Blanca Rodriguez asks: “Can you complete the entire CR1 process through RapidVisa as a US citizen from outside the US? If so, will my documents be sent overseas or to my US address?”
In some cases, depending on the embassy, you can file for what is called a Direct Consular Filing (DCF). However, USCIS has closed many of its international field offices. Make sure your home country has a USCIS field office by checking the international immigration office list on the USCIS website. If your home country has a USCIS field office you can process your petition there and RapidVisa can process those cases for you and all your paperwork.
The process is basically the same, except they eliminate the National Visa Center (NVC) stage. There are usually three stages to a spousal visa. There’s the USCIS stage, the NVC stage, and the U.S. Embassy stage. With Direct Consular Filing, they just remove the NVC stage.
If they do not process it there (in the foreign spouse’s country), it’s recommended that you have the documents sent to a US address because if you file with USCIS in the United States, they will mail your documents to your address in the US. It has to be a US domicile. They will not mail them overseas. Now, it’s a different story once you get to the U.S. Embassy stage. They’ll send the interview packet to the foreign spouse’s address.
