All Japan Filers

[logemon 1]

On 1/30/2018 at 4:53 AM, watahana87 said:

Hi! I was referred here from the June k1 filers group. 

 

I'm in the same boat as logemon. Our petition is "At NVC" right now status wise. We have our case number and invoice number, but police records, medical, and interview all want the letter, so we're waiting.

 

My fiance called Seibo yesterday and they said they have about a 2 week wait for appointments. Police records take about 10 days. Interviews are about a week out. 

 

My best-case scenario plan: 

 

2/5: paperwork fron NVC

2/6: Police station

2/16: medical

2/19: pick up police report

2/28: interview

 

I was told that we need the NVC letter to bring to the medical, so that is the main thing that is causing the delay. We are toying with the idea of scheduling the medical as soon as our NVC case status is updated to show its been sent to Japan, as it shouldn't take more than two weeks after that to get out letter. 

 

Does anyone have any other insights?

Here is my experience:

2018-01-30: Received appointment letter

2018-02-06: Medical appointment at Seibo.  I can't remember when my wife made the appointment, but it was after we received the email so not even a week to wait.  She received a flu shot at that time

2018-02-09: Called Seibo to find out results of antibody tests.  Everything came back fine, so no additional vaccines

2018-02-10: Received medical results by mail

2018-02-12: Requested an earlier appointment date (original was March 26) mentioning that we now have all the paper work

2018-02-13: Received updated appointment date

 

The police report we sent to NVC so they should have it and we are not planning to request a new one since the email says we only have to do so if the one we sent is over a year old

//i\\

[heykatydid 3]

Hello again, everyone. A few questions-

 

We are getting my husband's police certificate and I've heard the certificate says not to open because it will invalidate it. But the NVC paperwork also says not to send any originals, and to only send copies. Do we sent the original police certificate unopened? What if he needs to bring that to the interview? And if we have to give a translation, how do we translate it without opening the envelope? Sigh. Why is this all so confusing. What do we need to take to the police in order to get the certificate - just the paperwork we've received from the NVC?

 

Also, a question to the posters who have gotten through the NVC phase to the medical exam- what letter are you referring to taking to the exam? The The NVC letter stating they have scheduled your interview? Unfortunately, our best hope for this is July, which means I'm going home for a few months without my husband. This whole thing was supposed to take about a year, and I'd scheduled it that way, but with all the delays it's taking way longer.

[heykatydid 3]

A follow up -

 

Okay, I think I'm misunderstanding this. The NVC checklist says we need the police certificate, but the police say they need a letter in order to give us the certificate. Do we send our document package without the police certificate, and then wait for the letter that says we need it later? Or does our paperwork qualify as the letter, and we include the certificate in the full package of documents we send to the NVC? I'm so confused. I might try and call the police headquarters to see what they say. The official website says "Instructions sent to you by the National Visa Center"... but what does that mean? The checklist with our case number on it?

[logemon 1]

31 minutes ago, heykatydid said:

A follow up -

 

Okay, I think I'm misunderstanding this. The NVC checklist says we need the police certificate, but the police say they need a letter in order to give us the certificate. Do we send our document package without the police certificate, and then wait for the letter that says we need it later? Or does our paperwork qualify as the letter, and we include the certificate in the full package of documents we send to the NVC? I'm so confused. I might try and call the police headquarters to see what they say. The official website says "Instructions sent to you by the National Visa Center"... but what does that mean? The checklist with our case number on it?

Hello heykatydid,

 

Here is what we did

 

1. Using the NOA2 letter (the one with the approval notice), went to the Prefecture police for the police certificate.  We did this before even receiving the NVC notices. It took about a week, but then it was ready in a sealed envelope.

