many questions

[ArthurDent 0]

Hello all,

I stumbled across your wonderful website while I was doing some research about the visa for my wife. I am so confused about just about everything, getting information from official sources is like trying to squeeze blood from a stone. Anyhow, on to my story/questions. My wife and I had been dating for three years and just got married recently. I came to Japan to finish school, and will be graduating in March. After getting married we began to start filling out paperwork. Here are a list of the forms I have already filled out.

I-130

G-325a

DS-230

I took a look at your excellent guide for the CR-1 visa and it has answered a lot, but I have the following questions. I called the USCIS today and they said that, as I am not in the states with access to my checkbook now we could get a money order from the post office here in Japan. What address does that go to? Should I send it with the documents or should it go to a different address?

My next question involves the I-864. I just found out about this form today, so yeah. When exactly does this form need to be filed? In regards to the income, as I am a student and have only been able to work part time (and in Japan), will this cause problems? Can I combine both my income and my wifes income on this form? How will the income thing work when we move (because we will both be unemployed initially. I am looking for jobs now though)?

I found a checklist on the Japanese consulate website that is for the interview located here,

http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/visa/tvisa-ivinterviewcheck2.html

which indicates to me that the I-864 is something that I would bring to the interview, is this correct?

Also, how can I go about proving my income? I have been out of the US for the last 5 years. As a matter of fact, I recently also found out that I was supposed to file taxes with in the US, even though I am not living in the US. I sent off the last 4 years worth of 1040s at the end of January, can I just re-print my 1040s and bring them with me or will I have to get something from the IRS?

I think I have more questions, but at the moment I am so confused I think I should just start here and base my subsequent questions on the answers I receive. Thanks in advance all .

[ArthurDent 0]

bump

[ArthurDent 0]

Sorry for double posting, I posted in the DCF forum, but I think that was a mistake. Mods, please feel free to merge these threads or delete that thread. Thanks

Hello all,

I stumbled across your wonderful website while I was doing some research about the visa for my wife. I am so confused about just about everything, getting information from official sources is like trying to squeeze blood from a stone. Anyhow, on to my story/questions. My wife and I had been dating for three years and just got married recently. I came to Japan to finish school, and will be graduating in March. After getting married we began to start filling out paperwork. Here are a list of the forms I have already filled out.

I-130

G-325a

DS-230

I took a look at your excellent guide for the CR-1 visa and it has answered a lot, but I have the following questions. I called the USCIS today and they said that, as I am not in the states with access to my checkbook now we could get a money order from the post office here in Japan. What address does that go to? Should I send it with the documents or should it go to a different address?

My next question involves the I-864. I just found out about this form today, so yeah. When exactly does this form need to be filed? In regards to the income, as I am a student and have only been able to work part time (and in Japan), will this cause problems? Can I combine both my income and my wifes income on this form? How will the income thing work when we move (because we will both be unemployed initially. I am looking for jobs now though)?

I found a checklist on the Japanese consulate website that is for the interview located here,

http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/visa/tvisa-ivinterviewcheck2.html

which indicates to me that the I-864 is something that I would bring to the interview, is this correct?

Also, how can I go about proving my income? I have been out of the US for the last 5 years. As a matter of fact, I recently also found out that I was supposed to file taxes with in the US, even though I am not living in the US. I sent off the last 4 years worth of 1040s at the end of January, can I just re-print my 1040s and bring them with me or will I have to get something from the IRS?

I think I have more questions, but at the moment I am so confused I think I should just start here and base my subsequent questions on the answers I receive. Thanks in advance all

[neoflasher 3]

As far as the money orders you would send those with your paperwork. The i864 doesn't have to be included with your i130. That will be sent in after you get your i130 approved and you pay the AOS fee of $88 I believe. As far as combining your income I think you will need a joint sponsor for your wife. I just attached the 2012 poverty level chart which is the basis for what your income must be inorder to satisfy the requirements regarding affidavit of support. It must be 125% of the numbers listed on the chart. I hope I have helped at least answering some of your questions.

[ekistler 1]

Congrats on your marriage.

