I got my visa! My experience (Tokyo)

getcr1 · March 30, 2010

Hi all,

Just a huge thank you to all of you who helped me out with filing my DCF here in Tokyo. If it wasnt for this site, I think I would have been completely lost. Anyway, for those of you interested in my timelines, experiences, and what was easy/hard: please take a look at this! FYI - I am Canadian so some of the things I am describing may only pertain to Canadians. Thanks!

-Met in Japan: May 2005

-Moved in together: April 2008

-Engaged December 2009

Sent for Canadian police records Dec. 30, 2009 (This was by far the hardest, as it can take up to 120 days! mine took about 2.5 months to get it back in the mail). Please note that you have to get INK prints at your local office on the special paper that is required (you can get this from the embassy) and then have it sent off to Canada to get your prints. If you will be in Canada before you leave the country you live in, go do it in person as it take a couple days I think....but unfortunately, this was not an option for me).

Married January 2010

During this time, we were doing a lot of research of what needed to be done. Once we had all the forms, we booked our first interview in Tokyo, although they only have a few interview dates per month, and they fill up fast, so please make sure you check in advance what days they do interviews.

*Also - I had a bit of an issue with my birth certificate. For some reason, I have a birth certificate card, that doesnt say my parents' names on them. I had to get a rush order on one with my parents' names on them as the embassy does not accept the smaller card. Rush order I think takes a couple weeks but please double check that.

You also need translations of your marriage certificate as it will be in Japanese. They allow you to translate it yourself. Also, please make sure that your american spouse has done their taxes BEFORE you start the DCF process, or else you may be rejected. That was actually the very first thing we did as you cant do dcf without it.

First interview for DCF to give I-130 form Feb. 16, 2010 (we wanted to apply in late January, but there were no appointment dates available).

Went in for the interview - was pretty easy as we have been together for a long time. You can ask the questions you need to ask about the I 864 on this day. They asked a few questions about our relationship. Very easy and really nothing to be worried about.

I then went to get my police records from Tokyo right away. It took 15 working days to get it. I also went to get my medical right away which was expensive but you have to do it anyway. it would be good if you got any vaccine records from home so you can prove which vaccines you got. The more you have, the less you have to pay for the medical. I was able to pick up the medical the next day.

We waited for a form to come from the US embassy, and got one in about a week. It basically told us that we could book our second interview online for the I 864 and we booked it right away. Managed to have our interview on March 23rd. It was actually quite quick, and we didnt have to do much waiting at all. I brought a book with me and didnt even have time to read it. It was pretty straight forward. Make sure you have your photos and your expack and medical. I had my husband's mother and father as sponsors, however, when we got up to the counter, they said that I had enough funds (even though it was in a Canadian account) in my account so I didnt even need his parents to sponsor me. They asked additional questions of what we would do. I got my passport with the visa, and the mysterious brown envelope 2 days later. We are traveling for a couple months, and I will arrive in america before the 6month period in which you have to enter.

Basically, from the first interview, to actually getting my passport in the mail, it took just under 2 months (first interview Feb. 16th, and received March 25th). That is pretty darn fast if you ask me. The stuff that takes a long time is getting your sponsors to fill out the paperwork for the I 864, getting all the proper documents (give ample time for any sort of government document as many of them are not able to be completed right away). We seriously started doing everything from December 30th (criminal record from Canada), so if you include that plus all the research, it took 3 months. Please dont be discouraged. When I first started looking into it, i was completely terrified with the amount of paperwork and forms we had to fill out, and the money spent. I think all in all, with sending stuff abroad, and all the fees, it probably cost us around 1200 dollars (not including air fare of course!)

Please remember that this is my account, and that the information may not be as accurate, as all the dates and times are estimated. If you have any questions about what to do, I have no problem in helping you out.

Thanks a bunch and see you in america!

cut85 · March 31, 2010

Congratulations and wish you all of the luck =))

I want to ask you. How did you prove and support your domicile?

Can you apply for both the I-130 and the I-864 together at the first interview?

yours,

Sandy

kristinakiko · March 31, 2010

Congratulations and wish you all of the luck =))

I want to ask you. How did you prove and support your domicile?

