Spouse visa from US vs. DCF in London?

[thornhill 0]

I don't get it. We live in England. We got married last September, my wife (the petitioner) was in the UK for a year by then. We got her UK residency in 20 minutes (filling out the forms infront of the officer at the British consulate in Los Angeles, a day after we got married there), came home (London) and started my green-card application in November.

They told us we can't file at the consulate direct because they (the american visa people) don't accept her as a resident in the UK... even though we live, work and maintain all our existence here. I lost track of how many papers we sent out and where it all went, but what I know is that I've never heard anything from the K-3 after NOA1... insted they started sending stuff about the Green Card application...

We just sent out the Affidavit of Support packet (and included the DS-230, which I'm not sure we were meant to), and sort of wait and see. I got my police paper almost a year ago, not thinking this whole process to take so long.

Any ideas what can I expect next? I've been trying to find info, read up, educate myself but I found a lot of contradictory statements, stories all over the net. How far am I, realistically, from the interview?

[MargotDarko 0]

I don't get it. We live in England. We got married last September, my wife (the petitioner) was in the UK for a year by then. We got her UK residency in 20 minutes (filling out the forms infront of the officer at the British consulate in Los Angeles, a day after we got married there), came home (London) and started my green-card application in November.

They told us we can't file at the consulate direct because they (the american visa people) don't accept her as a resident in the UK... even though we live, work and maintain all our existence here. I lost track of how many papers we sent out and where it all went, but what I know is that I've never heard anything from the K-3 after NOA1... insted they started sending stuff about the Green Card application...

We just sent out the Affidavit of Support packet (and included the DS-230, which I'm not sure we were meant to), and sort of wait and see. I got my police paper almost a year ago, not thinking this whole process to take so long.

Any ideas what can I expect next? I've been trying to find info, read up, educate myself but I found a lot of contradictory statements, stories all over the net. How far am I, realistically, from the interview?

So you've done the IV fee bill and sent it to the NVC in America? I'm having trouble understanding where you are in the process.

[Lansbury 19]

You cannot do a DCF at the London Embassy until your wife has her Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, or whatever it is called these days, visa.

Have you looked at the Immigration Timelines there is a link above this thread to give you an idea of how long the total process takes, and each stage takes, at the Service Centre you applied to.

[MargotDarko 0]

You cannot do a DCF at the London Embassy until your wife has her Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, or whatever it is called these days, visa.

Have you looked at the Immigration Timelines there is a link above this thread to give you an idea of how long the total process takes, and each stage takes, at the Service Centre you applied to.

Hi there. The thing about ILR is no longer true as of March or April this year. Anyone with entry clearance who has been in the UK for six months or more should definitely be able to do it now.

[thornhill 0]

You cannot do a DCF at the London Embassy until your wife has her Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, or whatever it is called these days, visa.

Have you looked at the Immigration Timelines there is a link above this thread to give you an idea of how long the total process takes, and each stage takes, at the Service Centre you applied to.

Hi there. The thing about ILR is no longer true as of March or April this year. Anyone with entry clearance who has been in the UK for six months or more should definitely be able to do it now.

thanks.

So that means because we started in November, we got the wrong end of the stick and have to wait longer - for California Service Center to get their act together, as oppose to quickly get it done here in London??

I have looked at the timeline but i have a problem figuring out just where we're at... yes, I am a bit slow. what's ILR and IV Bill stand for??

I have paid $380 for the Affidavit of Support form (I-864) and sent off the packet with the DS-230. Is the next thing to get something from the embassy? (providing all paper work is in order)? Should I be expecting more bills coming my way for the visa itself, or it's just the medical bill?

[Jasmin 1]

The way you describe what you've sent back, you are doing the CR-1/IR-1 (depending on how long you've been married) = greencard. Check out the NVC flowchart, you should recognize everything. The I-864 and the DS-230 are indeed the last forms at the NVC, then it gets send to the embassy, just like you said.

[MargotDarko 0]

You cannot do a DCF at the London Embassy until your wife has her Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK, or whatever it is called these days, visa.

Have you looked at the Immigration Timelines there is a link above this thread to give you an idea of how long the total process takes, and each stage takes, at the Service Centre you applied to.

Hi there. The thing about ILR is no longer true as of March or April this year. Anyone with entry clearance who has been in the UK for six months or more should definitely be able to do it now.

thanks.

So that means because we started in November, we got the wrong end of the stick and have to wait longer - for California Service Center to get their act together, as oppose to quickly get it done here in London??

I have looked at the timeline but i have a problem figuring out just where we're at... yes, I am a bit slow. what's ILR and IV Bill stand for??

I have paid $380 for the Affidavit of Support form (I-864) and sent off the packet with the DS-230. Is the next thing to get something from the embassy? (providing all paper work is in order)? Should I be expecting more bills coming my way for the visa itself, or it's just the medical bill?

Yes, it sucks, but it's true that by starting in November you've gotten the wrong end of the stick. Good news though is that you're really quite far along in the process for an actual immigrant visa.

ILR is indefinite leave to remain - which is UK entry clearance that your wife used to need to file directly in London. IV fee bill is the immigrant visa fee - basically the cost of the actual visa. The $380 you've paid is actually the IV fee bill and the money for the affidavit of support. You don't have any more costs except the medical (which is now £200 - my husband and I are about to go through the pain of paying for it). The next thing you should get, providing everything is in order, is something from the embassy about an interview I believe. Or perhaps they'll send you information on arranging the medical.

More good news is that at the end of this (you should be just a few months away or less from the end now), you'll have either a CR1 or IR1 visa. CR1 if you've been married less than two years at the time of your interview, and IR1 if you've been married for more than two years. With the CR1, you'll automatically get a two year green card and work authorisation upon your arrival in the US. And all you'll have to do after that is file for removal of conditions 90 days or less before the green card expires. If you get an IR1, then you're really set. You'll get a 10 year green card, and will only have to worry about naturalisation if that's something you want to do.

EDIT - Just to add, you're no longer dealing with the CA service center. Everything's now at the NVC (National Visa Center) and should soon be on its way to the embassy in London.

Edited July 8, 2007 by MargotDarko

[thornhill 0]

Oh Yeah!!! Thank you MargotDarko! You have totally made my day... I think I get it now, and the fact that we are near the end of it is even greater news. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to answer my question.

Yes, i guess it's going to be the CR1 first as we are only coming up to our 1st anniversary in september.

Thanks.

[MargotDarko 0]

Oh Yeah!!! Thank you MargotDarko! You have totally made my day... I think I get it now, and the fact that we are near the end of it is even greater news. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to answer my question.

Yes, i guess it's going to be the CR1 first as we are only coming up to our 1st anniversary in september.

Thanks.

No problem! I'm glad to help. Hopefully you'll received news soon that it's been forwarded to the embassy.