ahoka

We weren’t really sure if we really needed to get it notarized though because on the Tokyo embassy website, one place specifically says it is not necessary to have translations notarized (and it is underlined on the website) and you just have sign a statement saying the translation is complete and accurate and you are competent to translate. This is the words on the website:

Translations of non-English documents: All foreign language documents must be accompanied by full English translations. Translations need not be made by a professional translator; they can be completed by any competent person. The translator must certify that the translation is complete and correct and that he or she is competent to translate the foreign language into English. For example, the statement written on the translation may read: “I, [insert name], am competent at translating [insert name of foreign language] to English, and I certify that the above translation is true, complete and correct,” followed by the signature of the translator. It is not necessary to have the translation notarized.

But there is another place that said was specific to the Tokyo embassy from the NVC website that says it must be notarized. See this site:

http://travel.state.gov/pdf/pk3_supplement...L-0001-0711.pdf

So we were kind of confused, but I just told her since we went this far already, just get it notarized and pay the fee because at this point, we spent so much money already, what’s another $100 bucks or so. So she went to get it notarized. That was pretty expensive, I think she said about 12000 yen.

So really not sure what to tell you there, but getting it notarized will not hurt, except in your wallet. If you do decide to get it notarized, the embassy website has a list of recommendations on notary (See bottom of this page. http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7126a.html )

I haven't posted here in a while, but if you would like to hear another experience about translations...

we did the CR-1 path. Self translated both the marriage certificate and family register (birth certificate) and we got both notarized. It seemed like the safest thing to do. The marriage certificate was notarized by a Consul at one of the Consulate (Nagoya for us, about 2 years ago). I had to make an appointment. At the time, they had notary service only once a month, i believe it was about $20 per item at the time. no checks and no credit cards, so bring cash, us dollars or yen and they don't make change either...i had to buy a stick of gum at the convenience store in the building lobby with a Y10000 bill. we made multiple notarized translations, as we thought it would be a good idea for any possible future use.

good luck on your visa journey.

HI AND MY APOLOGIES FOR BEING LATE. NOW THAT WE ARE "FREE" I DON'T COME BACK AS OFTEN AS BEFORE. BUT ANYWAY, WE WENT TO THE SS OFFICE ON SEPT 5 AND BY SEPT 12 THE CARD HAD ARRIVED. HOPE THAT HELPS. HOPE YOU GUYS ARE HAPPY AS WELL. WE ARE IN HEAVEN!

Hi YOUTOO,

We talked to the SSA but they said since we checked the box on the DS-230 we had to wait 6 to 8 weeks for them to get the info from the NVC and then generate the number and the card. Also did she get her green card yet? I called the NVC's automated line but it didn't say anything about the green card. Anyone know where to check on whether its been generated and sent?

Thanks,

We had checked the box as well, but when we were at the SS office, they lady went into our files and confirmed that nothing had been done to start a SS card generation, and that was four weeks in after POE. She said, usually they don't pay attention to the checked box and it was always a good idea to come by and apply in person. So, she took our info and as I said, we received the card a week later. The Green Card arrived about a month after POE, somewhere is my post about that if you need precise figures. As far as we know there is no way to check the status of the Green Card delivery, other than call them after you have received their letter advising you that they have received all paperwork and will generate the card. If I remember correctly, they tell you to contact them if the card has not arrived 90 days after their notice. Keep me posted.

Hi all, i'm just adding another data point of information. our experience was pretty much the same as YOUTOO. about 3 weeks for the green card to show up and we also had to apply for the SS card again as it appears that info on the DS-230 was not passed on.

we're already planning a new years trip back to japan - at least now we both can use the railpass.

the remainder of her taxes I understand. I have never heard about social insurance. where did your fiance go to get this information? I can't seem to find much on yahoo and google. thanks

Not sure where she got that info but I can ask. Maybe its just an option to keep paying so you have that benefit when you retire. I will find out and post back here.

Sounds similar to us. We have also be discussing if we should continue the option of paying too.

If someone is looking for a little basic background info...i found this: http://www.sia.go.jp/e/index.html

...and a late congratulations to all who recently got their visas too!

Tomorrow at 3 pm I'm on my way to Tokyo for our interview!!!

Wish us luck everyone!

See you there iceman and sarudoshi!

Good luck to you all!

Ahoka, thanks a lot for your reply.

