I-130/CR-1 Visa Process DCF in Italy

[mseh25103 1]

My husband and I began the entire process in February 7, 2017 and by the end of March 2017 we were approved for the CR 1 Visa. I wanted to share the process with the hope that I can be of use and help to those filing in Italy!

 

We began by putting together our I-130. We included everything in our checklist. I called the U.S. Embassy in Milan about 5 times just to ask questions and to clarify anything I was not sure about on the checklist. In example, I had read that you needed to be a resident of Italy for at least 6 months before being apply to apply, but when I called, they told me that it didn't matter, just as long as I had my "permesso di soggiorno." Though, I did have a temporary permesso by June 2016 and received my permanent one until January 2017. I included copies of both in my packet. 

 

Things I included to prove bonafide marriage:

1. Italian healthcare booklet copies that showed my husband and I shared the same family doctor and address. 

2. Copy of a notarized affidavit written by my mother stating her knowledge of the relationship between my husband and I 

3. Copy of our joint bank account cards

4. Letter written by myself explaining our relationship and our story

5. Copies of the stamped pages of my passport to show when I came to visit husband, vacations, and roadtrip through East Europe we took to visit his birth place

6. Copies of first part of our instagram pages where you can see posts of us together

7. In timeline order:

• Printed pages of few texts before and after marriage
• Mail sent by family and friends to our address in Italy for me which also usually included a note for husband
• photos of us before and after marriage of us when were dating, vacationing, with family and friends, honeymoon, and the wedding. 
• Wedding receipts 
• Copies of gift receipts 
• Copies of hotel receipts

 

Our I-130 packet was approved in about 1.5 weeks after it was sent. We did not find out until 3 weeks later though because I called to ask the embassy since I had not heard anything. Our letter of approval arrived a few days later even though I had filled out the form for electronic notification. 

 

Our case was received on March 15, 2017 which was when we received our case number and information packet on everything we needed to have and do for the interview. It was received through email. 

 

We redid our evidence of bonafide marriage, gathered his police certificates (2), birth certificate (just for the beneficiary, not petitioner), I-864 packet for me and my joint sponsor since I had not worked in over a year, copy of his passport, marriage certificate, 6 passport style photos and the rest which I can't remember at the moment. 

When we had gathered everything we made an appointment online for the next week in Naples.

 

We booked our room at Palazzo Mirelli which was a great place to stay. Our window faced the U.S. Embassy.

We had the medical the day before our appointment. We arrived at about 7:40 or so. You get a ticket from the electronic machine in the front and sit and wait for your turn. They first did Chest X Rays,then they took some blood, then a talk with the doctor about where we would stay and what vaccinations husband had had so they took a look at his medical record/Vaccine history, then we found out he needed two vaccines so we went to do that and done. IMPORTANT: you should bring cash. we only had our debit card and had to pay up front, but there was no one there anymore (that dealt w/ the visa people) so we had to wait about 30 minutes so someone could come and let us pay and it was a hassle. 

The whole process took a little less than two hours.

The day of our appointment we got in line at about 7:35ish and we were the second ones in line. We were let in and waited in the waiting room for a few minutes. We then got called in to a more private window and a very nice Italian officer took our documents. You should have copies of your birth certificate, marriage certificate, and possibly police certificates (?) because they will ask for the copies of those. The only documents he didnt ask for were the proof of marriage.

 

we were then told to sit down and wait for the interview. We waited about 20-30 minutes. The interview was very short. The American officer asked my husband when and where we met and when did the relationship become serious. ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE: As the beneficiary I did not expect to be asked questions, but I was. I had included in my I-864 my intent to reestablish domicile in the U.S., but the officer still asked me what were my plans when I got back and how could I prove that I was not planning on live 6 months here and there, etc. and whether I had a plane ticket. I could only tell her I had not made such concrete moves yet bc I was waiting to see if my husband was approved for the visa. I also did not have a lease or a job or really anything in Italy so i had nothing to close or quit. She told me i could write a letter stating my intent and plans in America. I still had an open bank account, my american phone number, we were moving in with my mother temporarily so I also wrote that, and I still had my car in America. I was also looking for work. She accepted it all and said we had been approved.

