Natalien

Or maybe I don´t even need the beneficiary ID. I can print and mail the DS 230 instead of filling out the online application which asks for the ID number. Is that what you all did?

Hi Everyone,

Thanks again Ulises for your response about emailing to get my case number. I have it now, and the packet 3 info, but I´m trying to fill out the 230 online and it asks for a beneficiary ID number. Does anyone know what this is about? I called Juarez to ask, and they told me they don´t have this number, only the NVC has it, but our cases don´t go to NVC right? I called NVC anyway to check, and they don´t even have my case number on file. What should I do? How did you guys obtain this number? I can´t believe we need another ID number in addition to the invoice ID and the case number. Thanks!

-Natalien

Hi guys! I am totally new to this DCF thing. I have no idea what it is or what the difference is. I have all my paperwork ready for a k-1 visa but since I have lived in Mexico for almost 5 years with my fiance someone suggested that I go for the DCF. Can you guys give me some information on what it is and the process? I am just so confused haha. Thanks in advance!!

Hi Sarah and Oscar,

The difference is that if you are willing to get married in Mexico, you can go ahead and directly file for your husband or wife´s green card with the US embassy in Mexico City or Monterrey, whichever is your jurisdiction, there may be another one where you can file but I´m not sure. It saves a lot of time and money. If you go to the US with a fiance visa you will have to do more paperwork to get the green card and to be able to work and everything. If you get the green card now, you can skip all those steps. We were going to do the K1 visa process originally, but decided against it. You have to fill out the I-130, petition for an alien relative and turn in all the corresponding documents. These are listed under the CR1 process. Let us know if you have anymore specific questions. Good luck!

Thanks Ulises!

Hi Everyone!

I´m having a bit of trouble getting my case number. Maybe I just haven´t waited long enough. My documents were sent from Mexico City to Juarez over a month ago, so I would think they should have it by now. I´ve been calling the 703 number and they keep telling me to call the NVC. That´s not right is it? Can they find my case number with my husbands first and last names or do I need another number from the receipt? Thanks in advance!

Hi Everyone!

I´m having a bit of trouble getting my case number. Maybe I just haven´t waited long enough. My documents were sent from Mexico City to Juarez over a month ago, so I would think they should have it by now. I´ve been calling the 703 number and they keep telling me to call the NVC. That´s not right is it? Can they find my case number with my husbands first and last names or do I need another number from the receipt? Also what´s the next step after getting the case number? Do I fill out the form DS-260 online and make an appointment? Thanks ahead of time!

Thanks for sharing Natalien! I think it was me who was unsure about traveling directly to DF to file. I can definitely understand the advantages, but since we're not in a big hurry (at least not yet ) and DHL / UPS / FedEx etc... usually gets where it needs to go if you're sending or receiving in one of the big 3 (Guadalajara / Monterrey / DF) I think I will just ship my petition to DF, even if it means a longer wait. As far as the Money Order - I hate to be redundant b/c I know I've asked this question before, but when using DCF can one really not write a check from a US Bank ? I could get a money order here in GDL, but since it's not something that's very common here in Mexico from what I've seen and I'd feel so much better just writing a check If I can't write a check, are there any other payment options?

Hi dhudson! As far as I know there are no other payment options at the Mexico City consulate. They told me they only accept money orders. I know it´s a pain in the ####, and it´s not typical here. Maybe someone else out there had a different experience, but that´s what the woman in the USCIS/homeland security office in Mexico City told me when I filed. She said they don´t accept personal checks. You can check at the casa de cambio around your city and see who can do it. Let me know if I can help you out more.

-Natalien

Hello Everyone!

