Butterfly1921

7 hours ago, Jess&Haruha said:

The plan is for all offices to close before the end of 2019. They started with Moscow and Manila because these offices receive less traffic. They may keep the others open through 2019 but not later. We don't know. 

 

Why are you waiting until 2020 to apply? Why not do it earlier?

Because of our jobs and personal family circumstances, it doesn’t really make sense for us to leave the UK until late next year. 

Hello,

Hope this is allowed - I remember reading in the news back in March that the current administration is planning on closing all international USCIS offices, with duties being transferred domestically. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/trump-administration-preparing-to-close-international-immigration-offices/2019/03/12/e8db2be4-44d3-11e9-aaf8-4512a6fe3439_story.html?noredirect=on

Does anybody know any more about this? I was hoping to file DCF with London, but not until early next year, so I'm a little worried this may not be an option when our time rolls around.

Thanks!

3 minutes ago, NikLR said:

The OF form thing and you only need his civil documents.  The only thing from you is the affidavit of support and docs. 

 

There is a wiki dedicated to the NVC Process.  The forms are now the ds-261 and Ds-260.  You still submit an I-864.  If your current income or assets do not meet the poverty guidelines for that year, you'll need a joint sponsor.  

Oh I see now - that's what I get for just skimming articles Thank you so much, you've been  a massive help!

1 minute ago, NikLR said:

If they rejected it without looking they send everything back.  If they reject it after looking you do lose the petition fee.  

And yes to the 2nd part.  

If you really dont want to move yourself for about a year (and yes the IoM is not actually part of the UK or Ireland according to my brief research... so wierd) we can help you with the rest. You only need 2 passport photos of you, not your husband since he is not residing in the USA.  Also some of your NVC stuff is not quite right but you have 6-9 months to get it straightened out.

Ah I see, thanks very much! It is very weird and makes for a lot of annoying situations 

Could I bug you one last time and just ask which NVC stuff isn't quite right? I know I've got ages to figure it out but I like to be prepared!  

Thanks again for all of your help!!

1 minute ago, NikLR said:

Since your potential move time is so far ahead, you could send your I-130 to them.  At most you'd lose a few months of processing if they deny it. 

Do you mean, as in I could try to go the DCF route with them? My only concern with that would be losing money if they do reject it.

As my move is planned so far ahead and DCF seems quicker, if we tried DCF now and it actually (somehow!) did get accepted, wouldn't we also need to move up our planned move?

18 minutes ago, NikLR said:

Yes. 

Did London actually deny your I-130?

So this is what confuses me.

We live in the Isle of Man, which is a crown dependency. The Isle of Man has an immigration service, but the UK handles most matters in the first instance. When I was applying for a visa to live in the Isle of Man, it needed to go through the UK Home Office.

On the Isle of Man website it says:

"The Isle of Man is an internally self-governing dependency of the British Crown; Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State. As a British Crown Dependency, the Isle of Man is entitled to, and uses the services of the British Embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world. One of the services provided by the British Embassies is to act as agents in terms of handling initial visa applications submitted for the Isle of Man."

His passport is a British passport, and the visa in my passport is for me to live in the UK, not specifically the Isle of Man (it's a common travel area, so for example people from the Isle of Man and UK can live and work in either place without issue).

So, I assumed that the London office could handle our visa application. I e-mailed them and they basically sent a short reply that "Per the Isle of Man government, the IoM is not part of the UK." 

So now I really don't understand, because even if I filed the I-130 from the US, he would still need to be interviewed which would happen in London. All Isle of Man residents use British embassies around the world and the Isle of Man immigration service doesn't seem to handle this sort of thing.

Its all very confusing

Also for the affidavit of support (I-864), as I've been employed abroad for the last three years, I'm assuming I put my current employment status but list my income as $0 as this income will not be continued once I move to the US? 

Hi all! Apologies for another post - I had originally posted asking about DCF, but it looks like that may not be an option for us. I'm now looking into the regular ol' lockbox route!

Background: I'm a US citizen, my husband is a UK citizen. We've been married 4 years, living together 3 years. We're living on an island that's considered a "crown dependency" (Isle of Man) so while he's technically a British citizen and has a British passport, apparently we don't qualify for DCF as we're not living in the "UK" as such. 

So, now I'm hoping I can start the regular CR-1 process while I'm still living with him in the UK. I'm planning on moving back to the US in January 2019, and if all goes well with this visa process I'm hoping he'll be able to join me a few months after.

I just want to make sure I understand the steps involved...

1. I'm going to fill out forms I-130, I-130A, and G-1145

2. Send forms to the Chicago lockbox along with following supplemental documents:

• Payment
• Cover letter
• Copy of my longform birth certificate
• Copy of marriage certificate (neither of us had been married before)
• Two passport photos of myself, labeled
• Two passport photos of husband, labeled
• Evidence of bona fide marriage (photos from wedding, maybe a letter from a relative, and possibly utility bills and bank statements with both our names)?

After that is sent off, I'm planning to organize my documents for the next portion, including:

• original birth certificate (is this for both of us?)
•  US tax returns for the last 3 years (do I also need to include my Isle of Man tax returns as I've been working over here?)
•  original marriage certificate
•  police certificates (for both of us?)
• copy of husband's passport biographic page
• completed OF-169/230 forms and I-864 affadavit of support

As I'm not planning to move to the US until January 2019, I'm wondering if I should ask a relative to be a joint sponsor. I do have US bank accounts and credit cards, but I'm sure that's not enough to prove intent to domicile?