Can you apply for both the I-130 and the I-864 together at the first interview?

yours,

Sandy

I am not the OP but I would definitely recommend bringing in the I-864 with the I-130. If it's all correct they accept it and that's great and one less thing you have to worry about. If not they tell you how to fix it. Ours wasn't right and they didn't accept it- imagine if we had shown up to the second interview with an inorrect I-864, they would've denied us and that would be the end!

OP, congrats on the visa and what sounded like a relatively quick and easy process. It is great that you had enough money so that you didn't need a sponsor. You said that your husband's parents were going to sponsor you- can I ask, was that as a joint sponsor or as a "household member"? I am asking because we marked my dad down as a household member rather than a joint sponsor and they said that was wrong, even though I told the man who sorted (and refused) our I-864 that we'd be living with my parents until we could get an apartment and job interviews sorted in America. I am wondering what other people who had a joint sponsor or "household member" filled out in relation to their cases. There seemed to be quite a lot of confusion in our case.

My friend who married a Japanese womanl on Valentine's Day also just got the visa- sounds like Tokyo is speedy!

cut85 · March 31, 2010

I am not the OP but I would definitely recommend bringing in the I-864 with the I-130. If it's all correct they accept it and that's great and one less thing you have to worry about. If not they tell you how to fix it. Ours wasn't right and they didn't accept it- imagine if we had shown up to the second interview with an inorrect I-864, they would've denied us and that would be the end!

OP, congrats on the visa and what sounded like a relatively quick and easy process. It is great that you had enough money so that you didn't need a sponsor. You said that your husband's parents were going to sponsor you- can I ask, was that as a joint sponsor or as a "household member"? I am asking because we marked my dad down as a household member rather than a joint sponsor and they said that was wrong, even though I told the man who sorted (and refused) our I-864 that we'd be living with my parents until we could get an apartment and job interviews sorted in America. I am wondering what other people who had a joint sponsor or "household member" filled out in relation to their cases. There seemed to be quite a lot of confusion in our case.

My friend who married a Japanese womanl on Valentine's Day also just got the visa- sounds like Tokyo is speedy!

Hope they'll accept your I-864 next time and you'll be accepted immediately.

I want to ask you the same question that I asked the OP. What about the domicile? How did you prove it? what documents and papers you brought with you to support your domicile?

elmcitymaven · March 31, 2010

I am not the OP but I would definitely recommend bringing in the I-864 with the I-130. If it's all correct they accept it and that's great and one less thing you have to worry about. If not they tell you how to fix it. Ours wasn't right and they didn't accept it- imagine if we had shown up to the second interview with an inorrect I-864, they would've denied us and that would be the end!

Don't worry -- if you get something like this wrong on the day, you will NOT be denied. You will be given the chance to amend the documentation and re-submit it, causing a slight delay but not a denial!

It is great that you had enough money so that you didn't need a sponsor. You said that your husband's parents were going to sponsor you- can I ask, was that as a joint sponsor or as a "household member"? I am asking because we marked my dad down as a household member rather than a joint sponsor and they said that was wrong, even though I told the man who sorted (and refused) our I-864 that we'd be living with my parents until we could get an apartment and job interviews sorted in America. I am wondering what other people who had a joint sponsor or "household member" filled out in relation to their cases. There seemed to be quite a lot of confusion in our case.

I just answered your question in your other thread.

getcr1 · April 1, 2010

to prove domicile, we did this:

got a letter from his parents saying we were staying with them. got copies of his drivers license, voting card, any documents like bank statements to prove he was living in the US or planning to.

as for the first interview, we brought our I - 864 with questions regarding it, changed the answers after we asked our questions, and handed it in at the second interview. its very helpful to bring it with you to the first interview.!

thanks

getcr1 · April 1, 2010

hey - we did his parents as joint sponsors. but they didnt even look at it and just gave it back to us.

shearoberts · May 6, 2010

Hello!

I have a question, my fiance is required (even after her interview) to obtain the polie record from Canada (she lived there for a year) and she is Japanese. The Japanese police will fingerprint her but they won't sign their signature/stamp it with a seal...what do we need to do in this case?