Japan: juuminhyou registration advice

[coip 1]

My wife (Japanese) and I (American) will wed next month. We want to submit our i-130 to Chicago as soon as possible, but I am confused about what to do with the juuminhyou (residency id card). Until July 2012, foreigners (me) were not allowed to have juuminhyou (instead, they had an alien registration system), whereas nationals (her) had the juuminhyou. Since July, foreigners have been able to change over from the "gaijin card" to the juuminhyou, but don't have to until their visa expires. My visa is good for some time, so I haven't done anything yet and have kept my 'gaijin card.' Anyway, once we legally marry next month, I was wondering what we do about the juuminhyou. In the past, advice to foreigner husbands (me) has been to list themselves as the de facto head of household in the comments/remark's section of the national wife's (her) juuminhyou. However, now that foreigners can have juuminhyou as well, what happens? Do we both have a combined juuminhyou with me listed as the head of houseold? Or dow we still have separate juuminhyou? I want the juuminhyou as evidence of cohabitation for our i-130 application.

[sms78 18]

Interesting. Please ask city hall where you and/or your wife are resisted and come back here and tell us what they said. It will be a great help for people who will be going through the same process in future.