As some of you may know, as soon as international USCIS offices began accepting I-130 petitions from applicants of other countries within their jurisdiction, I mailed mine in to USCIS London. For about three weeks after this rule change, the US Embassy in Dublin website were directing all Irish resident petitioners to file directly with London.

In the last week of March, Dublin updated their website and are again accepting applications directly at the Embassy with an appointment.

I'm assuming that once filed with them, they either send in the petitioner's name and SS number only to USCIS London for a background check or send the whole packet in and wait for it to get back to them. The previous is the most logical scenario. Perhaps someone who has filed at the US Dublin Embassy can clarify this?

My concern is that USCIS London might have a special unit assigned to process applications from countries other than UK and this is a much shorter process. However, since I filed with London directly, my application might now be in a queue with other files from UK only applicants.

Is this a distinct possibility? Might I have shot myself in the foot by being so gung-ho and acting upon the change so quickly? I was just so excited that I didn't want to take the chance of the rules changing again.

I know that the average USCIS London processing time of 3 months isn't that long. However, if it is a shorter process if/when local embassies file on your behalf, then I'd be beating myself up for not having waited that bit longer to just file locally instead.

What do you think?

I know that it's not going to matter in my case anymore as I've filed already and what's done is done. I'm just curious especially if someone in Ireland did file directly with US Embassy Dublin after me but got processed a lot quicker.

heh.. Only The Shadow Knows!

I do not know about Ireland but I heard people that they started the process at the embassy in countries without USCIS Office and their I-130 was approved in 1 DAY. So maybe "only he shadow knows"

I visited the US Embassy Dublin website last night and they've changed the rules again.

They have now gone the way of USCIS London (even the I-130 checklist is very similar) where you can no longer file in person with an appointment. The I-130 has to be mailed in to Dublin now.

What happens after that, whether Dublin sends it in to USCIS London as part of a queue, I have no idea.