beldos

thanks YuAndDan! That makes me feel better. Anytime we are waiting to receive something we both get really nervous and hung up on technicalities.

Thanks a lot for your prompt reply!!

Sarah

Hi everyone. I hope that someone can help me and my husband with our query.

We arrived from the UK with K-3 visa in the U.S. on 6/26 and he applied for a work permit on 7/7. Because we are only on one income, we decided to stay with my parents in Michigan for a while and save money.

However - our ultimate destination is San Francisco.

Because we assumed the work permit would arrive in early October (about 3 months), we have bought a one-way plane ticket to SF for 10/4. I figured that if the work permit arrives after we leave, my parents could send it to us in California.

Now my husband is worried that he will be required to sign for his work permit - and because we won't be in the state, he won't be able to do it! I know how crazy the visa bureaucracy can be and I don't want to screw anything up due to a technicality.

We are not sure if we should cancel our plane ticket and just wait around to book another trip after we have work permit in hand...but that would mean losing quite a bit of cash, of course!

Does anyone have any insight? Do you think it would be problematic to move during this time? Does anyone remember if they had to sign for their work permit?

Thanks in advance!

Sarah

I used my UK address.

I see that you have a similar situation as me and were allowed to do it in London - maybe they just made a judgment call. The criteria doesn't seem very clear!

update: We have had our DCF visa application returned because the UK is not my primary residence (since I only arrived in September 2006). So it seems that DCF is not necessarily available to anyone who has limited leave to remain...

It's true! I have just spoken with someone on the Visa hotline about doing DCF through the London field office. He said that the rules have changed in the past month and now anyone who has permission to live and work in the UK (including if they've lived here for under six months) is eligible!! spread the word!

thanks for your help! I would never have found out about the rule change if people hadn't suggested phoning for info...

i want to thank everyone again for their advice. i had previously read on this forum that i would need to live in the UK for at least two years to do DCF - "go straight to the source" is excellent advice. i will call them and let everyone know what the outcome is.

Sarah

Thanks for your response - I am living here with a Visa and can stay for up to two years but am not a resident as of now so cannot use DCF.

I didn't realise about the Vermont service centre processing the K3 - I'll make sure to give a careful read to the info.

In the meantime, can anyone else see anything wrong with using my US address despite residing the UK?

Hi everyone!

I am the USC living in the UK for six months with my British husband and we are just starting the process.

My questions:

Is it OK to use my parents' address in Michigan as my official address on all forms? Or would that be considered suspect, as I actually reside abroad?

If I do use the MI address, is that the state I should file with? The last state I lived in was California, but I'm not sure if that matters to the officials. Does anyone have advice?

Thanks in advance.

Sarah and Will

Hi there - thanks in advance for your help.

I've read the general requirements for the I-864 both on this site and on the U.S. official site, but I'm still feeling confused/worried about "domicile" and am hoping some people could respond with their experiences or offer advice. Our main objective is to not be forced into living apart while I establish domicile in the U.S.

I have lived abroad as a TEFL teacher for the past few years, but now my English husband and I are settled in England and starting the visa process for the U.S.

The whole time I've been abroad, I've completed tax returns (using my parents' address in Michigan, though some income was earned in California thru a summer job there), maintained a U.S. bank account (address in Michigan), maintained U.S. credit cards (Michigan address), and have a current California driving license. I have also started a distance learning degree from a U.S. university based in California.

Is this enough to satisfy the domicile requirement, in your opinion? Will the California/Michigan difference matter?

My father runs his own business and could also offer me a potential job, but I wouldn't likely take him up on it upon settling in the U.S. Would the job offer help our case or would it sound suspicious in some way?

I'd appreciate any feedback.

Sarah