Can I send a check (from my bank in the USA) to Chicago lockbox SEPARATE from the petition form (sent from Ukraine)?

[mark-aaron 2]

I'm in Ukraine with no checks for my bank here.  My bank has a service where they will draft a paper check and send to the lockbox.  So basically this means all our paperwork and forms will be sent separately from the payment.  Will this work?  If not, what is my solution?   

[geowrian 22,337]

That probably won't work. They'll either get the I-129F first and see no payment, reject it, and send it back, or they'll get the check first and not have anything to attach it to, reject it, and send it back. They can get several hundred I-129Fs (along with thousands of other types of forms) per day at the lockbox location, so they won't search through all that paperwork to see who it matches up to.

 

You have a few options:

1. Have your US bank send you a new set of checks to your foreign address.
2. Have them do the same service you mentioned, but send the check to your current address first.
3. Send the I-129F paperwork to a trusted friend or family member in the US who can then write their own check and mail it to the lockbox. Obviously payment to the friend would need to be coordinated. Who writes the check doesn't matter...they just need the money to process the paperwork.
4. Have a friend or family member send you a check (with you paying them obviously). It's basically the opposite of above, which would likely take longer due to shipping, but protects your paperwork from being viewed or tampered with.
5. In many countries, you can contact the embassy for other ways to get a suitable payment. Often, it's via a check from a local bank (assuming you have one there) made with US-based funds. But the embassy would have the details.

[mark-aaron 2]

Sounds like solid advice.   I called the Embassy here and they said to send the petition and pay the fee later (which is totally wrong), everywhere online says the fee needs to be paid beforehand or they won't process it.  

I think the fastest option is to send it to a friend in the USA, then have them send the whole thing together from there.  

[kris&me 572]

international money order

that is what i sent to my daughter when she was an exchange student

[geowrian 22,337]

15 minutes ago, geowrian said:

That probably won't work. They'll either get the I-129F first and see no payment, reject it, and send it back, or they'll get the check first and not have anything to attach it to, reject it, and send it back. They can get several hundred I-129Fs (along with thousands of other types of forms) per day at the lockbox location, so they won't search through all that paperwork to see who it matches up to.

Whoops, I assumed this was for a K-1 visa, but there is no Chicago lockbox for a K-1. The same thing generally goes for whatever petition you are filing...just ignore the "I-129F" references. XD

Edited April 9, 2017 by geowrian

[mark-aaron 2]

1 minute ago, kris&me said:

international money order

that is what i sent to my daughter when she was an exchange student

I am not sure if I can get that in Ukraine, I will look into it thanks!

[mark-aaron 2]

3 minutes ago, geowrian said:

Whoops, I assumed this was for a K-1 visa, but there is no Chicago lockbox for a K-1. The same thing goes for whatever petition you are filing...just ignores the "I-129F" references. XD

It's an I-130 actually, spouse.

[geowrian 22,337]

Just now, mark-aaron said:

It's an I-130 actually, spouse.

Ah, okay. thanks! Yeah,. same guidelines apply. A money order can work as well (as noted above)...it just needs to be drawn upon via US financial institutions and payable in USD (https://www.uscis.gov/forms/paying-immigration-fees).