We processed in China via DCF so that is different but I'll give you what info I have. I'm sure someone will come along soon that knows more. They will also probably move your question as DCF doesn't exist in Japan anymore...

From what I understand the NVC will mail you an I-864 form to complete and send back to them after you initially file the paperwork. You will need your last 3 years 1040 as well. I believe that you should only need the transcripts. I got mine from an online service as the originals were in the states.

You can't use your overseas income or your wife's as they will not continue after you enter the USA. You probably have to use a co-sponsor to complete your application. They claim you can use assets if you have investments worth at least 375% of the poverty level. The story that I have been told is that this is kind of a fast and loose calculation when it comes to the consulate because they have been known to refuse people that have well in excess of that amount of assets. They apparently prefer co-sponsorship.

You need to bring the I-864's and tax documents to the consulate interview as well.

I'm sure someone will be along soon to correct anything that I may not have understood properly.

Good luck with your petition!

[pushbrk 12,979]

Sorry for double posting, I posted in the DCF forum, but I think that was a mistake. Mods, please feel free to merge these threads or delete that thread. Thanks

Hello all,

I stumbled across your wonderful website while I was doing some research about the visa for my wife. I am so confused about just about everything, getting information from official sources is like trying to squeeze blood from a stone. Anyhow, on to my story/questions. My wife and I had been dating for three years and just got married recently. I came to Japan to finish school, and will be graduating in March. After getting married we began to start filling out paperwork. Here are a list of the forms I have already filled out.

I-130

G-325a

DS-230

I took a look at your excellent guide for the CR-1 visa and it has answered a lot, but I have the following questions. I called the USCIS today and they said that, as I am not in the states with access to my checkbook now we could get a money order from the post office here in Japan. What address does that go to? Should I send it with the documents or should it go to a different address?

My next question involves the I-864. I just found out about this form today, so yeah. When exactly does this form need to be filed? In regards to the income, as I am a student and have only been able to work part time (and in Japan), will this cause problems? Can I combine both my income and my wifes income on this form? How will the income thing work when we move (because we will both be unemployed initially. I am looking for jobs now though)?

I found a checklist on the Japanese consulate website that is for the interview located here,

http://japan.usembas...viewcheck2.html

which indicates to me that the I-864 is something that I would bring to the interview, is this correct?

Also, how can I go about proving my income? I have been out of the US for the last 5 years. As a matter of fact, I recently also found out that I was supposed to file taxes with in the US, even though I am not living in the US. I sent off the last 4 years worth of 1040s at the end of January, can I just re-print my 1040s and bring them with me or will I have to get something from the IRS?

I think I have more questions, but at the moment I am so confused I think I should just start here and base my subsequent questions on the answers I receive. Thanks in advance all

Study the guide again. You won't be doing DCF, so no DS230 or I-864 until several months down the line.

You'll need a check or money order drawn on a US Bank actually located in the USA, just like it says in the I-130 instructions. Studying those instructions very carefully, will be critical to your eventual success. Note: The check does NOT have to be from YOUR account, just from a US account IN the USA.

[ArthurDent 0]

As far as the money orders you would send those with your paperwork. The i864 doesn't have to be included with your i130. That will be sent in after you get your i130 approved and you pay the AOS fee of $88 I believe. As far as combining your income I think you will need a joint sponsor for your wife. I just attached the 2012 poverty level chart which is the basis for what your income must be inorder to satisfy the requirements regarding affidavit of support. It must be 125% of the numbers listed on the chart. I hope I have helped at least answering some of your questions.

Thank you for the information. I had seen evidence that the I-864 costs $88 to file. I think I will hold most of the I-864 questions until I get to that point, although I do have one question in regards to the income. Does it matter if the income is from the US or not? As I am currently living out of the US, my income is not coming from the US. The reason I ask this is because, naturally, this income source will disappear once we move and I wonder if they factor that in.

[ArthurDent 0]

Congrats on your marriage.

We processed in China via DCF so that is different but I'll give you what info I have. I'm sure someone will come along soon that knows more. They will also probably move your question as DCF doesn't exist in Japan anymore...