JandM :my wife made the medical appointment yesterday. They told her about 10 things to bring. The appointment cover

letter from NVC is required. It has the NVC case number on it, that's what they need. Don't worry about the rest, the hospital will tell you over the phone what is needed. Passport, photos, immunization records etc. Again the letter is important.

as YOUTOO said, i feel its best to talk to whichever facility you choose to see what they require. but at least for our case, they did not specifically ask for the appointment letter. they did want our NVC case number, but that could be gotten from any document from NVC.

...but the last item the, self-address prepaid envelope (expack500), should be brought to the interview too.

That's a great suggestion. It's funny, too, because I just applied for a new passport. I brought an expack 500 with me,

but to my surprise, they said they didn't need it.Postage comes out of the embassy's ( and my taxpayer's ) pocket. Funny,

they request a prepaid envelope for the visa matter.

And one last question since we are curious. We assume the envelope from the medical, which includes x-ray pictures, is

not small. It will not fit the expack 500, right? Do they return it to us at the interview in a larger sealed envelope? Do they

look at it for the interview? This one needs to be brought with us to the states for presentation at POE.

during the embassy interview, the medical exam results and the x-ray are separated, they will take the medical exam results but they will give back the x-ray.

After reading of the NVC appointment/interview letter I find that they refer to a state.gov website

for further instructions, like I guess medical etc. In other words, instructions how and where to do

the medical are not included, but can be pulled off the website.

Question to "ahoka" or anyone else who went thru the interview process lately, was there another

letter that you got from the embassy directly with more detailed instructions? Or is this it and further

actions are self-help based?

no. the embassy does not provide any additional instructions. the appointment letter you just received from the NVC (congratulations!) is all we ever got. the embassy does have a website that has useful info for the medical exam. http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/visa/tvisa-ivmedfaq.html

oh. additionally i don't think this was mentioned in any NVC info but the embassy has a checklist for the interview http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/visa/tvisa-iv...rviewcheck.html nearly all of this checklist should have already been provided to the NVC...but the last item the, self-address prepaid envelope (expack500), should be brought to the interview too.

Ahoka,

Congratulations to you and your wife!

I hope you can move and be together soon!

Thanks.

we just got the return package in the mail with the passport and visa stamp. that was quick!

So, the NVC operator was wrong...

Thanks for the right info. One question, do you know if there are other docs. (aside from med. exam result) necessary for the interview?

Do we need to bring all the orig. docs. that we already submitted to NVC?

Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the info., about the shipment.

Embassy will send both petitioner and beneficiary the appoinment letter.

Goodluck.

Well, I couldn't stop myself and checked on the DHL website. There is no other shipment to Tokyo after

June 24. So, I guess, that's when our docs were sent. They arrived at the embassy on 6/26 on 11:09 a.m.

Waiting for the appointment letter, but keep in mind July 4th is a holiday.

we never got anything from the embassy before the interview. our appointment letter came from the NVC.

i'm at work, so i don't have the appointment letter with me right now, but it gives the date and time for your interview, some basic info for the medical exam (you can easily find that same info on the embassy or NVC website), and a list of documents the NVC received and accepted. There was also a statement about bringing all original documents to the interview...so that's what we did. another marriage certificate and another family register, but at least for our case, they did not ask for it. the only thing they asked for was the medical exam results.

Thanks for the info., about the shipment.

Embassy will send both petitioner and beneficiary the appoinment letter.

Goodluck.

Well, I couldn't stop myself and checked on the DHL website. There is no other shipment to Tokyo after

June 24. So, I guess, that's when our docs were sent. They arrived at the embassy on 6/26 on 11:09 a.m.

Waiting for the appointment letter, but keep in mind July 4th is a holiday.

we never got anything from the embassy before the interview. our appointment letter came from the NVC.

I just heard that my wife passed her interview today at the tokyo embassy. i haven't gotten the details yet, but it was a very long wait (couple of hours) followed by a very short and easy interview. the interviewer (conducted in english) asked just a question of where and what the husband does for work. that's it. although she brought many documents and proof of relationship, no additional documentation or evidence was requested. very cool.

I happened to be at the Tokyo embassy this morning to have my passport renewed. There was a bomb

scare and everything stopped in the U.S. citizen services and Immigration visa section for a while. That

may have contributed to the long wait.

Congratulations to you and your wife.

ah, yes, a bomb scare that must have been it. she did say something about an evacuation but she didn't know why.

As for any additional documentation, NVC had already gotten everything, but in the interview appointment letter it did say to bring all original documents with you to the interview...so to be safe we did bring another marriage certificate and family register to the interview. they did not ask for it. they only wanted the medical exam results.

