Zack202

You're welcome! We actually had the same stress, we didn't know whether or not our I-130 was approved or not. You kind of just submit it, then hope for the best. They don't make the decision to approve your I-130 at or before your appointment, you only find out 12 weeks after you have submitted the I130. Since the Embassy allowed your I-130 DCF request, providing you have the evidence required in the checklist that they gave you, I think you should be fine. The biggest issue is when you don't have items that they clearly have asked for in the checklist. Unfortunately they don't give you any update, up until the 12 weeks are up. It's a bit nerve wracking, but trust the process and you should hopefully receive your Case number and next steps when you reach out at the 12 week mark. (This means your I130 petition was approved). The only other stresses I had outside of the waiting to hear back whether or not the I-130 was approved, was obtaining all the evidence needed for the next steps. It's better to be proactive in my experience. You will need to have Police certificates from everywhere that you have lived since you were 16, long list of address and job history (they asked for 10 years for me, it was only the last 5yrs on the I130) and more etc. Getting these documents can take some time if you haven't got them already (specially if dealing with foreign governments) and I would say start them now, so you don't get stressed trying to get them later. Best of luck!

I wanted to provide an update since I have now completed the process. Hope this helps someone!

Hi there, yes this is the form you need to submit. There is no way to apply for DCF through the phone or in person. You have to submit this form and wait for their response via email.

Unlike other means, when going through DCF, it's the beneficiary that books the interview. So instead being given a date for an interview, the beneficiary needs to book the interview themselves through an online portal. You should be able to pick a date that suits you best. It might not be perfect, but could be enough to ensure it doesn't clash with your Holiday. My 12 weeks wait is coming up soon, so I can let you know what the process of booking my interview is like.

It has been 11 weeks since my US Spouse submitted our I-130 petition to the US Embassy in London. We have still not heard anything. Currently waiting for the 12 week mark before contacting the Embassy. Is anyone else in a similar position that could share their timeline? Thanks

What are you talking about? Petitioner was in the UK and a long term resident of the UK at the time of applying for DCF. We met the eligibility requirements. Once we applied for DCF, the petitioner moved to the US. Please don't give false information without backing up your statements.

Apologies I completely mixed up the words Petitioner and Sponsor in my thread. As well as missing out on some key information. Here is the corrected version: - - - My spouse (petitioner) applied for an I-130 petition at the US Embassy in London in July of this year. At the time we were UK residents who had lived there for over a year. We are currently waiting to hear back in regards to next steps (DS-260, I-864 etc). In the I-130 petition it asked for a mailing address as well as a current address. On the I-130A it only asked for a current address. Our current address from both forms have since changed, but our mailing address has not. (We were expecting to move house) Our mailing address that we submitted as part of our I-130 petition is in the US, where the petitioner currently resides, and is correct. But our current address is no longer up to date, since we have both moved house. (Petitioner is in the US, Beneficiary is in the UK). Do we have to inform the U.S. Embassy in London that our current address has changed? Will any mail be sent to our mailing address in the U.S. or to our current address (as stated in the initial petition)? Would appreciate any insight into this.

Both Petitioner and Beneficiary gave a UK Physical Address (that's where we resided at the time for over a year at the time of filing). But we put a US address as the mailing address, given the short notice of relocation to the states (Sponsor's reason for DCF). It does ask "If you're mailing address is different than your current address, write it here.." knowing that the sponsor would not be in the UK in 1-3 months time we put the mailing address as the US (where the petitioner should be at that time) Bit worried about your comments "They may tell you to start over by applying to the Chicago lockbox, as all US residents do.". We were UK Residents at the time. Do you think having put a US Address as our Mailing Address (not physical) will affect the outcome of our petition?

I did a few searched on the forum prior to making this post but couldn't find something with my exact situation. My spouse (sponsor) applied for an I-130 petition at the US Embassy in July of this year. We are currently waiting to hear back in regards to next steps (DS-260, I-864 etc) In the I-130 petition it asked for a mailing address as well as a current address. On the I-130A it only asked for a current address. Our current address from both forms have since changed, but our mailing address has not. (We were expecting to move house) Our mailing address that we submitted as part of our I-130 petition is in the US, where my sponsor currently resides, and is correct. But our current address is no longer up to date, since we have both moved house. (Sponsor is in the US, Petitioner is in the UK). Do we have to inform the U.S. Embassy in London that our current address has changed? Will any mail be sent to our mailing address in the U.S. or to our current address (as stated in the initial petition)? Would appreciate any insight into this.

The most in depth answer I could have asked for. Thank you for putting the time and effort into reading and responding to all of my questions. This has helped me so much, and I'm sure it will help others too.

Thank you. Looks like I obtained some wrong information then.

