice letter arrives via mail  ✉️ 

29-Mar-2021: Passed interview at local office! Oath Ceremony to be scheduled

13-Apr-2021: Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

04-May-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 Unable to attend due to illness

04-May-2021: Mailed request to reschedule Oath to local office

05-May-2021: "You did not attend your Oath Ceremony" - notice to come in the mail

06-May-2021: Oath Ceremony will be scheduled, date TBA

12-May-2021: Oath Ceremony re-scheduled for June 3rd, then de-scheduled same day 😡 

25-May-2021: New Oath Ceremony notice was mailed

16-Jun-2021: Oath Ceremony scheduled 🎆 - DONE!!

17-Jun-2021: Certificate of Naturalization issued

 

🎆 Members new and old: don't forget to fill in your VJ timeline! 🎇 https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/

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Country: Singapore
Timeline

Thank you for the detailed report--this is extremely helpful! Congratulations on your process being completed!

 

Wondered if you wouldn't mind sharing the process for taking your dog as well and if there was significant preparation/paperwork involved with that?

Edited by uncle_chai
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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry @uncle_chai for the late reply. I was traveling so didn't have much time to react.

Actually I flew the dog to The Netherlands first, where my parents live, for him to stay for a bit while we get settled in the US. But I did look into the paperwork for the US and it seems even easier than the EU.

For the Netherlands I took the following steps:
1. booked the dog as excess baggage on my ticket to the Netherlands on KLM. They are known to be good with dogs. Dog ticket is around 200 euros.

2. I already had a crate from the time we flew him from Hong Kong to Singapore, but make sure  you have a decent sized crate

3. I made sure the dog had a rabies vaccination, more than a month before flying (needs to be 21 days before but can take a bit more time to be on the safe side). USA doesn't require a rabies vaccination from non-high risk countries like Singapore. But it always seems wise to vaccinate your dog anyway: https://www.cdc.gov/importation/bringing-an-animal-into-the-united-states/dog-origin.html

3. You need to obtain an export license from NParks, not earlier than 30 days before flying (This is a Singapore requirement). Easy to do online with your Singpass: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/avs/pets/bringing-animals-into-singapore-and-exporting/exporting-dogs-and-cats/preparing-to-leave-singapore . I got it about 20 days in advance because I wanted to be covered in case the flight or my visa would be delayed.

4. I needed a EU health certificate to be signed by a vet (upon health check of the dog) not earlier than 10 days in advance. For USA there is no federal requirement but states might request it. As we live in Chicago, I checked Illinois requirements and they do require a health certificate not earlier than 30 days in advance. You can check your state here:https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/bring-pet-into-the-united-states/pet-travel-dogs-into-us

5. For the EU, the health certificate needed to be endorsed by AVS/NParks in Singapore. Which is also quite a straightforward process to apply for online, and was done within 1 business day. But it depends on your US state if this is needed. https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/pet-travel/bring-pet-into-the-united-states/pet-travel-dogs-into-us

 

This was all the paperwork, and the US might be even easier depending on state. I did it without an agent.
Do realize though that a flight from Singapore to the US is much longer and has a layover which might complicate the situation. It's good to do some research on that.

Checking in with KLM was seamless and picking the dog up in Amsterdam Schiphol airport was easy too, they checked the paperwork at the red custom lane (something to declare) and we could go on our way. No quarantine from Singapore, that seems the same for most US States as well.

 

Good luck bringing your dog over!

 

 

Edited by Annemieke
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Country: Singapore
Timeline

Hi @Annemieke, when you contacted the embassy to request petition by DCF, did you include documents of evidence (e.g. marriage certificate, passports, etc) in the initial e-mail? Did the embassy ask for additional documents to verify or was this something with the I-130 submission? Thank you for any information.

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Filed: K-1 Visa Country: Cambodia
Timeline
On 8/9/2021 at 2:37 PM, Annemieke said:

the lawyer wasn't much help and ceased the engagement

I've ran into the same issue.

 

On 8/9/2021 at 2:37 PM, Annemieke said:

to show the progression from that boy into the man he is now

Good thinking.

 

On 8/9/2021 at 2:37 PM, Annemieke said:

The US Embassy in Singapore was very responsive

I wish I was working with them, my experience is the other way around.

 

Thanks for sharing, it was very informative.  I also have a dog I'm trying to bring, has had rabbies shots twice, but we are in a high risk country and the new CDC rules from July 15 make it VERY difficult.

 

Anyways, wow, what a stressful situation you went through.  I'm glad everything worked out in the end and your whole family (dog included) arrived safely in USA.

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On 8/26/2021 at 8:28 PM, uncle_chai said:

Hi @Annemieke, when you contacted the embassy to request petition by DCF, did you include documents of evidence (e.g. marriage certificate, passports, etc) in the initial e-mail? Did the embassy ask for additional documents to verify or was this something with the I-130 submission? Thank you for any information.

Hi @uncle_chai

 

To be honest, this is the part our lawyer did but as far as I know the proof they used for DCF was the job offer letter of the petitioner. There are only a few reasons you can ask for DCF, a job offer with short-term notice (ours was 2 months) is one of them. Based on this, our DCF was approved. 

