NVC AVR(automated voice response system) changed from "CASE COMPLETE" to "YOUR CASE HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO EMBASSY/CONSULATE in TOKYO on JUNE 25, 2008...PLEASE CONTACT THE EMBASSY FOR FURTHER QUESTION"....

I called NVC and asked what was been forwarded, operator said all the documents submitted to them were sent to TOKYO thru DHL.

I wander if there is a separate instruction packet from the Embassy to be sent, at this point I'm only expecting the appoinment letter. But to play safe ,probably better have all the orig. docs. available during the interview.

Let's keep posting for any update.

Thanks

ah, yes, a bomb scare that must have been it. she did say something about an evacuation but she didn't know why.

As for any additional documentation, NVC had already gotten everything, but in the interview appointment letter it did say to bring all original documents with you to the interview...so to be safe we did bring another marriage certificate and family register to the interview. they did not ask for it. they only wanted the medical exam results.

[quote name='sarudoshi' date='Jul 1 2008, 03:07 AM' post='1975408']
NVC AVR(automated voice response system) changed from "CASE COMPLETE" to "YOUR CASE HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO EMBASSY/CONSULATE in TOKYO on JUNE 25, 2008...PLEASE CONTACT THE EMBASSY FOR FURTHER QUESTION"....

I called NVC and asked what was been forwarded, operator said all the documents submitted to them were sent to TOKYO thru DHL.

I wander if there is a separate instruction packet from the Embassy to be sent, at this point I'm only expecting the appoinment letter. But to play safe ,probably better have all the orig. docs. available during the interview.

Let's keep posting for any update.

Thanks

Thanks for your reply. I just called NVC from Tokyo and my documents went DHL to the embassy on June 25, 2008
as well. I know somewhere I read how to check when it arrived, but I guess, that won't make any dent now. I wonder
where the appointment letter comes from? The embassy or NVC? Yes, let's keep posting when we hear soemething or
even better than hear, receive something in the mail. After months and months of waiting ithout any kind of information,
it surely is a much more satisfying situation when things progress in a somewhat orderly fashion.

[quote name='sarudoshi' date='Jul 1 2008, 03:07 AM' post='1975408']
NVC AVR(automated voice response system) changed from "CASE COMPLETE" to "YOUR CASE HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO EMBASSY/CONSULATE in TOKYO on JUNE 25, 2008...PLEASE CONTACT THE EMBASSY FOR FURTHER QUESTION"....

I called NVC and asked what was been forwarded, operator said all the documents submitted to them were sent to TOKYO thru DHL.

I wander if there is a separate instruction packet from the Embassy to be sent, at this point I'm only expecting the appoinment letter. But to play safe ,probably better have all the orig. docs. available during the interview. END QUOTE



Thanks for your reply. I just called NVC from Tokyo and my documents went DHL to the embassy on June 25, 2008
as well. I know somewhere I read how to check when it arrived, but I guess, that won't make any dent now. I wonder
where the appointment letter comes from? The embassy or NVC? Yes, let's keep posting when we hear soemething or
even better than hear, receive something in the mail. After months and months of waiting ithout any kind of information,
it surely is a much more satisfying situation when things progress in a somewhat orderly fashion.

[quote name='sarudoshi' date='Jul 1 2008, 03:07 AM' post='1975408']
NVC AVR(automated voice response system) changed from "CASE COMPLETE" to "YOUR CASE HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO EMBASSY/CONSULATE in TOKYO on JUNE 25, 2008...PLEASE CONTACT THE EMBASSY FOR FURTHER QUESTION"....

I called NVC and asked what was been forwarded, operator said all the documents submitted to them were sent to TOKYO thru DHL.
END QUOTE



Thanks for your reply. I just called NVC from Tokyo and my documents went DHL to the embassy on June 25, 2008
as well. I know somewhere I read how to check when it arrived, but I guess, that won't make any dent now. I wonder
where the appointment letter comes from? The embassy or NVC? Yes, let's keep posting when we hear soemething or
even better than hear, receive something in the mail. After months and months of waiting ithout any kind of information,
it surely is a much more satisfying situation when things progress in a somewhat orderly fashion.

