Canadian/American couple confused about DCF

[bobdoug 0]

I'm Canadian, my wife is a U.S. citizen. I was in the U.S. in the 90s on a TN1, and she moved up here with me when my 12 months were up. We got married in Canada in 1999, and have been here since then, now with 3 children.

We're looking at our options for going back to the U.S., and as I suspect, I now have more options than just a TN1 that has to be renewed every year. But I'm confused about I-130, DCF, K3, etc. From the guides and FAQs on this site, it looks like we'd likely use the DCF method at the nearest U.S. consulate (Vancouver, BC).

Thing is, my wife (the American in this relationship) is a stay-at-home mom with no income. I thought I read somewhere about proving the sponsor can financially support the couple, but maybe that was when I was looking up K3, IR-1, etc... I cannot find that anymore, don't know where I initially read it.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me? Thanks!

[ksa2usa 0]

Your wife could potentially file for you via DCF, if she meets the US domicile requirement. She would have to show that she has some kind of permanent residence in the USA still ( I used my parent's adress, where all my US mail goes). If you wife is not able to be your sole financial sponsor, then she will need to find a co sponsor to help out. They will need to make enough to support themselves, and your entire family. There should be a guide on how much that might be for your particular family size.

Also, DCF is actually a IR/CR1 visa, meaning that upon entering the USA you would become a permanent resident, and recieve your green card in the mail soon after.

My advice is to contact your consulate and ask them about your options.

Best of luck to you!

[trailmix 77]

I'm Canadian, my wife is a U.S. citizen. I was in the U.S. in the 90s on a TN1, and she moved up here with me when my 12 months were up. We got married in Canada in 1999, and have been here since then, now with 3 children.

We're looking at our options for going back to the U.S., and as I suspect, I now have more options than just a TN1 that has to be renewed every year. But I'm confused about I-130, DCF, K3, etc. From the guides and FAQs on this site, it looks like we'd likely use the DCF method at the nearest U.S. consulate (Vancouver, BC).

Thing is, my wife (the American in this relationship) is a stay-at-home mom with no income. I thought I read somewhere about proving the sponsor can financially support the couple, but maybe that was when I was looking up K3, IR-1, etc... I cannot find that anymore, don't know where I initially read it.

Can anyone shed some light on this for me? Thanks!

Hi bobdoug,

ksa is correct. You could apply for your IR1 (immediate relative) visa at the Vancouver consulate, however you will need to go to Montreal for the interview (Vancouver only processes K visa applications - however they will accept your application for processing there - it's the interview you will have to travel to Montreal for).

K visas are 'non immigrant' visas, - k1 (sponsor your fiance(e) ) and K3 (sponsor your spouse).

Yes, your wife will need to prove that she has sufficient income (from a U.S. source) to support you at 125% of the poverty guidelines.

If you do not have enough in assets (cash, house, 2nd car, etc) to prove 3 times the poverty guidelines (you have to prove more if you are using assets) - then you will need to find a joint sponsor. There is a lot of information on this site that you will probably want to have a look at which will pretty much explain everything to you, then you may want to post back with any questions.

If you have not already done so, you will also want to have a look at registering your children's birth at a U.S. consulate, if they were born in Canada - to document their U.S. citizenship.

You might want to have a look at the information below:

The Visa Journey Canada Forum (found by clicking on the Forums tab (above) then scrolling down to Regional Forums and clicking on Canada):

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showforum=93

DCF filing explained (found by clicking on the Guides tab at the top of the page):

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...om&page=dcf

Edited December 1, 2008 by trailmix