Recent I-130 DCF timelines for Beijing?

[mrdonut]

[Frequent lurker, first time poster here. Thanks for your understanding if I make any newbie mistakes.]

 

 

I'd appreciate any advice that folks can provide on these questions:

 

1. For DCF in Beijing between Oct. 2010 - Feb. 2011, what has been the amount of time that elapses between:

 

• I-130 DCF and hearing that the case has been forwarded to Guangzhou?

 

• I-130 DCF and receiving your first mail response from Guangzhou?

 

 

2. What method of communication has USCIS Beijing used recently to notify petitioners of their cases being forwarded to Guangzhou? (email, snail mail, text message, etc)

 

 

I've perused the boards to check out members' recent time lines, but I was hoping to get a larger data set to I can set my expectations of USCIS accordingly. My goal here is to find out the latest experiences since these times seem to change so much.

 

 

Background on me:

 

• US citizen, Beijing resident for 6 years

• Bona fide relationship with my wife, a PRC citizen, for past 3 years

• DCF I-130 in Beijing, Jan. 2011

• Wife is Beijing born and raised, has been in the US before as a tourist, accompanied by me

• No red flags (no criminal history, no medical issues, no Party membership, no inappropriate behavior while on tourist visa, etc) noted in my I-130 case when I consulted with an immigration lawyer

 

 

Thank you for your help.

[Kyle]

[Frequent lurker, first time poster here. Thanks for your understanding if I make any newbie mistakes.]

 

 

I'd appreciate any advice that folks can provide on these questions:

 

1. For DCF in Beijing between Oct. 2010 - Feb. 2011, what has been the amount of time that elapses between:

 

• I-130 DCF and hearing that the case has been forwarded to Guangzhou? You might not hear that the case has been forwarded to GUZ. We didn't. The letter that lets you know that is not sent via EMS, but regular CN snail mail wish is unreliable. If you do not get a letter in a couple of weeks, you can email Beijing and inquire directly. That's what we had to do.

 

• I-130 DCF and receiving your first mail response from Guangzhou? Look at my timeline

 

 

2. What method of communication has USCIS Beijing used recently to notify petitioners of their cases being forwarded to Guangzhou? (email, snail mail, text message, etc) see above. P3 and P4 will be sent using EMS

 

http://www.ems.com.cn/english-main.jsp

 

 

I've perused the boards to check out members' recent time lines, but I was hoping to get a larger data set to I can set my expectations of USCIS accordingly. My goal here is to find out the latest experiences since these times seem to change so much.

 

 

Background on me:

 

• US citizen, Beijing resident for 6 years

• Bona fide relationship with my wife, a PRC citizen, for past 3 years

• DCF I-130 in Beijing, Jan. 2011

• Wife is Beijing born and raised, has been in the US before as a tourist, accompanied by me

• No red flags (no criminal history, no medical issues, no Party membership, no inappropriate behavior while on tourist visa, etc) noted in my I-130 case when I consulted with an immigration lawyer

 

Your background seems almost identical as mine. This shouldn't be an overly difficult process for you. Good luck

 

 

 

Thank you for your help.

 

[mrdonut]

Thank you, this helps.

 

For reference, a link to the timelines mentioned for anyone else interested:

http://candleforlove...L_Timeline2.htm

[David11]

I filed DCF in Beijing on December 7, 2010. The first contact we received was P3 from Guz January 31. My NOA saying that the application had been forwarded to Guz actually arrived February 1, one day after my P3! This is because as Kyle said, the packets from Guz are sent EMS while the NOA is send standard mail, which from my [limited] experience means it has about a 50% chance of ever making it there at all.

 

Dec 7 2010 - DCF in Beijing

Jan 31 2011 - P3 Arrived

Feb 1 2011 - NOA Arrived

Feb 9 2011 - P3 documents sent back to Guz

Waiting on P4

 

For me, it was 55 days from DCF to first contact, including weekends, New Year's Day, and Christmas. Another poster here on CFL (James in Jinan) DCF'd on the same day as I and received his NOA mid-January and P3 a few days before we did. Being his NOA arrived in a more timely fashion it was 39-40 days to first contact for him, and about 48 days to P3.

[Beachey]

I sent the I-130 to Beijing on Feb.7. EMS confirmed delivery on Feb. 9. I emailed them this week (couldn't get through on the phone) and got a reply within a day that my case was still under review.

 

My lawyer suggessted I contact monthly but I am going to contact them the week after next for a further update. Based upon the timelines above, I should then be in the 40-50 day window.

[dnoblett]

I sent the I-130 to Beijing on Feb.7. EMS confirmed delivery on Feb. 9. I emailed them this week (couldn't get through on the phone) and got a reply within a day that my case was still under review.

 

My lawyer suggessted I contact monthly but I am going to contact them the week after next for a further update. Based upon the timelines above, I should then be in the 40-50 day window.

 

Mailed? I thought DCF involved a visit to the DHS office in the Embassy or Consulate and filing the petition in person.

 

http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/homeland_security.html#a5

[Beachey]

I sent the I-130 to Beijing on Feb.7. EMS confirmed delivery on Feb. 9. I emailed them this week (couldn't get through on the phone) and got a reply within a day that my case was still under review.