From what I understand the NVC will mail you an I-864 form to complete and send back to them after you initially file the paperwork. You will need your last 3 years 1040 as well. I believe that you should only need the transcripts. I got mine from an online service as the originals were in the states.

You can't use your overseas income or your wife's as they will not continue after you enter the USA. You probably have to use a co-sponsor to complete your application. They claim you can use assets if you have investments worth at least 375% of the poverty level. The story that I have been told is that this is kind of a fast and loose calculation when it comes to the consulate because they have been known to refuse people that have well in excess of that amount of assets. They apparently prefer co-sponsorship.

You need to bring the I-864's and tax documents to the consulate interview as well.

I'm sure someone will be along soon to correct anything that I may not have understood properly.

Good luck with your petition!

Thank you for the response. I did my taxes with turbotax and saved PDF files of the 1040s, so re-printing them will not be a problem, just wanted to make sure they could use the re-prints and that I didn't have to get something directly from the IRS. I don't think I will have a problem getting a co-sponsor, and as I said above, I will just hold my I-864 questions until that time gets closer as I think that would probably be the prudent thing to do. But I will ask my parents if they are ok with the co-sponsorship. If that is the case, do we both fill out an I-864 or is there some different form that we would use (like an I-864 and an I-864A, etc.)?

[ArthurDent 0]

Study the guide again. You won't be doing DCF, so no DS230 or I-864 until several months down the line.

You'll need a check or money order drawn on a US Bank actually located in the USA, just like it says in the I-130 instructions. Studying those instructions very carefully, will be critical to your eventual success. Note: The check does NOT have to be from YOUR account, just from a US account IN the USA.

Thank you for your response. I noticed in the guide that the DS-230 will not be necessary until much later (and consequently, I noticed that the I-864 wouldn't be needed until later either), but I do like to over-prepare for things, so that is mainly the reason that I have filled out the DS-230 already and am already looking at filling out the I-864. But, it's good to know that I have time to fill out that form as it looks rather complex. As for the check or money order, your information is contrary to what the people at the USCIS told me. When I called them they said that I could use a money order from the post office (which doubles as a bank) in Japan. This also jives with what someone at the embassy in Tokyo told me. Can you comment further on this?

[pushbrk 12,979]

Thank you for your response. I noticed in the guide that the DS-230 will not be necessary until much later (and consequently, I noticed that the I-864 wouldn't be needed until later either), but I do like to over-prepare for things, so that is mainly the reason that I have filled out the DS-230 already and am already looking at filling out the I-864. But, it's good to know that I have time to fill out that form as it looks rather complex. As for the check or money order, your information is contrary to what the people at the USCIS told me. When I called them they said that I could use a money order from the post office (which doubles as a bank) in Japan. This also jives with what someone at the embassy in Tokyo told me. Can you comment further on this?

A postal money order is fine. I expect that's what they said, but they MEANT one from the US Post Office. Again, actually READ CAREFULLY the I-130 instructions. Doing so, will be CRITICAL to your ultimate success.

Ad for calling USCIS, we call that "The Misinformation Line" for a reason.

[ArthurDent 0]

A postal money order is fine. I expect that's what they said, but they MEANT one from the US Post Office. Again, actually READ CAREFULLY the I-130 instructions. Doing so, will be CRITICAL to your ultimate success.

Ad for calling USCIS, we call that "The Misinformation Line" for a reason.

Thank you for your response again. Sorry to really drill this, but I just spoke to USCIS again and they said that a Bank International Money Order in USD is acceptable, I double and triple checked that if this money order was issued from the post office in Japan that it would be acceptable and they said yes. I get the same information from the Embassy in Tokyo. So who am I to believe? I have no way to pay the money from a US bank at the moment.

[Clark--Kent 4]

Thank you for your response again. Sorry to really drill this, but I just spoke to USCIS again and they said that a Bank International Money Order in USD is acceptable, I double and triple checked that if this money order was issued from the post office in Japan that it would be acceptable and they said yes. I get the same information from the Embassy in Tokyo. So who am I to believe? I have no way to pay the money from a US bank at the moment.