I just heard that my wife passed her interview today at the tokyo embassy. i haven't gotten the details yet, but it was a very long wait (couple of hours) followed by a very short and easy interview. the interviewer (conducted in english) asked just a question of where and what the husband does for work. that's it. although she brought many documents and proof of relationship, no additional documentation or evidence was requested. very cool.

Aloha all, I am still waiting for my I-130 approval. I am looking ahead though, at the next step. This is from the step by step guide-

"A few weeks after you have received your last Notice of Action indicating the approval and forwarding of your I-130 application to the NVC, the NVC will send your relative a packet of forms that you and your relative must fill out before your relative can be given an interview date with a consulate abroad. The packet will likely contain an Of-169 form, and an Of-230 part one and two forms that must be filled out by the intending immigrant. "

I am wondering if anyone knows what the Of-169 and Of-230 forms look like?

My wife is coming to visit this weekend, for a few months. I am pretty sure she will be here when we (hopefully) get approved. Her packet will be sent to her in Japan, in which she will have someone send it to us here in Hawaii.

I am wondering if there is anything she may need to bring now, so we can have all the documents we need (like a birth certificate, passport, etc), to send the packet back.

I would hate to have to wait until she goes back home, to get any other documents needed, then send the packet. It would save a lot of time if we can do everything from here.

I would appreciate any feedback or advice.

Mahalo in advance!

I think that guide might be a little outdated. I believe OF-230 is the old number for the DS-230 form. I don't recall using any OF-169 in my process. The NVC flowchart is probably better to look at as a guide to see what happens next: http://www.visajourney.com/examples/NVC_Pr...wchart_v1-2.pdf

Your wife will need to gather her documentation for the DS-230 which is the last form you send to NVC. If you want to research it and prepare yourself for what you will need for that, look here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_1335.html.

there have been japan filers who were able to get the police certificate with a copy of the NOA2, like myself, but maybe it varies from place to place? have you tried that?

as for the translations, yeah, at first we were all set to go with our own translations then we decided to play it safe and just get it notarized anyway....its only...money?

We were able to get ours with our NOA 2! We weren't sure we could be we were able to after all. We are just going with our own translations as my wife refuses to spend so much money on getting it notarized. Along the same lines, the Police Certificate comes sealed. I am guessing we can't open it to translate it anyway. Also we can't provide a copy of it if its sealed. Should we just send the sealed Police Cert or do we open it to translate and copy it?

Thanks for the info ahoka!

from the tokyo embassy website: http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/visa/tvisa-ivpolice.html

The important line being this.

"Note: Japanese Police Certificates are sealed. If the seal is broken, the certificate is no longer valid. Do not open the certificate prior to submission to the Embassy/Consulate."

I sent the original sealed police certificate to NVC with my DS230. So far, everything seems ok. I'm really hoping nothing gets lost when they forward to the embassy. It was my understanding that the police certificate includes an english translation...but i can't remember where i read that information from.

I have a question

- What does my wife need from the NVC in order to get the Police documents? She told she tried to go once to the one in Tokyo but they said she needs something from the NVC.

When you find out please let me know, we have the same problem. She went to get hers from Yuzaki (in Nara) and they also said she needed an official document requesting them.

We did our own translations and then got them notarized because of these instructions:

http://travel.state.gov/pdf/pk3_supplement...L-0001-0711.pdf

Thanks ahoka. I had read that before but when I asked they said it wasn't necessary. I suppose better to follow those instructions though. Too bad its so expensive for a notarization in Japan. It was $40 USD per document the last time she did it. Though it is also not required to translate them as they are in Japanese and the Embassy is in Japan. Though they do note that it will speed up the process.

there have been japan filers who were able to get the police certificate with a copy of the NOA2, like myself, but maybe it varies from place to place? have you tried that?

as for the translations, yeah, at first we were all set to go with our own translations then we decided to play it safe and just get it notarized anyway....its only...money?

Yes, You or your Fiancee can translate the BC but translation should also be notarized. I translated my BC (from the original Koseki Tohon) and have it stamped (hanko) by Head of the Municipal Hall. Some City and Municipal Hall have English translation format, your Fiancee only needs to fill out the form in Romaji.

Sarudoshi,

I asked the NVC about this and they said the translation does not need to be notarized. Only certified, meaning whoever does the translation has to write a short statement about understanding both languages and that the translation is correct. Then sign and date it. The original untranslated copy might need to be a certified/notarized copy though (meaning no photocopies).

This is what I was led to believe when I asked about it anyway.

