shiroiuso

When I went with my husband in April, the security guard started to tell me that I wasn't allowed in without an appointment for myself. When I objected, his supervisor came over and said that as long as I was a US citizen and had my passport I could go in. So they let me in.

One way you can guarantee that you will be let in is to make a general embassy appointment for the same date and time as your fiancee's interview. I have heard of at least one other person doing that.

Hi, happy Thanksgiving!

You'll want to use your current, foreign address as this is where they'll be sending you stuff.

(Sorry editing because I initially answered wrong!) I don't remember what I did for the DS-260 but I guess you'll just have to put in your family's US number.

I used my parents' address as a permanent address in the US where we intend to live. This is probably your safest bet - you can never be sure if you'll keep in close contact with friends, and anything can happen between now and approval that could make you change your mind about where to live.

Good luck and I wish you a swift immigration journey!

Call the Tokyo Embassy and ask. They speak English and they are very helpful.

http://japan.usembassy.gov/contact.html

My husband's reading level isn't great, but he studied the driver's manual very hard for a week and passed it. I highlighted all of the important bits that would be on the test for him. Maybe a friend or family member can help you that way?

He took the written test instead of the computer test because you can see all of the questions at once, and you have more time to think about the answers.

Alternately, in AZ at least, you can hire a translator to read the questions to you in your language. Florida probably allows that, too.

See above for info on assets.

Your husband's income from abroad does not count unless it will continue once he's in the US. I was employed in Japan but I put my income on the form as $0. If you mark that you are employed - even with an income of 0 US dollars and tax information showing foreign income exclusion - you might receive a checklist asking for proof of his employment, so either do not write in his foreign employment OR go ahead and include a letter stating that his employment is with an overseas entity and it will not continue once he leaves Japan.

To prove domicile, I had my mother write a letter stating that we intended to live with my parents for the time being. I think I also scanned a membership card to somewhere-or-other and a recent statement from my bank in the US. We had no questions about that.

The embassy gave us an interview date with the CC letter (and we also had a checklist!) from NVC. So I would say it doesn't take them much time to schedule interviews at all. If your case really is complete, you may be lucky enough to have him there by Christmas.

ETA our checklist was not for the police certificate (we had mailed it to NVC), but rather for some financial information. But I still think it's quite possible you can get CC with a checklist.

Sometimes they just go through slow patches, and even your impeccable paperwork and "unofficial priority filing" for living abroad isn't worth much when that happens. It took us 8 months to get our NOA2 (living abroad, no RFEs) and then two more months to get anything from NVC... so all things considered you're doing pretty good.

Fortunately if you decide to stay in Japan for another year, it is very easy to stall the process at NVC. They only need to hear from you once a year to keep your case current.

I would call the airline(s) you intend to use, as in my experience information about the specific costs is really difficult to find online.

Some airlines allow two small animals of the same species to travel in one carrier, but they must be able to fit comfortably, which given the size restrictions on in-cabin carriers pretty much restricts this rule to puppies or kittens...

You will probably have to send at least one cat as excess baggage, or in cargo if you're traveling at a time of year where temperature restrictions are in effect for wherever you are traveling. The quotes I was getting from pet shipping companies to send a cat via cargo in the summertime were all between $1000 and $2000. Fortunately we were able to find a home for him before we left (he was a foster) so I can't tell you anything about procedures or final costs.

Good luck!

Looks like I spoke too soon! His green card arrived today.

My husband POE'd on July 27th and we have yet to receive his card. We didn't get his SSN either and had to apply again at the SSN office (very unpleasant experience).

We did just add his name to our household at the post office and the man there said the carriers are instructed not to put any mail in the box if the name doesn't match. I'm hoping his green card etc weren't just sent back. I'd like to check up on that, but I'm not sure where to call regarding the green card - USCIS?

Anybody from July or earlier, waiting for their card?

I've heard it can take a month or more. For anything important, you should call.

I agree with the other posters that this should be all that you need, but there's a few things you can do to make yourself feel more at ease:

1. Attach a note to the form to explain that it the only available proof of your fiance's divorce, and it's typical for Japan. You may even quote Article 763 etc etc.

2. Call and ask about it.

I'm sure the folks at USCIS see a variety of different forms of divorce from many countries and cultures every day, so they shouldn't be too surprised by this.

Good luck!

I would call and speak with Delta directly about it, not Virgin. I changed planes on Delta with my dog, but she was traveling in-cabin. There were no special procedures; she had already been through quarantine coming on the international flight so they let her right through.

