Is this an RFE or a reminder? Instructions unclear.

[TOKYOVISA 0]

Hi Visa Journey,

Your collective advice and discussion have been invaluable to my wife and me. So, thank you! We just got what I think is an RFE in the middle of the night. The NVC is requesting a "Japanese Police Certificate." We were told by an NVC representative over the phone before we submitted our packet that we could submit a photocopy of the front and back of the police certificate envelope (cannot be opened by us) and a translation of the envelope, and that we could then submit the original police certificate to the embassy on the day of my wife's interview in Tokyo. Alternatively, we could send the unopened envelope directly to the NVC and they would forward it to the embassy or consulate. It appears now that only the latter is really an option, depending perhaps on who processes your case? The letter we received however is ambiguous about what we are able to do. Is this a mandatory RFE from the NVC, or could it be a reminder to submit the police certificate at the interview? Early last week we had 3 N/As, though I didn't call to confirm CC. We now have 2 N/As again. We thought we were almost done...This could delay us another couple months easily...

My questions are:

1. Where in the document below are the instructions specific to our case? Is it the last line? (bolded)

2. Does the inclusion of a Case Number Bar Code Cover Sheet mean that we definitely need to send the police certificate to the NVC?

I've attached most of the original document below. Thank you very much for your time! Of course, I will also call the NVC on Monday.

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NAME, ADDRESS *CASE NUMBER* CHECKLIST September 9, 2016 NVC Case Number: XXXXXXXXXXX

Dear NAME:

We reviewed the documents you submitted to us. This letter has a list of documents that are missing or that need additional information. Please review the instructions on the attached pages. The instructions will ask you to either:

Send the missing or corrected items to the applicant so he or she can take them to the visa interview.

Send the missing or corrected items to the National Visa Center (NVC) and include a copy of the Case Number Barcode Cover Sheet. Clearly write your case number XXXXXXXXXX on the upper right-hand corner of every document you send. After you email or mail the requested information, allow us 30 days to review your response. When we complete our review, we will send you information about the next processing step.

If you have any questions about this letter, please contact us at http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/english/contact/ask-nvc.html or call us at (603) 334-0700 between 7:00am and 12 midnight U.S. Eastern Time. If a period of one year passes without contacting the NVC (by email, telephone, or mail), all submitted fees and documents will expire. If this happens, you will need to resubmit the fees and documents to continue the immigration process.

Case Number: XXXXXXXXXXX

Beneficiary's Name: XXXXXXXX

Preference Category: CR1 - CONDITIONAL SPOUSE OF U.S. CITIZEN

Priority Date: XXXXXX

[JOL 09/09/2016] CASE NUMBER

*Case number bar code cover sheet removed for brevity*

INSTRUCTIONS FOR: NAME

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

______CORRESPONDENCE INSTRUCTIONS:_________________________________

When responding to the National Visa Center, please include the bar code sheet that came with this letter. Failure to include the bar code sheet may cause a delay in the processing of your case. The bar code sheet should be placed on top of all documents being submitted for this case and mailed to the address provided.

______10 - JAPAN POLICE CERTIFICATE:_______________________________

Available, but Japanese police certificates will not contain information about criminal convictions when:

*Details of Japanese police certificates regarding criminal convictions removed for brevity*

Note: A Japanese passport with limited validity may indicate a criminal history in Japan even when a police certificate may not show a criminal background.

Sealed Envelope: Japanese Police Certificates come in a sealed envelope. If the seal is broken, the certificate is invalid. Visa applicants should not open a sealed Police Certificate envelope before submitting it to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate, or the National Visa Center.

Applicants in Japan: Foreign nationals holding legal resident status and Japanese citizens must apply in person at the Metropolitan or Prefectural police headquarters that has jurisdiction over their present place of residence in Japan. Processing time takes about three weeks.

Applicants outside Japan: Former legal residents, former illegal aliens, and Japanese citizens should apply at the nearest Japanese consulate. Processing time takes about two to three months.

Illegal Aliens physically present in Japan: Officially, the Japanese police will not process requests for police good conduct certificates from illegal aliens. In some cases, the police will issue a police certificate if the illegal alien submits to deportation proceedings and agrees to leave Japan by the date specified by Japanese Immigration.

U.S. Forces, Japan (USFJ): Criminal records of the Japanese and USFJ police are not cross-indexed. A crime that occurred in one jurisdiction may not have been reported to the police in another jurisdiction.

USFJ applicants (civilian employees, military personnel and family members) who are present in Japan under the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) must show the results of both the Japanese and USFJ criminal records. The processing time takes about two months. Other USFJ police agencies issue a police certificate for USFJ criminal records checks only. The processing time is about two weeks. Applicants with this type of police certificate must obtain a separate Japanese police certificate described above.

USFJ police certificates are unavailable to applicants outside of Japan. Defense Department law enforcement agencies may be able to determine if an applicant who formerly resided in Japan under SOFA, engaged in criminal activity.

10 - Japan Police Certificate - Reciprocity States you must submit the police certificate unopened to the U.S. Embassy/Consulate or the National Visa Center.

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Edited September 10, 2016 by TOKYOVISA

[Anitafeliz 1,133]

Rfe are given by uscis. This is a checklist need to be answered to NVC or case will not be sent to Embassy

When you get a chance

[TOKYOVISA 0]

@Anitafeliz

Thank you for the clarification! Okay this is a CHECKLIST. It seems these typically take 60 days or so?...another 1-2 weeks to mail it from Japan... So it looks like I absolutely need to send the police certificate to the NVC? I guess I will find out on Monday...

This is incredibly frustrating, as I did exactly what the NVC told me to do the first time.

I'll put my timeline up in a few minutes.