How to pay I-129F application fee from abroad?

[designutensil 0]

Hi all. I'm a US citizen, applying for a K-1 for my Japanese fiancée. We currently live together in Japan, but because of visa restrictions I need to move back to the States in 3 months. We've finished everything necessary to send the application off to the Texas lockbox, but we have been running in circles trying to figure out how to pay them.

The sites all say "check or money order". I've been living in Japan for 5 years, I don't have an American bank account with checks. I called about money orders and they said it has to be from a "financial institution based in the US", whatever that means. I've tried calling again and again and the USCIS refers me to the Japan Visa Center, which refers me to the USCIS.

Basically, how the hell do you give them your money?? I also asked if I could forward the package to my parents (who are living in the US), have them include the check and then forward it on to the lockbox, they said "no it has to be in your name". I found this online payment thing and was about to go through with it until the woman on the phone said something about "interview" and discovered that it's for the INTERVIEW fee, not the APPLICATION fee. They do not make this easy and I'm at my wit's end. Does anyone have any insight on how to give them my money when I'm oversees??

[jamiealderson 0]

We are filing abroad from Ireland. I emailed the Dublin, Ireland embassy for advice because I was also concerned with how to pay. I was told to get a bank draft from a Irish bank in $. We got our NOA1 today so I'm hoping that means the bank draft was fine. You should be able to go to a bank there and get a bank draft in $. Don't know if a bank draft and a money order are the same thing. Good luck!

[Benediction 15]

I believe Paypal could help you.

[designutensil 0]

I believe Paypal could help you.

How so?

[ams2121 0]

We are filing abroad from Ireland. I emailed the Dublin, Ireland embassy for advice because I was also concerned with how to pay. I was told to get a bank draft from a Irish bank in $. We got our NOA1 today so I'm hoping that means the bank draft was fine. You should be able to go to a bank there and get a bank draft in $. Don't know if a bank draft and a money order are the same thing. Good luck!

Hi Jamiealderson,

Could you please tell me who you made your money order out to? I emailed dublincons@state.gov and they said USCIS. I just wanted to see what you did?

Thanks,

Sasha

[skiptex 225]

U can't send to parents and have put in money order?

[jamiealderson 0]

Hi Jamiealderson,

Could you please tell me who you made your money order out to? I emailed dublincons@state.gov and they said USCIS. I just wanted to see what you did?

Thanks,

Sasha

Hi Sasha,

We made our bank draft out to "U.S. Department of Homeland Security" that's what it said in the i-129f insturction packet. Hope this helps!

Jamie

[ams2121 0]

Thanks Jamie.

Have you received any feedback yet?

I have heard three different things now on who the money order shoudl be made out to

1. USCIS (the dublincons@state.gov email)

2. US Embassy (by the place I paid 16 euro to talk to)

3. Dept of Homeland Security (you and the instructions on the filing form)

I assumed it wouldn't be to DHS as on the instruction form it says

1.The check or money orders must be drawn on a bankor other financial institution located in the United States and must be payable in US currency AND

2.Make the check or money order payable to US. Department of Homeland Security

3. If you live outside the United States, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or sonsulate for instructions on the method of payment.

[ams2121 0]

Hi Sasha,

We made our bank draft out to "U.S. Department of Homeland Security" that's what it said in the i-129f insturction packet. Hope this helps!

Jamie

Thanks Jamie.

Have you received any feedback yet?

I have heard three different things now on who the money order shoudl be made out to

1. USCIS (the dublincons@state.gov email)

2. US Embassy (by the place I paid 16 euro to talk to)

3. Dept of Homeland Security (you and the instructions on the filing form)

I assumed it wouldn't be to DHS as on the instruction form it says

1.The check or money orders must be drawn on a bankor other financial institution located in the United States and must be payable in US currency AND

2.Make the check or money order payable to US. Department of Homeland Security

3. If you live outside the United States, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or sonsulate for instructions on the method of payment.

[jamiealderson 0]

Thanks Jamie.

Have you received any feedback yet?

I have heard three different things now on who the money order shoudl be made out to

1. USCIS (the dublincons@state.gov email)

2. US Embassy (by the place I paid 16 euro to talk to)

3. Dept of Homeland Security (you and the instructions on the filing form)

I assumed it wouldn't be to DHS as on the instruction form it says

1.The check or money orders must be drawn on a bankor other financial institution located in the United States and must be payable in US currency AND

2.Make the check or money order payable to US. Department of Homeland Security

3. If you live outside the United States, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands, contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or sonsulate for instructions on the method of payment.

No feedback, no RFE, our NOA1 was 3 months ago. I wouldn't listen to the Dublin Consulate because as of now, you aren't dealing with the Dublin Consulate, you are dealing with USCIS. I know that the instrucations say to ask your local consulate if you're filing from abroad. But that is referring to HOW to make the payment, ie what type of check to send, not WHO to make the payment to. From the instrucion packet, from where you quoted, #2 makes it clear that you are to make the check payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

[ams2121 0]

No feedback, no RFE, our NOA1 was 3 months ago. I wouldn't listen to the Dublin Consulate because as of now, you aren't dealing with the Dublin Consulate, you are dealing with USCIS. I know that the instrucations say to ask your local consulate if you're filing from abroad. But that is referring to HOW to make the payment, ie what type of check to send, not WHO to make the payment to. From the instrucion packet, from where you quoted, #2 makes it clear that you are to make the check payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Hi Jamie,

We just got a rejection in the post with all our documents returned saying the I-129f was missing my (the petioners) address. I filled out every line one the I-129f however I put my Irish address as I have been living here for 3 years now. Did you and yours put a US address in this field?

[jamiealderson 0]

That's frustrating! Sorry to hear that!

My fiancé and I live together, so when we filed the i129f, we both put out Irish address on all the paperwork. We got our electronic NOA1 a few days later. 2 weeks after getting the email NOA1, we still hadn't received our hard copy NOA1. We got an email saying that our hard copy NOA1 had been sent out and returned back to the CSC. For some reason it was undeliverable to our Irish address, not sure why. So we just ended up changing the address to my mom's address in California and that solved our problem. They then sent out another NOA1 hard copy to my mom's address.

I don't think our situations are they same, sorry I can't help. Good luck!

What I mean by saying I don't think our situation are the same, is that our problem was that they could never deliver mail to us in the first place, not that they were missing any address for the petitioner.