ItchyKneeSon
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Posts posted by ItchyKneeSon
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1 hour ago, Sile2001 said:
Good thing I went too
When was your interview, by the way?
Apparently, they've been cracking down on these rowdy Japanese folks...
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53 minutes ago, Sile2001 said:
The PDF says that, but I just walked in with my wife like I belonged there, showing my US passport on the way in, and nobody said anything. I didn't ask permission or look unsure if I should be there, so I got to wait in the waiting area with her (about 3.5 hours total). Just keep in mind that the official rule is that you can't go in, so don't make a fuss if they choose to enforce it. That doesn't help your wife.
Good thing I went too, since the lady accepting the documents gave my wife pushback on the AoS forms not being uploaded to CEAC (even though I had an emailed the embassy explaining that CEAC didn't even give me the option to do it, and I had a copy of their reply saying to just bring the docs), and also was demanding my W2 even though their own website says that in our situation, a tax transcript supersedes any W2. Sometimes they don't know their own rules, and I had to politely but firmly educate them.
Of note, we had the same misconception that you do. The Tokyo embassy doesn't really use "rooms" for the interview, it's a lot more like the teller windows at a bank counter. You can go up to the counter with her, but I recommend standing back behind her, as it is very important for her to be the one to be handling the interview. Only answer a question if she is unsure and asks you to help. Do *not* be jumping in to answer questions for her, as that will be a red flag to the immigration officer. If you have the type of personality that always interjects into conversations or answers questions that were asked of other people or likes to control a situation (not criticizing, just saying to be honest about it), then do your wife a favor and let her go up to the interview window alone.
Wow, thanks a lot for that!
I saw something about uploading the AOS forms needing to be uploaded, but it depended on the country/location/embassy. And Japan didn't say anything about it. Would it be possible to PM me and send their reply to you with that information somehow?
Regarding the transcripts/W-2s, from my understanding, you can send one or the other with the AOS. And if you filed an extension (form 4868) for the most recent year, you have to bring the full completed tax return to the interview. Which is what I'll be doing. I suppose it'll be beneficial to have the i-130 and AOS instructions downloaded to my phone for easy searching in that case.
My wife's been reading a number of blogs about the whole process, but most of them are written by Japanese folks whose spouses are already Stateside. So their situations are a bit different. But they did say it 's basically in a room where everyone can hear what's going on, which seems a little odd... At any rate, thanks again for your reply. I hope to be able to accompany her to the window, but I'll certainly not interject. They want to know that she knows her stuff and all about me.
Regards,
Itchy -
On 1/25/2019 at 5:56 PM, pushbrk said:
Passport photos at the interview and medical exam are only for the visa applicant, not the petitioner.
Thanks again, pushbrk!
That's what I figured. Just wanted to make sure. -
I'm getting ready to send my wife off to the embassy in Tokyo for her IR-1 visa interview and I'm recalling seeing something about bringing passport style photos of the petitioner (me).
Is this correct or has my brain begun to muddy itself?
Also, will I be able to accompany her into the embassy for her interview or will I have to wait outside?
The Tokyo embassy pre-interview pdf that I printed out says 'special needs visitors' who are elderly, disabled, or minors may bring someone to their interview.
I take this as I have to wait outside the front gate until she's finished. I wouldn't expect to accompany her to the actual interview room, though.
It's all finally winding down. We're hoping everything goes smoothly!
Kind Regards,
Itchy -
On 11/21/2018 at 1:53 PM, azuki said:
Hi everyone! I finally got the NOA2 for my fiancé and I. So excited.
I guess ill I’ll need to start helping him gather the required paperwork. We are hoping to leave Japan together early Feb, do you think this is a realistic goal?
If you can throw all of your documents for the IV and AOS packets together really quick (assuming you've paid the necessary fees on the CEAC website), maybe.
