London UK DCF - 2012

[Holly2234 66]

Basically i wanted to make a follow on from the UK DCF thread (hope you dont mind Honey Crumpet!) because i noticed a lot has changed since the thread started and some links no longer work. So here's a 2012 version!

Useful Links:

Which documents to send back after NOA2 - http://london.usembassy.gov/ivprocess.html

Where and how to get a UK police certificate - http://www.acro.police.uk/police_certificates.aspx

Affidavit of Support Instructions (I-864) - http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-864instr.pdf

Medical Examination Information - http://photos.state.gov/libraries/unitedkingdom/164203/cons-visa/iv018a_medical.pdf

Current processing times for the I-130 - http://london.usembassy.gov/dhs/uscis/i130filing.html

Sample of a completed I-130 - http://photos.state.gov/libraries/unitedkingdom/164203/dhs/sample_of_a_completed_i130.pdf

2012 Poverty guidelines - http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-864p.pdf

Links to download forms:

I-130 , instructions and notification forms - http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=c67c7f9ded54d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

G-325A - http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/g-325a.pdf

DS-230 - http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/81807.pdf

DS-2001 - http://photos.state.gov/libraries/unitedkingdom/164203/cons-visa/ds_2001.pdf

I-864 - http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-864.pdf

Other useful information:

US passport sized photos can be done at http://www.maxspielmann.co.uk/home and http://www.timpson.co.uk/ They charge £5.99 for 2 photos in US size. Have used both of them and they are legit! They take your photo with a camera and guarantee them to pass.

Relevent fees:

I-130 $420

Immidiate relative visa $230

Medical (Adult) £227 (Child 14 and under) £105

Mailing addresses:

Mailing Address - From the United States

USCIS Field Office - London

Unit 8400, Box 26

FPO AE 09498-0026

Mailing Address - From Outside the United States

USCIS Field Office

American Embassy (DHS/USCIS)

Post Office Box 2444

London W1A 5WT

Physical Address for Express Delivery

USCIS Field Office

24 Grosvenor Square

London W1A 1AE

Thats pretty much everything i can think of for now. If i have forgotten anything or any of the links change, please give me a shout.

Edited June 5, 2012 by Holly2234

[Keeto 12]

That's quite a comprehensive list there Holly, which we had all that info in one place when we started!

[Holly2234 66]

I keep losing my own links when i need them so its partly for my sanity too

[Holly2234 66]

"As of June 08, 2012, we are processing petitions filed on March 23, 2012." - http://london.usembassy.gov/dhs/uscis/i130filing.html

They seem to be speeding up a bit! 11 weeks from NOA1 to them processing

[Jodhilla 0]

What seems to be the average wait recently for DCF @ London From submission to completed visa? Thinking of scrapping our I129f and getting married in the UK then DCF.

We have been together in the UK for 5 years just not married so considering this as a quicker, cheaper easier option although we are 3 months into the I129f wait.

[Holly2234 66]

I dont know exactly because im not very far into the process yet, but from other peoples timelines it seems to be about 6 months from start to finish.

The benefit of going to the US as a spouse is that you are immediately able to work and get a drivers licence etc. The K1 is not so straight forward since you have to do the AOS and the K1 seems to be more costly.

Then again, it depends how quickly you want to be back in the US. The K1 you are already pursuing could be quicker to get you on US soil. But probably not any quicker to get to the point of green card in hand.

[Holly2234 66]

Link to the Embassy address, the post code for GPS and a few notes about security and where you can store bags and electricals etc. - http://london.usembassy.gov/ukembmap.html

[Holly2234 66]

Website for booking hotel rooms in London. There is anything from about £15 a night for just a room or there are studio apartments at pretty fair prices too. Could be handy for those travelling to medicals/interviews from outside of London. - http://www.travelstay.com/

[Holly2234 66]

Im aware im pretty much talking to myself! But hopefully somebody will make use of it all in one place.

My Police Certificate arrived in 10 days. Posted 12th June, delivered 13th. Arrived back with me on 23rd. They sent an email on the 21st to the email address i provided on the form to say the date they received it (13th) and they would be processing it. The email came at 9pm which i thought was odd. But they printed and posted it the day after the email.

So all in all, the police certificate is pretty quick and easy to get.

[LauraDP 10]

What a superb post! Thanks for creating it, Holly2234, and to everyone else who has contributed to it. It will be really handy to have this thread to return to as we move through the DCF process.

[Holly2234 66]

Hi! Its good to see another doing DCF. They seem a bit few and far between at the moment. Where in the process are you now?

[LauraDP 10]

Hi! Its good to see another doing DCF. They seem a bit few and far between at the moment. Where in the process are you now?

We have not actually embarked on the process yet. We are trying to make sure we have everything in place before we get to the filing stage as we don't want to stall or to be denied simply because we didn't have our paperwork in order. The big hold up at the moment (beside trying to get to grip with the timescale) is that my husband discovered he should have been filing returns with the IRS all these years despite not being resident in the US and only being employed here in the UK. Big gaff. So now, as I understand it, he is going to have to back file.

It looks like we are going to be aiming to submit the I-130 petitions for myself and the children in October time with an aim to relocate to the US in July.

Thanks for the warm welcome. You have been really helpful in all your replies to me. I appreciate it.

[Holly2234 66]

Any time I believe he should only have to back file for the past 3 years. The box to check on the I-864 form says "I have filed tax returns for the previous 3 years" or something along those lines. You can see the form somewhere on the first post. Dont quote me on that because thats just how the form reads to me. Someone might know better. But i think for the visa process, thats all thats required.

[LauraDP 10]

Chris had a look over the IRS forms he has to fill out and thinks they look simple enough to him so that is good news. Of course, gathering together all the paperwork from his tax history here to fill out three years' worth of forms is time-consuming but at least we know it is achievable.

We are now having a difference of opinion, however, and I hope someone can clarify: Chris thinks the I-864s get submitted at the same time as the I-130s whereas I think they are submitted once the I-130s have been processed and accepted, as a move on to the next stage. Which of us is correct? I am prepared to be wrong; I just need to know for sure which of us is right.

Thanks in advance.

Laura

[Holly2234 66]

They get submitted at the interview when you do DCF. If you need to know what forms go where or how to do them, feel free to ask. I think ive got them figured out