DCF London success! (Long)
 

Haven't had a chance to post since our journey into London on Friday (BT "accidentally" cancelled my SurfTime account).

Hubby Pez and I took an early train into the city and caught a cab down to Portland Square for his 8a.m. medical. We had an hour to play with so stopped in McDonald's for coffee and tea, then sat on some benches to wait and worry about what was to come.

At 7.45 we joined a short queue outside the doctor's office, which grew to 15-20 people by the time the doors opened. We were all led to a *very* nice sitting room (former dining room from the looks of it) and handed instructions in pink sheet protectors. They wanted a photograph, passport, completed medical questionnaire and vaccination record. Pez and I had spent quite some time the night before copying and ordering all of our paperwork, and marking everything with little fluorescent post-its, so he was the first to bring his folder to the desk. Someone else wrote recently that this is no guarantee you'll be called first, and they were right! It was about 15-20 minutes before Pez deciphered his name being called over the tinny speaker system. (The joke became, if it's YOUR name, you'll recognize it. ;) )

Thankfully I had bought a couple of magazines to read at Euston. They came in handy. It was a good half hour before I saw Pez again, and by then the waiting room had almost completely emptied and new arrivals were quickly filling the chairs. He was returned to me with a bandage on his inner right elbow. We were then led to another room where he received his Tetanus/Diptheria jab, the only one he required. He was handed a rolled brown tube which contained his chest x-ray, and we left for the Embassy.

I'd never been to the US Embassy in London before, and yet the change since 9/11 was obvious. Half the street out front and the entire side street were closed off with concrete barricades. British police patrolled the perimeter inside the fence carrying rifles -- a sight that impressed me greatly the first time I landed at Heathrow back in 1995. Now it just disappointed me...I had expected to see some snappy Marines!!

The guard at the gate checked Pez's passport but not mine, and his interview letter. Then we walked around to the back of the building and up to the security desk, where we removed our jackets and tossed them and our bag onto the security scanner, and walked through the metal detector.

Once upstairs to the IV unit, a sign read 'check in at desk 1 or 2'. The setup reminded me a lot of a US DMV office -- lots of chairs on one side, several partitioned booths on the other. We went up to desk 1 where a gentleman took our interview letter and asked us to sit down. About 10 minutes later we were called to desk 2. Another very friendly gentleman took all the relevant paperwork from us. This included the I-864 and supporting documentation, and an I-864A with more supporting documentation. (I had to figure this out myself in the end due to our strange financial cicrumstances -- we're self-employed in the UK -- but for anyone else who files DCF for their spouse and will be using their spouse's income and assets to top up their own income to the poverty level guideline, you need to have them fill out an I-864A!) Anyway, I wound up apologising for all the post-its, and he just laughed and said it was no problem. We were then asked to go to the window at the back of the room to pay the visa fee, and bring back the receipt. Then we sat again.

A little while later we were called to a third desk where a very smartly dressed man greeted us. I'm sure this gentleman is very nice away from his job, but something about his posture immediately intimidated BOTH of us! He had us raise our right hands and swear to tell the truth, then perused our paperwork. He questioned us about various things he picked from the information. For instance, he wanted to know what we did for a living, and if I had worked in 1999 (a year I had no tax return for as I *hadn't* worked). All the while I kept looking at the two great big American refrigerators in one corner behind him running off a transformer -- the same way we run the one I brought from the States with me -- and wanting to make a lighthearted comment about this, but this fellow's manner suggested all was serious and idle chit-chat would be ill-advised.

One thing that did catch me off-guard was his request for an address in the US for Pez's greencard. As we're emigrating to the US in September and don't yet have an address there, I was able to give him my father's address in FL. Unfortunately I don't often write my dad via postal mail (we communicate almost exclusively via e-mail) so I wasn't sure about the address. And when I got home later I realised I'd got it wrong. I'm in the process of finding out what to do to correct this. But a hint for others filing DCF who don't have a permanent US address yet -- bring your address book! Immediate family member contacts appear to be acceptable.