It's taken me quite some time, though. Partially because I'm a perfectionist. Things that take time before being able to send your IV/AOS packets out are getting your IRS Tax transcripts for the last year (or 3) [that is, if you don't have your Tax Return docs (1040s and accompanying W-2s and 1099s)] and getting the Police Certificate from the Municipal/Prefectural Police HQ [don't need to file it with the IV/AOS packets, just bring it *sealed* to the interview].
If you don't have your IRS Tax Transcripts and will be using them, go order them ASAP on the website shown on the Step 4 page here. They're free, so even if you don't need them, just order them in case. Mine showed up and had my earnings as $0 because my (past) income in Japan is exempt. Which isn't terrible, per se, but we're trying to prove that there's a high likelihood that we won't become impoverished once moving to the US. And the money we make here doesn't count as income (current and on-going) because it will cease once we leave the country and, therefore, can't be counted toward our assets; only your liquid assets and money in the bank are calculated as 'assets'. A lot of it depends on your specific circumstances, though.
I've got the IV and AOS packets sitting on the table in front of me ready to send out and if we can be in the US in February, I'd be ecstatic.
With that said, get the ball rolling and I hope everything goes smoothly for you! -
A) I'm trying to piece-together the AOS packet and am wondering about the order of the documents that accompany the i-864.
I know there's a designated order laid out on the cover sheet. But logically, I want to keep the documents that accompany my i-864 form immediately after my form i-864, but before the joint sponsor's i-864, and the household member's i-864a.
Should it be stacked like this...
cover sheet/
[supporting documents]/
i-864 (petitioner/sponsor)/
i-864 (joint sponsor)/
i-864a (household member)/
proof of US status (sponsor)/
proof of domicile (sponsor)/
...
forms W-2 (joint sponsor)/
forms W-2 (household member)/
IRS tax transcripts (sponsor)/
B) Also, is it recommended to use regular/wire paper clips to hold groups of related documents together and one big 'jaw' clip to keep everything together? Someone also recommended tabbing the bottom of each item in the packet with a mini Post-It note to make it easy to find something specific.
Below is my original i-130 packet. The tabs are on the side here, but I put them on the bottom before shipping it out.
Everything was held together with a big black clip.
Would this be helpful/appreciated by the NVC staff?
It's been helpful for me in keeping track of what's what around my place.
Regards,
Itchy -
On 11/11/2018 at 1:58 AM, suss6052 said:
https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2555ez.pdf
So your federal tax liability was zero, but your income will also not likely continue in the USA anyway and is thus irrelevant unless being used to qualify on assets, hence the need for a joint sponsor in your filing for your wife.
Thank you.
So, they're only worried about domestic income (past and present) unless the current foreign income will continue after relocating to the US.
Current liquid assets are quite relevant, though.On 11/11/2018 at 9:55 AM, pushbrk said:Yes, it IS the case because this is "tax return" information. It IS, what it IS. When it comes to tax returns, you supply a tax return transcript OR a complete copy of tax return including W2 and 1099 forms associated with the return, not just one of the individuals. If your father is still living and married to your mother, the best practice would be for him to provide an I-864a as her household member.
Most pay stubs show year to date income, so only the most current pay stub is needed from each job.
Your tax return section and current income are all zero.
Thank you. I'll include my $0 transcripts and write-in "zero" on line 24.a.
(I was going to include all three years, but if they'll all just show '$0' anyhow, it shouldn't matter, right?)
24.a. Most Recent | 2017 | $ | zero |
24.b. 2nd Mo. Rec. | N/A | $ | N/A |
24.c. 3rd Mo. Rec. | N/A | $ | N/A |
Would there be any benefit to having all 3 years with a $0 value?
_________________________________________________________
My income will cease prior to moving back to the US. So, no beans there.On 11/11/2018 at 10:14 AM, pushbrk said:If you put any other number than zero in the tax section, you will be incorrectly completing the form. It really is as simple as that.
Thank you. Understood.
