Japan Address Question koseki/honseki

[stayinginformed 0]

First off, I am new to the forum, and have been surfing around here most of the day.

My wife and I were married on the 19th of March 2010. We are going to start on the immigration process soon. We have been living together since November of 2008 but I am living in subsidized teacher housing with only my name on the lease. She continued using her parents address for all of her mail. Her koseki/honseki are in her parents city. I am going to be leaving Japan and going back to America in August 2010, so she is not planning on changing her koseki to my city--the hassle is not worth the four months that it would be there only to have to change it back. So should I put her address as my house or as her parents house on the paperwork?

I hope this makes sense.

[redglasses 1]

First off, I am new to the forum, and have been surfing around here most of the day.

My wife and I were married on the 19th of March 2010. We are going to start on the immigration process soon. We have been living together since November of 2008 but I am living in subsidized teacher housing with only my name on the lease. She continued using her parents address for all of her mail. Her koseki/honseki are in her parents city. I am going to be leaving Japan and going back to America in August 2010, so she is not planning on changing her koseki to my city--the hassle is not worth the four months that it would be there only to have to change it back. So should I put her address as my house or as her parents house on the paperwork?

I hope this makes sense.

OK, I believe what you mean by honseki is actually a current address on her jumin-hyo.

Honseki is a permanent address (domicile) and the address on jumin-hyo is a current street address so to speak.

Her permanent address is nothing to do with the paperwork.

You just need to put whatever address she can receive mails from USCIS/US embassy in Japan.

If I were you, I would list her parents' place as her address.

[Marina-Del 10]

Agreed with above. However, you need to have proof that you two are a real couple. You need to have as much proof as possible to show that you two are married because you want to be married to each other and not for a GC. One of the ways that most of us DCF-ers do that is by proving that we live with our husband/wife. If her name is not on the lease that's not a problem, but she still needs SOME sort of proof that she lives there. We live with my husbands aunt. So neither one of our names is on the lease! But both of us get mail at this address (a credit card bill addressed to him, bank statments addressed to him, bank statements addressed to me, ect ect). All of this mail shows both of our names and the SAME address. Therefore proving that we live together. If you don't actual live together (or even if you do, if you don't have proof of it) then you better have LOTS of other proof that your married is true. Since you've only been married since last month as well that might also be a red flag on your case. I know the rules say you can apply the day after your wedding -and you can!- but the officer that looks at your case definitely has a right to question you about it. I'm not saying you WILL have problems because of the two of you not living together (or at least not having proof that you live together) just that you COULD and you need to be prepared to explain why. And have lots of other proof.

For example, the officer that processed our I-130 didn't even look at the mountains of proof we had. He just asked us a couple questions and told us he believed us. He said to bring the proof to the interview just in case the other consular wanted to see it, and that was that. Although he did question us about why my husband was divorced only 2 weeks before we were married. Once we explained to him that he filed for the divorce 3 years prior to that and that (as we were sure he knew) the Brazilian gov't is slow as anything, he said...yes, I understand and that was that. Just be prepared.

If it's not that big of a deal (and if you are lacking other concrete proof), I'd change her address to yours just so you can have that evidence. Be aware that pictures from the wedding are good, but NOT actual concrete proof. Good luck.

[stayinginformed 0]

So maybe I should have her change a few of her bills over to my address. Is the proof needed when you turn in the initial I-130? If so, our appointment to turn it in is April 19th, and I am not sure any bills with the new address will come by then.

[kristinakiko 0]

Yes, they will want your proof when you drop off your I-130. It even says it on the checklist they provide you with when you check in for your appointment. Our proof was our rent contract from the first time we moved in together to our most recent contract. Find anything you can to prove you two have been living together, but to be honest I don't think they checked ours too thoroughly. I think the fact that we got married the same month that we turned in our I-130 (last month, actually) was a read flag because they asked "Why did you get married?" But we provides lots of evidence of us visiting each others families in America and the UK, congrats cards from when we got engaged in 2008, etc. as well as our first and last months rent contract (which the checker dude promptly shoved aside, all my hard work!)

I agree that you should put her address as wherever she wants her stuff mailed to. I don't think the US government cares about a honseki.

Good luck, we are here if you need us!

Edited April 3, 2010 by kristinakiko

[Marina-Del 10]

Yes, changing some of our bills over would be a good idea, but as you said it might not be enough time before your interview. At our I-130 appointment (in Brazil) the consular didn't look at our evidence at all. We had pay slips going back from 2005 showing we worked at the same place in London, rental contacts with our names from London, Italy and Brazil going back to 2007 and a whole bunch of other stuff (copies of wedding invites and congrats cards, letters with our addresses being the same, letters to him from my parents ect ect) and he didn't even look at it. He said that he believed us and so didn't need to see our evidence, but to make sure we bring it all to Rio in case the officer their wants to see it.

You really need evidence JUST in case. Maybe they wont look at it, maybe they wont even ask to see it, but you need it just in case!