Mexico DCF or file in US?

[Natalien 0]

Hello everyone,

I´m an American living in Mexico with my Mexican husband and we are trying to file for his US residency. I have a strange situation because I used to have an FM3 but I didn´t renew it after I stopped working and now I have a tourist visa. So, I assume that I must send the packet to the US even though I have a residency here. My question is how fast is DCF? Is it worth it to wait and process another FM3 just to file in Mexico City, or is the CR1 process also going fast right now in the US? Fast as in 6 months or less...Thanks!

[nikolacolada 21]

How long will it take you to get a new FM3? I'm an American living in Mexico as well with an FM3. If I had known then what I know now, my fiance and I would have done this process much differently. We would have gotten married and then filed with the Consulate in DF.

Since right now you do not have a valid FM3 yes you must file through the U.S. The benefit of DCF is the first step, the actual filing and approval of the paperwork is much quicker than filing through USCIS. Right now for a K1 the wait is somewhere between 4-8 months depending on where you are filing and luck. Looking at processing times on this website the CR-1 seems to have the same wait time. By filing DCF you are saving months of waiting time, as they tend to approve the paperwork within weeks-- or at least that's my understanding.

Now- did you let your FM3 expire and then not renew it, or did you cancel it? If you just let it expire and didn't renew it, and you are outside of the grace period that they give you for renewal then it's going to be difficult to get another one. I don't think it's impossible, but I think there are fees and involved.

[Natalien 0]

Well, looks like I´m going to get a new FM3. Yes, I cancelled the old one, so I shouldnt have to worry about fees or grace periods. I´m getting all the paperwork together now because it seems like DCF is worth it. Can´t wait till all this is over!

[Mz_Barracuda 1]

Well, looks like I´m going to get a new FM3. Yes, I cancelled the old one, so I shouldnt have to worry about fees or grace periods. I´m getting all the paperwork together now because it seems like DCF is worth it. Can´t wait till all this is over!

Hi ... what does "DCF" stand for? what is the difference of filing in Mexico or filing in the USA.

[Mz_Barracuda 1]

Hi ... what does "DCF" stand for? what is the difference of filing in Mexico or filing in the USA.

Nevermind... just figured out what the abbreviation stands for )

[Penguin_ie 5,984]

DCF stands for Direct Consular Filing- ie you send your paperwork directly to the embassy rather than a lockbox in the USA. It is usually a significantly shorter process, but the US xitizen needs to have been a legal resident abroad for 6 months before filing.