Japan K-1 Experience

[R_A 0]

Having just completed the K-1 process in Japan, I thought I'd pass along our experience for the benefit of anyone else going applying for a K-1 at the Tokyo Embassy.

Once we got Packet 3, everything went very fast. We filled it out right away, ans sent it back, even though we didn't yet have the physical exam or police record document. But we knew, having called the Kobe hospital, and police station, that the exam could be scheduled very fast, and it took only 10 days to get the police record. So we started that process, and were able to get an exam appointment for the next week. Packet 4, or the appointment notice came back right away, and gave us an 8/13 interview appointment. By that time, we had the exam results, and the police record. I think it saved a lot of time, rather than waiting until we had all that before sending back the appointment request (DSL-1076?). On the form, we indicated that we were planning on leaving for the US on 8/17 (there's a question to that effect). I'm not sure if that had any effect, but the appointment we got was only 10 days after we sent in the appointment request.

The appointment on 8/13 was at 10:00, but we arrived at the Tokyo Embassy at about 9:00. You go through a security screening (no water or cell phones!), and then go to a waiting room with a bunch of teller-like windows. You take a number and wait. We waited about 45 minutes, and were then called to a window, and a lady took all our documentation, and started a file. She opened the x-ray envelope and took out a document - probably the results of the medical exam, and added that to the file, but gave the x-rays back, saying that they wouldn't be needed until the AOS. That by the way was wrong - we needed to hand them over at the POE Honolulu, so don't pack them in a suitcase like us - hand carry them!

So we were told to wait some more. There didn't appear to be any logic to the numbers they were calling - they were all out of order, but we later realized that different cases took different amounts of time to proccess, so the 2nd call backs were all out of order. So after an hour or so, we were called back to another window where a man proceeded to ask my fiancee questions. He told me "don't be offended if I'm ignoring you and asking your fiancee questions", which was a nice way of saying "keep your mouth shut while I ask her about you!"

He spoke Japanese to here, and even gave her the oath in Japanese before she signed the DS-156. After all the questions he said that's it! Your visa is approved, and we'll send it to you in about a week. That's not what I imagined the interview to be like - more like sitting in a room across a desk from some bureacrat who asks you strange questions. I also asked him if it was possible to get it sooner, and he said that they always try to get them out as fast as possible, but he couldn't guarantee when it would arrive. He said it typically takes a week ro so, but I had seen on other posts where others had received theirs in 2-3 days.

So, still kind of in shock, we left, but not ready to celebrate until we had the visa in hand. That was Monday. We didn't expect it on Tuesday, but on Wednesday, we were thinking of going back and asking if it had been mailed. But before we could, it arrived! There's her passport with the visa, and a sealed envelope that you have to turn over at the POE. Yeah!

So we left that day, and going through customs in Honolulu was a breeze, except for the part of me having to be escorted down to customs to get the x-rays from the suitcase. He just stamped a whole bunch of papers, stamped her visa, and that was that!

I'm still in shock as to how easy the embassy part was, but then again, I went over every form so many times, and probably did overkill on the proof of relationship and support affidavit. The I-129F took 4+ months, but the embassy part only took about a month.

So if you're applying in Japan, and ready to go to the embassy, there is hope. It's much better than the I-129F experience.

Good luck!

Rich

[essjay 0]

Thank you for sharing your experience and Congratulations

Good Luck for the future...

[lirachadsbaby 0]

congrats!

[bszoom42 0]

me having to be escorted down to customs to get the x-rays from the suitcase.

Congratulations! And I'm glad to here they let you get the x-rays from your suitcase, or else that would not have been good!

[sunnylight 0]

Congratulations! And best of luck to you!