ajmiyazaki

Hi All!

We finally received our interview date and very excited!!  They didn't give much time, but I guess that is a good thing.  We will interview in Tokyo on April 3rd. Happy, happy, happy!! I thought we were already to go, but I received an email from them last night about additional documents. 

A quick background about our situation:

• We are all currently living in Japan and I don't really qualify for having a 'Domicile' in the US, so my father agreed to co-sponsor.  

The problem is this... They are now asking for a AOS from my father's wife.  I'm guessing that this is probably because they filed taxes jointly?  My father isn't thrilled about this, but they agreed to fill out another AOS for my step mother.  

My question is this... What should I put as her income on the AOS form? The income isn't split between the two of them on their tax forms.  Do I have my father also make a new one with the income split?  Do I just put zero for her income and explain to the interviewer that all the income is listed on my father's AOS?  

I am stressing because they say one of the biggest reasons people fail the interview is because of mistakes on the AOS form.  And I am leaving for the US on April 7th, so I just want everything to go smoothly before I leave!  Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

On 2/8/2017 at 6:13 PM, Thesmiths2016 said:

So ... my case is at NVC. We have sent our AOS and IV package, but when I check our status it still says "AT NVC" and refers to the 6 steps on the NVC site to follow.  I assume this means that our package hasn't been received yet.  Can someone enlighten me on what I will see pop up as my status when they do receive and scan it?  I can't seem to find what "clue" to look for to confirm they've scanned our info in.

Hi! I am also in basically the same situation as TokyoHNL and I just found this thread.  I am also in the 7th week of waiting and I am also planning on quitting my job at the end of March.  I am the Petitioner and I understand that I may have to go back to the US before my wife and kids, but I'd love to attend the interview or at least know that it has been scheduled before I go!  

I'm curious where you are checking your status that states "AT NVC".  When I log into the VISA status check at ceac.state.gov, a screen pops up with our case number and a message to "please follow the instructions..." regarding the six steps to take with the NVC before an interview can be made.  I'm feeling a bit anxious as to whether they have our paperwork or not!

Thanks for all of the great information!  

Hi All,

My wife, two children and I have been living in Japan for the past ten years and are planning to return to the US next year. We have already received our NOA1 and NOA2 and are about to start the next steps, choosing an agent, sponsor, etc.

My question is this:

1. As I have been living outside of the US for the last ten years and have no US income or a US 'domicile', should I have my father be my wife's sponsor? We would prefer to all leave for the US together (I don't really want to leave my family to set up domicile, etc) and he has agreed to help out as a sponsor if necessary.

2. Can my father and I be 'joint sponsors' or would it be best if it was just him?

3. Is the 'sponsor' involved in any other part of the process besides showing he can support the immigrant financially? For example, does he have to attend any of the interviews? I'm guessing not, but I want to confirm before I make any decisions.

4. Lastly, does it matter if we are planning to live in Hawaii and my father currently lives in California?

Sorry for so many questions, I was originally planning on being her sponsor and leaving first to set up, but if we can all go together, everyone will be much happier! If there are any other items I should consider, please let me know. I really appreciate the help!

I've yet to hear of the USCIS changing an address outside the USA, even if you speak to a tier 2.

Thanks again for your comment, NLR! That's interesting to hear since we are allowed to petition while living outside the US, it seems like we should be able to do so.

The more I think about this, the more I want to call back and state that I'm not requesting a 'change of address', but a 'correction' to a mistake they made regarding my address (which is outside the US)... If the person inputting my information had read my application thoroughly, this wouldn't be an issue.

I have sent off an email to the address I was provided and I will follow up here when I hear back! Although, she stated that it could take up to 30 days to receive a response.

Thanks NLR, we requested Tokyo Japan as the location for applying for the visa, so hopefully someone will notice this. I'm to hear that I will be able to call back the NVC and designate the location for the interview as well.

leisiko, this is not the case and I don't know why they don't offer better support for those of us currently living outside the US. And the reps there should know these options clearly! Did you speak to a 'tier 2' rep? I am considering the idea about Skype! I'm glad to hear that it works.

Hi All,

New to the forum but it has been very helpful with preparing our I-130. I really appreciate the information available here! Currently, my wife (Japanese citizen) of 10 years and I are living in Japan. We have decided to return to the US and sent in the I-130 to the Chicago Lockbox (no office here in Japan) in April. It was received on May 18th and we were sent the I-797, but our address is incorrect. They've put the country as "Kenya" rather than "Japan".

When I attempted to call customer service, the tier one reps are unable to make changes to an address outside of the US and the wait times for tier two reps are too long, so the system attempts to do a "callback". Unfortunately, since I'm outside the US the system won't accept my phone number and won't allow me to wait on the phone! Frustrating!

The last rep I spoke with provided me with an email address to the Nebraska Service Center and just sent off an email with the request to update the address. Does anyone have any advice? I'm worried that having a 'Kenya' will affect our process somewhere down the line and want this fixed as soon as possible. Just for piece of mind, if nothing else.

Thanks in advance!