Within a few minutes it was over. He told us to come back at 1 to pick up Pez's visa. We couldn't believe it, we were done and it was just before 11 a.m.! We wandered out to a nearby cafe and then took a walk and had a quick doze in a small park beneath the trees until quarter to 1 before heading back. After being chastised (kindly) by the security guard for worrying about the whole process, we waited only a few minutes in the visa unit before we had the sealed brown envelope in hand, with a sheet on front giving all the visa specifics and an information sheet. It wasn't until we got outside the doors of the visa unit, at the top of the stairs down to security, that we felt safe to hug each other in joy and relief. The security guard saw us and smiled. "You're not the first," he said. "I told you, no worries."

Pez and I are now set to sail across to Boston on Sept 8 -- our first cruise, and man, do we ever need a holiday at this point! And what a perfect way to emigrate to the US, don't you think? :)

/Mez

Re: DCF London success! (Long)
 

Congratulations.

I don't think you need to do anything about the address error. When you arrive in the US and go through secondary immigration, the first thing they check is that they have the correct address.

Re: DCF London success! (Long)
 

Interesting read! Thanks.

Been looking for cases involving Singaporean/Ameriican couple but futile so far.

Would appreciate case stories of Singaporean/American experiences.

Also like to know if DCF is applicable in Singapore?

Thanks in advance for any and all input. :)

Re: DCF London success! (Long)
 

Congratulations on the successfully DCF.

May I ask you to post that on the AOS experience page for DCF/I-130 experiences. Your experience will add much to the resources of the NG.

http://www.kamya.com/interview/intro.html

Thanks

Rete

Re: DCF London success! (Long)
 

gardencity wrote:
    >
    > Interesting read! Thanks.
    >
    > Been looking for cases involving Singaporean/Ameriican couple but futile so far.
    >
    > Would appreciate case stories of Singaporean/American experiences.
    >
    > Also like to know if DCF is applicable in Singapore?

www.google.com "US embassy singapore"

The answer should be somewhere here

http://www.usembassysingapore.org.sg/

I would try under "Visa Information." They appear to have an email address or you
could telephone if you are inclined. If you contact them it is unlikely they will
know what DCF is so form the request to ask whether they accept immigrant visa
petitions directly filed by a US citizen in Singapore (or similar).

Re: DCF London success! (Long)
 

L D Jones wrote:
    >
    > gardencity wrote:
    > >
    > > Interesting read! Thanks.
    > >
    > > Been looking for cases involving Singaporean/Ameriican couple but futile so far.
    > >
    > > Would appreciate case stories of Singaporean/American experiences.
    > >
    > > Also like to know if DCF is applicable in Singapore?
    >
    > www.google.com "US embassy singapore"

Or, for newsgroup info, go to groups.google.com

DCF London success! (Long)
 

Mez,

It was good news to me that you had success with your DCF. Congratulations. I
see you will be flying into Boston. To live or simply the POE? We live in
Boston, is why I'm asking.

Could you help me clarify two points of confusion? Is the DCF (direct
counsular filing) and the I-130 the same? Is there a residency requirement to
file a DCF?