Well, I couldn't stop myself and checked on the DHL website. There is no other shipment to Tokyo after
June 24. So, I guess, that's when our docs were sent. They arrived at the embassy on 6/26 on 11:09 a.m.
Waiting for the appointment letter, but keep in mind July 4th is a holiday.

Thanks for the info., about the shipment.

Embassy will send both petitioner and beneficiary the appoinment letter.

Goodluck.

we never got anything from the embassy before the interview. our appointment letter came from the NVC.

Then maybe we are lucky that our appointment is not before August 18. If mail will be coming
from NVC stateside, surely we need to expect a wait of 2-3 weeks before the appointment and
instruction letter is in hand here in Tokyo.

So, the NVC operator was wrong...

Thanks for the right info. One question, do you know if there are other docs. (aside from med. exam result) necessary for the interview?
Do we need to bring all the orig. docs. that we already submitted to NVC?

Thanks in advance.

i'm at work, so i don't have the appointment letter with me right now, but it gives the date and time for your interview, some basic info for the medical exam (you can easily find that same info on the embassy or NVC website), and a list of documents the NVC received and accepted. There was also a statement about bringing all original documents to the interview...so that's what we did. another marriage certificate and another family register, but at least for our case, they did not ask for it. the only thing they asked for was the medical exam results.

Ahoka,

Congratulations to you and your wife! :D

I hope you can move and be together soon! :D

Thanks.

we just got the return package in the mail with the passport and visa stamp. that was quick!

CONGRATULATIONS

Received appointment letter today. Life is getting much, much better

After reading of the NVC appointment/interview letter I find that they refer to a state.gov website
for further instructions, like I guess medical etc. In other words, instructions how and where to do
the medical are not included, but can be pulled off the website.
Question to "ahoka" or anyone else who went thru the interview process lately, was there another
letter that you got from the embassy directly with more detailed instructions? Or is this it and further
actions are self-help based?

no. the embassy does not provide any additional instructions. the appointment letter you just received from the NVC (congratulations!) is all we ever got. the embassy does have a website that has useful info for the medical exam. http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/visa/tvisa-ivmedfaq.html

oh. additionally i don't think this was mentioned in any NVC info but the embassy has a checklist for the interview http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/visa/tvisa-iv...rviewcheck.html nearly all of this checklist should have already been provided to the NVC...but the last item the, self-address prepaid envelope (expack500), should be brought to the interview too.

Congratulations YOOTOO! :D

When I talked to the NVC they said that we needed the letter we would get (the interview date/medical info) in order to make the appointment for her medical. I wonder if there is some number you need from it or if you need to bring a copy of it to the medical or something. Maybe ahoka could shed some light on this as they have just gone through it.

Also lots of thanks to ahoka for all the info! :)

Ahoka, thanks a lot for your reply.
JandM :my wife made the medical appointment yesterday. They told her about 10 things to bring. The appointment cover
letter from NVC is required. It has the NVC case number on it, that's what they need. Don't worry about the rest, the hospital will tell you over the phone what is needed. Passport, photos, immunization records etc. Again the letter is important.

That's a great suggestion. It's funny, too, because I just applied for a new passport. I brought an expack 500 with me,
but to my surprise, they said they didn't need it.Postage comes out of the embassy's ( and my taxpayer's ) pocket. Funny,
they request a prepaid envelope for the visa matter.
And one last question since we are curious. We assume the envelope from the medical, which includes x-ray pictures, is
not small. It will not fit the expack 500, right? Do they return it to us at the interview in a larger sealed envelope? Do they
look at it for the interview? This one needs to be brought with us to the states for presentation at POE.

during the embassy interview, the medical exam results and the x-ray are separated, they will take the medical exam results but they will give back the x-ray.

as YOUTOO said, i feel its best to talk to whichever facility you choose to see what they require. but at least for our case, they did not specifically ask for the appointment letter. they did want our NVC case number, but that could be gotten from any document from NVC.