2. Once we received the NVC welcome letter, sent the unopened envelope to NVC along with the other copies requested

3. Once we received the appointment letter, made an appointment for the medical and then prepared everything we needed for the interview

4. Went to the interview with the unopened medical reports, copies of documents, the original marriage certificate, birth certificates for our children, and family register extract

 

We did not need to bring a new Police Certificate (even though they mention it in the interview sheet they give you) because it was forwarded by NVC to the embassy.  Also, the police certificates are already translated in 5 languages so you do not need to translate it or have it translated.

 

//i\\

 

 

[heykatydid 3]

3 minutes ago, logemon said:

Hello heykatydid,

 

Here is what we did

 

1. Using the NOA2 letter (the one with the approval notice), went to the Prefecture police for the police certificate.  We did this before even receiving the NVC notices. It took about a week, but then it was ready in a sealed envelope.

2. Once we received the NVC welcome letter, sent the unopened envelope to NVC along with the other copies requested

3. Once we received the appointment letter, made an appointment for the medical and then prepared everything we needed for the interview

4. Went to the interview with the unopened medical reports, copies of documents, the original marriage certificate, birth certificates for our children, and family register extract

 

We did not need to bring a new Police Certificate (even though they mention it in the interview sheet they give you) because it was forwarded by NVC to the embassy.  Also, the police certificates are already translated in 5 languages so you do not need to translate it or have it translated.

 

//i\\

 

 

Hey, thanks a lot! I'm finding a lot of conflicting information on the internet right now.

 

According to jp.usembassy.gov, it says "If you filed an I-130 in Tokyo or Naha, do not mail any documents listed in the checklist to NVC even though the DS260 confirmation page instructs you to do so.  Bring the documents to your interview. " (https://jp.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/family-immigration/how-to-apply-step-2/iv-checklist/)

 

Then on travel.state.gov, it says " Special Seal(s) / Color / Format:  Japanese Police Certificates are issued in a sealed envelope. If the seal is broken, the certificate is considered invalid. Visa applicants should not open a sealed envelope containing a Police Certificate.  The applicant must bring the original Police Certificate in a sealed envelope to the U.S. Embassy/Consulate at the time of his/her interview. Applicants do not need to mail their Police Certificate to the National Visa Center. " (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Japan.html)

 

I called the Embassy here in Japan today, and they were absolutely no help. The woman never really answered my question, but kept saying "you need the certificate" when I told her that we didn't have a letter to request one. So, do we have to go and get this and wait two weeks to send our documents to the NVC (which are ready except for this certificate) OR can we send our documents now and get the police certificate before the interview? Why are there so many different instructions that don't match? I'd prefer to send this off as quick as possible since the wait is already about two months, and then get the certificate once we get the interview approval letter... if that's possible.

[logemon 1]

23 minutes ago, heykatydid said:

Hey, thanks a lot! I'm finding a lot of conflicting information on the internet right now.

 

According to jp.usembassy.gov, it says "If you filed an I-130 in Tokyo or Naha, do not mail any documents listed in the checklist to NVC even though the DS260 confirmation page instructs you to do so.  Bring the documents to your interview. " (https://jp.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/family-immigration/how-to-apply-step-2/iv-checklist/)

 

Then on travel.state.gov, it says " Special Seal(s) / Color / Format:  Japanese Police Certificates are issued in a sealed envelope. If the seal is broken, the certificate is considered invalid. Visa applicants should not open a sealed envelope containing a Police Certificate.  The applicant must bring the original Police Certificate in a sealed envelope to the U.S. Embassy/Consulate at the time of his/her interview. Applicants do not need to mail their Police Certificate to the National Visa Center. " (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Japan.html)

 

I called the Embassy here in Japan today, and they were absolutely no help. The woman never really answered my question, but kept saying "you need the certificate" when I told her that we didn't have a letter to request one. So, do we have to go and get this and wait two weeks to send our documents to the NVC (which are ready except for this certificate) OR can we send our documents now and get the police certificate before the interview? Why are there so many different instructions that don't match? I'd prefer to send this off as quick as possible since the wait is already about two months, and then get the certificate once we get the interview approval letter... if that's possible.