We are currently waiting to hear back from our I-30 petition, and want to be ready to submit our DS-260 & I-864. My questions are regarding the I-864 Affidavit of Support. Situation: The sponsor has moved to the U.S. after filing the I-130 petition. Their current income in the U.S. is over 125% of the 2022 federal poverty guidelines. Sponsor was working in the UK from January 2022 - May 2022 Sponsor is currently working in the US from May 2022 - Current Sponsor's tax returns in 2019,2020,2021 do not show an income, as they were unemployed Questions: 1. How to calculate current income? (given that they have both worked in UK & US during this year) From my research, current income means how much the sponsor has earned from January 1st - December 31st, and not just their annual salary, which is why I am somewhat confused. So to calculate my sponsor’s current salary, we use the amount of income they have earned to date in 2022, and then extrapolate until the end of the calendar year. However, given that my sponsor has worked in the UK for the first half of the year, does this previous foreign income count towards this calculation? For example, if their foreign income is not included in the total annual income, and they have only started worked in the U.S. in May 2022 earning $30,000 annually; that means their earnings from May 2022 - December 2022 would only be $17,500 for the entire year, which is below the Federal Poverty Guideline. Does this mean we have to use this figure as my sponsor's "current individual annual income" instead of what's stated on their work contract? If so, it would mean we would need an additional sponsor. 2. What supporting documents do we need to provide? (Both Domicile & Financial) Since my sponsor doesn't have a regular income shown on their tax returns for the previous years; and that the 2022 tax returns are not due yet; should we still include my sponsor's tax returns? And what else do we need to include given our situation? Our current evidence list: Copy of U.S. Citizenship Document Copy of foreign paychecks from January 2022 - May (UK) Copy of U.S. Paychecks from May - Current Copy of U.S. Bank statements Employment Verification Letter from the sponsor's current job in the U.S. Anything else? 3. Given all the information above, should we get an additional sponsor? We are in a position where we can get an additional sponsor if it is beneficial to our application. But considering the above, are we ok or should we get an additional sponsor to be on the safe side? 4. Since we are going through the DCF route, do I print the I-864 and take it with me to my interview at the U.S. Embassy in London? Thank you for any help.

Bump. OP: How long did it take you? Any updates on this?

Thank you!

Thank you, that's very useful information. Just in regards. to Tetanus/diptheria/pertussis; I have never had pertussis in my vaccine. I only ever had Tetanus/diphtheria +polio combo. (as you say, this is all that's available in UK). Is this an issue? Furthermore, all my vaccination records are just a print-out of my gp records. I don't have such a thing as a 'vaccination certificate'. I also have a International Certificate of Vaccination yellow booklet (ICVP). Do you think this is sufficient? I asked my GP for my vaccination records and they just printed out what I already had, so not sure what to do.

Can anyone confirm what vaccinations are required for an adult between 18-64 for immigration into the US? And if I am missing any vaccination, will I be offered this at my medical appointment? According to the Travel Gov State website the following vaccines are required for immigration purposes: Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Influenza Influenza type b (Hib) Measles Meningococcal Mumps Pneumococcal Pertussis Polio Rotavirus Rubella Tetanus and diphtheria toxoids Varicella They provided this chart to showcase which vaccination applies for which age groups. However it is not clear how up to date this information is. It looks like it's from 2015. Any clarification would be appreciated.

Hey, I had one other question. Between July 5 and July 15, I'm assuming you submitted your DS-260 online? If so, did you also submit an I-864, and did you have to upload that online? You mentioned that you forgot to sign your DS-260; was yours a physical copy? Kind regards

You're absolutely right, didn't even spot that it said this in the original appointment letter. Thank you 😀

Thanks for your post, that's so useful! Just one question, on April 11th when you submitted your I-130, did they ever tell you whether the petition got approved or denied? My wife and I submitted our I-130 on 11th July, it's approaching 4 weeks now and we haven't heard anything. We're not sure if that's normal or not, most people say that their I-130 got approved on the spot but they didn't do that at our DCF appt.

Thank you. I managed to get a letter from the Afghan Embassy in the Netherlands. The letter states that Tazkera and Passport services are not available due to the recent developments in Afghanistan. The letter is dated, signed, and stamped along with the name of the counsellor who did so. It also mentioned my full name, date of birth and place of birth. N.b. I was unable to get this letter from the Afghan Embassy in the UK as they were not responding to any communication. The letter does not mention that we immigrated in 19xx. Is this ok? Or can I include this in the letter of explanation? In total I will have the following evidence: - This letter from the Embassy confirming that Tazkera services are not available - Letter of explanation why I do not have a birth certificate - Letter from my School confirming my attendance in the UK for 5~ years, along with my parents' names - School records: 2x Attendance letters showing my attendance for one year each in the UK, along with my parents' names Do you think this is sufficient?