Congratulations!

Same here, husband received an appoinment letter from NVC on July 3rd but at the same time received an e-mail from Embassy that our interview is re-scheduled on August 11.

Wow, congratulations. Now you are ahead of me. Wish I would get an e-mail from the embassy as well. We have not yet received the appointment letter in Japan, only in the US.

This got me thinking, where on the paperwork does it show my e-mail address to communicate with? I looked at the DS-230, but I can't find it. NVC must have it, since we communicated. But I am not sure if that becomes part of the record. So I am not sure if my lawyer ever put my address anywhere. Bummer. A week or two earlier for the interview would be nice instead of 40 days waiting.

When I sent a Choice of agent e-mail to NVC. I included all the petitioner and benificiary's telefax. nos. and e-mail addresses.

Aha, my inept attorney didn't do that, so no chance to get rescheduled. Another reason why it makes no sense to
hie a lawyer for normal applications.

Quick update. My wife found an appointment rescheduler on the Japanese language Tokyo embassy page, which does
not show up on the English language site ( that's strange isn't it? ). Anyway, I sent an e-mail and voila, 1 hour later I
received confirmation that our appointment has been rescheduled for July 28, We are definitely very, very pleased

Actually, I'm not so thrilled with the August 18 interview date because it's on my wife's birthday, which means I need to find a way to budget for a trip so we can both fly back to Tokyo together... Spending the last two weeks of August in Japan is not my ideal (I usually prefer fall or spring).

If there was any thought at all, the week earlier may be because we already have done medical with the K-3. But I doubt that there's much logic behind it.

There's not much rhyme or reason in general to either NVC or USCIS dates. My K-3 was held up at NVC for about 4 or 5 weeks before they pushed it to the embassy; others were done in 48 hours. The CR-1 case completion was done faster than we expected (I think it was 2 weeks after our documents were in). There were people who applied to USCIS months after me who are done with everything already.

Our case is completed at the NVC and our interview date has been assigned!!! :D

DS-230 completed: 7/9/2008
Interview Date: 8/11/2008

I am sooooo happy right now!!!! :D
I can't wait to tell my wonderful wife!!! :D

I just hope we can fit the medical exam in, as we will need our appointment letter for it.

I also have to book a ticket quick! :)

It is absolutely correct that there is no rhyme and/or reason to anything at USCIS or NVC. I am looking at the next poster, who was approved July 9 and got an August 18 appointment, while I for example was complete on June 10 for an August 18 appointment. Also scheduling took forever, while some other people got things done within a couple of days. I will be so happy when I am out of this mess. The removing of conditions will be my next step and from what I read that will not be smooth sailing, with over a year backlog. End of August can be brutal here in Japan, this year for the first time in three years, I will be home in Hawaii. Best of luck.

Good luck on the ticket. It will not be cheap, bad timing, but surely no choice. As far as the medical appointment goes, we did not need the appointment letter. Just the NVC case number was sufficient. We never got the appointment letter here in Japan, but my U.S. nitwit lawyer got it and although he did nothing for us, except taking a lot of our money, he at least emailed us a copy. But again, hardcopy was not needed. Good luck to both of you.

Thanks YOUTOO! :)

I have been saving up for the ticket for a while now as I was hoping for an late July/early August interview date. Not because of the time of the year but because I felt it was the earliest reasonable date we would get it. So I was prepared for the expense when I started saving. I hear they are charging an extra $15 just to have checked luggage now, not that it really matters as I only every bring a small carry on. I don't like lugging around a lot of stuff when I travel. :)

Does anyone know if I have to contact the Tokyo embassy about attending the interview with my wife?