Edited by Annemieke
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On 8/27/2021 at 3:23 AM, brevig said:

I've ran into the same issue.

 

Good thinking.

 

I wish I was working with them, my experience is the other way around.

 

Thanks for sharing, it was very informative.  I also have a dog I'm trying to bring, has had rabbies shots twice, but we are in a high risk country and the new CDC rules from July 15 make it VERY difficult.

 

Anyways, wow, what a stressful situation you went through.  I'm glad everything worked out in the end and your whole family (dog included) arrived safely in USA.

Hi @brevig

 

Did you file at the US Embassy in Cambodia? I think every embassy is different. The embassy in Singapore works as everything in Singapore: bureaucratic and procedural but efficient.

Lawyers seem utterly useless, especially if you have informed yourself well through means like this forum. 

As for communication with the US Embassy in SG, their email channel works very well. I always received response in a day, which is not bad. Calling them etc indeed doesn‘t work but I found them helpful and very well aware of my specific case through email. But thiss could differ per embassy.

 

I feel visa processes are always stressful as it feels like your life depends on bureacracy and even through you have to commit to work, housing, school etc, the visa timeline is quite flux. 

 

Where are you in the process? Hope all works out with the dog. It adds extra stress 

 

 

Edited by Annemieke
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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi! Thank you for your detailed and clear report. It is indeed very helpful. I am looking into applying through this route as my husband (US citizen) and I (Singapore citizen) will be based in Singapore for at least the next two years now. 

 

May I check that since you have been married for more than two years, is your green card marked “IR1” or “immediate relative green card” at the time of green card approval? 

 

Also, do you know if you need to stay in the US for a minimum number of years? Or are you free to enter and exit the country whenever you like with the green card? 

 

Thanks again and I look forward to your replies!

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Hi Chloet,

 

happy my experience might  have helped you. 
yes, we applied for an IR-1 visa because we have been married for 6 years. If married less than 2 years, it would be CR-1. Not much difference in the process in Singapore, only that the CR-1 the status is conditional so would need to go through the process of removing conditions after 2 years (when in the US)

 

My visa is marked IR-1 indeed and it’s a permanent resident status with green card for 10 years. I can move in and out of the US at any time. I have been in the US for 4 weeks now and just got a notification that USCIS mailed out my green card and SSN. 

 

Just be aware the only way to be able to file in Singapore through DCF (direct consular filing) is when your husband fits the following criteria for exceptional circumstances:

 

- A medical emergency, affecting either the sponsoring spouse or the spouse seeking a green card and requiring urgent travel. This might include a pregnancy where the expectant mother will soon be unable to fly.

- A military deployment, but only if the military service member received far less notice than normal.

- A change in employment, but only for a sponsoring spouse who is a U.S. citizen living abroad and whose work or job offer requires them to relocate to the United States on short notice.

- A threat to personal safety, if either the sponsoring spouse or the spouse seeking a green card has credible fears about their security.

 

we used the ‘change of employment’, my husband had an offer letter from his new employer in the US, with a start date within 3 months.

 

When there is no exceptional circumstance, you have to go the normal route through USCIS, which takes much longer (your interviews will still be at the Embassy in Singapore).

 

Hope this helps!

 

Good luck!


 

 

 

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Thank you so much for this helpful information! My fiancee and I are hoping to apply for DCF-EC as soon as we're married, as I need to be in the USA for a job in January.

 

If I may ask, which documents did you need to submit to the embassy to prove your compatibility with DCF? The ones that the lawyer sent on your behalf?

 

Thank you again so much!

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Hi Milajulia,

 

Our lawyer just wrote an email and included the job offer, as that was a key document. (all other docs will be included in the I-130 filing)

I didn‘t see the email but don’t think it was anything special.

It‘s all at the discretion of the embassy if they take the case or not. They seem to be fair though but it does depend when your letter for the new job was dated. If September (to start in Jan), it’s fairly short notice. If longer they might argue you could have started the process earlier… I have no idea how they make that decision but best to try!

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

 

Edited by Annemieke
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33 minutes ago, milajulia said:

Thank you so much for this helpful information! My fiancee and I are hoping to apply for DCF-EC as soon as we're married, as I need to be in the USA for a job in January.

 

If I may ask, which documents did you need to submit to the embassy to prove your compatibility with DCF? The ones that the lawyer sent on your behalf?

 

Thank you again so much!

Which embassy are you contacting? They just asked me for additional information that I missed out in the email. I read a lot of online posts during the process and it looked like every country does things differently. 

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10 hours ago, Annemieke said:

When there is no exceptional circumstance, you have to go the normal route through USCIS, which takes much longer (your interviews will still be at the Embassy in Singapore).

 

 

Hi! Thank you for your prompt and useful advice. 

 

So, if my husband and I are planning to stay in Singapore for the next two years (at least), and we don't have any exceptional circumstances to return to US to stay there long-term in the foreseeable future, can we still submit our application through DCF and go through the whole process albeit a longer one? 

 

Or do you know if our DCF application would be rejected by the US Embassy in Singapore at the start of the application? 

 

My husband still files US income-tax returns and has multiple US bank accounts to his name. 

 

Thanks so much again!!! 

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