DCF in Italy - Help!

[quickatie 0]

Hi everyone!

I'm new here and have been scouring the site for any help I could get for DCF in Italy. A quick background: I live in Italy and I am a legal resident in Italy since 2006 and have all of my work papers in order. I have been with my Italian fiancé for 4 years, we got engaged about 6 months ago and were planning on getting married in Italy in 2012 with no urgent plans to go to the US.

Recently, however, my father's illness has become increasingly concerning and I feel I need to be with my family, at least for a year, maybe more, while my dad gets treatment. My fiancé and I both prefer that we go to the US together and live/work in the States. Because of a series of coincidences, the best time to return to the US would be the first of July of this year. I already have a plane ticket (bought with the intention of making a quick trip to attend a friend's wedding) and my contract at work expires June 30, even though my employer has the full intention of renewing it. I have no job prospects in the US, but have both my parents who are eager to have me home and would be happy to host us in their home until we get on our feet with a job and some income.

It's already the end of April!! Is there any chance in hell that my fiancé and I will be able to get married, get our paperwork in and have everything settled by the first of July?? We've already decided that getting married at city hall would be fine for now... we'll think about a more relaxed wedding celebration at a later date... I'm more concerned about the paperwork. Where do we begin? Who do I contact?? I've seen a lot of helpful links, etc, but many do not seem to be up to date and I'm finding this very confusing.

If anyone has any past experiences they can share about DCF in Italy, especially which papers I need to get in order and processing times, that would be really really appreciated!!

Grazie!

[Penguin_ie 5,996]

It is not impossible, but unlikely to get everything done by the 1st of July, as you are not even married yet. What should be possible is to start the process by then, so you can return to the USA if you so choose (which is possible after the I-130 if filed), and your new husband can join you a few weeks later.

[Bugsey34 0]

Hi Quickkatie,

I just started the DCF process in Italy. I have done a lot of research on it though I only just sent in our I-130. I don't think you'd be able to get it all done by July. Usually the other expats I have known who have done it recently have gone though a 3-5 month process. As the other poster said, you could still go back to the US after the initial filing. I know someone who has done everything from the US, though she is coming back to Italy for hte Naples interview, because she heard that if you've just recently gotten married it's better if the spouse is there. The Expats in Italy forum has quite a lot of information about this as well if you look at the old threads. Good luck!

[quickatie 0]

thanks to both of you for your responses!

in the meantime, my husband and i got married (yay!), we sent in our i-130 today through dcf (yay!) and now trying to prepare everything we can for the next part of the process. i fly out in about 10 days and since i'm much better at this paperwork stuff than my husband, i'm feeling the pressure to get everything handled!! the hardest part is dealing with italian red tape. my husband has lived in three different italian cities during his life, so it's just a matter of knowing who to call for what documents, and praying that they get here quick!

thanks again for your input, it's been a crazy month, but i'm glad things are moving along!!