If you've triple checked that a Japanese Postal Money Order is ok, then go ahead and get one. While the instructions might ask for one thing, I think everyone going through this process can attest to the fact that USCIS and NVC are often not clear at providing instructions and there are often things they want that aren't listed, or in this case something that they accept that isn't listed. It doesn't take long to get a money order. The application page you get at the post office has English on it and you can write everything in English. You will need to write an address for USCIS on the form, just use the same one that you will submit to (Chicago Lockbox address). I got one recently to renew my US passport and was in and out in about 35 minutes.

Only larger post offices in Japan will issue international money orders so you should go to the main branch wherever you live.

I agree with others who said that you should read through the guides a few more times so you really understand the process. Also look at the NVC shortcut wikis because they are extremely helpful.

To answer your questions about your income: Your income in Japan (and your wife's income) will not count for the Affidavit of Support because it won't continue in America. You will likely need a joint sponsor, unless you have enough assets to cover 3 times 125% of the poverty level. When you fill out your I-864, you can put down your Japanese income, because you should always answer the questions accurately and the form doesn't specify the source of the income they are asking for, but NVC and the interviewing consular officer will know that it doesn't qualify and expect a joint sponsor.

[pushbrk 12,979]

Thank you for your response again. Sorry to really drill this, but I just spoke to USCIS again and they said that a Bank International Money Order in USD is acceptable, I double and triple checked that if this money order was issued from the post office in Japan that it would be acceptable and they said yes. I get the same information from the Embassy in Tokyo. So who am I to believe? I have no way to pay the money from a US bank at the moment.

Certainly, the US Embassy in Japan would accept such payment but you are not paying them a petition filing fee. Please let us know how the Japanese Postal Money Order works, when it arrives in Chicago or Phoenix.

[ArthurDent 0]

Certainly, the US Embassy in Japan would accept such payment but you are not paying them a petition filing fee. Please let us know how the Japanese Postal Money Order works, when it arrives in Chicago or Phoenix.

Thank you again for your response. You make a good point about the Embassy in Japan. They made it clear to me that they do not accept any payments or do any of the visa paperwork anymore, but they said in the past that people have sent money orders from the post office in Japan and not had problems. I find it strange that the information on the instructions (although the current I-130 expired 1/31/2012 and there hasn't been a new one posted, so the instructions could have changed) do not mention this, but the 3 different people I have spoken to at USCIS have all said that sending the money order issued by the Japanese post office will be fine. I don't want to hit any snags and I am going to see if I can make arrangements to have a check issued from the US, if not I will roll the dice with the money order. I will update with what method I end up using and of course I will update with further info about the money order if they take it.

I believe that user Rebecca W. recently went through this same process and she used a money order. I am also going to PM her.

[pushbrk 12,979]

Thank you again for your response. You make a good point about the Embassy in Japan. They made it clear to me that they do not accept any payments or do any of the visa paperwork anymore, but they said in the past that people have sent money orders from the post office in Japan and not had problems. I find it strange that the information on the instructions (although the current I-130 expired 1/31/2012 and there hasn't been a new one posted, so the instructions could have changed) do not mention this, but the 3 different people I have spoken to at USCIS have all said that sending the money order issued by the Japanese post office will be fine. I don't want to hit any snags and I am going to see if I can make arrangements to have a check issued from the US, if not I will roll the dice with the money order. I will update with what method I end up using and of course I will update with further info about the money order if they take it.

I believe that user Rebecca W. recently went through this same process and she used a money order. I am also going to PM her.

It's important to understand that the USCIS operators with whom you can speak on the phone, don't know anything about how things work except what they can read from scripts. Often, they just make it up as they go along to avoid saying, I don't know. The I-130 has not expired and neither have the instructions for it. The expiration date you see is not for the form. It's for the OMB comment period for the form. If you can get a US issued check attached to your stack before it goes to the lockbox, you would be wise.

USCIS. We don't call it the misinformation line for nothing.