 

My lawyer suggessted I contact monthly but I am going to contact them the week after next for a further update. Based upon the timelines above, I should then be in the 40-50 day window.

 

Mailed? I thought DCF involved a visit to the DHS office in the Embassy or Consulate and filing the petition in person.

 

http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/homeland_security.html#a5

 

 

Well, I just do what my US-based Chinese lawyer tells me :-) She was recommended by a colleague at work who used her to get his wife's CR-1

 

Since I live in Dalian, I am in the Shenyang Consular District. I had to go to the Consulate up there (4 hour drive) to get the receipt for the I-130. I then mailed the I-130 with the receipt to Beijing. I think I also read somewhere on the Shenyang Consulate Web Site that this was permissable. They don't accept I-130 in Shenyang.

 

Though it sounds like if you present in person in Beijing, it is approved immediately but maybe not. Heck the flight to BJ is not that expensive, it might have been worth it.

[Randy W]

 

Mailed? I thought DCF involved a visit to the DHS office in the Embassy or Consulate and filing the petition in person.

 

http://beijing.usemb...ecurity.html#a5

 

 

Well, I just do what my US-based Chinese lawyer tells me :-) She was recommended by a colleague at work who used her to get his wife's CR-1

 

Since I live in Dalian, I am in the Shenyang Consular District. I had to go to the Consulate up there (4 hour drive) to get the receipt for the I-130. I then mailed the I-130 with the receipt to Beijing. I think I also read somewhere on the Shenyang Consulate Web Site that this was permissable. They don't accept I-130 in Shenyang.

 

Though it sounds like if you present in person in Beijing, it is approved immediately but maybe not. Heck the flight to BJ is not that expensive, it might have been worth it.

 

 

This must be what he's doing, Dan -

U.S. Citizens with proof of residency in China, residing outside of the Beijing or Guangzhou Consular Districts, may file at the American Consulates General in Shenyang, Shanghai, or Chengdu. The Beijing Office may contact petitioners and /or applicants to request personal appearances for an interview or to request additional documentation.

 

The processing is apparently done in Beijing.

[dnoblett]

 

Well, I just do what my US-based Chinese lawyer tells me :-) She was recommended by a colleague at work who used her to get his wife's CR-1

 

Since I live in Dalian, I am in the Shenyang Consular District. I had to go to the Consulate up there (4 hour drive) to get the receipt for the I-130. I then mailed the I-130 with the receipt to Beijing. I think I also read somewhere on the Shenyang Consulate Web Site that this was permissable. They don't accept I-130 in Shenyang.

 

Though it sounds like if you present in person in Beijing, it is approved immediately but maybe not. Heck the flight to BJ is not that expensive, it might have been worth it.

 

 

This must be what he's doing, Dan -

U.S. Citizens with proof of residency in China, residing outside of the Beijing or Guangzhou Consular Districts, may file at the American Consulates General in Shenyang, Shanghai, or Chengdu. The Beijing Office may contact petitioners and /or applicants to request personal appearances for an interview or to request additional documentation.

 

The processing is apparently done in Beijing.

 

Yep, sometimes learn new things, when visiting the other consulates, they simply do a pre check, and approve mailing the petition to DHS-Beijing.

[Beachey]

I think the confusion is the USCIS office is technically not part of the embassy/consulate. They are field offices reporting into Bangkok.

 

USCIS is Dept. Of Homeland Security; Embassy/Consulate is Dept. Of State.

 

Http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/embassy/usgmain/uscis.html

 

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=863f3367f4548210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=1ac900c262197210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

Edited March 10, 2011 by Beachey (see edit history)

[Randy W]

I think the confusion is the USCIS office is technically not part of the embassy/consulate. They are field offices reporting into Bangkok.

 

USCIS is Dept. Of Homeland Security; Embassy/Consulate is Dept. Of State.

 

Http://bangkok.usemb...main/uscis.html

 

http://www.uscis.gov...000082ca60aRCRD

 

 

 

No - ,Dan and I were not aware that you would mail the petition to Beijing yourself. I had thought that the USCIS office at Shenyang would forward it for you.

[Beachey]

 

No - ,Dan and I were not aware that you would mail the petition to Beijing yourself. I had thought that the USCIS office at Shenyang would forward it for you.

 

 

To be clear for others in the future, I didn't even ask if the consulate would do that. My lawyer is in the States. She gave me a checklist of what she wanted, I sent it to her, she prepared the I-130 and the supporting documentation in a packet. She told me to go get the receipt in Shenyang. She sent me the packet back with an envelope for the receipt. I sent the packet on to Beijing.

 

Admittedly, sending paperwork back and forth by express mail to the States is not the low cost method (though a lot of what I sent her was by email) but it would have taken me longer to figure out how to do this.

 

Now If I had found this website earlier I might have taken a crack at doing it on my own. Still I think I found this website based upon things she told me so it is somewhat of a vicious cycle. CFL is where I figured out what we were applying for is a CR-1 visa.

[Randy W]

Cool! A little discovery going on at all ends! Thanks!