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| Tokyo, Japan |  Review on May 16, 2011: |
tokyobelle
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
i hope this review will help fellow Filipinas who are having their K1 visa interview here in Japan.
first off, i would like to mention about what i did after receiving NOA2. my fiance, called NVC about a week after receiving NOA2 in the e-mail to find out if our case is forwarded. you can search visajourney on how to track your case through DHL. please take note that there is no guarantee that the package actually includes your packet/case but it is a good way to estimate when the packet will arrive the embassy.
the NBI clearance takes about 2 days to do, however that depends if you are doing a renewal and you have your original personal copy. if you do not have the copy, i suggest you apply for the clearance as soon as you get the NOA2. you have to go to the Philippine Embassy for the fingerprinting and get it on the same day if you pay for express, then send the form to your family/relative back home in the Philippines so they can apply in your behalf. refer to the NBI website on what you need for this, in my case i only sent a scanned copy of my passport, IDs and authorization letter. sending the form and getting the clearance back took about 1 week for me.
when the Tokyo Embassy receives your case, you will receive a different packet 3, unlike the Japanese nationals. it will instruct you to get the Birth Certificate from E-census and have it sent directly to US Embassy. i suggest you open an account with FedEx already (can be you or your fiance) so you can track your birth certificate. this is where i had a terrible experience. avoid UPS by all means because they charge JPY4,459 for a package that was never delivered. apply through e-census website for your birth certificate, it should be addressed to the US Embassy. send them separate instructions if you want to include your case# and give them your FedEx account so they can bill the package through your account. you can also call them through this number +63-2-981-7777.
they will also ask you to send your old passport, a copy of your current passport (biographic page and US visa pages if any), one 50x50mm photo (make 3 more copies for the interview and one passport size for the medical), an accomplished DS-230 Part I, and a form that asks for your contact info. make a copy of the official letter from the US Embassy with your case #. do not send it in back yet because sometimes the police department of your prefecture might ask to see the original letter. apply for the police clearance by bringing your passport and the letter from the embassy (original and copy). give them the copy and show them the original if they want to see it. it takes about a week to get the police certificate back. you can send in your packet 3 response after that is all accomplished. i think it instructed me to send it through letterpack so i can track if the embassy receives it. during this time you can track if your birth certificate was also received by the embassy. i did not wait for the instructions anymore (which the Japanese nationals received after NOA2) and scheduled the interview since i have my other documents ready (medical and affidavit of support). funny that i received the instructions now in my mail during the actual interview date :D
so interview...
i was told to come by 8:30. i went really early, about 1 hour ahead of time. the embassy opens by 8am. only a few ladies were there with me but it was nice to be early since the agony will be only for a few hours. i was out of the embassy by 9:30-10am.
the officer who interviewed me was really nice. it\'s like we\'re only having a regular conversation. things he asked (non-verbatim) were:
1. where is your fiance now (where does he live)?
2. what is he doing?
3. how did you meet him? (he made a comment that he never heard the website where we met so i made a lil comment that it is kinda low-key)
4. how old are you? (he commented how my fiance and i are of the same age and i told him that yeah we are also about a week apart hehe)
5. how long have you been here in Japan?
6. what do you do here?
7. so did you visit you here in japan?
8. did you wanna visit him in the US? (he asked me this because i applied for a tourist visa before)
i think that is all he asked me aside from the side comments. he told me that the computer was slow but he will approve it as soon at it gets back on. i clarified though if i was really approved and he congratulated me
(updated on May 18, 2011)
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #7600