I am creating this new topic to post about my experience with direct consular filing and IR1 visa application at the US embassy in Paris. I am a French citizen married to a US citizen, and we have been living in France for several years; we both got job offers in the US in late April with September start dates.
The Paris embassy usually does not take I-130 petitions, which means that applicants from France usually have to send their petition to the Chicago lockbox, wait for a super-backlogged USCIS service center in the US to approve the petition, transfer the case to the NVC, wait for the NVC to process the visa application and transfer the case to the embassy. As far as I can tell, the entire process (from the time the petition is sent to visa issuance) takes about 10-12 months these days.
However, the Paris embassy does take I-130 petition under some special circumstances, such as having a short-notice job offer in the US. This was precisely our case, and the process was amazingly quick. Here are the details:
[we gave the details of our situation -- and highlighted the fact that we had job offers with September start dates].
- May 16: the embassy responded by e-mail:
Quote
As you noted, effective August 15, 2011, all I-130 petitions for an immediate relative must be filed directly with the USCIS Chicago lockbox,www.uscis.gov
Embassies without a USCIS presence such as the US Embassy in Paris, may now accept petitions in very limited and urgent circumstances such as military emergencies, medical emergencies, threats to personal safety and cases close to aging out. This is not an exhaustive list and each case is reviewed individually,http://www.uscis.gov/forms/expedite-criteria
If you believe there is a compelling reason to accept the filing of the I-130 petition in Paris, please submit via email scanned copies of documentation/evidence of filing at post, such as firm letter of the employer in U.S. with date of relocation, legible copies of U.S. passport and beneficiary(ies) passports, Marriage certificate (Copie Integrale de l’Acte de marriage if it took place in France), birth certificates and the case will be given every consideration.
- We responded on the same day, with all the required scanned documents + job offer letters. From what I understand, it is important to show (1) that your petition has a high likelihood of getting approved (they accept cases that look quite straightforward), and (2) that you have a legitimate reason to file at the consulate. The list of legitimate reasons is detailed on the USCIS website link above, but also in 9 FAM 504.2-4(B)(1)(b)(3)(g) and in USCIS PM 602-0043.1 ("Short notice of position relocation: A U.S. Citizen petitioner, living and working abroad, who receives a job relocation within the same company or subsidiary to the United States, or an offer of a new job in the United States with very little notice.") -- we put these citations in our e-mail.
- June 2: the embassy responded to our DCF request by e-mail, and asked us to make an appointment to file the petition at the embassy. Both of us had to be present. We took the earliest appointment available (June 7).
- June 7: we filed the I-130 petition at the embassy; and made a medical appointment for June 21.
- June 16: the embassy sent an e-mail informing us that our petition had been approved; I filled the DS-260 online form immediately.
- June 21: medical appointment; I also received the visa interview appointment at the embassy for July 5.
- July 5: visa interview at the embassy (only I had to be present). The consular officer informed me at the end of the interview that the visa had been approved, and that I would receive the visa and passport in about 10 days.
Direct Consular Filing of I-130 petition in Paris
in Direct Consular Filing (DCF) General Discussion
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I am creating this new topic to post about my experience with direct consular filing and IR1 visa application at the US embassy in Paris. I am a French citizen married to a US citizen, and we have been living in France for several years; we both got job offers in the US in late April with September start dates.
The Paris embassy usually does not take I-130 petitions, which means that applicants from France usually have to send their petition to the Chicago lockbox, wait for a super-backlogged USCIS service center in the US to approve the petition, transfer the case to the NVC, wait for the NVC to process the visa application and transfer the case to the embassy. As far as I can tell, the entire process (from the time the petition is sent to visa issuance) takes about 10-12 months these days.
However, the Paris embassy does take I-130 petition under some special circumstances, such as having a short-notice job offer in the US. This was precisely our case, and the process was amazingly quick. Here are the details:
- May 12: we sent a message to the visa section of the embassy using the contact form: https://fr.usembassy.gov/visas/visa-section-contact-form/
[we gave the details of our situation -- and highlighted the fact that we had job offers with September start dates].
- May 16: the embassy responded by e-mail:
- We responded on the same day, with all the required scanned documents + job offer letters. From what I understand, it is important to show (1) that your petition has a high likelihood of getting approved (they accept cases that look quite straightforward), and (2) that you have a legitimate reason to file at the consulate. The list of legitimate reasons is detailed on the USCIS website link above, but also in 9 FAM 504.2-4(B)(1)(b)(3)(g) and in USCIS PM 602-0043.1 ("Short notice of position relocation: A U.S. Citizen petitioner, living and working abroad, who receives a job relocation within the same company or subsidiary to the United States, or an offer of a new job in the United States with very little notice.") -- we put these citations in our e-mail.
- June 2: the embassy responded to our DCF request by e-mail, and asked us to make an appointment to file the petition at the embassy. Both of us had to be present. We took the earliest appointment available (June 7).
- June 7: we filed the I-130 petition at the embassy; and made a medical appointment for June 21.
- June 16: the embassy sent an e-mail informing us that our petition had been approved; I filled the DS-260 online form immediately.
- June 21: medical appointment; I also received the visa interview appointment at the embassy for July 5.
- July 5: visa interview at the embassy (only I had to be present). The consular officer informed me at the end of the interview that the visa had been approved, and that I would receive the visa and passport in about 10 days.
- July 17: I received my passport and visa. :-)
Overall, the process took about 2 months.