Hi, everyone.

The plan all along for us has been that my husband would move here from the UK, and we are assembling all the forms right now to begin the K3 process.

However, with the current delays surrounding IMBRA, as well as the possibility of my husband being offered a good job in the UK, we are considering switching things around with me residing in the UK with my husband for a while.

If we did go this route and lived in the UK for 1 or 2 years, would this be enough time to then be able to qualify for direct consular filing?

Thanks for anyone's information and insight.

I think you need to check with the embassy in London whether or not you can do direct consular filing. Anyways it will probably take 6 months to a year from what people say on this site to do the whole process so I think you could probably relax for the first year and then apply. It will take that time and then you have it seems 6 motnhs to take up residence in the US.

I believe to do it through London, you have to have lived in the UK a while. I believe you also must have limited leave to enter and remain in the United Kingdom.

But start by looking at the DCF guide first. DCF guide

kaleigh, no one knows what the immigration process will look like in one to two years. If you plan ahead though, it won't really matter if you file via DCF or are told to file in the US instead; you'll be living together already and since you'll have planned ahead, you won't have a time crunch to face.

If you think you'll be moving to the UK, there are some things you can start looking into now to maintain your US domicile to make your return easier. See the DCF Guide for some links and ideas.

Even if you don't qualify to file the I-130 in London when you're ready, you send the I-130 to the US SC covering your last address and your case would go thru regular NVC channels. Anyone living abroad should start their immigration process about 6 months before they want to return; that usually gives enough time no matter which filing method you use for the I-130.
HTH

Yep, I suppose that makes sense to be prepared for either avenue.

Many thanks for the replies.

The US Citizen must be "present and settled" in the UK to file for DCF. That means you need to have been granted your Indefinite Leave To Remain, which you can apply for two years after you enter on your UK spousal visa (which grants you two years of Further Leave to Remain and-added bonus-the right to work).

Any other questions, just ask 'em! We got through the US visa process and then DH and I got better job opportunities in the UK, so we moved here after the K-1 but before filing for AOS.