Filing DCF

[Randy W]

For those living in China, the USCIS allows filing of the I-130 Petition for Alien Relative directly with USCIS offices in either Beijing or Guangzhou, depending on which district you reside. See USCIS Information for information about the USCIS offices.

This service is provided for the convenience of the American Citizen living in China, regardless of whether the beneficiary is Chinese or other nationality.

Petitions filed DCF are processed by the USCIS office they are filed with, and then sent directly to Guangzhou for processing of the beneficiary's application. Total time for processing can be as little as 1 to 4 months from filing of petition to interview, Petitions filed stateside will generally take six months or longer.

From https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/international-offices/china-uscis-guangzhou-field-office

- and -

https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/international-offices/china-uscis-beijing-field-office

Who May File or Receive Service:
U.S. citizens residing in USCIS Guangzhou's jurisdiction filing on behalf of their spouse, unmarried child under the age of 21 or parent (if the U.S. citizen is over the age 21).
Filing and Other Special Instructions:

Residents of China filing with USCIS Guangzhou must submit the petition and supporting evidence in person.
In addition to providing the documents listed in the Form I-130 Instructions, petitioners should bring the original passport for both the petitioner and beneficiary (if available) at the time of filing, as well as copies of the biographic page of each passport.
Evidence of residency must be submitted with the petition. The evidence you submit must support a determination that you are a resident in China.

Note that the requirement is that you LIVE in China - there IS no longer a six month residence requirement (that was dropped in 2011), but you WILL need to provide evidence that you LIVE in the USCIS district.

A residence permit is NOT NECESSARILY required. A determination will be made by the Consular Officer who ACCEPTS your petition as to whether you RESIDE in China. Please be prepared with evidence, such as a list of Entry and Exit dates or other evidence listed in the following quote box.

 

The residence registration form obtained from the PSB is NOT a residence permit. See below picture.

Please Note: Certain pieces of evidence may more strongly support a finding of residency than others. For petitions filed at this field office, you must submit one or more of the following:

• A Residence Permit for Foreigner in the People’s Republic of China (.
• A Chinese visa (ǩ֤) in the categories of D, J1, Q1, S1, X1 or Z.

In addition, other evidence of residency may include, but is not limited to:

• Passport entry stamp
• Utility bills
• Housing lease
• Work contract or other employment documents
• Proof of local registration
• Military orders
• Bank statements
• Vehicle registration
• Local driver’s license
• Tax documents
• Foreign property deeds or registration (although proof of property ownership in itself, may be insufficient if there is no evidence that the petitioner resides at that property)

Any document issued in a foreign language must be accompanied by a full English translation and by the translator's certification that he or she is competent to translate the foreign language into English. The original documents, with one copy of the originals, and the English translation should be submitted with the petition. Any original documents submitted upon USCIS’ request will be returned.

 

It seems this requirement has changed from time to time in exactly what the embassy requires, but this is what they told me through e-mail.

The petitioner must have a residence permit in China in order to file an I-130 with the Guangzhou Field Office. In lieu of a residence permit, the Guangzhou Field Office may accept other proof of residence, such as a lease agreement, job contract, etc. However, this evidence is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Requirements and actual experiences change often. Updates to this process are posted by individual users.

See http://candleforlove.com/forums/tags/forums/DCF/

These two topics are especially detailed accounts of the poster's own experience

A Guide to DCF For Dummies

Guide to IR-1 (DCF)

Some USTravelDocs screenshots that may be useful

CGI Stanley - Step by step

Be aware that the fees paid by DCF filers are different in two ways - there is no I-864 processing fee, and the visa fees are paid at the consulate on the day of the interview.

See Fees for Visa Services

Your CEAC status will show as

http://www.visajourney.com/static/images/uploads/monthly_2017_09/59b120eb1877e_ScreenShot2017-09-07at6_30_24PM.png.e7be3272ded8c3ad7fdf43f8a6ac1ce4.png

The applicant can pay the visa fee when they go to interview - http://ustraveldocs.com/cn/cn-iv-immigrantkvisa.asp. There is no I-864 fee when filing DCF.

All Immigrant Visa fees may be made in either U.S. dollars or the Chinese Renminbi (RMB) equivalent at the Consulate's exchange rate on the day of the applicant's interview. We accept cash and credit (Visa, Master, American Express, Diners Club and Discover) only.

 

Don't forget to pay the green card fee (AFTER they passes the interview and before they enter the U.S.). Green card production is not ordered until this fee is paid - see https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/how-pay-uscis-immigrant-fee

Paying the Green Card Immigration Fee Online - AFTER a successful interview, BEFORE travel to the U.S.

Paying the Fee BEFORE the Green Card Can be Issued - Nov., 2015

 

 

A residence permit for LIVING in China is a visa affixed IN YOUR PASSPORT. It is a visa which allows multiple Entry and Exit, and does NOT require a border run to renew.

 

The Registration of Temporary Residence form issued by the PSB is NOT a residence permit!

 

Edited February 24, 2018 by Randy W (see edit history)