George

Mez wrote:
    >
    > Haven't had a chance to post since our journey into London on Friday (BT
    > "accidentally" cancelled my SurfTime account).
    >
    > Hubby Pez and I took an early train into the city and caught a cab down to
    > Portland Square for his 8a.m. medical. We had an hour to play with so stopped in
    > McDonald's for coffee and tea, then sat on some benches to wait and worry about
    > what was to come.
    >
    > At 7.45 we joined a short queue outside the doctor's office, which grew to 15-20
    > people by the time the doors opened. We were all led to a *very* nice sitting room
    > (former dining room from the looks of it) and handed instructions in pink sheet
    > protectors. They wanted a photograph, passport, completed medical questionnaire and
    > vaccination record. Pez and I had spent quite some time the night before copying
    > and ordering all of our paperwork, and marking everything with little fluorescent
    > post-its, so he was the first to bring his folder to the desk. Someone else wrote
    > recently that this is no guarantee you'll be called first, and they were right! It
    > was about 15-20 minutes before Pez deciphered his name being called over the tinny
    > speaker system. (The joke became, if it's YOUR name, you'll recognize it. ;) )
    >
    > Thankfully I had bought a couple of magazines to read at Euston. They came in
    > handy. It was a good half hour before I saw Pez again, and by then the waiting room
    > had almost completely emptied and new arrivals were quickly filling the chairs. He
    > was returned to me with a bandage on his inner right elbow. We were then led to
    > another room where he received his Tetanus/Diptheria jab, the only one he required.
    > He was handed a rolled brown tube which contained his chest x-ray, and we left for
    > the Embassy.
    >
    > I'd never been to the US Embassy in London before, and yet the change since 9/11
    > was obvious. Half the street out front and the entire side street were closed off
    > with concrete barricades. British police patrolled the perimeter inside the fence
    > carrying rifles -- a sight that impressed me greatly the first time I landed at
    > Heathrow back in 1995. Now it just disappointed me...I had expected to see some
    > snappy Marines!!
    >
    > The guard at the gate checked Pez's passport but not mine, and his interview
    > letter. Then we walked around to the back of the building and up to the security
    > desk, where we removed our jackets and tossed them and our bag onto the security
    > scanner, and walked through the metal detector.
    >
    > Once upstairs to the IV unit, a sign read 'check in at desk 1 or 2'. The setup
    > reminded me a lot of a US DMV office -- lots of chairs on one side, several
    > partitioned booths on the other. We went up to desk 1 where a gentleman took our
    > interview letter and asked us to sit down. About 10 minutes later we were called to
    > desk 2. Another very friendly gentleman took all the relevant paperwork from us.
    > This included the I-864 and supporting documentation, and an I-864A with more
    > supporting documentation. (I had to figure this out myself in the end due to our
    > strange financial cicrumstances -- we're self-employed in the UK -- but for anyone
    > else who files DCF for their spouse and will be using their spouse's income and
    > assets to top up their own income to the poverty level guideline, you need to have
    > them fill out an I-864A!) Anyway, I wound up apologising for all the post-its, and
    > he just laughed and said it was no problem. We were then asked to go to the window
    > at the back of the room to pay the visa fee, and bring back the receipt. Then we
    > sat again.
    >
    > A little while later we were called to a third desk where a very smartly dressed
    > man greeted us. I'm sure this gentleman is very nice away from his job, but
    > something about his posture immediately intimidated BOTH of us! He had us raise our
    > right hands and swear to tell the truth, then perused our paperwork. He questioned
    > us about various things he picked from the information. For instance, he wanted to
    > know what we did for a living, and if I had worked in 1999 (a year I had no tax
    > return for as I *hadn't* worked). All the while I kept looking at the two great big
    > American refrigerators in one corner behind him running off a transformer -- the
    > same way we run the one I brought from the States with me -- and wanting to make a
    > lighthearted comment about this, but this fellow's manner suggested all was serious
    > and idle chit-chat would be ill-advised.
    >
    > One thing that did catch me off-guard was his request for an address in the US for
    > Pez's greencard. As we're emigrating to the US in September and don't yet have an
    > address there, I was able to give him my father's address in FL. Unfortunately I
    > don't often write my dad via postal mail (we communicate almost exclusively via
    > e-mail) so I wasn't sure about the address. And when I got home later I realised
    > I'd got it wrong. I'm in the process of finding out what to do to correct this. But
    > a hint for others filing DCF who don't have a permanent US address yet -- bring
    > your address book! Immediate family member contacts appear to be acceptable.
    >
    > Within a few minutes it was over. He told us to come back at 1 to pick up Pez's
    > visa. We couldn't believe it, we were done and it was just before 11 a.m.! We
    > wandered out to a nearby cafe and then took a walk and had a quick doze in a small
    > park beneath the trees until quarter to 1 before heading back. After being
    > chastised (kindly) by the security guard for worrying about the whole process, we
    > waited only a few minutes in the visa unit before we had the sealed brown envelope
    > in hand, with a sheet on front giving all the visa specifics and an information
    > sheet. It wasn't until we got outside the doors of the visa unit, at the top of the
    > stairs down to security, that we felt safe to hug each other in joy and relief. The
    > security guard saw us and smiled. "You're not the first," he said. "I told you, no
    > worries."
    >
    > Pez and I are now set to sail across to Boston on Sept 8 -- our first cruise, and
    > man, do we ever need a holiday at this point! And what a perfect way to emigrate to
    > the US, don't you think? :)
    >
    > /Mez
    >
    > --

