Success Story: 3 Month Approval of an I-130 Petition Through Direct Consular Filing in Madrid

Success Story: 3 Month Approval of an I-130 Petition Through Direct Consular Filing in Madrid

Our client, a U.S. citizen residing in Spain with her Spanish husband, received a job offer back in the States. The job offer was given with short notice, requiring her to relocate back to the U.S.. She had been residing in Spain with her husband of 2 years when she received this offer and not wanting to be separated from her husband, they contacted our firm to assist them in securing Direct Consular Filing of their I-130 Petition for an alien relative. The normal processing time for family based immigration takes approximately 18-24 months, which is exponentially longer than our clients have to relocate back to the States, her short notice job offer required her to start within 3 months of receiving the offer. 

U.S. citizens living abroad can use Direct Consular Filing (DCF) to file an I-130 petition directly at a U.S. embassy or consulate in their country of residence, rather than mailing it to a USCIS office in the States. In our client’s case, this is allowed specifically because the U.S. citizen’s short notice job offer circumstance and her qualifying residency in Spain puts their case under the U.S. Embassy of Madrid’s jurisdiction. When a sudden job relocation back to the U.S. is on the horizon, DCF is valuable because it can process the petition and get the foreign family member’s immigrant visa interview scheduled months faster than the standard USCIS route. This allows our client and her husband to travel and reunite together instead of being separated for months while their petition is processed through the normal USCIS office.

After our firm’s liaison with the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, our request for the DCF on behalf of our clients, the embassy agreed to go ahead with the DCF of the I-130 petition. As a result the Spanish husband was able to receive his approved I-130 petition within 3 months from the date of initial submission. This is about a year and a half quicker than had she and her husband filed directly with USCIS. Our firm would like to extend a huge congrats to our client and her husband who are now on their way to living and working in the U.S.!

At Blue Lake Law, we understand that life doesn’t always give you a year and a half to plan a move. If you’re a U.S. citizen abroad facing a sudden relocation and worried about leaving a spouse or family member behind, our team has the experience and embassy relationships to pursue Direct Consular Filing on your behalf, turning a process that can take over a year into one that takes months. Don’t let short notice mean long separation; contact Blue Lake Law today to see if DCF is the right path for your family.