I'm worried - Tokyo K-1 - Needed Police Certification - getting it back in time.

[shearoberts 0]

My fiance had her interview at the Tokyo Consulate on April 25th. She was told she needed to provide a criminal record from Canada and that she had until October to do so. It wasn't until May 12 that we were emailed by them stating our case expired on May 4th and we should send an extension letter. I sent the letter the next day asking to extend and explaining that all we were waiting on was that one document and she already had her interview. I sent the letter on May 13th and STILL have not received any confirmation that they even received it.

My fiance has said that they kept her passport and other documents at the embassy and all she would have to do is send the records to get her visa stamped. She has not received her documents or passport back yet, so we're hoping they are still holding them. They usually send an email saying we were proved for an extension but we still have not received that.

She was told verbally, at the interview, that she'd have until October to get the document and otherwise she was "all set".

I'm a bit worried as to their lack of response to the extension letter, and confused as to whether we needed to send it or not as she has already had her interview and was told by two people she had until October to get the document, only to receive the email on May 12th.

Should I send another letter asking? Have her call the embassy and check? I tried tracking my letter and it said that the tracking info is not available.

I'm really worried that we've come all this way and because of the confusion on the embassy's part that we may not get her visa, and we've done everything right!

[Darnell 8,478]

see if you have any tracking results here ?

http://tracking.post.japanpost.jp/service/numberSearch.do?searchKind=M004&locale=en

[shearoberts 0]

I sent it via USPS...their tracking doesn't seem to work.

[Darnell 8,478]

USPS will have some tracking, are you calling the tracking hotline ?

[Audy_Rob 26]

The Department of State authorizes the COs (Consular officers) to extend the NOA 2 expiration date. They canb and will extend this date "automatically." I believe you have four more months from the NOA 2 expiration date.

There is a very small mention of this on the DOS web site and I believe it is a small paragraph because it is not important. They know there is not enough time to meet most requirements so they routinely extend your expiration date.

What does matter is getting the Canadian Police Records back to the Tokyo Embassy.

Here is the link:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_2994.html#Extending

====== Extending the Petition ======

Extending the Petition

The I-129F petition is valid for four months from the date of approval from USCIS. Consular officers can extend the validity of the petition (revalidate the petition) if it expires.

Good luck.

[shearoberts 0]

The Department of State authorizes the COs (Consular officers) to extend the NOA 2 expiration date. They canb and will extend this date "automatically." I believe you have four more months from the NOA 2 expiration date.

There is a very small mention of this on the DOS web site and I believe it is a small paragraph because it is not important. They know there is not enough time to meet most requirements so they routinely extend your expiration date.

What does matter is getting the Canadian Police Records back to the Tokyo Embassy.

Here is the link:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/immigrants/types/types_2994.html#Extending

====== Extending the Petition ======

Extending the Petition

The I-129F petition is valid for four months from the date of approval from USCIS. Consular officers can extend the validity of the petition (revalidate the petition) if it expires.

Good luck.

Thank you for the help! I guess I'm just confused as to why they sent that email then? Especially since she already had the interview, and also 8 days after the supposed expiration date?

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

Thank you for the help! I guess I'm just confused as to why they sent that email then? Especially since she already had the interview, and also 8 days after the supposed expiration date?

First, she's not approved yet. They would not approve her visa application without that police report, since the police report could reveal a potential inadmissibility. It may be true, however, that there is nothing else holding up her approval except for that police report. Until they get the report, her case is in limbo.

The reason for the 4 month expiration of the petition is so that the consulates aren't forced to sit on a petition indefinitely while waiting for the applicant to submit documents. They'll usually automatically extend the validity of the approval if the delay is caused by the consulate. However, if the petition expires while they're waiting on documents from the applicant then they may want confirmation that the applicant intends to continue with the application. Otherwise, they may consider the application abandoned and return the petition to USCIS. If you don't have the documents yet, all you usually need to do is ask them to extend the validity of the petition. It sounds like you've done this, but they haven't confirmed it.

Most consulates will not extend the validity of the petition indefinitely while waiting for documents from the applicant. Typically, they'll continue to extend the validity of the petition for up to one year, sometimes requiring regular requests for extensions (this varies from one consulate to another). After that, they'll just consider the application abandoned. When they said you had until October to submit the police report, they may have meant that they would reach the maximum length of extensions at that point. Has your petition approval already been extended once; i.e., was the petition originally approved in October?

