Momus

I'm not an expert here, so I can only speak from my experience and what I remember, but I feel like once you are invited to schedule an interview, you can schedule it a few months away if you want.

Just call them and do it over the phone and they will be able to answer your questions. If you submit in November and have the same luck I had or better, you won't be able to schedule your interview until December anyway, so I'm sure it wouldn't be too much to push it back a couple months. If you leave in July, you just need to do the interview in February or March to make sure you don't exceed the 6-month window. I think you'll be OK, but just go ahead and file and ask them when you go.

Sorry for the late response! Haven'e been back here in a while.

The email address was posted literally above the window where I talked to the guy. I just copied it down. I didn't expect anyone to answer, but they were really on top of it. I think they answer more promptly once they have your files. If you email before submitting, they just auto-respond or ignore.

Best of luck!

I read a few accounts of visa interviews at the Seoul Embassy in preparation for ours, so I thought I'd give back after successfully completing it!

We arrived at 7:30 (which was later than we wanted, but we got hung up a bit in the morning) and there were about 8 people in front of us. Luckily, we came as a couple because the first step is to "check in" on the second floor, then go upstairs and "take a number". My wife waited in line while I snuck upstairs and snagged a number. Due to that little manoeuvre, we got #4 instead of 8 or 9. Based on what happened once we got upstairs, I'd say we saved about 40 minutes by doing that. Not huge, I guess, but worth it. There's Tip #1,

They collected our documents first, then asked us to wait around a while. We sat there for about 30 minutes. They then gave us a payment slip which we had to take to the cashier and settle up. Then we came back up and showed the receipt. We waited again for about 20 minutes.

We were called to the interview window and the guy was actually amazingly friendly and cordial. He was laughing and joking... It was actually about as nice as I imagine such a thing could possible be. He asked how we met. That's it. Nothing else. We prepared a bunch of stuff to show him, but he didn't ask. We said, "we have some photos if you want to see", to which he replied, "I don't need to, but I guess I'll take a look." He just looked at them and smiled like as if we were friends.

Anyway, the whole affair was concluded by 9:00 and we walked out of there smiling.

Best of luck to all!

After receiving our Case Number (5 working days after submitting I-130!!!) we immediately scheduled the medical check up for the next week. I wanted to be proactive and schedule the interview at the same time, but I was having a hard time with the website. It kept saying "no appointments available at this time". We went on vacation and figured we'd just take care of it when we got back. The I-130 was approved so quickly that we felt like we could relax a bit.

Anyway, we got from our trip and decided to sit down and schedule the interview. I just called them directly, rather than waste time on that website again. The guy told me the earliest appointment was October 20th. Not bad, but I really didn't want to sit around waiting for two months just for that. I said, "are you sure there is nothing sooner?" He replied, "October 20th is the earliest. Sorry." I made an audible sigh and told him, "We were really hoping to get in earlier because we would like to move in October." His response: "When would you like to come in?" .... I looked at my wife and we kind of shrugged... I didn't want to press my luck and say something like "how about tomorrow", so I just said "September 15th?"

The guy just said, " Yeah, ok. That's good, too."

A few minutes later, we got an email confirming our appointment on September 15th. This is more than a full month earlier than his first "earliest appointment." All I had to do was ask...

I hope this tip can aid others in the future. I should have gone all in and asked for tomorrow considering how easily he folded. Nevertheless, 53 calendar days from I-130 to Interview is pretty damn good, I think.

If anyone is getting ready to schedule an interview, I recommend CALLING and then just asking for an earlier date. It was way too easy.

It seems so... I don't believe it's typical or should be expected, but I guess they've got their act together over here. I strongly doubt it, but it could have helped that in my email regarding the wait time, I briefly laid out our situation and the importance of us finishing this thing quickly. He attached an obviously pre-assembled explanation of which specific conditions merit special consideration (none of which we met; stuff like persecution, political asylum, national security) but I'm sure they aren't processing a lot of refugees out of South Korea. So maybe the guy just read my situation and thought he'd do me a favour. Maybe.

Anyway, if anyone else is researching about DCF in Seoul, I hope my story can provide some encouragement.

After submitting my I-130, they told me to sit tight for about two months. This seemed a bit long based on what I had seen around here, so when I got home I emailed the officer to double check. He confirmed what I had suspected, which is that they just say "two months" to be safe, but it's likely closer to 30 days. I was pretty satisfied with that.

Exactly 5 business days later, I got an email with our case number and Packet 3!!! We already prepared everything ahead of time, so the only things left to do were the online DS-260 and medical check. We did the DS-260 immediately and already scheduled the medical for two weeks from now. We could be done with this thing in less than a month!

We are really relieved and grateful to the immigration officers at the embassy.

Finally (and amazingly), I was able to reach a real human being on the phone at USCIS! I asked and they answered.

Apostille is NOT necessary for Korean documents, provided you have a translation signed by a competent person (in this case, my wife with a degree in English Lit.).