name="george.charpied.vcf"

filename="george.charpied.vcf"

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n:Charpied;George L. tel;pager:617-638-5795 Id. no. 1586 tel;fax:617-638-6424
tel;work:617-638-6423 x-mozilla-html:FALSE org:Center for Voice and Swalloiwng
Disorders;Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery version:2.1
email;internet:[email protected] title:Director adr;quoted-printable:;;Boston
University School of Medicine=0D=0ABoston Medical Center=0D=0ASuite 601, 720
Harrison Avenue;Boston;MA;02118;USA fn:George L. Charpied end:vcard

Re: DCF London success! (Long)
 

George Charpied wrote:
    >
    > Mez,
    >
    > It was good news to me that you had success with your DCF. Congratulations.
    > I see you will be flying into Boston. To live or simply the POE? We live in
    > Boston, is why I'm asking.
    >
    > Could you help me clarify two points of confusion? Is the DCF (direct
    > counsular filing) and the I-130 the same? Is there a residency requirement
    > to file a DCF?

DCF simply means that one has filed an I-130 directly at a US consulate abroad. In
many but not all cases, there is a residency requirement for the US citizen. Contact
the consulate for a definite answer. Not all do DCF (it's their choice not a
requirement).

Re: DCF London success! (Long)
 

In the UK there is a residency requirement, i.e. you have to have valid Entry
Clearance from the IND in the UK to be able to file the I-130 with the INS in the US
Embasssy London.

We recently did this and have our interview next week, post questions if you have
any.
S.M.

"L D Jones" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > George Charpied wrote:
    > >
    > > Mez,
    > >
    > > It was good news to me that you had success with your DCF.
    > > Congratulations. I see you will be flying into Boston. To live or simply
    > > the POE? We live in Boston, is why I'm asking.
    > >
    > > Could you help me clarify two points of confusion? Is the DCF
(direct
    > > counsular filing) and the I-130 the same? Is there a residency requirement to
    > > file a DCF?
    >
    > DCF simply means that one has filed an I-130 directly at a US consulate abroad. In
    > many but not all cases, there is a residency requirement for the US citizen.
    > Contact the consulate for a definite answer. Not all do DCF (it's their choice not
    > a requirement).

Re: DCF London success! (Long)
 

LD Jones
Thanks for your input. Before I posted the query in this forum, I did surf the websites you mentioned. However, there was no relevant info on immigration visa. Reckon that is understandable as some degree of 'bureaucracy' should exist.

My Singaporean friend and her American beau, and I, are still quite clueless as to what to do.

Will call the embassy to ask, remembering to phrase the query the way you have 'tipped'.

Thanks again. And to you too, MrTravel.

Re: DCF London success! (Long)
 

Btw, the goal is to adopt the right steps to ascertain not just the happy union of two international sweethearts, but also to lessen as much hassle, and be subject to minumum bureaucracy as possible, so as not to unduely disrupt both their work commitments.

