I-130, Petition for Alien Relative from London?

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I am a US citizen living with my husband in UK. I applied for his immigration visa in November 2010 using I-130 petition and sent to US embassy in London on address given on their website which is:

USCIS Field Office

American Embassy (DHS/USCIS)

Post Office Box 2444

London W1A 5WT

Till today they have not even deducted the payment from credit card and we are really worried if they have lost our documents somewhere. I have sent several emails to scslondon@state.gov asking if they have received my documents however every time i get a standard response saying call this number 09042-450-100 and i could not speak to anyone on this number, it looks like it’s just an IVR and answer to my question is not available on IVR.

Please help me, shall i reapply if yes then on which address or do i need to wait more

[jkb11 26]

Hi!

Looks like you've sent the documents to an incorrect address. From the USCIS site:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=c67c7f9ded54d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD

Where to File :

All petitioners who live in the United States or Canada and who are filing a stand-alone Form I-130 must submit their petitions to the Chicago Lockbox facility. Form I-130 petitions filed with the Chicago Lockbox will be routed to and adjudicated at the appropriate USCIS Service Center. This routing will be based on the petitioner’s place of residence.

So the correct address would be:

The USCIS Chicago Lockbox:

For U.S. Postal Service:

USCIS

P.O. Box 804625

Chicago, IL 60680-4107

For Express mail and courier deliveries:

USCIS

Attn: I-130

131 South Dearborn-3rd Floor

Chicago, IL 60603-5517

Best regards!

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I am really grateful for your response, looks like i am on my way to get help.

This address was given on US embassy UK website:

http://london.usembassy.gov/dhs/uscis/index.html

Do i need to send that to this Chicago address even if me and my husband are living in UK for last two years ?

[Penguin_ie 5,986]

***** Moving from USCIS to DCF forum as OP is filing directly with consulate *****

The above is incorrect; you were right to send it to London as you reside with your husband in the UK, Did you send the petition in some trackable way?

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No i am afraid, i think that was the most silly mistake of my life is not to send it as tracked one.

Do you know how much time does it to receive any acknowledgement or to deduct payment, and would it be a wise decision to resubmit my application along with a cover letter explaining everything.

Secondly can i use DX service for that ?

[Christi85 86]

Oh dear, sorry to hear about your situation!

Good news is - the address you sent it to is CORRECT. You are a UK resident so you apply through the Consulate and NOT via the Chicago Lockbox.

Now, like Penguin said, did you use recorded/special delivery so that you could track it? In other words, are you confident that the package has been received in the first place?

If not, maybe it was lost in the post.

Unfortunately USCIS in London has slowed down considerably in the past few months, so they're still processing early October applications, BUT they should have sent you an email confirmation of receipt within about 2 weeks of receipt of your petition package. Then your petition would sit on a pile and wait for a couple of months, but the initial confirmation and the payment processing should have happened fairly soon.

Have you tried emailing USCIS.London@dhs.gov?

You may have better luck with them. Mark your email as "URGENT" in the hope that they'll notice it and that they'll respond soon.

I'm wondering if it's a good idea to re-submit the petition at this stage, but ideally you'd want to have established whether they have it or not.

[Christi85 86]

No i am afraid, i think that was the most silly mistake of my life is not to send it as tracked one.

Do you know how much time does it to receive any acknowledgement or to deduct payment, and would it be a wise decision to resubmit my application along with a cover letter explaining everything.

Secondly can i use DX service for that ?

We must have been typing together.

Try the email I gave you above.

Like I said above, it normally takes up to 2 weeks from submission to receive an acknowledgment and for the money to be taken out, in rare cases maybe up to 3 weeks. But I've never heard of anything longer than that (it took us exactly a week).

Yes, I believe you should be able to use DX if you find you have to resubmit.

Edited January 26, 2011 by Christi85

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Hats off to you Christi85... you are a greatttttttttt!!!! help

I will try that email now.

Edited January 26, 2011 by umb

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I have emailed them.Do you know USCIS London office contact number.

[Christi85 86]

I have emailed them.Do you know USCIS London office contact number.

Sorry, I don't. Just from the website, I found this number: 09042-450-045 which I think may be the Embassy's main switchboard. I tried calling there once thinking it was the IV helpline, but it wasn't, but my call was answered immediately by a very polite lady. Try giving them a ring and see if they can put you through to someone in the USCIS London Field Office.

Good luck!!

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They sent me a pdf file which states that my documents were received in November. However there is no name or reference number on it.

Thats a big relief Once again thank you very much for your help and time.

[Christi85 86]

They sent me a pdf file which states that my documents were received in November. However there is no name or reference number on it.

Thats a big relief Once again thank you very much for your help and time.

That's great news - at least you now know they got it and you have your filing date!!

Now sit tight and wait as it might take another month or two till you hear anything again. There's a lot of waiting involved in this process.

Don't worry about the name/ref number. It is the standard PDF confirmation they send to everyone. The only thing that changes is the filing date and you know it's the right one because they've sent it to your email address.

A reference number (case number as they call it) is only given later, after your I-130 has been approved, after your file has been transferred to the Immigrant Visa Unit, probably a couple months from now at current pace.

After you get your I-130 approval, they'll send your file to the IV Unit. They'll then take their time with it and about a month after I-130 approval you'll get a letter from the IV Unit informing you of your case number and the next steps leading to the interview.

Edited January 26, 2011 by Christi85

[Brad&Ameq 0]

Its weird that they haven't cashed the payment. If an application is accepted then the payment is usually cashed and accepted in a matter of days. Thats something that I would be concerned about. Before the application can start processing they must accept the payment. I would try calling 020 7499 9000 (This is the embassy main switchboard. See if they know anything about the petition, or if they could transfer you to a USCIS individual.

[Sergi9 110]

Hi!

Looks like you've sent the documents to an incorrect address. From the USCIS site:

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=c67c7f9ded54d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD

So the correct address would be:

Best regards!

HEY ! Wake up an read the thread before sending someone on a wild goose chase.

I feel better now. argghhhhh

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Christi85 you are a star.. As per USCIS London website "As of January 20, 2011, we are processing petitions filed on October 1, 2010".

So hopefully in next 1 month i should get my approval.