We did our own translations and then got them notarized because of these instructions:

http://travel.state.gov/pdf/pk3_supplement...L-0001-0711.pdf

Do you mean direct filing? US Embassy in Tokyo requires US citizen to provide proof or residency of at least six months to be qualified to apply.

But you're applying for K1??? You only need is to adjust status when you get to the States. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

American embassy in Japan says that only the case that US citizen stays is in Japan for 6 months they accept I-130 at the embassy. Does it mean if I get married in Japan and my husband leaves Japan to the US right after that, I can never live in the US ???

Wouldn't choosing to get married in japan invalidate the K-1? I would think they would then have to refile as K-3 or CR-1.

maybe your confusion was due to japan switching from standard processing to appointment processing for CR-1/IR-1 visas early this year? I found that pretty confusing and annoying when i was researching information one month and then everything changed on the next month.

ahoka, could you please elaborate on that change? I was not aware of it. What does it affect?

We are waiting on our DS-230 packet now and I wan everything to go as smoothly and quickly as possible.

Thanks,

well previously if a person looked up, like in my case, Tokyo Embassy at the state department website, it would show standard processing which means the instructions for you would be to just fill out the DS-230 Part I for the NVC, that's about it. birth, marriage, police certificates and DS230 part II you would bring to the interview. So, the original poster's comments seems to indicate information to the old standard processing for japan. Now with appointment processing all those documents go to the NVC with the DS-230.

This link below has been posted by various people here, this is for appointment processing

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3190.html

hope this helps.

maybe your confusion was due to japan switching from standard processing to appointment processing for CR-1/IR-1 visas early this year? I found that pretty confusing and annoying when i was researching information one month and then everything changed on the next month.

According to the documentation i have from the NVC (case complete, interview date assigned), its forwarding everything to the Tokyo Embassy. NVC requested we send to them all original or certified copies of documents, so we sent police certificate, marriage and birth certificates along with notarized translations. I also thought a 2nd copy of the police certificate would be useful to have, just in case, but the japanese police in our area denied us additional copies, they said we get one certificate only. So, we are really hoping nothing gets lost! It seems like japan police certificates are handled somewhat differently from other countries? its officially sealed in an envelope with a stamp like, 'to be open by US authority only' so we've never even read it or photocopied it. ...hmmm, i hope i didn't marry a criminal!

I just sent off my I-864 in the mail!

I also just printed off my IV Bill coversheet for the DS-230 form!

Its so nice to have that online payment system!

I have a quick question. Should we file the DS-230 right away or do we need to wait for the package in the mail? Are there other things in the packet that we need to send back with it? I know we will need to have a medical report, a police cert, and a birth certificate but do we mail those back with the DS-230 or just bring them to the interview?

Thanks for any replies!

I can't help about when to send the DS230 package, we waited a long time for their coversheet to arrive in the mail. As for what to include in the package, look here:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/info/info_3190.html

Thanks for the reply Justin and Masako / k1visajapan!

But just to be sure, my fiance address is 123 (not real) Koyanagichou, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, Japan 183-0013. This is the address we used to send each other mails.

Now for the question 2, I plan to fill out the following:

Address - 123 Koyanagichou, Fuchu-shi

Town/City - Tokyo

State/Country - Japan

Zip Code - 183-0013

But Fuchu-shi is the city. So should I just fill in Fuchi-shi for Town/City? Or leave it the way I have planned?

Thanks again for any help.

Just another idea, as we did the address something like this:

Address - 123 Koyanagichou

Town/City - Fuchu-shi, Tokyo

Thanks ahoka!

I will give them a call tonight. One thing, do you happen to know if it matters if you already paid the AoS Fee Bill? Does that mean they wouldn't be able to change it or will they just adjust it?

Thanks again,

I believe it should be fine, by the time we got the new TKY number we also already paid the AoS Fee Bill under the NHA number too. It took about a month for us from when we informed NVC about the error to when they gave us the new number. During that time we just continued the process as normal under the NHA number.

Hi all,

Now that I have our NVC number I was looking at the requirements for the DS-230 and I-864. I noticed that the embassy requirements based on the first three letters of my NVC case number (NHA) were for Naha. Does that mean we will have to have our interview in Naha, Okinawa? I sure hope not, thats a lot further away then Tokyo. :/

Does anyone happen to know?

Thanks,

Same thing happen to us. Just contact NVC and tell them they are in error. They will reassign you to a new 'TKY' number.

I've been speculating that whoever assigns the number at NVC just picks the first alphabetically for IR/CR-1 so, NHA shows up before TKY?

We were successful with getting a police certificate with just a photocopy of the NOA2, but it seems like it varies from region to region in Japan.