Thanks,

The checked luggage fee is applicable only for U.S. domestic flights, International has not ( yet ) changed. I guess, if you are out of Wisconsin, shop around, you might get a decent deal out of Milwaukee which is common rated with Chicago. Nowadays it is sometimes to your benefit, if you are a late booker, although this year it's crazy because of the Olympics.
Still you should snatch something around $ 1200.00 roundtrip, maybe on Continental. Thankfully I have status and was able to get a couple of tickets home the long way via Guam on short notice. Nothing direct to Honolulu from Tokyo was available in that time period.
The Embassy states that it is not necessary to accompany your wife to the interview, sort of saying they don't want you there. One of the reasons is that it is quite a tiny space and usually filled with people. On the other hand as an U.S. citizen you have a right to enter the Embassy, so if you feel like it, tag along and enjoy the show. It is suggested that you don't approach the window with your wife, but rather stay in the background. Some posters remarked that it was helpful, when some sort of connection was displayed while the spouse was at the window, making the interviewer aware. Some posters said that it went into the opposite direction and the couple was grilled more thoroughly, especially the U.S. citizen. I will be there during my wife's interview as well, because we live far outside Tokyo and travel together anyway, but only for moral support, without making any efforts to let my presence be known ( that is unless I am asked to ).

That's great to hear

Goodluck

Please don't forget to post your interview experience.

Thank you....Yoroshiku.

Congratulations on getting an interview date. That was quick

Our interview is at 9:30 the same date. Wish you Goodluck

Sure, no problems. I will keep you updated about the interview process. We are hoping and wishing for the best.

Thanks sarudoshi, and I will see you there. Ours is at 9:30 as well. :)


YOUTOO,

I plan on attending the interview with my wife unless told that I cannot which I don't see any reason they wouldn't want me there. I don't believe that me being there would bring about any more drilling then they would do otherwise. We have nothing to hide anyway and I believe that it is important for me to be there. It is my family after all. How could they expect less then for me to want to be there with her? I would think they would only "drill" someone if they had some reason to believe they were trying to defraud the immigration system or if the interviewer just got off on giving people a hard time (in which case they will wish they never met me as I guarantee I can give them a much worse time. ;) No one messes with MY family!). All I was looking for was if I was supposed to let them know ahead of time I was coming to the interview as well. I guess I will just have to pay the stupid fee and call them. $20 for a phone call I am already picking up the tab on is just ridiculous, and email as well. And for the $20 you only get to talk to a call center that is not even located at the embassy. :/ Unless someone knows a number to call where you actually do speak to someone at the embassy and not have to pay the fee?

Thanks,

Justin, maybe I did not write clearly or you misunderstood. Save the money for the call, of course you can accompany your wife to the interview. As long as you are a U.S. citizen, they cannot refuse you entry to the Embassy. I merely
repeated what others wrote here before me. We wish you all the luck.

My wife had her medical today. Nothing exciting, 3 hours, chest x-ray and two shots, and last but not least another payment to be made : $ 495.00. Seems that nothing connected with this visa is under $ 400.00. Tomorrow she has to pick up the paperwork, the interview is next.

May I ask where your wife had her medical? We are thinking of Tokyo, even though its a bit of a trip, as they have one day service. The office in Kobe wants two weeks to get the results.

Also thanks for the post YOUTOO, I understood that I have a right to be at the embassy but I had read posts around here indicating that some embassies required you to let them know you were gong to be there as well. That is why I was asking. I wasn't trying to be obstinate or seem unappreciative, sorry if I came off a little nasty in the post. :(

On another note if my wife doesn't have complete vaccination records, she doesn't have the ones from her school, will they just give her vaccinations for anything she doesn't have records for right at the medical? I think I had heard that was the way it was done but I just want to check again.

Thanks again,

My old lady and I haven't even had a goddamn touch since mid-February, those bums.
Anyway, I had her risk entry under the Visa Waiver Program, and she got in without a snag last week.
We'd prepared a letter from me explaining the situation and promising that she'd honor the 90-day limit on the VWP, and her old boss was kind enough to bust out a bull$h!t letter for her saying that she's taking a leave of absence from work (we also prepared a certified translation of this).
At any rate, the border officer just asked her what she's coming to America for, and she said "to visit my husband." Wam bam thank you ma'am a quick stamp to the old passport and she was in. She didn't have to show any of the documents or even the return ticket. She entered through Atlanta.