Also, I thought I had sent this response previously. But when I opened my laptop a few minutes ago, it was staring me in the face. I thought it was strange that there weren't any other replies. -
On 11/15/2018 at 2:43 AM, GingerDino said:
Thanks! Unfortunately my SO and I are both foreign nationals in Japan, our list of documents is going to be very different and complicated. We’re currently preparing for AOS and IV packages as well. Do you know when we will be able to schedule for medical by any chance?
I believe they'll give you some kind of confirmation number and let you know that you can go get the medical check after they've gone through and approved your financials (AOS, IV).
This is the link where that information is available. [Links are cool.They are very cool.]
On 11/18/2018 at 10:58 AM, LanKei said:I thought you only need translations for the embassy stage if it’s in another language besides the native one where the embassy is located? For example, if you’re going to the usembassy in Japan you don’t need to translate Japanese documents.
I was hoping you were right.
Life would be much easier if translations weren't necessary.
But, give another look at Page 3 of the i-864 instructions.
I'm planning on going to Japan Post Bank this afternoon to get an English statement of the funds available in my and my wife's accounts.
(Because the JP ATM Balance Inquiry Receipt doesn't show the owner's name OR the full account number. Which is required for any claimed assets on the i-864. Based on the i-864 instructions, page 9, under Part 7. "The owner of the asset must include a description of the asset, proof of ownership, and the basis for the owner's claim of its net cash value.")
My wife found this link to a blog specifying what the document is and the price (510 yen).
Scroll down about 60% of the page for a picture of said document.
The English title of the document is Certification of the Balance of Deposit.
I hope this proves helpful to our case and others!
14 hours ago, GingerDino said:It looks like that’s the old rule. The current administration changed a lot of things after all.
If you go to Tokyo Embassy’s website, it states all foreign languages must be translated.
Yes, and in the i-864 instructions on page 3.
Bummertimeforreal.
In other news, I'm hoping to have this all wrapped up and ready to ship out by this evening.
Ready to be done with all this jazz. -
On 11/11/2018 at 2:13 AM, GingerDino said:
Thanks for answering! I found the same rule on Tokyo Embassy’s website. Guess we’re going to have a field trip with translating all of our proofs of relationship! Koseki being the easiest...
No problem.
Yeah, it's tedious to say the least.
With my successful petition (i-130, IR-1), I sent translations of the following documents:
juri shoumeisho/Cert. of Acceptance of Marriage,
zenbu jikou shoumei/Family Registry Cert.(serving as a birth cert. for my wife),
Notification of Change of Family Registry for me and another for my wife,
both of our Japan driver licenses [showing our current shared residence](I made a template for translation available to the public on Google Docs] ,
2014 Municipal and Prefectural Tax Dues Notice for me and for my wife [showing shared residence from soon after our marriage],
and a card we used to announce our marriage to friends here in Japan because we didn't have a 'traditional' wedding. All translated by me and certified, signed, and dated at the bottom of each translation.
I'm currently working on putting together the financial and supporting documentation (steps 4 and 5 of the travel.state.gov Immigrant Visa Process).
Feel free to PM me for help or links.
Other than that, attack that beast and stick with it! -
4 hours ago, Damara said:
You are not making any sense.
First you said you reported your income-
If you reported it then it will be on the transcript....
So how exactly did you report your foreign income? What line did you enter it on and which form did you use (probably used the 1040- could be on 7, 9 21)
You can imagine my confusion upon receiving the transcripts all containing zeroes for my income...
I have a reputable accountant take care of my taxes along with my parents' business accounts.
After looking at my 1040s, my income in Japan was written on line 7.
Then, on line 21 a negative value of that exact number was written in, along with 'Foreign Income Form 2555-EZ' (or something to that effect).
Thus, adding lines 7 and 21 brings that total income to 0 for line 22.
I pay taxes in Japan.
Under a given amount (something like $100k/yr.), foreign income just needs to be reported/filed as such.
