Comprehensive Timeline for DCF Filing from 2004

This timeline is for the DCF process (Direct Consular Filing). It is for American citizens living in the UK with their UK spouse - it is the process of getting their UK spouse into the US via a spousal visa, and getting them a green card upon arrival in the US. THe US Citizen must have indefinite leave to remain to do this now, which means they need to have lived in the UK, married to their spouse, for at least TWO years. This wasn't the case when I filed, but it is now. In creating this timeline, I've taken information directly from the US Embassy in London's website, other visa websites, forums, newsgroups, a consultation with an immigration lawyer (May 27, 2004), and from information posted in this forum. Before going through the process make sure you check the Embassy's website (http://www.usembassy.org.uk) for changes becuase things change all the time. Still, this is the basic framework, and the general idea of what to do from beginning to end:


TIMELINE: DCF Filing
I am the US Citizen, the petitioner.
My husband is the UK citizen, the applicant.

Forms Required:
I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative)
G-325A (Biographical Information Sheet)
DS-2001 (Notification of Applicant Readiness) - - - (or the OF-169, which is the old style form)
DS-230 (Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration)
I-864 (Affidavit of Support)

GENERAL TIMELINE
1. Obtain Police Certificates
2. Mailing Documents
3. Receiving Packet 4
4. Collect Affidavit of Support Materials
5. Attend the Interview
6. Get Medical Exam (applicant only)
7. Receive Visa
8. Port of Entry

1. Step One: Obtain Police Certificates
1. An immigrant visa applicant who has resided in the United Kingdom for 6 months or more since the age of 16, is required to obtain a statement from the National Identification Service, Subject Access Office, Room 331, New Scotland Yard, Broadway, London SW1 0BG.
2. This statement will serve to advise the U.S. Embassy, London whether or not any criminal conviction(s) is held against you.
3. More than one certificate is required if applicant has lived outside the country of their nationality for more than 6 months or was arrested for any reason, regardless of how long they lived there.
4. In order to obtain the required statement, you should apply to your local police station, where you will be given the application forms.
5. When completing the application form, the applicable category is "prosecution/conviction history". There is a fee of 10 pounds sterling.
6. The local police will submit your application to the National Identification Service and the response to the application will be sent directly to you. The National Identification Service does not accept applications from individual applicants; the request must be made through your local police.
7. Under the legislation, it can take 40 days or more to receive this document.
8. If the applicant is living in their country of nationality at their current residence for more than 6 months and is 16 years old or older, then the applicant needs a police certificate from the police authorities of that locality.

2. Step Two: Mailing Documents
A. Envelope 1:
1. Petitioner’s I-130, including proof of residence in the U.K. (any one of the following items)
   a. photo copy of the leave to remain stamp in the petitioner's passport
   b. photo copy of letter from the Home Office confirming the petitioner's status in the U.K.
   c. photo copy of the student or work visa in the petitioner's passport
   d. photo copy of the petitioner's British or Irish passport, if the petitioner is a British or Irish citizen or holds dual nationality with the U.K. or Ireland
   e. photo copy of the petitioner's orders if he or she is a member of the U.S. military stationed in the United Kingdom
2. Petitioner’s G-325A (can be filled out on pdf and printed to save time)
3. Applicant’s G-325A (can be filled out on pdf and printed to save time)
4. Photo of petitioner (with name written lightly in pencil or felt tip pen on the back)
5. Photo of applicant (visa style... can be done at www.passportphoto.co.uk) - (with name written lightly in pencil or felt tip pen on the back)
6. Photo copy of marriage certificate
7. Photo copy of divorce papers if applicable
8. Photo copy of ammendment page in passport showing name change from marriage (if applicable)
9. Photo copy of petitioner's identification page in passport (the front part, showing photo & other information)
10. Cover letter (state in cover letter if you are filing the DS-230 simultaneously)
11. Large self-addressed stamped envelope
12. Payment
   a. The fee for filing an I-130 petition is $185. (As of March 28, 2004 - double check this, as the fee changes)
   b. The fee is payable by the following methods
       1. U.S. dollar cashier's check
       2. U.S. Dollar money order
       3. International bank draft made out to the U.S. Disbursing Officer
       4. Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club, Discover or American Express.
    c. Do not mail cash or personal checks. Please print your name and complete address on the back of the remittance.
    d. If payment by credit card you may download the form from the embassy website and attach the completed form to the TOP of the petition.
13. Mailed to:    
DHS (Immigration) / I-130
American Embassy
PO Box 2444
London W1A 5WT