 

My husband received his visa in the mail about 3 days later

 

Long post but if anyone has questions, please ask :]

 

 

 

 

[aless02 9]

Thanks for the write-up!! Totally jealous of your very short processing times compared to London (I am grateful still quicker than filing in the US). Best of luck with your move.

[mseh25103 1]

@aless02 Thank you! I hope your process is going well and everything goes smoothly!

[Katherina 0]

Hi mseh25103

 

Thank you for the write up. My husband (USC) and I (Italian citzen) are just starting the process and are about to send off our I-130 packet to the USCIS field office in Rome. I hope everything will go as quickly and smooth as your case! We have been together for 6 years and will be married for 2 years this June. We also have a 1 year old son together. The three of us live together in Alto Adige. I work at a local research institution, but my husband is currently unemployed. Fortunately we kept joint and separate bank accounts in the US, my husband still has active investment accounts there and also a valid driver's license and a mailing address. We have only moved back to Italy from the US 7 months ago to try out live here before we'd settle for one country :), however, my husband does have a permesso di soggiorno!

 

Just one question: you did not mention much about the NVC step, which I have read, can take up to several months. As it usually goes, you make a petition, which gets accepted (or not). If it gets accepted it is forwarded to the NVC, who will then send you an instructions packet along with invoices to be payed online. Once all the documents have been submitted and invoices have been payed the NVC send the info on to the consulate/embassy abroad. Then you will be invited for an interview.

 

Do I understand it right that DCF id possible in Italy and that this is what you did? Did you file your I-130 with USCIS in Rome?

 

Thanks for your answer!

[millefleur 5,047]

1 hour ago, Katherina said:

Just one question: you did not mention much about the NVC step, which I have read, can take up to several months. As it usually goes, you make a petition, which gets accepted (or not). If it gets accepted it is forwarded to the NVC, who will then send you an instructions packet along with invoices to be payed online. Once all the documents have been submitted and invoices have been payed the NVC send the info on to the consulate/embassy abroad. Then you will be invited for an interview.

There is no NVC in the DCF process. Everything is done directly st the Embassy. This is another reason why DCF is so much faster. You also don't have to pay anything to the NVC either, making it cheaper as well.

 

Have you received your case number yet? Once you have a case number, you can schedule the interview yourself.

 

[Katherina 0]

Thanks millefleur for you answer!

 

I must have missed that these steps are removed in DCF! That is great news!

I have no case number yet as we are sending the I-130 off next week!

I only just discovered these posts referring to Italians trying to immigrate through a marriage based application but learned a lot.

 

Thanks again for your quick answer with such good news!

 

[millefleur 5,047]

It's confusing, I know. The NVC will still be mentioned on the paperwork when you schedule the interview but ignore it. It doesn't apply to DCF filers.

 

Once your I-130 is approved, you'll get a case number. You use this case number to schedule the interview. Concerning the I-864 and 'proof of domicile' part, it may vary by Embassy, but you will give that to the Embassy directly. Here, they just took it on the same day of our interview. We handed them all financial docs and domicile evidence the same day. Maybe it Italy you do it before the interview or it might be the same day like it was here.

 

Hopefully one of the other posters can verify that for you.

[ValeZamp 5]

You don't need to send anything to the consulate in Naples after your I-130 is approved. 

USCIS in Rome will send your approved petition to the consulate in Naples and they will contact you via email. You will receive your case number and the IV packet in this email.

once you gathered all the listed documents, you will schedule your interview online. The day of your interview you will have to give them all the documents. 

[dee_emme 0]

Hi there! I was wondering how it is that you were able to do a DCF. I'm unsure on how to access the process at the embassy in Milano. Thanks!

