US Immigration from Japan

Hi All,

I submitted the I-130 application for my spouse's CR-1 on Oct 30, 2024. Based on estimated processing times on Visa Journey, I was hoping to get a notification of the I-130 approval last week. However, up to this day, I have not heard back from USCIS.

I then logged into my USCIS account and noticed the "Estimated Time Until Your Case Decision" was changed from 6 months and reverted back to 18 months. There has been no follow-up from USCIS to explain why the estimated time had increased so dramatically. The most recent update to my case status was NOA1.

Did I miss something? Or is there something wrong with my application? Or am I just overreacting and need to have more patience?

Thank you!

Hello. I have a greencard that is valid for 10 years. I traveled to my home country, Japan, from March to August this year and stayed there for about 170 days. I came back to the US without being asked any questions.

I want to go back to Japan in January 2026 and stay there for a month and I would like to know if this may causes any issue. Should I wait till March if I want to travel, or should I just apply for re-entry at this point?

Hi there,

I recently received my passport with visa stamp on. When I received my passport via mail from the us embassy office, I also received a white slip says that I need to pay immigrant fee to USCIS BEFORE I enter the US.

I was trying to pay immigrant fee online and after entering my A number and case number, they asked this question what is your current address? . I m still living in my country until December, so should I enter my address in my home country? Or this fee is basically for green card process so should I enter my husband s US address?

Please someone advise me, thank you!!

Hello everyone, I filed I-824 to request USCIS send my approved I-140 to NVC for visa processing, and I received the I-797 approval notice of the I-824 after one year on Aug 15 2025. But my I-140 status is still under "Approved", not yet changed to "the case was sent to DOS" after 1 month waiting. Does anyone know how long does it take for USCIS TSC send/forward my I-140 to NVC DOS. Could you guys share your timelines processed at USCIS TSC? or any advises will be much appreciated.

Hello VJ folks,

I am desperate now for your knowledgeable advice...

I just had my IR1 interview at Tokyo embassy and the officer issued me a 221g letter requesting additional evidence for my US husband's financial stability.

Our background:

• we have lived together in Japan from 2021 until February 2025.
• My husband resumed earning US income in August 2024, but he had no US income for the previous in 2021, 2022, or 2023.
• On the I-864, we submitted only his 2024 tax transcripts,which shows about $14,000 so lower than the poverty guideline.

At the interview, his last year's income was my only concern. However, he is currently employed in US with stable income for 2025, so I was hoping that the officer would approve my visa considering the total circumstance.

We also submitted a letter explaining why his 2024 income is below the poverty guideline: he did not work for the full year, but he has returned to the same company where he was employed for nearly 10 years.

We understand that having a joint sponsor is usually the most straightforward solution, but unfortunately, we do not have one at this time and we also lack assets sufficient to meet the guideline.

My questions are:

• Would his earlier tax transcripts (2018, 2019, 2020), when he had stable income, help establish financial stability?
• Alternatively, could we wait until the next tax season and submit his 2025 tax transcript as additional evidence?

We have already waited a very long time to reach this stage, and we are very worried about having to start over. I know that finding a joint sponsor would be the simplest option, and we will continue to try, but I would also like advice on what evidence we can provide in the meantime.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. I have attached a copy of the 221(g) letter for reference.

Thank you sincerely for your help.

I have attached the 221g letter.