US Immigration from Taiwan

Hi all,

I'm currently in the process of DCF i-130 with exceptional circumstances in Taiwan.

Thanks for all those who are generous about sharing the experiences so that I can feel more comfortable in the process and know what's gonna happen next.

I've never seen anyone sharing DCF experience in Taiwan so I think I'll contribute here and help those who also qualify for DCF.

Exceptional circumstance:

Short notice of position relocation

My husband (then boyfriend) got a job offer in early July, and the position will start from Jan. 1, 2023. Prior to this, he's been in Taiwan for work for almost 5 years.

We want to shorten the time of being apart as much as possible so we first consulted a lawyer about what options we have.

After realizing we are highly possible to qualify for one of the exceptional circumstances, we decided to try DCF by ourselves since our situation is quite straightforward.

Here is the timeline so far:

Aug. 26, 2022 Lawyer consultation.

Aug. 29, 2022 Emailed AIT(American Institute in Taiwan) if they accept DCF.

Aug. 29, 2022 AIT replied an hour later to ask for the explanation of the exceptional circumstance in detail and submit it along with copies of our passports, his Taiwan ARC, I-130, I-130A, proof of his exceptional circumstance, divorce decree (if any), and marriage certificate.

Sep. 14, 2022 Got married.

Sep. 22, 2022 Emailed AIT the proof of exceptional circumstances and the documents.

Sep. 22, 2022 AIT emailed back an hour later and scheduled an interview for filing I-130 at the embassy a week later.

Oct. 03, 2022 Interview at AIT and submit the documents. The interviewer said that our documents look good and we shall receive the notice for the next step a week later.

Oct. 11, 2022 AIT emailed us to provide the case no. and the next step. AIT told us to email them as soon as DS-260 filled online and the required documents (I-864, birth certificate and police record) are ready to schedule an interview.

Oct. 12, 2022 Emailed AIT to notify them the completion of DS-260 and the required documents are ready.

Oct. 13, 2022 AIT emailed back and scheduled the next interview on Nov. 8.

This is the timeline so far. I'll update it as the progress moves forward.

So far everything is going fast and smoothly. AIT is very responsive and on time.

The best thing about submitting documents in person is that they check if you miss anything required.

The interviewer is nice and friendly. He asked me if I'll stay in Taiwan for the next 6 to 10 weeks. Then when we ask how long the whole process is going to take, he said around 4 to 6 weeks.

I'm excited to know if this process is really going to go through before 10 weeks mark. But of course we need to have everything ready for the next interview to avoid getting RFE.

Feel free to ask me any questions. Hopefully this post can be helpful.

Hello all, just had a little rant and wanted to know how some others have dealt with issues similar to mine. I m currently with my wife in a third country waiting (10 months into the I-130). Her and I are both leaving back to our home countries out of necessity in 2 weeks after living together for almost a year. In this time, I have gotten even more incredibly close to her, and I m already mourning the fact that I will have to split with her at the airport. And if I knew for sure that I would see her again, perhaps I could deal with it. But the uncertainty and odd things/red flags of our case makes me feel like there s a chance I won t see her again. Also the state of the world, if something happens and we are separated it s safe to say it s really getting to me. Im trying to enjoy these final weeks with her, but it s overshadowed with the reminder that it won t be much longer and I won t have her next to me. How has everyone else dealt with this? Any advice?

Discovered I made a small mistake(I think), on my I-130 petition. On the part where it ask for the beneficiary's city/town/village of birth, I entered the wrong city. I put the city where my Chinese wife had her Hukou registered and lived as a child, but she was actually born in a neighboring city.

Is this going to affect anything? I'm thinking of sending a note to USCIS through the "unsolicited evidence" function explaining the mistake. Should I do that, or just leave it?

Hello,

Our I-129F NOV 2 recently got approved.

I m a Canadian PR, working remotely for a Canadian company, and getting paid in CAD. My employer agrees to continue my employment arrangements until I m hirable (I.e. post EAD approval) in the US, then they will transfer me to our US entity.

In planning for the next stages, I wonder if I can work continue to work remotely and getting paid in my Canada bank account while waiting for I-765 EAD?

If the answer is yes, do I need to pay income tax for my Canadian salary during the EAD wait period? (Kinda dumb that the immigration system is decoupled from IRS)

Similarly, can one be self employed while waiting for I-765 EAD?

Hello,

I have a police certificate from Thailand and need to get it translated for the NVC stage. They want a certified translation. Will one of those companies online that offer translation services with a document do? If so, does anyone have any recommendations for a specific website or company that worked for them? Thanks.