B. Envelope 2:   
1. Applicant’s DS-230 (Part 1 Only!)
2. DS-2001 Checklist
   a. This checklist notifies the Immigrant Visa Unit that you and your family members have obtained all the necessary documents for the immigrant visa interview.
   b. Do not include any of the documents, not even photocopies, simply tick the items on the list that you will be providing at the eventual interview.
   c. This list can be sent at a later time if you need more time to collect documents. You will not receive any notification of an interview date until they receive this though. The best time saver is to do it all together.
   d. These are the items they want you to provide, if applicable:
   a. Petitioner’s passport
   b. Applicant’s passort
   c. Petitioner’s birth certificate
   d. Applicant’s birth certificate
   e. Applicant’s police certificates (see Step 1)
   f. Applicant’s or Petitioner’s military records
   g. Petitioner’s & Applicant’s photograph (The photograph requirements seem to change a bit, so make sure you go to a palce recommended by the embassy. A good place is http://www.passportphoto.co.uk/ - they are right near the embassy and have been in business for ages.)         
   h. Evidence of support (see Step 4)
   i. Marriage certificate
   j. Divorce certificates
   k. Adoption records
   l. Applicant’s court and prison reports
3. Include Cover Letter
4. Mailed to:   
Immigrant Visa Unit
American Embassy
5 Upper Grosvenor Street
London W1A 2JB

3. Step Three: Receiving Packet 4
1. By mailing your paperwork (the I-130 & supporting documents) at the same time that you mail the DS-230, (combining steps one and two) you skip the step where they’d send you Packet 3.
2. Packet 4 is the packet you get with your interview date.
3. Packet 4 includes a medical questionaire that you take with you on your interview day.
4. Packet 4 also includes a letter about how to find the embassy and what to do when you arrive.   

4. Step Four: Collect Affidavit of Support Materials
1. As the petitioner you are required, by law, to file an I-864 even if you do not earn enough income. If you do not earn enough income, you may add the value of your assets and/or income and assets of your household members, if they are willing. If this still does not meet the federal poverty guidelines, a joint sponsor will be required to file an I-864.
2. The Affidavit of Support, form I-864, is required to show that an intending immigrant has adequate means of financial support while in the United States and is not likely to become a public charge.
3. The sponsor/joint sponsor’s obligation continues until the sponsored immigrant becomes a U.S. citizen, can be credited with 40 qualifying quarters of work, departs the United States permanently, or dies. Divorce does not terminate the obligation.
4. There is no limit to how many sponsors the Applicant may have, however, each joint sponsor must meet the income requirement of the Federal poverty guidelines for your household size.
5. Have your US sponsor fill out the affidavit and include all the evidence they need to provide and have them put it in a sealed envelope and send it to you in another envelope.
6. All the affidavits go with the applicant on the interview day.
7. You will need to include your US tax records for the last 3 years. If you do not have them handy, you can either request them through the IRS website, or you can visit the Embassy in London and get them through the IRS section there. You must visit when they have "walk-in" hours though, which are Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10-2, or Wednesdays 2-4.
8. To save time you can also go to the Embassy to have your I-864 signed in front of a notary. You can do this on the day of your final interview, but it may save time to do it ahead of time, and it is a free service.

5. Step Five: Attend the Interview
1. Bring required paperwork
   a. DS-230 Part 2 (unsigned!)
   b. Materials listed on the DS-2001 list.
2. Take photocopies of all the evidence and paperclip the photocopy to the back of the original. Having photocopies paperclipped to the back of the originals helps them get you through your interview faster so make sure you do this.
3. You will take a number upon entering the embassy, pay for the visa delivery service, then sit down.
4. You will be called first to a window to check all your documents are in order. You sit again, and wait to be called for the actual interview.
5. At the interview they'll look through the paperwork again, and ask some basic questions about what you'll do in the States, etc.
6. If everything is ok, they will welcome you to America and send you off to the medical. If you had your medical first and are going to the embassy 2nd, they will welcome you to America and send you home.

6. Step Six: Get Medical Exam (applicant only)
1. You will receive information and a questionnaire about the medical in your Packet 4.
2. The medical questionaire is a simple form that you take to your medical. It asks about weight, height, previous surgeries, and things like that. 3. You don’t have to schedule the medical – it will take place on the interview day at a office of Dr Michael Phelan, 53 Great Cumberland Place, London W1.
4. People with last names starting with A-H should be at the doctor's office at 8:00 AM on the day of their interview, and have their medical done first. People with last names starting with I-Z should go to the embassy first and have their interview before going to the medical at about 1:00.
5. The exam includes a chest x-ray and a blood test, which includes testing for HIV.
6. The medical costs £125.00 + vaccination charges and can be paid in sterling in cash or credit card (Visa or Mastercard). Children cost £45.00. 
7. You'll leave with a rolled up brown envelope containing chest x-rays. This is to go with you on the plane to the US and handed in to the officer who will interview you. Don't open it.
 