[Katherina 0]

 

On 7/18/2017 at 7:30 PM, dee_emme said:

Hi there! I was wondering how it is that you were able to do a DCF. I'm unsure on how to access the process at the embassy in Milano. Thanks!

Hi dee_emme,

as long as you fulfill all requirements for DCF (you both live in Italy and your partner, the petitioner, has proof of residency (permesso di soggiorno, Italian ID card, certificate of residence) you can submit your I-130 petition including all the needed documentation to the USCIS field office in Rome (https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/international-offices/italy-uscis-rome-field-office) just as you would if you'd send it to the Chicago lockbox. They will then review the documents and send it all on to the Embassy in Naples who will then contact you with an NOA2 including your case number.

 

However, you can't file an I-130 with DCF at the embassy of Milan!

 

Wishing you the best of luck!

[dee_emme 0]

7 hours ago, Katherina said:

 

Hi dee_emme,

as long as you fulfill all requirements for DCF (you both live in Italy and your partner, the petitioner, has proof of residency (permesso di soggiorno, Italian ID card, certificate of residence) you can submit your I-130 petition including all the needed documentation to the USCIS field office in Rome (https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/international-offices/italy-uscis-rome-field-office) just as you would if you'd send it to the Chicago lockbox. They will then review the documents and send it all on to the Embassy in Naples who will then contact you with an NOA2 including your case number.

 

However, you can't file an I-130 with DCF at the embassy of Milan!

 

Wishing you the best of luck!

Thanks Katherina,

 

I saw the person who started the thread wrote about doing everything at the embassy so I assumed they skipped the USCIS and did everything in Milan since she references calling the embassy there, which seemed strange if she had filed in Rome. 

We would need to be in the states before the end of the year so we were just looking for the fastest route.

 

Thanks again! 

Dee

[Katherina 0]

11 hours ago, dee_emme said:

Thanks Katherina,

 

I saw the person who started the thread wrote about doing everything at the embassy so I assumed they skipped the USCIS and did everything in Milan since she references calling the embassy there, which seemed strange if she had filed in Rome. 

We would need to be in the states before the end of the year so we were just looking for the fastest route.

 

Thanks again! 

Dee

Not sure why they called the embassy in Milan...and I am pretty certain that you can't skip the USCIS part. DCF via USCIS in Rome and then an interview in Naples seems to be the fastest route possible and I see a pretty good chance of you getting an immigrant visa by the end of the year if you start the process immediately- people here report a couple of months for getting the immigrant visa doing DCF in Italy!

[ad8816 32]

Question: my fiancé and I are trying to weigh pros and cons between this visa and the K1. If we decide to get this CR-1, we will get married when he comes to America this December 2017. It would just be a civil service, however, is the wedding certificate proof enough of a bona fide marriage even if we don't have a big wedding? Also, we would provide a notarized affidavit from my mom on the validity of our relationship. I'm just trying to figure out of this Visa will be more complicated than the K1, for our situation. 

 

Thank you!

[Vale 0]

Hi to everyone!

I've scheduled the interview for the next month 

We will fly there the day before the medical visit and we will be there without te car.

Now the queston is: did someone know a good place close to the Medical center where we can stay?

We already have a good one really close to the Consulate.

Or, is it easy to reach the Medical center with pubblic transport in the early morning?

Thanks for all your experiences

 

Vale&Andy

[Dina_007 0]

On 4/18/2017 at 7:06 AM, mseh25103 said:

My husband and I began the entire process in February 7, 2017 and by the end of March 2017 we were approved for the CR 1 Visa. I wanted to share the process with the hope that I can be of use and help to those filing in Italy!

 

We began by putting together our I-130. We included everything in our checklist. I called the U.S. Embassy in Milan about 5 times just to ask questions and to clarify anything I was not sure about on the checklist. In example, I had read that you needed to be a resident of Italy for at least 6 months before being apply to apply, but when I called, they told me that it didn't matter, just as long as I had my "permesso di soggiorno." Though, I did have a temporary permesso by June 2016 and received my permanent one until January 2017. I included copies of both in my packet. 