Thank you for trying to help, unfortunately I have never held an Afghan Passport. However my British passport does say that I was born in Afghanistan.

Yes I have a British Passport. My parents had their Tazkera's at the time we immigrated which they used as evidence for my birth place also, since they didn't have any other documentation for me. However they no longer have these documents.

My spouse (petitioner) is an American Citizen and I am a British Citizen (beneficiary). We are living together in the UK Currently, and want to apply for the I-130 in order to immigrate to the US. I do not have a birth certificate. I was born in Afghanistan and immigrated to the UK as an infant. There is no record of my birth in Afghanistan. No Birth or Hospital records. It says I was born in Afghanistan on my passport but that is it. I have reached out to the Afghan Embassy in UK and they told me they can provide Birth Certificate copies, but that I needed my Afghan ID card, which I never had since I was just born there. They told me that I can apply for the Afghan ID card at the Afghan Embassy, however they are not running this service due to the events that unfolded in Afghanistan. There is no date in which they will resume this service, and it has been months now since Afghanistan was overthrown by the Taliban. Now I am stuck with no means to get a birth certificate. The department of state says the following about Birth certificates for Afghan Nationals: Birth Certificates Available: Not required for IV purposes, see Comments below Fees: There are no fees. Document Name: Kart Tawalod (Da Zokry Sanad) Issuing Authority: Clinics and hospitals Special Seal(s) / Color / Format: yellow card Issuing Authority Personnel Title: administrative staff Registration Criteria: Issued for children who were delivered at a registered clinic or hospital. Procedure for Obtaining: Parents must present their tazkeras (national identity documents) to the appropriate staff at the clinic or hospital where the child was born. Certified Copies Available: Certified copies are available. Alternate Documents: After issuance at the hospital, Kart Tawalods may be registered with the Ministry of Interior’s Population Registration Department and a record is also kept by the Ministry of Public Health. The kart tawalod is not the primary means of establishing identity or citizenship in Afghanistan – rather it is considered as supplemental evidence of birth. The tazkera (national identity document) is the principle document used in official settings for proof of identity, citizenship, and also used as a quasi-birth record. All Afghan applicants applying for U.S. immigrant, special immigrant, or other such visas must present a tazkera, regardless of whether they also choose to submit a kart tawalod. Exceptions: None Comments: All Afghan citizens should be able to present a tazkera (national identity document) as proof of their identity and their birth place. Kart tawalod may be considered as supplementary documentation but should not be utilized as primary evidence of date and/or place of birth or identity. Please refer to the National ID section for information on tazkeras. Does anyone have any advice for alternatives to beneficiary birth certificate for I-130? My list of potential alternatives to a birth certificate: A Detailed written explanation why Beneficiary is unable to obtain a birth certificate A letter from the Afghan Embassy explaining why they are not running the services needed to obtain a Tazkera. School and medical records from the UK showing my parents' names Notarised Affidavits of Births from my parents and myself. I don't have any hospital records, cencus or any other record from Afghanistan. The US State Dept website says that Birth Certificates from Afghanistan are "Not required for IV purposes" (Immigrant Visa?) I'm not sure what this means for me, and the evidence I have to provide. I assume they want the Tazkera. Any help is much appreciated. Sources: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Afghanistan.html https://citizenpath.com/faq/evidence-birth-green-card/

Thank you for your response. Unfortunately that thread does not answer any of my questions. I am less concerned about the timeline. My focus is on the actual process, what is involved and how DCF is done in 2022 from start to finish. Have you filed for a CR1 yourself at an Embassy abroad?

Hi All, I'm currently waiting to apply for my I-130 through Direct Consular Filing at the U.S. Embassy in London. We qualify for exceptional circumstances and the Embassy has made an appointment for us to submit our I-130 in early July. I'm currently researching the processes involved in applying for DCF in London, however many of the sources are now out of date. I would like to create this thread to clarify for myself and others, the DCF process in London for I-130 Applications in 2022. Please can anyone else chime in with any edits for guidance / corrections? Prerequisites: - Find out if you can file for DCF through exceptional circumstances: Steps: 1. Contact the U.S. Embassy in London via their online contact form: https://uk.usembassy.gov/visas/family-immigration/i130-exceptional-circumstances-request-form/ 2. Wait for a response from the Embassy. Check your email/junk folder 3. Once a response has been received, they will inform you if an appointment has been made for you to submit your I-130, any instructions. Or, if they have declined your request to file for DCF. The Embassy does not have to accept your request, and their answer is the final answer. So please keep your message in the contact form brief, and to the point. This might be your first and last attempt at DCF. 4. Petitioner goes to the I-130 Appointment that was scheduled at the U.S. Embassy in London. I-130 + 130A is submitted and Accepted / Rejected. Fee is paid at the Embassy directly. (Any forms required for payment?) 5. What happens next? 6. ? Thank you.