Important question about K-1's via Japanese Embassy

[Mid-Ocean 0]

Hey guys, I'm hoping someone with some experience of getting a K1 for their Japanese significant other can help me out. I'm not sure the pay 2199 yen per question system for the US embassy in Japan will answer it, so I'm asking here.

My situation:

Filed the 129F in late Feb. My fiancee bought a ticket to come to visit me in Hawaii for a month. To my surprise, we got our NOA2 on March 21st! I called the NVC and they don't have it recorded yet, so I'm guessing it is going to be sent to the embassy in Japan right about the time she is going to be coming to Hawaii for her visit.

What I'm curious about is this, how is the checklist packet with the information she must return to the embassy mailed to her address in Japan? Is sent in a way that she has to be there to sign for it? Or is it mailed and left in her mailbox. From looking at this site and the embassy's site it looks like you only have to send back part I of the 230 form, a copy of your passport, and something else I'm forgetting. Has anybody here sent stuff back to the Japanese embassy while not being in Japan? Could we print off the form somewhere and mail it back to get the process rolling?

Basically, we're worried that she'll get that checklist packet sent to her and she won't be there, and then it will be a month before she can do anything with the information. It was a blessing to get our NOA2 so fast, but it has kind of thrown a monkey wrench in her travel plans. I'm thinking we should cut her trip short by a week or two so she can get back there to send back forms, get the medical and schedule her interview.

Any help would be appreciated.

Edited March 30, 2011 by Mid-Ocean

[amykathleen2005 441]

Moving to:

***Asia-East and Pacific-consulate specific question***

[neko 6]

Hey guys, I'm hoping someone with some experience of getting a K1 for their Japanese significant other can help me out. I'm not sure the pay 2199 yen per question system for the US embassy in Japan will answer it, so I'm asking here.

My situation:

Filed the 129F in late Feb. My fiancee bought a ticket to come to visit me in Hawaii for a month. To my surprise, we got our NOA2 on March 21st! I called the NVC and they don't have it recorded yet, so I'm guessing it is going to be sent to the embassy in Japan right about the time she is going to be coming to Hawaii for her visit.

What I'm curious about is this, how is the checklist packet with the information she must return to the embassy mailed to her address in Japan? Is sent in a way that she has to be there to sign for it? Or is it mailed and left in her mailbox. From looking at this site and the embassy's site it looks like you only have to send back part I of the 230 form, a copy of your passport, and something else I'm forgetting. Has anybody here sent stuff back to the Japanese embassy while not being in Japan? Could we print off the form somewhere and mail it back to get the process rolling?

Basically, we're worried that she'll get that checklist packet sent to her and she won't be there, and then it will be a month before she can do anything with the information. It was a blessing to get our NOA2 so fast, but it has kind of thrown a monkey wrench in her travel plans. I'm thinking we should cut her trip short by a week or two so she can get back there to send back forms, get the medical and schedule her interview.

Any help would be appreciated.

When is she coming to Hawaii?

If she can, she can wait the packet 3 and make a reservation for an interview before her flight, then fly there and spend time with you for a month or so, then come back to Japan and have the interview?

[Mid-Ocean 0]

When is she coming to Hawaii?

If she can, she can wait the packet 3 and make a reservation for an interview before her flight, then fly there and spend time with you for a month or so, then come back to Japan and have the interview?

Well she's going to be here mid-april to mid-may. Judging by other's timelines, it doesn't look likely that she'll get packet 3 before she leaves. Packet 3 is probably going to arrive just after she leaves Japan. The ticket was purchased after we sent off our I-129F in the last week of February. I figured the approval wouldn't be given within the first 2 months, let alone within 3 weeks. As it stands, the petition hasn't been recorded at the NVC yet, but I'm assuming it will be there sometime soon since already received my hard copy NOA2 (dated March 21st). That arrived on the 25th. My guess is the NVC will send it to Japan the week she leaves Japan.

[tokyobelle 2]

Well she's going to be here mid-april to mid-may. Judging by other's timelines, it doesn't look likely that she'll get packet 3 before she leaves. Packet 3 is probably going to arrive just after she leaves Japan. The ticket was purchased after we sent off our I-129F in the last week of February. I figured the approval wouldn't be given within the first 2 months, let alone within 3 weeks. As it stands, the petition hasn't been recorded at the NVC yet, but I'm assuming it will be there sometime soon since already received my hard copy NOA2 (dated March 21st). That arrived on the 25th. My guess is the NVC will send it to Japan the week she leaves Japan.

hi Mid-Ocean, I also got my NOA2 the same time as yours so perhaps your fiancee and I would be getting the packet around the same time too.

based on what I have seen in the forums, the packet 3 contains instructions only and the forms can be downloaded from the Tokyo US Embassy website and you need to fax the filled out form to them. here is an excerpt from the website about the next step:

Step 3: Complete and send in DS-230 Part I

Upon receiving the visa applicant's file from NVC, the embassy/consulate will send him/her fiancé(e) visa instructions. It is not possible to send instructions until the Immigrant Visa Unit receives the visa applicant's file from NVC. After receiving instructions, each person applying for a visa regardless of age must complete the biographic data Form DS-230. The DS-230 should be returned to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo by mail or the Naha Consulate by fax (098-876-4243) immediately.