Does this make more sense?
-
1 hour ago, ItchyKneeSon said:
And about my taxes:
I have received my 2015-2017 tax transcripts from the IRS. They all show that I made $0 because I earned and paid taxes in Japan.
Should my earnings be reported as $0 for the last 3 years (i-864 Part 6, items 24.a, b, c) -OR- should I list my actual earnings?
(Note: I will not be including any kind of pay stubs/W-2/1099 forms for myself as I will be submitting the transcripts instead.)I just re-read the instructions for this item.
According to the following quote, I will list my actual reported foreign income in USD in items 24.a, b, and c.:
"My total income (adjusted gross income on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040EZ) as reported on my Federal income tax returns for the most recent three years was:"
The transcripts for these years will not show any of this. -
21 hours ago, pushbrk said:
Incorrect for 2017. Use line 22 of the first page of the 1040 form.
Is this the case even though she filed a joint return with my father (who will not be a joint sponsor) and earnings from real estate sales will be included in the total from line 22?
If so, will she also be required to include my father's W-2 and 1099 forms?
Regarding her current (ongoing) income, she will be including her pay stubs from both jobs for the last 6 months. Will this suffice?
And about my taxes:
I have received my 2015-2017 tax transcripts from the IRS. They all show that I made $0 because I earned and paid taxes in Japan.
Should my earnings be reported as $0 for the last 3 years (i-864 Part 6, items 24.a, b, c) -OR- should I list my actual earnings?
(Note: I will not be including any kind of pay stubs/W-2/1099 forms for myself as I will be submitting the transcripts instead.) -
On 11/5/2018 at 2:25 AM, GingerDino said:
Hi everyone! Just found out we’re assigned to Tokyo by NVC when we received our case number last week. I have a question: do we have to translate every document that’s in Japanese if the interview is being conducted in Tokyo?
Thanks in advance!
From what I understand (and I think it's because I read this somewhere here and/or on the USCIS websites) all foreign language documents used as evidence must be fully translated into English and the translator must certify, sign, and date each translated document.
I don't think it will matter where in the world you are, everything has to be in English for the US staff.
I'm also filing for my wife here in Japan.
All of the required documents in Japanese were translated by me. Tedious, to say the least, but we've been successful thus far. -
On 11/4/2018 at 10:56 PM, NikLR said:
You no longer need to send the original I-864 to interview. It would be best practice if there is time to have a wet signature but they do accept a scanned and printed version as long as the signature is not typed or digitally signed.
Well, that's good to know.
Is there a link to something official rather than a post from a discussion on the topic? -
On 11/2/2018 at 4:10 PM, pushbrk said:
You seem to understand as long as you realize that if your mother is "employed" it is her pay stub that is used to calculated her "current income" she is USING to qualify, NOT her 2017 tax return. That tax return or return transcript is required information about the PAST, not "current" anything.
Thank you for being clear on that.
She is employed by 2 companies currently and will use the income from her 2 jobs to calculate her current (ongoing) income.
She will be using her W-2 and 1099 forms to report her earnings for 2017. -
On 10/25/2018 at 9:59 AM, Ryan H said:
Will this source of income continue after you return to the USA? If not, then it cannot be counted.
No, it will not. I will be including a job offer letter to show that I'll have my own sufficient income once I'm back in the US, which will likely be before my wife heads over.
On 10/25/2018 at 11:44 PM, pushbrk said:Your mother's current income would come from her job. Real Estate income is from the past. It is not ongoing. Don't confuse the prior tax section with the current income section.
Your part time job is not "current income you are using to qualify".
That makes sense.
But, I was referring to the requirement to report the previous year's earnings (in this case 2017).
Quoted here: >>"If you provide a photocopy of your Federal individual income tax returns, you must include a copy of each and every Form W-2 and Form 1099 that relates to your returns. Do not include copies of these forms if you provide an IRS transcript of your Federal individual income tax returns rather than a photocopy unless you filed a joint income tax return with your spouse and are qualifying using only your income."<<
So, for my mother, as required, will only be sending her 2017 earnings with her W-2 forms and 1099 form.