Is your cat traveling in the cabin or with the luggage?

Thanks shiroiuso!

About the itinerary, did you just write a summary of your husband's visit?

I printed out and sent the email from the airline that had the dates and times of his flights. Fortunately I'm pretty lazy about deleting emails so I just happened to still have it.

I think your idea to send copies of the stamps in her passport is a good one. We didn't do that but that is probably even better proof than an itinerary.

Good luck to you! I bet you'll be fine. Japan is one of the easier countries.

I submitted barely anything - photos (certainly less than a dozen, and most from the wedding), two affidavits from family and friends, and an itinerary from my husband's visit to meet my family in the US. I just didn't have anything else... no life insurance, no kids, no mingling of finances etc. We were living together but I didn't have any real proof of that because the property belonged to his grandparents. Still, our application was approved with no RFEs.

I say get and do whatever you can that you think will help (and my experience was the affidavits were not worthless), but don't stress out about it too much.

I used that book in conjunction with the forums and forum guides here. The book is useful because it has examples of forms filled out, and the forum is helpful because you can get tips about common mistakes and how to avoid them.

1. Go ahead and file now. Your income will be $0 on the i-864 but you will need to file in order to show your foreign income exclusion (use form 2555).

2. Send i-864 with complete copies of your tax returns that you just filled out - search forums for more information about this. Shortly after you file, also request your IRS tax transcripts in case you get a checklisted for them (you'll have to do this by mail if you are still living overseas; the mail-in form is 4506-T).

3. If you are earning money you are required to file so you won't have to write a letter.

By the way, if you no longer have your W2 (or its foreign equivalent) from previous years, you can use form 4852 to estimate what your income was. I had to do this and it turned out fine!

I put the cover letter first, with the check on top. I think as long as everything is in there and easy to find, the order probably isn't enough to get your forms sent back.

You have more than I did for evidence of bona fide marriage. I had our koseki, photos, two notarized letters from a friend and a family member about our relationship, and an itinerary from my husband's trip to America to meet my family. That was fine. I didn't bother explaining our marriage or relationship, either, though it was already explained in the letters somewhat.

Those letters were probably overkill and you won't need them, but if makes you feel better you could get one from someone who has been witness to your relationship. A letter from you won't be worth much more than what you've already written.

Generally speaking, though, Japan is not a high-fraud country so they'll be very easy on you. What you have is almost certainly enough. Good luck!

The NOA2 will work fine. That does mean you'll have to wait to get it, but as mentioned above the certificates don't remain valid forever, so it's best to wait anyway.

No DCF in Japan.

Do the K-1, go ahead and file it from Japan. CR-1 is a better visa but the "mini-expedite" isn't worth much in my experience (just take a look at my timeline).

Use your parents' address as where you intend to live, for now. You can update it later.

Since your job ends in August, are you an ALT? If so, that means your income will not continue once you return to the States and cannot be used to sponsor the immigrant. You will need a co-sponsor, unless you have a ton of savings and assets. A co-sponsor can be family or friend.

Alternately: get married, have your wife sponsor your visa in Japan (it's very easy to get, takes just a few months), and find another teaching job while you wait for your CR-1. That would minimize your time apart to 0.

We haven't had our interview yet, but yes, you should put $0 for income. To be extra sure to avoid a checklist, also include a note signed by your husband stating that his employment is overseas and will not continue upon his return to the US.

You can also refer to "Step 6 - Gather AOS Package" here: http://www.visajourney.com/wiki/index.php/NVC_Process

Can you call the embassy and ask?

It's likely we won't get our medical results in time, and when I called the embassy, they advised us to attend interview and send the documentation in later. So, there's a chance you'll get the same advice.

1. Almost the full 60 days.

2. No, but I got an "Incomplete" for financial evidence with my CC letter, and it turned out to be an issue that wasn't mentioned at all on the checklist. So my husband will have to take another form to the interview. I'm really happy that they did that instead of giving me another checklist.

Good luck!

I translated all the documents myself and simply signed my name at the bottom beside a little note stating that I am competent to translate. No checklist for that.

If you didn't sign the documents, then I'm not sure.

I got checklisted for that. I guess it might be okay if you've already explained it in your cover letter, as they only asked me to write a letter explaining that my employment was overseas. But for people who are still filling out the form, imo it's safer to not list it at all.

I listed my husband as living at my apartment when he was staying there for about 9 months, even though he still got his bills at his house and he wasn't officially listed as living there anywhere.

Maybe that was overkill, but it didn't hurt anything, either.