Engineer06

Thanks for the replies, I'll wait a couple more days then before I truly get concerned The check hasn't been cashed yet, but it usually takes a day or two to show up in my account anyway.

I got delivery confirmation from USPS on Monday but I have not received an email saying anything about the NOA1 from the VSC. Is this normal? I see in many signatures something like:

Day 1: sent

Day 2: delivered

Day 3: NOA1

Day 7: NOA1 hard copy

I am probably worrying too much, but the fact I have not even gotten an email yet makes me concerned.

Didn't see one for this month yet, so lets congregate here. Just sent ours in on Friday after work and the tracker says it is currently in route to its final destination today. Here is to everything going smoothly quickly!

Now time to figure out the time line thingy everybody has in their signature...

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll go ahead and add my college address in the list. Based on what I am seeing here it can't hurt to do so.

Finally everything is squared away and am getting ready to send in my fiance petition (I think my last topic was 6 months ago when I thought I would be sending it in the next month or two) but I have a question on how to handle my time in college. Right now the last year of the 5-year window for previous addresses intersects with my last year in college - do I use my parent's address for that time (which was my official address and what was on my driver's license at the time) or do I use the apartment I lived at during that time? I know for background checks associated with security clearances they want everywhere you lived no matter how short the time, is that true for this as well?

I'm guessing I should include my college address, but just want to check here first and see if anybody knows for certain. I did a search of the topics and nothing came up relating to this. Thanks.

Are you really sure that you don't want to start the process soon? Even though we wouldn't use the visa (at the earliest) until August, I wish that we had it in hand now (~5 months before desired PoE, ~7 months before desired wedding) so that I could tell my family to make their airline reservations as early in advance as possible (cheapest) and also make deposits on all my wedding vendors without fear far enough in advance.

Remember, you have 6 months to use the visa once they issue it, and then another 90 days to get married, so you could probably quite comfortably obtain the visa nearly 8 months before you want to get married and have THAT uncertainty completely out of the way! Also, I'm not sure how the Japanese embassy works, but I have seen that some embassies can be flexible with the interview (visa issuance) date especially when you want to move later.

The reason I don't want to apply sooner is that there is a possibility she will be going to Boston for a conference in November (she is a graduate student in linguistics). So I am afraid if I apply sooner, the whole process would be over before November so that if she does come for the conference the visa would become void when she returns to Japan. Ideally, she would have her visa issued sometime in the Dec '09-April '10 time frame.

Photos are secondary evidence. What is primary is your stamped passport and then other receipts that establish that you were there during the time you say you met. Photos with landmarks will help. Your hotel receipt will be good. I sent a copy of a restaurant receipt along with a photo of us taken in the restaurant.

We are planning on getting married in May/June of 2010 so it is still a bit too early to apply, but I want to get as much done ahead of time so I'm not going crazy at the last minute trying to get everything done.

Know that the "must marry within 90 days of entry into the US" is just the legal marriage, which can be done at the county courthouse. You can have a fancy or church wedding anytime.

And then of course maintain the documentation of your continued relationship...emails, Skype call logs, text messages, receipts of letters or gifts sent, etc.

Good luck.

I'm actually staying at her family's house for the trip so I don't have to worry about hotel receipts!

I actually do most (practically all) of my communication with her on Skype, so I'll make sure to save those call logs. I like the restaurant receipt along with a picture idea as well, I'm going to do that. Thanks

Bring a G-325A and I-129F to fill out there and make sure they are correct, or download them while there, fill out and print while there.

Get several pictures together there, as well as a few with fiancee's family.

Have fiancee write a fiancee letter of intent. (Template of one is in "Example Forms" Above)

Get a few 2"x2" passport pics from fiancee while there.

I've looked at those forms and pictures in the application packet and it says that they must be completed within 30 days of the application. Obviously on the forms there would be no way for them to know that, but would they get uptight about the pictures if they knew they were older than 30 days?

First of all, I want to say how glad I am to have found this site. Stumbled upon it last week looking for info to explain the process, and it has done a lot to take uncertainty out of the process. Now to my question.

I will be visiting my fiance next week in her home country (Japan). This will be the last time I see her in person before we begin the K-1 application. Is there advice you can give on what I should do while with her to ensure the application process goes smoothly? Any evidence of the relationship we should collect besides pictures?

We are planning on getting married in May/June of 2010 so it is still a bit too early to apply, but I want to get as much done ahead of time so I'm not going crazy at the last minute trying to get everything done.