I will send tax transcripts for myself from the last 3 years, which all show $0 as my earnings have been foreign, reported, and less than the required minimum for paying taxes on foreign earnings (something like $96k?, if I remember correctly).
Quoted here: >>"As stated previously, you must submit an IRS transcript or copy of your Federal individual income tax return for the most recent tax year. If you choose to rely on income from the three most recent tax years, you must submit an IRS transcript or copy of your Federal individual income tax return."<<
Do I have the right idea on this?
On 10/25/2018 at 11:49 PM, payxibka said:If reported on schedule C or schedule E, maybe but if reported on schedule D then it's old news
I don't know anything about tax reporting schedules.
I simply made foreign income (salary and part-time hourly) and reported it.
A quick Googling shows that different schedules are based on interest earnings, investments, etc. I certainly haven't made anything from interest or investing. I'm just a poor little lemming...
Thank you for the replies. -
17 minutes ago, ItchyKneeSon said:
They need the original i-864, signed in pen.
Make a copy for your records and bring that with everything else to the interview.
The Document Cover Sheet lists the items to send to them in this way:
1. Document Cover Sheet
2. Photocopies (or copies/printouts of scanned documents after being signed) of Supporting Documents
Passport,
Birth Cert.,
.
.
.etc.3. Signed Affidavit of Support <----[So, send them the original.]
I hope this helps.
Regards,
ItchyI realize now that we didn't fully answer your original question.
For clarity's sake, I'll be a little over descriptive.
Have her sign the i-864 and send it to you.
Once it's in your hands, make a copy for your records, and send the original signed copy to them.
A scan of a signature is the same as a copy of a signature.
They both come out of a printer using ink that isn't from a pen.
The US gov't wants to know that a human signed the document and that it wasn't fabricated by someone else on a computer.
They don't want you to send irreplaceable, important documents like your passport, birth certificate, bank book, driver license, etc.
A form i-864 can be printed and signed again, if necessary. That's much easier than replacing a passport, etc. that serve important daily functions.
Kind Regards,
Itchy -
4 hours ago, ChadTaljaardt said:
Thanks,
So i'll get her to print it, then sign it, then scan it, then email me it, then i'll print it this side, and then give them the printed version.
They need the original i-864, signed in pen.
Make a copy for your records and bring that with everything else to the interview.
The Document Cover Sheet lists the items to send to them in this way:
1. Document Cover Sheet
2. Photocopies (or copies/printouts of scanned documents after being signed) of Supporting Documents
Passport,
Birth Cert.,
.
.
.etc.3. Signed Affidavit of Support <----[So, send them the original.]
I hope this helps.
Regards,
Itchy -
Just reinforcing the previous reply.
I used the free application DocHub (connected to my Google Docs account) to fill out the i-130 and i-864 forms so that everything would be neat and legible.
DocHub offers an electronic signature option.
But, I figured if I'm going to print it and send it, I might as well sign it by hand after I'd given everything a once-over.
Which is good because, per the instructions you quoted, it's apparently a requirement anyhow.
Cheers,
Itchy -
Thank you for asking this, and recently, too!
My mother, the only joint sponsor, also signed the AOS form i-864 in blue ink and sent it to me here in Japan without saying anything.
So, I kind of freaked out when I realized that she did.
The rest of the form has been completed using the Google Docs extension DocHub and was neatly printed in bold, black font.
However, I searched the i-864 instructions for "sign", "black", and "ink" in Adobe Acrobat to see if the signature would cause any problems.
The latter 2 appear only once and adjacent to each other: "How to Fill Out Form I-864 1. Type or print legibly in black ink."
That phrase is iterated atop the actual form i-864, as mentioned previously in this thread.
