JRoo

Great thank you! I think it's normal to take several days to hear back after submitting the request so wouldn't worry. Thanks for the advice about the address, good luck to you too!

Hi again, I just had another question about your I-30 form - Do you already have housing lined up in the US? I noticed on the I-30 it asks where you intend to live in the US. I am unsure how to fill this in, as I am planning to travel over and begin apartment hunting while my husband's DCF is being processed. Basically not sure if it's required to have a lease signed already at the time of submitting the i-30

Hi there, how long has it been since you submitted the request? I am also submitting a DCF request soon and curious to hear how it goes for you!

Hi there, I came across your post - really sorry to hear about all of the stress you are experiencing. In order to apply for DCF with exceptional circumstances (which would speed up the process) - you would need to meet one of the criteria below. Do you know anyone in the US who could help to offer you a job? Or is there a medical emergency you could argue? If your mom is just below the income requirement, it would probably best to get a second financial sponsor if you can. Military emergencies – A U.S. service member, who is abroad but who does not fall under the military blanket authorization for U.S. service members stationed abroad on military bases, becomes aware of a new deployment or transfer with little notice. This exception generally applies in cases where the U.S. service member is provided with exceptionally less notice than normally expected. Medical emergencies – A petitioner or beneficiary is facing an urgent medical emergency that requires immediate travel. Threats to personal safety – A petitioner or beneficiary is facing an imminent threat to personal safety. For example, a petitioner and beneficiary may have been forced to flee their country of residence due to civil strife or natural disaster and are in precarious circumstances in a different country outside of the United States. Close to aging out – A beneficiary is within a few months of aging out of eligibility. Petitioner has recently naturalized – A petitioner and family member(s) have traveled for the immigrant visa interview, but the petitioner has naturalized and the family member(s) requires a new petition based on the petitioner’s citizenship. Adoption of a child – A petitioner has adopted a child abroad and has an imminent need to depart the country. This type of case should only be considered if the petitioner has a full and final adoption decree on behalf of the child and the adoptive parent(s) has had legal custody of and jointly resided with the child for at least 2 years. Short notice of position relocation – A U.S. citizen petitioner, living and working abroad, has received a job offer in or reassignment to the United States with little notice for the required start date. Edit: I also saw this note on the embassy website: DOS may exercise its discretion to accept local Form I-130 filings for other emergency or exceptional circumstances of a non-routine nature, unless specifically noted below. However, such filings must be truly urgent and otherwise limited to situations when filing with USCIS online or domestically with an expedite request would likely not be sufficient to address the time-sensitive and exigent nature of the situation. I think it's very unlikely USCIS would accept the DCF request in another situation outside the above list. BUT if you absolutely can't wait for the longer processing time, maybe you could include background that you are experiencing domestic abuse in your home in the UK and are concerned about your children. And you have a home/family/support network in the US. It's just an idea, but again I think it should be a very last option to consider.

Sorry I wasn't sure what you meant by AR 11?

Thanks for your reply. I have family whose address I could use, but they live in another state (on the other side of the country) from my location of work. So I guess it would be obvious I couldn't really be living with them... Edit - so one option would be for me to delay our DCF request until we have signed an apartment lease. But it's a chicken and egg situation because I am hesitant to pay a deposit on a lease until my husband's DCF is approved.

Hi everyone, I am filling out the I-30 form and see it asks for the address where we intend to live in the US: Provide the address in the United States where the beneficiary intends to live, if different from Item Numbers 11.a. - 11.h. I will be moving before my husband, to begin looking for an apartment while his DCF application is being processed. Can anyone recommend what to do in this scenario? Should I leave this section of the form blank? OR I can add the address of an Air BnB where we will be staying temporarily before moving into our apartment? I also wanted to check if this is a big deal breaker that would get the application rejected - if we don't have the apartment lease to include in our supporting docs. Thank you!

Hi everyone, I am planning to apply for DCF with exceptional circumstances to US embassy in London. This is on the basis of a job offer in the US. I am planning to have my father (based in the US) be a joint financial sponsor. Can anyone tell me what sorts of questions are asked in the beneficiary interview? Is it focused on the supporting documents, or do they ask for details about the relationship - when we met, etc? Thanks!

Thanks for the response! Yes I saw how to submit for DCF as the very first step to start off the process. I am mainly looking to confirm the supporting documents (and when to provide them) as this is where I get confused.

Hello everyone, I am currently preparing to submit a DCF request with exceptional circumstances to London. I am struggling to find a supporting document checklist online - can anyone edit my list below to add anything I am missing? I am also not sure when to provide which documents. Hopefully this thread can be pinned to be a useful resource to others. Supporting Documents Mega List Submitting I-30 -sponsor's foreign residence permit -passports -marriage certificate -proof of job relocation to US - employment contract and letter from HR? -evidence of sponsor's prior divorce Intent to Domicile -sponsor's US drivers' license -sponsor's US bank statements showing active US finances - is 4 months enough? -apartment lease in US -sponsor's US voting registration Documents for Beneficiary's Interview -police certificates for every country lived in (sponsor + beneficiary) -beneficiary's bank statements is this required? -beneficiary's payslips is this required? -medical exam completed in advance - do you include the medical certificate as a supporting doc? Sponsor's Tax Documents -I-864 Affidavit of Support Is this submitted online or brought to the beneficiary's final interview? -Sponsor's record of filing FBAR last 3 years (as I have been working abroad, I have been filing FBAR) -A copy of your individual federal income tax return, including W-2s for the most recent tax year, or a statement and/or evidence describing why you were not required to file. I don't have a W2 as I have been working in the UK. Should I include a letter explaining this? -A copy of every Form 1099, schedule, and any other evidence of reported income. You may submit this information for the most recent three tax years, pay stubs from the most recent six months, and/or a letter from your employer if you believe any of these items will help you qualify. -sponsor's 6 months payslips - showing I earn over 125% of HHS poverty guidelines -6 months bank statements? do I need to show a specific amount of savings if my salary meets the 125% requirement? DS-260 Form what's the purpose of this form? when does it need to be filed? Other Documents - are these brought to the beneficiary's interview? -utility bills and bank statements showing spouses' bonafide relationship -photos as evidence of relationship -letters from friends as evidence of relationship and intent to settle in US

