My DCF Experience
I finally did it. I attempted DCF!!
We flew to Delhi the day before our proposed filing date. We reached the New Delhi embassy at 8.55 am. There were a long line of people waiting outside. I showed the guard my US passport and told him I came to file a petition for my wife . He asked me “I-130 ?”. I was surprised at his question as these people don’t usually know form numbers. He then asked me how long I’ve been in India. I replied 61 days. He quickly checked me with a metal detector and hushed my wife and I through the gates.
We went straight through and entered the main embassy. There was a larger security outfit there. The guards asked me once again how long I stayed in India.
We went in and waited in a waiting area. A ton of people were waiting for different visa interviews (H1/B1 …)
A guard came and called us at 10:30 am to take us to the CIS office inside. The “INS waiting room” was crowded with a lot of people. Most of them had some issue with their GC’s. 3 more couples were there ahead of us to DCF
One guy did not have enough paperwork so he was sent back home. Another guys wedding was an inter-caste or inter-religion one. The CIS officer was mentioning to him that the Special Marriage Act would be a good choice for him or something... (Note: DCF is best if your case is very straightforward, i.e. First marriage for both, traditional Indian wedding(not on a small scale), same caste, etc etc). If you have some deviations from ‘normal’ then you must go prepared adequately while DCF’ing!
Our turn came next. One Mr. M interviewed us. He was an Indian. He was very friendly and asked us questions as to how we met, where I lived, worked, how I got my GC, about our families etc. Asked me if I stayed 60 days (looked at my arrival stamp on my passport)
He went through our I-130/G325a. I had taken loose snaps of our wedding to be stuck with the application. I carried the ENTIRE foto album (weighed a TONNE!) with me. He appreciated the way I had organized my application and made notes (on the yellow post it notes)
He approved our case (meaning he said he accepted it) and asked me to cancel my pending I-130 (VSC) immediately. We thanked him profusely and left. Lasted under 10 minutes. A success!
We were escorted out by the guard. I paid $185 in USD , got a receipt and gave the WHITE copy to the Guard for inclusion with my file.
I then went to the local Post office and sent a Speed Post (Express mail equivalent) to the VSC asking my petition to be withdrawn.
I went back to the consulate and gave a copy of the letter I sent to the VSC along with the mailing receipt to be included in my new file.
That’s it. I am very thankful to all especially Sundar for sharing his experience & PhillyDude for his support. No words of gratitude are enough to thank my colleagues and managers for giving me so much time off. I owe them a BIGG one.
PS: The Delhi embassy processes the cases very quickly. If we lived in the Delhi area, then Ani would have gotten her immigrant visa (GC) in under 3 months. Down south it takes longer!!
I hope Ani joins me very soon. I’m returning back to the US before Xmas.
Points to Note for DCF aspirants
- DCF is best for straightforward marriages.
- The 60 day rule is enforced very strictly, no exceptions
- CIS at the Delhi embassy are courteous and professional, so you can expect better service than the SC’s in the US
- Carry ALL originals and copies of such with you. Better more than less. Carry your original Natz Cert, photo album.
- ND Embassy does NOT accept Rs. 500 bills. 100’s are your best bet
- Don’t carry cell phones or sealed envelopes into the building. Just your application will speed things up for you.