It says nothing about signing the form in black ink, only "type or print", which would certainly not refer to signing something/a signature.
'Please type or print your signature here.' <----Sounds like a whole lotta DERP.
Regards,
Itchy -
I, the petitioning sponsor, am working on Steps 4 and 5 of my wife's IR-1 visa application process.
The earnings from my current part-time job in Japan plus my wife and my combined assets may put us over the required 25% above the poverty line (125% of poverty).But to be safe, my mother (who files taxes jointly with my father), will be the only joint sponsor.
Also, my father sent me a signed letter on his business letterhead saying there's a full-time position paying $15/hr. effective when I make landfall in the US.
My question is, how should my mother calculate her earnings for 2017?
-Simply add together line 1 from both of her W-2 forms [...which wouldn't show their earnings from real estate sales from their other business.(Yes, I know; real estate holdings must be proven with further documentation.)]?-Split their adjusted gross income from their 1040?
-Other?
Thank you for reading!
Kind Regards,
Itchy -
Thanks for all the help, everyone.
I've got my inch-thick packet paper clipped, clamp-clipped, Post-It tabbed, and protected in an easy-open clear plastic case from the 100yen shop.Sending the package out to my parents in the US to attach the $535 check and send off to the Chicago Lockbox later today!
I ended up using an odd tense in the photo album to identify my wife and I.
For example, below a picture of us in the park on our first anniversary: 'Tom and Yuki in the park to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.'
I hope they'll get the picture.
Kind Regards,
ItchyKneeSon -
I just finished putting together our photo album. 25 pages with 2 photos per page showing the progression of our relationship, various events with friends and family on both sides (some of whom will write affidavits), and trips/flights we took together reinforced with boarding passes. We're filing from Japan, where joint accounts and shared financial resources are unheard of. So, I'm providing other evidence of shared domicile and genuine interaction together and with family. I may be overdoing it a bit, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I've got quite a bit in the packet and am only using about half of what I thought could be useful.
Thanks for all of the input and help!
Itchy -
Thanks to you both.
So, the cover letter can be personal.
My apologies for not clearly phrasing the second question.
I wanted to know if it's alright to simply refer to the petitioner and beneficiary by their first names, without tagging on (petitioner)/(beneficiary) next to their names every time they appear in the packet.Which of the following is the best label under a picture showing travel together?
a. M. J. S. (petitioner) and Y. S. (beneficiary) at the Taj Mahal, 2012.
b. M (petitioner) and Y (beneficiary) at the Taj Mahal, 2012.
c. M and Y at the Taj Mahal, 2012.
[Assuming that (d.) is not a good idea based on Ryan H and NikLR's responses above...]
d. Petitioner and Beneficiary at the Taj Mahal, 2012.
Do I need Passport style photos for Petitioning Sponsor at the Interview
in IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures
Posted
I just re-checked to make sure we weren't flagged for online processing here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/immigrate/the-immigrant-visa-process/collect-and-submit-forms-and-documents-to-the-nvc/step-6-submit-documents-to-the-nvc.html
Did you file while both of you were living in Japan as in our case?
I looked into online filing (because it seems logical that online filing would be the cheapest and most efficient way of completing the process) during the initial scramble to pull all the documents together and found that because we both live in Japan, documents needed to be submitted physically.
Also, nowhere in the correspondence I received from the NVC did it say that the AOS would have to be submitted electronically. There's an example of what that correspondence would look like at the link I provided above. We didn't receive anything that said "You may begin online processing.". The only things we did online with the CEAC website were choosing an agent and address, paying the fees for the AOS and IV application ($120 and $325, respectively), and filling out and submitting the IV application. There were no options for online submission of the AOS. So it appears that our cases differ slightly.
It sounds like you guys had quick processing overall relative to our case. We're going on 15 months since initial filing of the i-130. That's partially due to my lag in pulling together the paperwork and waiting on the tax transcripts.
Thanks again for your detailed replies.
Itchy