Information/documents may be requested from the applicant any time during the processing.

here is the link for it for reference

assuming that the instructions will come from the consulate/embassy, i think they would be using regular postal mail. normally documents are not left in the mail box so to be safe, i think your fiancee could go to her post office and apply for "fuzai todoke." here is some information about it from the Japan post website:

I will be absent for long time. Do you forward mails to the place I will be staying? I still don't know the exact address, etc. Can I take a procedure at the place?

We do not provide a forwarding service to the temporary accomodation, however, if you are absent for long period, we will store all posts for up to 30 days at the post office.

Preliminary procedure is required. If you wish to use this service, please contact the local post office.

should your fiancee need instructions in Japanese, here is the link for it

it would help if somebody around here could clarify here if we are gonna receive the packet 3 from embassy (what type of mail).

[neko 6]

Well she's going to be here mid-april to mid-may. Judging by other's timelines, it doesn't look likely that she'll get packet 3 before she leaves. Packet 3 is probably going to arrive just after she leaves Japan. The ticket was purchased after we sent off our I-129F in the last week of February. I figured the approval wouldn't be given within the first 2 months, let alone within 3 weeks. As it stands, the petition hasn't been recorded at the NVC yet, but I'm assuming it will be there sometime soon since already received my hard copy NOA2 (dated March 21st). That arrived on the 25th. My guess is the NVC will send it to Japan the week she leaves Japan.

I think if everything goes smoothly, packet 3 will be delivered sometime next week. Would it be the week she leaves Japan?

Step 3: Complete and send in DS-230 Part I

Upon receiving the visa applicant's file from NVC, the embassy/consulate will send him/her fiancé(e) visa instructions. It is not possible to send instructions until the Immigrant Visa Unit receives the visa applicant's file from NVC. After receiving instructions, each person applying for a visa regardless of age must complete the biographic data Form DS-230. The DS-230 should be returned to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo by mail or the Naha Consulate by fax (098-876-4243) immediately.

Information/documents may be requested from the applicant any time during the processing.

As long as I see your timeline, your fiancee will be having an interview in Tokyo right? Then you may have to mail it.

Have you called either NVC or DOS?

[Mid-Ocean 0]

hi Mid-Ocean, I also got my NOA2 the same time as yours so perhaps your fiancee and I would be getting the packet around the same time too.

based on what I have seen in the forums, the packet 3 contains instructions only and the forms can be downloaded from the Tokyo US Embassy website and you need to fax the filled out form to them. here is an excerpt from the website about the next step:

here is the link for it for reference

assuming that the instructions will come from the consulate/embassy, i think they would be using regular postal mail. normally documents are not left in the mail box so to be safe, i think your fiancee could go to her post office and apply for "fuzai todoke." here is some information about it from the Japan post website:

should your fiancee need instructions in Japanese, here is the link for it

it would help if somebody around here could clarify here if we are gonna receive the packet 3 from embassy (what type of mail).

Thanks for the info on the fuzai todoke. I called the embassy and they said the packet is sent regular mail, so I think we're going to have someone take it out of her mailbox for us. She has a fellow teacher that lives in her building. We'll probably get her to show us the intstructions from the packet over skype and then we'll fill out the 230 and mail it back.

One last thing, have you called the NVC and found out if they received your petition yet? I've been calling their automated system but they still have no record of receiving my petition. Hopefully they got it and just haven't recorded it yet. I'd love for her to get packet 3 before she takes her trip here.

Also, anybody know what the "Request for Provisional file" document is good for in Visa Journey's Example Forms section? http://www.visajourney.com/content/examples

Could I send one of those to the Embassy in Japan and have them send her packet 3 before the NVC sends them the petition?

[tokyobelle 2]

no, my fiance has not called yet but promised to call on Monday if i have not received anything this weekend. other posts here in VJ says to talk to a live person because the automated system will not recognize the case number. try calling them again and speak with someone.

as for the provisional file, i searched and it appears that they discontinued the use of it.

[Mid-Ocean 0]

Called the NVC today and they said the petition was received and they mailed it out to the embassy in Japan already. I think they said they mailed it on the 29th, but they might have said they received it on the 29th and mailed it on the 30th. I didn't care, I was so excited and glad the thing was on its way to Japan. It looks like she'll probably get her packet before she departs to come here We can always schedule her medical and interview from here to get that done quickly when she returns. Super psyched about this process moving so fast and smooth. This board has been a major help in lowering the anxiety of the whole process so far. I can't imagine how awful it would have been if I had to wait 5 months for the NOA2. To all the people still waiting, hang tough. And, don't worry, I paid my karmic debt for the ungodly fast NOA2 - my moped was ripped off the next week. I knew my luck didn't change THAT much.