 

Things I included to prove bonafide marriage:

1. Italian healthcare booklet copies that showed my husband and I shared the same family doctor and address. 

2. Copy of a notarized affidavit written by my mother stating her knowledge of the relationship between my husband and I 

3. Copy of our joint bank account cards

4. Letter written by myself explaining our relationship and our story

5. Copies of the stamped pages of my passport to show when I came to visit husband, vacations, and roadtrip through East Europe we took to visit his birth place

6. Copies of first part of our instagram pages where you can see posts of us together

7. In timeline order:

• Printed pages of few texts before and after marriage
• Mail sent by family and friends to our address in Italy for me which also usually included a note for husband
• photos of us before and after marriage of us when were dating, vacationing, with family and friends, honeymoon, and the wedding. 
• Wedding receipts 
• Copies of gift receipts 
• Copies of hotel receipts

 

Our I-130 packet was approved in about 1.5 weeks after it was sent. We did not find out until 3 weeks later though because I called to ask the embassy since I had not heard anything. Our letter of approval arrived a few days later even though I had filled out the form for electronic notification. 

 

Our case was received on March 15, 2017 which was when we received our case number and information packet on everything we needed to have and do for the interview. It was received through email. 

 

We redid our evidence of bonafide marriage, gathered his police certificates (2), birth certificate (just for the beneficiary, not petitioner), I-864 packet for me and my joint sponsor since I had not worked in over a year, copy of his passport, marriage certificate, 6 passport style photos and the rest which I can't remember at the moment. 

When we had gathered everything we made an appointment online for the next week in Naples.

 

We booked our room at Palazzo Mirelli which was a great place to stay. Our window faced the U.S. Embassy.

We had the medical the day before our appointment. We arrived at about 7:40 or so. You get a ticket from the electronic machine in the front and sit and wait for your turn. They first did Chest X Rays,then they took some blood, then a talk with the doctor about where we would stay and what vaccinations husband had had so they took a look at his medical record/Vaccine history, then we found out he needed two vaccines so we went to do that and done. IMPORTANT: you should bring cash. we only had our debit card and had to pay up front, but there was no one there anymore (that dealt w/ the visa people) so we had to wait about 30 minutes so someone could come and let us pay and it was a hassle. 

The whole process took a little less than two hours.

The day of our appointment we got in line at about 7:35ish and we were the second ones in line. We were let in and waited in the waiting room for a few minutes. We then got called in to a more private window and a very nice Italian officer took our documents. You should have copies of your birth certificate, marriage certificate, and possibly police certificates (?) because they will ask for the copies of those. The only documents he didnt ask for were the proof of marriage.

 

we were then told to sit down and wait for the interview. We waited about 20-30 minutes. The interview was very short. The American officer asked my husband when and where we met and when did the relationship become serious. ANOTHER IMPORTANT NOTE: As the beneficiary I did not expect to be asked questions, but I was. I had included in my I-864 my intent to reestablish domicile in the U.S., but the officer still asked me what were my plans when I got back and how could I prove that I was not planning on live 6 months here and there, etc. and whether I had a plane ticket. I could only tell her I had not made such concrete moves yet bc I was waiting to see if my husband was approved for the visa. I also did not have a lease or a job or really anything in Italy so i had nothing to close or quit. She told me i could write a letter stating my intent and plans in America. I still had an open bank account, my american phone number, we were moving in with my mother temporarily so I also wrote that, and I still had my car in America. I was also looking for work. She accepted it all and said we had been approved.

 

My husband received his visa in the mail about 3 days later

 

Long post but if anyone has questions, please ask :]

 

 

 

 

Hi I would like to ask if u still happen to remember the process of getting visa IR1 through American Embassy in Italy. I was having some doubts concern documents for medical visit .Do I need obtain medical records + vaccination records.

How did u get medical history records ? Thank you .