Night_owl

They can however come in on a tourist visa can they not? south Koreans may stay in the US for up to about 3 months on a tourist visa. Although it requires leaving the country for a bit, coming back again for another consecutive three months helps the issue.

Dear Visajourney,

I was wondering if the following scenario was feasible or not. My fiancee really wants to study English in the United states for a year or so, and after that we might go back to Asia. Given the circumstances, would it be possible to get married in her home country, apply for a k-3, but for her to come here not as a permanent resident but a full time student on a student visa while waiting for the K-3 application to go through? She would come here as a student anyways (we already picked a school), so it would be OK if she didn't have full time residency status by marriage yet. Thanks so much!

This doesn't sound you are qualified for DCF.

The petitioner (USC) has to be a resident of Japan (= holding some kind of Japanese visa which isn't VWP) more than 6 months.

The beneficiary's nationality doesn't matter as others say.

I saw many non-Japanese beneficiary at the time of my I-130 petition at the US embassy Tokyo.

You guys are right- the material I was reading was outdated. I was a legal resident of Japan for awhile, but haven't been for the past year or so. I guess I will have to use another route. Thanks!

What is your status in Japan?

Nothing as of now- I haven't registered yet as I am not fully sure whether to go with DCF or a k-1.

Dear VISAJOURNEY,

After reading the guides on your wonderful site, I came across the until now unknown to me option of DCF. However while I do want to proceed with this method I am uncertain if it is viable given my slightly unorthodox circumstances. It does appear that Japan is one of the few countries where DCF can be undertaken while the American spouse is not a resident in that country, however my fiancee is not Japanese. Rather she is a Korean national who has lived in Japan for the past 8 years as a student, and still has a valid visa there until next year. According to the embassy site (http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/t-main.html) IR1/CR1 forms can be dropped off for non-Japanese spouses, but the quoted processing time of 4-6 months may take longer. Other than that I see no references to DCF.

My question is this: Can DCF be done despite my fiancee not being a Japanese citizen? Is dropping off the paperwork/interviewing there the same thing as DCF, or to I have to ask for DCF services? Will it really take over 6 months if I apply there as opposed to the US (thus negating the time benefit for DCF)?

Thank you all very much for your help and input! I appreciate it very much!

Edit: Thank you also to shadryn for your post on your DCF experience...that's been a big help.