I know you guys see a million of these posts a day, so I'm really sorry to be annoying! Any suggestions or advice would be very helpful Thank you!!

21 minutes ago, kris&me said:

not mentioned yet is tax returns 

as a USC you should have been  filing taxes for the income earned outside the US (using the exemption of well over $100,000) <

you, the USC, will be asked later to prove you can support your husband (and any children) using the 125% poverty guidelines along with having a US domicile

normal to ask at NVC stage for 3 years tax returns although 1 person doing dfc only showed last year's tax returns

I definitely should have been, it's my fault for not being vigilant enough. I'm hoping now that filing past due returns will be OK 

9 hours ago, David & Zoila said:

Hopefully you have been filing and paying US Income Taxes while you are away.  This might prove to be very important.  Even filing to prove you don't have to pay taxes.

Hello, yeah this is going to be where I've gotten myself into a lot of bother.

Basically I have an accountant that I used when I was back home to file taxes. When I moved to the UK, he was insistent that I didn't need to file. We had a lot of arguments about it and I sent him various websites (including IRS) basically proving I still needed to file even if I didn't have to pay, but he sort of flatly told me there's no need and came up with a lot of excuses why he couldn't do it.

So essentially I've not filed for the last couple of years, which is a major issue. It's completely my fault for not pursuing it harder. I'm in the process at the moment of filing my past due returns.

I'm hoping that if I file everything now, pay the necessary penalties and include a letter explaining my mistake they won't judge too harshly, but who knows Do you think that will have a massive negative impact on our visa app?

Good to know! Thank you both so much =)

11 minutes ago, KyK said:

You can file abroad. 

 

For establishing US domicile you write a letter explaining what you plan to do when you move back, show evidence of credit cards/bank accounts with US address, proof that you are registered to vote etc. Basically send in anything that had your name and US address on it. 

 

The I-864 is sent to National Visa Center once I-130 is approved. There is a wiki document somewhere on this forum that is super helpful. Typically people living abroad will have a co-sponsor because unless you have a lot of assets it is difficult to demonstrate a continuation of current income, but every person is different. 

 

I would definitely encourage you to read through the process on the wiki documents

 

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php?title=IR1_and_CR1_Immigrant_Visas

http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php?title=NVC_Process

Thank you for the reply! I've just quickly skimmed the wiki guide for London DCF and realized that there's nothing stopping me from moving back to the US after the petition has been approved (hopefully!) and looking for a place to live, which I suppose would then be proof of intent to domicile? Or at least partially support it haha.

4 minutes ago, geowrian said:

The eligibility would be based upon the embassy/consulate you are utilizing. I'm not aware of the administrative and political boundaries in the UK, sorry, but I would presume you interview at London still. One of our experienced UK members can probably confirm that (as I know I cannot!).

 

Yes, you can file the I-130 in the US while living abroad just fine. You just need to show US domicile / intent to establish US domicile before the visa will be issued.

 

Another concern (DCF or otherwise) is showing that you can support your spouse via the I-864. You can use assets, or income from a source that will continue once you return to the US (usually a US-based job). This isn't at the time of filing, though.

Ah got it, thanks very much!

I apologize again for the annoying questions, but just so I'm clear...

1.) I have to prove intent to establish domicile in the US at the time of filing the I-130 from abroad? So if say I don't intend to move back to the US for another 6 months after filing, do you think that would be an issue? I currently have family that can write letters, US bank accounts/credit cards and a driver's license but that's about it. My plan was to live with a family member when I returned and then look for an apartment to rent, but obviously I wouldn't have the lease as proof at the time of filing the I-130

2.) When does the I-864 need to be filed? 

Thank you again! I promise this is the last time I bother you  

4 minutes ago, geowrian said:

You can do DCF fine. There just needs to be a USCIS office at the embassy to avoid the exceptional circumstances requirement (as well as living with your spouse in the country, obviously). UK has one: https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/international-immigration-offices

ETA: A few months?

 

You will need to either establish US domicile before he is issued the visa, or show sufficient intent to establish US domicile.

Hi, thanks so much for the quick reply!

I suppose I should add, we live in a part of the UK that is technically a 'crown dependency' (think Jersey/Guernsey/Isle of Man) so I need to double check whether the USCIS office in the UK would actually have anything to do with us! There certainly isn't a USCIS office on our tiny island

If that isn't the case, is it still possible to go the I-130 lockbox route, potentially waiting for a year but at least starting that while I'm still in the UK? Or do I need to move back to the USA before I can even begin the application?

Hello!

Apologies for what's probably a stupid question, I've started doing a little research on the visa process and am just a bit confused

Long story short: I'm a US citizen, my husband is a UK citizen. We married in the US a few years ago, and I obtained a visa to enter the UK as a spouse. I have been living and working in the UK for three years.

Now we're looking at moving back to the States, and I'm wondering what our options are. Of course in an ideal world, we'd spend as little time apart as possible (but I know that's what everyone wants!)

I understand that I can move back to the US, petition for him to come over (I-130?), and it would take about a year. I've also heard about the direct consular filing option, but I'm not sure if we would be eligible or if that's only for exceptional circumstances. Then I've also heard you can potentially file the I-130 with your overseas consulate and start the horrible year-long waiting game while I'm still living in the UK? I may be wrong there!

Any information or a point in the right direction would be very helpful! Thank you so much in advance!