To DCF or not?

[bradf 0]

I'm a US citizen who's been living in Shanghai for 10 years, and married to a Chinese citizen for the past three years. We've decided to start the immigration process, but I have a question about the first step (I-130): Is DCF always preferable to filing at the Chicago lockbox?

I've read on this forum that DCF can be faster by several months, and if that's really the case, the hassle of a one-day trip to Beijing seems worthwhile. However, I emailed the Beijing USCIS office yesterday to make sure I'm eligible for DCF, and this is the response I received:

Our earliest appointment is on Jun 06. Our office will typically complete an approvable case within 30-45 days. If additional evidence is needed it can take longer. A review of Service Center processing times indicates their overall processing times are less than this. If you choose to express mail your petition to the Chicago Lockbox, you may receive a quicker decision. Of course the choice is yours, and if you wish to file the petition with our office, please respond to confirm your appointment on Jun 06 at 2:15pm.

What do you think? Should I go with DCF or Chicago?

[Ryan H 3,790]

If you DCF, you will be able to skip the NVC steps.

[bigdog 376]

Maybe DCF? We did K-1 what a pain, we would have gotten married then applied in retro.

[bvpshenvalley2 1]

Chicago takes 8 months or more--check the visa processing timelines on this site. If you have residency in the country that you are trying to file DCF you should be eligible. To my best knowledge DCF is always faster.

[bradf 0]

Thanks for the responses. I'd looked at several timelines before, but hadn't fully understood all of the steps -- or that DCF would allow me to skip the NVC steps. I've made an appointment with the Beijing office, and will be updating my own timeline as I go through the process.