Just wanted to post our experience with this for the sake of any Japan filers who are hesitant to have a spouse enter on the VWP while an I-130 is in the works.

Let's start at the end. I have agreat mother-in-law, this Japanese woman is the poster child of keeping records and stuff. I am not exaggerating, she has about 1000 boxes in her two closets and knows exactly which box containes what. 85 years old!!! She had all my wife's immunization records, the doctor at the hospital was surprised, he said he had never seen anything like this before. Lucky, I guess, for my wife, she had only to endure two shots. That's beside the blood testing.

The medical was at the Catholic Hospital in Tokyo, if you need more details let me know, my wife won't be back home until Wednesday. It's not a one day service. Appoinment is for one day in the morning ( for example ) and pick up of docs at 5 p.m. the next day. I remember she said, afternoon appointment and pick up of docs two days later in the morning. Again, costs ( for us ) was $ 495.00 ).

You know, I will be at my wife's appointment as well. Here is a hint. Last time we were at the Embassy because we were stupid enough to spend $ 175.00 and apply for a visitor's visa for my wife to attend her daughter's wedding in Las Vegas. Of course, once they found out she was applying for an Immigrant Visa, that was turned down. But anyway, the appointment was for a Monday, the day they schedule immigrant visa appointments. The line was HUGE.

This time I will be the bad guy and cut in, using my U.S. passport, coming up with some kind of excuse and get my wife in as well. You can do the same thing, just think of something in case they ask you. Extra pages in your passport, social security, tax questions, notarizing........whatever you can come up with.

As always, best of luck and glad to be of help.

Wow, this is unbelievable. Truely unbelievable and I am ( nearly ) out of words. ATL was the airport, my wife was denied entry, thrown in jail overnight, treated like a piece of s**t and returned to Tokyo the next day. And why? Because she answered " I am here to visit my husband". This truly is sickening.
Nothing personal, UncleWally, I wish all of you best of luck. And I am glad, she got in.

There is one there that offers same day service, but its loads extra. Unfortunately that's the way we have to go since my wife lives in Nara and the Kobe office wouldn't get us the results before our interview. So its an expensive appointment plus the shinkansen fare (~$120 each way). We are looking at a possible total cost of about $940 for two together. :( I am not sure which it is that offers that, I know there are three places you can go in Tokyo but if anyone is interested I can ask my wife about it.

Thanks again YOUTOO :)

Uncle_Wally, congratulations on getting your wife in for a visit! :)
We also didn't have an issue with her visiting me during our I-130. She came in at Minneapolis, St. Paul International (MSP).

I went to Tokyo Medical Clinic, just infront of Tokyo Tower. The service was good, no wait, but I paid 60,000 yen coz I was missing one vaccine. I was sweating in pain not because of the vacc. but because of the bill , too expensive

60,000 yen for ONE vaccine? Ouch!!! :(

I feel for you, and boy do I hope we aren't missing that vaccine! :(

Do you know if it was just one or did they give you a combo of all of them?

quick question, my wife's interview is scheduled at 9:30 am on 8/11 (Tokyo). Any idea of how early should I plan to arrive? Is 30 minutes enough? How long would the line be at the entry of embassy usually?

Iceman, you too? Cool. I guess a few of us will be there at the same time. ;)

I was thinking we should be there an hour early at the least as I have heard (from posts here and from the DoS website) that there can be a long waiting line to get into the embassy. I was even thinking about two hours but I am not sure. Our hotel is close to the embassy so I might duck over rather early to see if there is a line there. I am surprised that you have 9:30 as both I and Sarudoshi have 9:30 as well. Makes me wonder how many people are scheduled for the exact same time.

Whats up everyone...good to see other Nihon filers here...

For those of you who did the medical check, what documents did yuo need to give or turn in to get the check? our I-129F is stuck at NVC even though its been 7 weeks since CIS sent me NOA2. We are basically trying to get as much stuff done ahead of time so that once NVC and CIS get their heads out of their a** we can get the interview scheduled right away. Thank for the help!