For anyone else who may be stumbling onto this post at some point in the future: You do not need to get anything notarised or apostilled in order to file I-130 or its subsequent steps. Just have your spouse (or yourself) translate the documents and paperclip them to the Korean versions.

Despite the numerous people across the internet who have gotten an apostille (and paid) on their documents, it is not needed by USCIS according to the person I just talked to at their office. The case might be different if filing within the US when documents have been shipped to you from overseas, but I doubt it. It seems like they just don't need it at all.

Well, there's that settled.

We are filing our I-130 tomorrow (!) but my wife became troubled today after seeing some other Koreans mentioning that they had their marriage certificate "notarised" (or even apostilled). I haven't seen anything on any of the official websites about having any of the Korean stuff apostilled or notarised. Everything just says "copy of..."

I am turning in an original marriage certificate (they are only $1 to print from the Seoul municipal office next to the US Embassy. Are we good to go with that? Do we really need to get the stuff notarised or apostilled, or are the Koreans she has been reading about online just overpreparing?

Just when I thought we had exhausted every doubt about this thing...

This is my last question before filing, I promise!

Thanks again to any and all who can shed some light on this.

Ok.. Thank you!

The list for I-130 filing on this website does not mention 485, but the DCF list does, so that's the source of confusion.

Not military.

I'm living in Korea with my wife and we are about to file I-130 next week, but double checking this website I see it also says to submit I-485... I thought I-485 was for people already living in the US under a different status and seeking to change. It's not exactly a cheap form to file, either, so I want to be sure because, yet again, I am seeing different information everywhere I look. Most people don't seem to mention I-485 in their stories, but then some websites (including this one) list it among the necessary documents.

Should I prepare I-485 along with I-130, or does the I-130 along with the visa application (DS-260) suffice?

Thanks to all who can clarify!

I've been reading many threads with all kinds of wildly varying information about times, which documents are needed, and how over-prepared to be. I read about one family (husband and wife) who were able to submit their I-130 in person (my plan) AND get it approved at that very same appointment AND receive packet #3 immediately. Is this even possible?

My questions:

Do I, the USC, have to get a local (Korean) police check done? It is not listed among the things I should prepare, but I don't want to take that for granted.

The guide here on VJ lists the DS-230 (Part I and II), but that form doesn't appear on the USCIS instructions anymore. Was it replaced by DS-260? Do we need to do both and is it just for the immigrant, or do we each need to prepare that? If the DS-260 replaced the 230 but requires a case number (meaning it can not be prepared early), is it possible to submit the 230 in person instead of the 260?

I'm just confused because different seemingly-credible sources and offering different (but contradicting) seemingly-credible information.

Photos: The official instructions for the I-130 I am reading right now on their website says that the face should be about 1 inch from chin to hair. I have tons of those. The total size of the photo is 2x1.5, though. The travel.state.gov website says photos for visa purposes should be 2x2. Again, two different measuring standards for the same purpose and I am not sure which one to go with or if I should just go out and buy photos in every size and bring a separate bag just for them.

My appointment to submit is the 28th of this month, so I really want to clear those questions up before then. I've tried looking all over the internet but it has only made it more confusing. I am hoping to hear from people who have dealt with the US Embassy in Seoul and can just tell me exactly what they did (assuming it worked).

Thanks to anyone who can help!

This is not a budget process. And shipping "around the world" is a very simple thing to do. You seem to be choosing the hard way out of laziness. Not willing to pull together your own financial information. Hunker down and just get it done.

The goal is the visa and living together in the US. It's worth a few dollars and a few hours of work.

Cutting corners will lead to delays and frustrations. Choose your path wisely.

Thanks for the concern. Maybe my first post was unclear. I am doing my own I-864 with all of my financial information. I did the work of compiling everything and sitting on hold with all of the agencies and banks in order to get all of the necessary documents. I wasn't planning on a Joint Sponsor out of laziness. My main objective it "leaving no doubt" in the mind of the reviewer. Because my finances are a patchwork and not easily laid out in simple terms, I just wanted to give them something concrete and straightforward to just stamp and move on. I was just trying to avoid any delays because I honestly don't know how crazy they will be about these things.

I don't mind shelling out for the shipping, it just seemed really impractical for the sake of a signature - the same thing people used 5,000 years ago - when we have so many alternative avenues of verifying identity through electronic means.

Anyway, jut to be clear, I did hunker down and pull together everything for that. I just wanted to provide some extra security.

Well I guess it just has to be done then... Looks like I'll be biting the bullet, I guess. If it avoids getting my case delayed, I suppose a $100 here or there is worth it in the long run. Thanks for that link.

One more question about Joint Sponsors...

My joint sponsor is currently in the USA (while my wife and I reside in Korea until we are done with this process). Is the joint sponsor expected to sign the I-864 in pen and ship it around the planet or is it possible to just type in the signature? The last page is about having a third party prepare the document on behalf of the sponsor... If I "prepare" the document, does that mean we don't need the joint sponsor to physically sign it? I'm trying to avoid shelling out $100 to express ship a piece of paper.

Can I sign (or prepare) it on behalf of the co-sponsor or do we need to make arrangements to ship it?