Thank you, appreciate the reassurance! One more question - can photos be included in the supporting docs as evidence of relationship? We have utility bills, bank account, etc. showing shared address but wonder if it hurts to include photos?

I will have an employment contract specifying a start date for my role in the US. I have a good relationship with my manager, so basically I can say "I am planning to move XX date" and they will make the relocation contract based on that. One more question - my contract for my job move will say 12 months - is this long enough to apply for DCF? Or do they want to see that your relocation to the US is indefinite in the employment contract?

We have flexibility on my start date of my job, so we could technically wait for DCF to be approved, then apartment hunt, then move.

No I haven't submitted my request yet, just planning in advance

Hi everyone, I will be applying for DCF due to job relocation. I currently live in London with my husband who is a UK citizen. I was recently divorced after being separated from my previous partner for 6 years. I am worried that USCIS will scrutinize my application because I was recently divorced, before remarrying. In anyone's experience, does the USCIS request extra documents in these circumstances? I can prove that my husband and I have lived together for 2+ years, and I could also provide supporting letters from friends to substantiate our relationship, but I am worried they may reject my application because I was divorced, remarried and applied for DCF in a short timeframe. Any advice or reassurance would be appreciated!

Hello everyone! I am curious if most people secure an apartment lease/housing while waiting to have their DCF application approved? I understand having evidence of housing (such as an apartment lease) can strengthen the application, but is it too risky in case it gets rejected? To share more background: I am a US citizen living in London and have a job offer relocating me to the US. My spouse is a UK citizen. We have nothing complicating our application. I would like to travel to the US while my partner's application is pending, so I can secure an apartment for when he is approved to move. I know this is a subjective question - but is it stupid to put a deposit down on an apartment while the visa is pending? Are there any common issues to look out for, to make our application as strong as possible?

Hi @Esylvia I cam across this thread as I am currently applying for DCF in London. Thanks for sharing all your info, it's so helpful! I saw that you didn't make enough money to sponsor your partner. Do you know what the minimum income is? I haven't been able to find this info and am trying to decide if I need a second sponsor. Thank you for your help

Hi @Zack202 I came across your post as I am currently filing DCF. I am confused about the DS-260 - can you tell me what the form is for, and at what point in the process you completed it? Thanks in advance for your help!

Hi there, I am also planning to file DCF. If you look on the embassy website I remember seeing a document checklist. Here is one I found but not sure how accurate it is: https://citizenpath.com/form-i-130-checklist-for-spouses/ I have also read somewhere that you need to prove 'intent to domicile' aka intent to live in the US permanently. This could be your US drivers license, apartment lease, voter registration, US bank statement all showing that you have a footprint in the US. Also people usually provide US tax records, showing that you have filed taxes or FBAR while you were living in the UK. My partner and I are getting married in August, then going to apply. I would love to keep in contact and hear how it goes for you as it seems like a confusing process and I will probably have questions too! Good luck

Hi there, I am in a similar situation and will get married on 11th Aug. We are going to wait until after we are married to apply.

@Crazy Cat Thanks very much for your response! One more question - my husband and I live together but he bought our apartment before I moved in, and I am not on the mortgage. Do you know if USCIS accepts other evidence of cohabitation, aside from shared tenancy/ownership of property? For instance we both have lots of mail addressed to the same address but I'm not sure if they require 'official' documents like utility bills etc.

Hi everyone, I am applying for DCF through the London embassy. I am currently looking at the document checklist for the I-30 application. One of the supporting documents listed is to Provide documentation to support bona fide marriage. "In addition to the marriage certificate, submit one or more types of documentation listed on the USCIS Form I‐130 Instructions, page 7, at www.uscis.gov/I‐130." I can't find anything on USCIS website explaining what documents they expect to prove the marriage. Can anyone explain what these are? I was divorced shortly before my husband and I were married, so I am hoping to include as much supporting documentation as I can, in case the divorce weakens my application. Thank you!

Hello everyone, I am planning to submit a DCF application to sponsor my spouse. I am a US citizen living in London and have UK permanent residence. My current job has offered to relocate me to the US, and I will have a new employment contract stating my new location. Does job relocation count as 'exceptional circumstances'? As I am not starting an entirely new job, I won't have a job offer letter, but a new employment contract. Does anyone know if the employment contract would suffice as demonstrating the need for relocation? If necessary I could ask HR at my company to provide a formal job offer letter. Thank you!