They aren't required to assume the application has been abandoned on the day the petition expires, but they are permitted to do so. Sending an email telling you that the validity of the petition has expired was probably their way of saying "Is there any reason we should continue to keep this case open?". You responded that you intend to continue to pursue the visa, which is really all you can do, though you should probably keep trying to get a confirmation that they've extended the validity of the petition. Can you call them?

[shearoberts 0]

First, she's not approved yet. They would not approve her visa application without that police report, since the police report could reveal a potential inadmissibility. It may be true, however, that there is nothing else holding up her approval except for that police report. Until they get the report, her case is in limbo.

The reason for the 4 month expiration of the petition is so that the consulates aren't forced to sit on a petition indefinitely while waiting for the applicant to submit documents. They'll usually automatically extend the validity of the approval if the delay is caused by the consulate. However, if the petition expires while they're waiting on documents from the applicant then they may want confirmation that the applicant intends to continue with the application. Otherwise, they may consider the application abandoned and return the petition to USCIS. If you don't have the documents yet, all you usually need to do is ask them to extend the validity of the petition. It sounds like you've done this, but they haven't confirmed it.

Most consulates will not extend the validity of the petition indefinitely while waiting for documents from the applicant. Typically, they'll continue to extend the validity of the petition for up to one year, sometimes requiring regular requests for extensions (this varies from one consulate to another). After that, they'll just consider the application abandoned. When they said you had until October to submit the police report, they may have meant that they would reach the maximum length of extensions at that point. Has your petition approval already been extended once; i.e., was the petition originally approved in October?

They aren't required to assume the application has been abandoned on the day the petition expires, but they are permitted to do so. Sending an email telling you that the validity of the petition has expired was probably their way of saying "Is there any reason we should continue to keep this case open?". You responded that you intend to continue to pursue the visa, which is really all you can do, though you should probably keep trying to get a confirmation that they've extended the validity of the petition. Can you call them?

I asked to see if my fiance could call them (being she is in Japan) but she said it costs 2,000yen to call. Just to ask a question? Why such an outrageous price just for a question that they theoretically might not be able to answer? That could end up being what we have to do. It just seems very inept on their part to confuse us like this when we've done nothing but the right thing so far. I hope my letter was not lost in the mail. I think I'll send another one just in case. I included all the information they requested and still have not heard back.

Also, we've already had one extension. We started the process in July of last year, and due to me moving back to the States and finding a new job, we've had to extend once already.

[redglasses 1]

You can call their switchboard and try to have them connect your line to the visa section. I am not sure if they will, but it's worth trying (and it doesn't cost $20). Also, they have the immigrant visa status check system on their website. You might be able to see if your I-129F is extended properly.

http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7123.html

http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/visa/tvisa-form-iv-status.html

[shearoberts 0]

You can call their switchboard and try to have them connect your line to the visa section. I am not sure if they will, but it's worth trying (and it doesn't cost $20). Also, they have the immigrant visa status check system on their website. You might be able to see if your I-129F is extended properly.

http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7123.html

http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/visa/tvisa-form-iv-status.html

Thank you very much! I've actually been looking for links such as those but had no luck!

I went by the post office today and they said overseas letters can't be tracked unless it was registered mail. I'm going to attempt to send the letter again today and hope this time it will go through.

Again, my fiance says that her passport and other documents have not been sent back to her yet so I'm hoping that's a good sign that at least their waiting.

[Audy_Rob 26]

I went by the post office today and they said overseas letters can't be tracked unless it was registered mail. I'm going to attempt to send the letter again today and hope this time it will go through.

Federal Express can be tracked to the recipient. You cannot see the signature on-line, but you can see the name of the recipient at the Embassy with FedEx. Although I think there least expensive overseas option is $57. There might be a less expensive one that does not arrive as quickly.

[shearoberts 0]

I realized I made a tiny mistake on writing her case number. I forgot to put TKY (for Tokyo) before her numbers, but everything else indicates that it's with the Tokyo embassy. Will they be real sticklers about that and throw it out?