Thanks!

Thanks so much for the reply! I suspected as much, but's nice to get some degree of confirmation. My wife has a (Korean) friend who is currently undergoing whatever the parellel immigration process is for establishing her husband in Korea and they were told that they couldn't leave until it was done. Obviously Korea handles their immigration stuff differently than the US but we just wanted to make sure.

Thanks again!

Good afternoon/morning all,

My wife and I (currently living in Korea and submitting I-130 next week) made plans to go on our honeymoon in Philippines. This trip will take place about one week after we submit our I-130. We are NOT visiting the US or any US territories. We will leave from Korea and re-enter Korea. She is worried about if leaving the country will cause any problems with our case, but my impression is that it's only problematic if you attempt to enter the US on a different visa type while simultaneously applying for another.

Will we have any troubles (related to our I-130 petition) getting in and out of Korea? I suspect that we will be back before they even assign us a case number, so I can't imagine anything. But it's always safe to ask and certainly safe to put her mind at ease!

Thanks again and as always! I'm looking forward to the day that I can give back to this community!

For all forms related to CR-1, which address should I enter? The one I am currently occupying at the time of filing or my permanent address in the US?

I have been living here in Korea for two years, but I will be leaving in a few months (hopefully with my wife). It feels odd to write my Korean address since I won't even be there by the time anyone even looks at my case. But I don't know what they want. If I am doing DCF, I should be a resident of Korea (which I am), but the house isn't mine, it's not even in my name (supplied through my employer), and I will be leaving soon.

Please advise! I haven't been able to see any concrete advice on this.

Thanks, as always!

First, I just want to sincerely thank the members of this forum for taking time to contribute their knowledge to the rest of us. It's really a wonderful thing. As far as internet forums go, this has to be the most selfless, generous, and good-natured group of people on the web.

I am currently applying for the CR-1 through DCF in Seoul, Korea. My job here will end and then I will be returning to the US to get another job, although there is nothing lined up yet. In the meantime, I should submit the I-864. I am worried that the break in steady income might raise some questions and delay our case. I have savings and investments, but it just seems like parading a bunch of additional documents is just going to gum things up even more. I thought the safest thing to do would be to just have a Joint Sponsor in hopes of simply bypassing my situation altogether.

My question is: If I have a Joint Sponsor, do I also need to submit I-864 for myself (with tax returns, etc.) or can I just send theirs and call it a night? I don't have a problem doing that, but I just want my case to be as streamlined and simple as I can make it.

Thanks again for any help you can offer!

Wow... Thank you so much for contributing to this thread. Your clarity is extremely reassuring.

I was under the impression that filing directly in Seoul would be faster, but I also feared it may have just been wishful thinking. I can handle 3-4 months.

We have enough combined savings to get us by for at least a year, and that's only if we can't find any jobs. But maybe it's safer and easier to just get the cosponsor right from the start, I guess. It doesn't really matter where the money comes from in the end, but whatever makes them ask the fewest questions and moves the process the fastest is probably the best.

Thanks again.

If I may, could I ask you which stage you are currently in? Is it possible/advisable to just prepare all of the necessary documents for the entire process at once and just submit them as we go along? And if so, do you know exactly which forms we will need?

I know about I130, 864, g325a... is DS260 needed? Anything else I don't know about yet? I've seen various things from various sources and determining which ones I need can be difficult.

I really appreciate your response.

I've only just signed up here and I am sure there must be existing threads about this, but all that I have seen so far have enough little idiosyncrasies to make them difficult to translate to my situation.

I understand that step 1 is filing I-130.

-as for that, I have seen wait time estimates from one month to one year. The website for the office in Seoul says that it usually takes less than one month. Is that a blatant lie? Everything else I look at has people waiting several months.

After that, I understand we should submit another torrent of documents before we can set up an interview. Among these is the Affidavit of Support... I took a look at it and I honestly have no idea if I stand a chance of being approved. As soon as we move to the US, I'll be enrolling in graduate school and will be living off of savings and loans for a couple years. My spouse will be able to work, so that will help, too. I know there are people immigrating to the US every day with absolutely nothing. I really have no idea about what they are looking for or what the parameters are.

I'm currently in the "totally overwhelmed and feel like jumping off the nearest bridge" phase.

Maybe I am just dreaming here, but assuming we do all of the documents properly the first time around and move as quickly as possible between steps, is it possible to get the visa in hand within 3 months?

Is it even possible in theory? Is there any kind of fee we can pay to speed things up?

My visa in Korea will expire in October and we would like to go together. I can't imagine a situation in which we are trying to do this from opposite sides of the planet for over a year. It seems so cruel that government bureaucracy should be such a huge hurdle for people who just want to live a peaceful life together.

I'm sorry if I sound desperate or scatter-brained. I'm just looking for any reassurance I can possibly get. Everywhere I look has a different set of instructions. Every information source has conflicting information with every other. I feel like I am going insane.

I just want to live with the person I love and get on with our lives.

Thanks in advance for anyone who can offer some guidance.