Still hoping to hear from more 'who have succeeded'. Thanks:)

DCF London success!
 

LD Jones,

Thank you for the reply. I thought the I-130 was the same, only the manner
and place of submission being different. Thank you for confirming my
thoughts. The I-130 web site does not make this distinction
(http://www.geocities.com/immigration...30/outside.htm). I checked
another site (G. Balas) and found the country of interest supports DCF. But,
thus far, none of the sites I've visited indicate a residency requirement.
I'll pursue this issue further, however.

A brief history may help. My wife and I, last year, had our AOS interview.
But we offered that a 'ceremony' took place in her home country. No one there
recognizes church ceremonies, but the INS officer set about a 'research' to
discern if we'd '...contravened the tenets of our K-1.' One year and four
months later we still have no answer. According to the INS' own web site
documents, only 'civil' ceremonies, documented by a state official witness, a
signed license, with all the state sanctions, are considered bona fide to
meet INS requirements (as we did with 90 days of my wife arriving here). In
any event, we've gone back and forth wanting to identify a time frame for
closure of the research and what we might expect. The INS provides nothing
but 'AOS pending' comments when we inquire. We asked our local congressional
representative if it were possible to answer the question as to how long the
process may take. Be mindful of the fact the we asked only for an idea of how
long the process may take, not that they speed up the process or facilitate
our AOS. But they were helpful in only finding that the foreign service
manual is at variance with INS codes on this topic. We thought we might be
proactive and investigate other options, such as the I-130 and its DCF
equivalent, in the event the INS agent decides to void our AOS.

George

L D Jones wrote:
    >
    > George Charpied wrote:
    > >
    > > Mez,
    > >
    > > It was good news to me that you had success with your DCF.
    > > Congratulations. I see you will be flying into Boston. To live or simply
    > > the POE? We live in Boston, is why I'm asking.
    > >
    > > Could you help me clarify two points of confusion? Is the DCF (direct
    > > counsular filing) and the I-130 the same? Is there a residency
    > > requirement to file a DCF?
    >
    > DCF simply means that one has filed an I-130 directly at a US consulate abroad. In
    > many but not all cases, there is a residency requirement for the US citizen.
    > Contact the consulate for a definite answer. Not all do DCF (it's their choice not
    > a requirement).

name="george.charpied.vcf"

filename="george.charpied.vcf"

begin:vcard
n:Charpied;George L. tel;pager:617-638-5795 Id. no. 1586 tel;fax:617-638-6424
tel;work:617-638-6423 x-mozilla-html:FALSE org:Center for Voice and Swalloiwng
Disorders;Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery version:2.1
email;internet:[email protected] title:Director adr;quoted-printable:;;Boston
University School of Medicine=0D=0ABoston Medical Center=0D=0ASuite 601, 720
Harrison Avenue;Boston;MA;02118;USA fn:George L. Charpied end:vcard

Re: DCF London success! (Long)
 

George

The US Consulate in Moscow "use" to do DCF without a residency requirement by the USC. However, a few months back they rescinded that procedure.

I know your wife was from a FSU country but don't recall which one and which US Consulate she would have been using.

Wonder what would happen if you were to move to another INS jurisdiction and had to request the file to be transferred?

Thinking of you both and wishes this nightmare would end soon for you both and on a positive note.

Rete

Re: DCF London success! (Long)
 

Thanks, Ameriscot. Pez seems to recall that the greencard is issued 4-6 weeks AFTER his arrival in the US, so what you say sounds right. /Mez

Re: DCF London success! (Long)
 

Hi George,

we're actually *sailing* into Boston! Just our POE; home will be in NY State or PA. I wish we could meet up but unfortunately we won't even have a chance to look around. We'll have to pick our dogs up from the airport later the same day, then drive to NY State. I suppose that's the price we have to pay for lolling on a ship for 7 days!

But I wish all the best to you and your wife, and hope you're able to sort out her position very soon and with a positive result.

/Mez