What Issues May Arise From Moving After Filing Abroad?

[kyesuki 0]

Hello, this is my first of probably many posts. 🙂

 

The situation is messier than the title suggests; first off, I (K) am an American living in Japan. I met my soon-to-be husband (R) while living in Japan, but he's from Scotland.

Both of us currently live and work in Japan, but we most likely will leave Japan next year when our current work contracts expire at the end of July.

As part of the program we're both a part of, as long as we complete our contract length and leave within the month after, our plane tickets back to our respective countries will be paid for.

 

As such, we plan to apply for the CR-1 for R after we fill out the I-130 once we're officially married, which we're planning to do over the summer vacation here in Japan.

(We discussed which country to move to after Japan, and America won out, because, among other reasons, while Scotland is beautiful, the weather up in the northern islands where he's from is typically cold and rainy, and I'm a south-Midwest American who likes the sunshine, ha.)

 

However, even if we applied for it today, the processing times for the I-130 are projected for more than a year, and we don't want to plan on being in Japan when it's finished processing. We couldn't even try to stay in Japan until finishes processing, because we both want our flights home paid for. As such, even if we're currently in Japan, I've set R's visa application location (62.a-c) as London, because the Edinburgh consulate doesn't issue visas for the UK.

 

We planned on applying for the I-130 online, and I wondered just how complicated it would make things if I updated our respective addresses about a year from now. We currently live together in Japan, but we'll have to be separated while R's application processes.

I'm worried changing details like that will cause complications or even get the application bumped down from its "spot" in processing.

 

I was curious what other people's experiences with updating addresses were, especially when you moved countries during the application process.

Thanks in advance; I can provide any other info people might need.

-K

[Dashinka 23,252]

Don’t worry too much about what will happen in a year or so.  You can make changes at the NVC stage and even delay the process to work out where everyone is physically located.

 

Another potential option is direct consular filing (DCF) of the I130 with exceptional circumstances.  If you have proof of a pending repatriation back to the US, you can request the consulate in Japan process the I130 which is much faster.  I am no expert on that process, but what I do know is if you file the I130 with USCIS either online or by mail, DCF is no longer an option, so I would spend time researching that first.

 

Here is a thread that may be helpful, and is fairly current.

 

Good Luck!

 

 

[powerpuff 5,907]

~~ Topic moved from Progress Reports to Process & Procedures ~~

[pushbrk 12,121]

Yes, research filing directly in Tokyo instead of online or by mail.  If that doesn't work, NVC will initially assign your case to the Immigrant visa unit that serves the physical address you entered on the I-130.  If that is no longer where the visa applicant lives, you can then request a change to London. 

[Black Unicorn 22]

Highly recommend you look for a job in the States while in Japan. It can be done using LinkedIn or other sites depending on your field. Explain to potential employers that you are still working in Japan but will relocate back to the states for the right position. Most companies including schools/universities will do the entire interview process online and send a offer. If you accept an offer then file for DCF in Japan (or Scotland if you have residency there) and go that route. We filed DCF in Frankfurt, Germany due to a job offer in the US that I got while living abroad. The entire process was virtual so I know it can be done. Hope this helps! Best of luck to you both!