DCF filing confusion

[Kyle]

Here is a website w/ more information

 

The Yangs

 

http://www.yangjiahua.com/

[MN2China]

thanks guys Also my husband is curious about what comes next after filing.. its just a waiting game right? However, im kinda confused on when they take my tax/ sponsor info, pictures etc. the website says they really only want the basics up front. Why not just take it all up front? T.T this whole things makes me feel really stupid

[Beachey]

thanks guys Also my husband is curious about what comes next after filing.. its just a waiting game right? However, im kinda confused on when they take my tax/ sponsor info, pictures etc. the website says they really only want the basics up front. Why not just take it all up front? T.T this whole things makes me feel really stupid

 

Once you file like most of this process, you wait. Though the waiting can be faster for DCF. From 1-3 months after filing, you should get your approval notice from USCIS (And if you don't you can normally confirm this by email). About a month after approval you should get a packet from the Consulate (State Dept) which asks for more paperwork which you then send it and they schedule the interview. THe whole process to get to the interview best case takes about three months and worst case is usually around 6 months. This is DCF, going through the Lockbox in the States normally takes longer.

 

 

Well as others have mentioned, it pays to front load your petition with relationship evidence. This can include pictures. However, as I mentioned above you are dealing with two different federal gov't agencies (USCIS/DHS and the Dept. of State) so they want different things. This is also why the I-130 (USCIS petition) and DS-230 (State Dept. Visa Application) actually have a lot of duplication.

 

Also a lot of things needed at the actual interview - police certificate and medical report have an expiration date so you don't want to get them too early. Also, you will likely need your 2011 taxes for the interview which you obviously haven't done yet so can not submit.

[MN2China]

ok so I have another question now.. (I know I know I'm just full of Q's haha) My lawyer and I have a hard time agreeing on how to fill out my G325a I think its called. The one with all my BIO info on it. Where it says residences for the last five years, If I put my residence 11-06 to 01-10 was in America and then say 02-11 to present my address is in China (since I got my residence permit in 02-11) Even though during this time I made a trip back to the US.. which they can clearly see by the stamps in my passport, is that ok to do? Since China is technically where I was living.. or do they consider this lying?

Edited December 23, 2011 by MN2China (see edit history)

[Randy W]

ok so I have another question now.. (I know I know I'm just full of Q's haha) My lawyer and I have a hard time agreeing on how to fill out my G325a I think its called. The one with all my BIO info on it. Where it says residences for the last five years, If I put my residence 11-06 to 01-10 was in America and then say 02-11 to present my address is in China (since I got my residence permit in 02-11) Even though during this time I made a trip back to the US.. which they can clearly see by the stamps in my passport, is that ok to do? Since China is technically where I was living.. or do they consider this lying?

 

 

No - your residence is where you live, not where you visit. They WON'T launch an investigation into whether you technically moved back to the US during that period. It's not clear why your lawyer would consider this an issue - you are ultimately responsible for your own application.

[MN2China]

When they ask for "originals" of everything.. does this mean they will need our original translations of our stuff? Or are copies of the translations good enough?

[MN2China]

Also i just realized i dont have my red book (marriage cert.) but i DO have a copy and translation.. Is this good enough?

[dnoblett]

Also i just realized i dont have my red book (marriage cert.) but i DO have a copy and translation.. Is this good enough?

If it is a certified copy, "white" book with English translation bound to it, this will be fine.

 

For initial petition filing I-130 they should accept certified copies.

 

Note if they ask for "originals" a Certified copy "White book" is fine. It is advisable to get extra certified copies of things like marriage cert, and birth cert for use later after arriving in the USA, these can be acquired at the notary office.

Edited December 27, 2011 by dnoblett (see edit history)

[Kyle]

Dan this is true, they will take her translations, but they made me show them the red books as well first. Same as my wife's passport (prior to submitting scanned copies of the bio and visa pages. Basically everything I submitted, if it were a copy, Beijing required to see the original document first.

 

@MN2China, you might want to shoot whichever location you're submitting to, an email getting clarification on this matter. In a perfect world everything would be done in a uniform manner, but unfortunately, it is not done this way.

 

For your leisure reading

 

http://candleforlove.com/forums/index.php?/topic/39043-dcf-filers-in-guangzhou-need-wifes-original-passport/

[MN2China]

where do you go to get these "white books" ?

[chilton747]

where do you go to get these "white books" ?

 

To his hukou at the notary office.

[MN2China]

ugh so I thought i didnt have it but turns out i did xD my husband found it for me. So false alarm but as far as white books go..i never got them. We just paid a professional translator in America to translate our marriage cert. That said, since they require both of our marriage certs do BOTH have to be translated? That seems like overkill to me.. seeing as they say the same thing. Right now only my marriage cert is copied and translated.

 

So I have a hard time keeping up with everything thats needed.. (obviously)

 

Right now this is what i have

 

*G-325a for both of us (with passport photo attached)

*3 notarized and translated statments (from family)

*My statement and my husbands statements (translated and notarized)

*copy of my marriage cert. translated and notarized

*original marriage certs. (mine and my husbands)

*copy of my husbands birth cert translated and notarized

*copied pictures with captions

*originals of pictures in color

*copy of my husbands passport (his passport is in english)

*copy of my passport

*original passports

 

 

 

 

Am i missing anything? Im quite paranoid about it right now but I'd rather be over-prepared than under prepared ^__^

[dnoblett]

Standard procedure, and the consulate at interview time tends to expect you to provide them with the white books (Notary Certified copies + Translations), the notary office will do translations. You will need to go to that office for police cert, birth cert, and copy of marriage cert + translations for interview.

 

Get a 1 or 2 extra copies of birth cert and marriage cert + translation for future uses.

 

SEE OF-169 http://photos.state.gov/libraries/guangzhou/47024/IV%20p3/IV%20Instruction%20-Oct_10.pdf

 

http://guangzhou.usembassy-china.org.cn/forms_and_packets.htm

[MN2China]

ok but right now I'm just focused on filing. We are flying to guangzhou tomorrow and I just need to know if we have everything. So i have everything to file my I-130 right?

[Kyle]

where do you go to get these "white books" ?

Your notarized/translated documents will all be done by the same office. My wife had her police report, our marriage license, and her birth certificate all done at the our city's notary office which is authorized to do notarizations for foreign consulates. If your wife does a search for "your city, notary, foreign" in Chinese, for example we did this search "Î人¹«Ö¤ÉæÍâ"

 

Our city, Wuhan: Î人

Notary: ¹«Ö¤ gong1zheng4

Foreign: ÉæÍâ she4wai4

 

The name of the office is probably (your city) gong1zheng4chu4 - £¨your city)¹«Ö¤´¦

 

Yes, all of these will be in a white book. You will need photos for all of these, but the requirements are different in different places. I'm sure once you find the proper office's website, you'll find what they require.

 

Make sure you go to the above office in your city (Hukou). Do not go to an alternative notary service, as there are many of them out there. Unfortunately not all services are created equal in the eyes of the Chinese government - thus, not all are qualified for foreign affairs. You're looking for at least a city level notary.