7. Step Seven: Receive Visa
1. After purchasing an envelope from the Vis Delivery Service in the lobby of the Embassy (the first thing you'll do on the day) your visa will be mailed to the address you specify within 24 hours of your interview.
2. The visa is only valid for 6 months, so you must enter the US within that time.
3. In the mail you’ll receive a brown envelope as well as your passport with the visa in it. Don’t open the envelope! The officer at your Point of Entry opens it, and the contained materials are invalid if opened beforehand.

8. Step Eight: Port of Entry
1. When you enter the US at your Port of Entry the officer receiving you will conduct a brief interview.
2. The officer will want the unopened envelope, the visa, and the chest x-rays.
3. If you stated in your paperwork that you want a SSN upon entry, that process will be started automatically at this point.
4. A temporary I-551 stamp (the stamp equivalent of a green card) will be stamped in the Applicant’s passport. This is valid for 1 year and can be used to enter the country until his green card arrived.
5. The officer will then stamp the Applicant’s passport with one of two stamps:

a. CR-1 - Conditional
1. This stamps means the Applicant’s permanent residence status is conditional because it is based on a marriage that was less than two years old as of the day you enter the US.
2. You will have to apply to remove the conditions within 90 days of the 2 year anniversary of entering the US.
3. The permanent resident status is conditional because you must prove that you did not get married to evade the immigration laws of the United States

b. IR-1 - Unconditional
1. This stamps means the Applicant’s permanent residence status is unconditional because it is based on a marriage that was more than two years old on the day you entered the US.[/size]

From April 1, the medical examination will be performed before the visa interview by an Embassy approved physician at one of 3 regional medical centers.

Detailed information on the location of the medical centers and scheduling the medical appointment will be provided to the applicant when he or she receives notification of the date and time of the formal visa interview. Please note that there is approximately a two week wait for an appointment.

The medical results will be provided to the applicant within 48 hours of the examination. These factors must be taken into consideration when scheduling the appointment for the medical examination..

This is a great list / checklist / guide!! Thanks very much for sharing it. Im sure it'll come in very handy for those who are following in our footsteps!

I think even I could follow this without getting confused,, great job! Thank you for this. I think a 'sticky' is in order

I suppose it pays being an organization freak sometimes!

Here here to that!

Bloody Hell! I never heard of so much red tape! 

theres not as much as it sounds like. US taxes are more complicated lol

Huh.

I thought I knew pretty much what forms I needed to fill out until I read this post.

Forms Required:
I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative)
G-325A (Biographical Information Sheet)
DS-2001 (Notification of Applicant Readiness) - - - (or the OF-169, which is the old style form)
DS-230 (Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration)
I-864 (Affidavit of Support)

I had visited the US Embassy website and had seen and printed out the forms I-130 and G325A.  However, the other three forms are all news to me.  Where do I get those forms?

Thanks!

Cebolanmonica,

Here is the link for the forms.

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_web/visa/forms/visaforms.htm

Julie

Hmmm... just one question... I am slightly confused about what happens when you are travelling to the states.  If the applicant's passport is in an envelope that is sealed, how are they allowed on the plane in the first place?  Is this their US passport or their british one?

Otherwise, thanks this is very helpful!

K

The passport is not inside the sealed envelope.  You just get them at the same time.

DIttoing what peedal said.
We are flying to the US in 3 weeks and we've got the following things to bring (in our carryon!!!)
1. Big brown sealed envelope fille with paperwork
2. David's passport with visa inside
3. Little tube containing David's chest x-ray
We give those 3 things to the person at Immigration and they do a little interview and dance for us.

Dittoing Peedle and Marlespo,

We just arrived in the US last month.  The Embassy will send your visa and the sealed brown envelope to you via courier after the interview.

At Immigration point of entry, we were expecting my DH to have a bit of an interview.  It was, in fact, very quick.  The officer checked over all of the documention, took DH's fingerprints and said welcome to the US.

Good luck

Question-

I am an US citizen and was married Sept 3rd in Scotland. Currently I have a "Limited leave to remain" Stamp in my passport for the UK. We sent all the information in for the I-130 and bio stuff. Four days later we got at all back saying we needed to apply in the USCIS office in the states. saying:

"This office only accepts petitions from United States Citizens who reside in our district. United States citizens whose principal residence is not in our jurisdiction, and/or who have entered the UK as a temporary visitor/student/or with limited leave to enter and remain in the UK, must file the petition with the appropriate USCIS office in the US."

Currently I have been in the UK four months, on a marriage visa and now the Limited leave to remain. Can any one help me as to what I might have missed. Currently I only have a po box in the states as we have been travelling for the last year and now living in the UK.

Please help. I would rather not deal with filing in Nebraska when I am in Scotland.