Sorry I´ve been MIA for awhile. I just wanted to report that my husband´s docs were accepted in Mexico City the same day! I finally called to find out after 2 weeks instead of waiting for the mail. She was very nice and told me that the case was accepted and mailed and probably has already gotten to Juarez. I read that someone wasn´t sure if it was worth it to go all the way to Mexico City to file. I would say it definately is if you´re in a hurry. You never know with Mexican mail, and I have read that the documents can sit around for days or weeks before they´re correctly distributed. I also read that someone posted that Casa Tiber wasnt around anymore, but it is. That´s where I ended up going to get my money order. It´s only a couple of buildings down the street from the embassy, but it´s on the 14th floor or something like that. They told me where to go at the embassy. A word of advice- don´t bring dollars if you still need a money order. The guys at the exchange house told me I had to purchase pesos with my dollars (at a horrible rate) then proceed to buy the money order (to be written in dollars) with pesos! I ended up running around different banks to get a better exchange rate to convert my dollars back to pesos. You would think it would be more logical to use dollars to get a money order in dollars, but apparently not! Good luck to everyone!

Hi Natalien! Welcome!

ulises is right, there is some anxiety due to the reliability of the postal service here, and they told us two months as well. But in reality if your papers were in order they approve them really fast. It has been two months for us and we are waiting for an interview date! Hang in there, NOA1 and NOA2 will come in the coming weeks. We never received an NOA1, just NOA2 (which actually isn't called that) - it's the approval of the I-130 and that they're forwarding it to Juarez.

Best of luck, and do keep us updated on how everything is going.

Thanks Chuk! And good luck to you with everything. I´ll keep everyone posted.

-Natalien

Hi Natalien,

You won't get anything like a NOA, cause you didn't file through NVC.

Most of us that went in person were approved the next day, but we didn't know until we got a letter stating that our petition was approved.

In my case I filed on December 16, 2010, and got the approval letter on january 4, 2011. The letter stated that my petitions were approved on december 17.

I wouldn't be worried if I were you. Where do you live? Did you give a different address than where you live in form I-130? Usually USCIS in Mexico sends the letter to your current address, not to the address you specify in I-130. That happened to me at least, and they send it via UPS I think, but UPS in turn hired a different carrier called am/pm in Guadalajara, and they never showed up in my home, finally they called me to let me know that they had a packet for me and if I didn't pick it up they would return it to Mexico city.

Be patient, all of us here have suffered the same anxiety, but believe me, the process is pretty fast.

For me, the whole process took exactly 4 months.

Thanks so much Ulises! I just got a little freaked out because the woman at the embassy told me I wouldnt get an approval letter from them for 2 months and that it would be sent by regular Mexican mail! She also told me the whole process would take 8 months. I didn´t realize that everyone else that was approved the next day didn´t actually find out until later. Now I know. Thank you! I live in Guadalajara, and my address was the same on all forms, so it should get sent here. I´ve also heard the the process should take around 4 months. One of my colleagues did DCF and that´s about how long it took. It´s nice to know it was the same for you. Take care!

-Natalien

Hello Everyone!

I finally filed the I-130 for my husband in Mexico City on Monday. I´m a bit worried because they gave me nothing called NOA or notice of action. I have read on this forum that those who went to Mexico City to turn in their forms in person got this NOA the same day or the next. The woman who was there when I went told me I could expect to hear something in 2 months! What should I do? How did these people find out if they were approved the next day? I could cry. Help!

Well, looks like I´m going to get a new FM3. Yes, I cancelled the old one, so I shouldnt have to worry about fees or grace periods. I´m getting all the paperwork together now because it seems like DCF is worth it. Can´t wait till all this is over!

Hello everyone,

I´m an American living in Mexico with my Mexican husband and we are trying to file for his US residency. I have a strange situation because I used to have an FM3 but I didn´t renew it after I stopped working and now I have a tourist visa. So, I assume that I must send the packet to the US even though I have a residency here. My question is how fast is DCF? Is it worth it to wait and process another FM3 just to file in Mexico City, or is the CR1 process also going fast right now in the US? Fast as in 6 months or less...Thanks!