Hello keykatydid,

 

I understand how it can be confusing as it was confusing for me as well, but we had worked on getting the police certificate as soon as we received the NOA2 letter so our situation differs from yours.  I can't provide any advice on what you should do in your case, only provide my experience, but maybe you can find what others have done by doing a board search (that is what I did as well).

 

Good luck

 

//i\\

[DJWS 4]

11 hours ago, heykatydid said:

Hello again, everyone. A few questions-

 

We are getting my husband's police certificate and I've heard the certificate says not to open because it will invalidate it. But the NVC paperwork also says not to send any originals, and to only send copies. Do we sent the original police certificate unopened?

We sent the original police certicate unopened to the NVC. 

What if he needs to bring that to the interview?

We actually went to the police dept to get an additional 2nd police certificate so that we would have one by our side for the interview since we sent the 1st police certificate to the NVC.  It turned out that when we had our embassy interview, the NVC had forwarded the 1st police report to the embassy and we didn't really need to have a 2nd one.  Having the 2nd police certificate just made our mind have one less thing to worry about.

And if we have to give a translation, how do we translate it without opening the envelope?

Do not open the seal envelope.  no need to translate, it's already translated inside.

Sigh. Why is this all so confusing. What do we need to take to the police in order to get the certificate - just the paperwork we've received from the NVC?

Yes,  I found this process confusing and stressful, but this forum saved our sanity!  The osaka police required the NVC letter.  We showed them the NVC Welcome Letter that contained a "Document Cover Sheet" checklist asking for police certificate, etc that need to be sent to NVC.

Also, a question to the posters who have gotten through the NVC phase to the medical exam- what letter are you referring to taking to the exam?

We brought the NVC Letter that's titled "Interview Letter (P4)" that was sent to us in early Aug.  Our embassy interview was in early Sep.

The The NVC letter stating they have scheduled your interview? Unfortunately, our best hope for this is July, which means I'm going home for a few months without my husband. This whole thing was supposed to take about a year, and I'd scheduled it that way, but with all the delays it's taking way longer.

 

[inzazubon 0]

On 2018/3/5 at 5:51 PM, heykatydid said:

Hey, thanks a lot! I'm finding a lot of conflicting information on the internet right now.

 

According to jp.usembassy.gov, it says "If you filed an I-130 in Tokyo or Naha, do not mail any documents listed in the checklist to NVC even though the DS260 confirmation page instructs you to do so.  Bring the documents to your interview. " (https://jp.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/family-immigration/how-to-apply-step-2/iv-checklist/)

 

Then on travel.state.gov, it says " Special Seal(s) / Color / Format:  Japanese Police Certificates are issued in a sealed envelope. If the seal is broken, the certificate is considered invalid. Visa applicants should not open a sealed envelope containing a Police Certificate.  The applicant must bring the original Police Certificate in a sealed envelope to the U.S. Embassy/Consulate at the time of his/her interview. Applicants do not need to mail their Police Certificate to the National Visa Center. " (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/Japan.html)

 

I called the Embassy here in Japan today, and they were absolutely no help. The woman never really answered my question, but kept saying "you need the certificate" when I told her that we didn't have a letter to request one. So, do we have to go and get this and wait two weeks to send our documents to the NVC (which are ready except for this certificate) OR can we send our documents now and get the police certificate before the interview? Why are there so many different instructions that don't match? I'd prefer to send this off as quick as possible since the wait is already about two months, and then get the certificate once we get the interview approval letter... if that's possible.

YES. THIS. I didn't send my Police Certificate (though I had it) because I the instructions online clearly stated DON'T send the Police Certificate to the NVC. I just got at email stating that I had to send it to the NVC before my case can move forward...getting my lawyers on it because I WILL rip someone a new one on the phone if I have to..but I figure the lawyers will be better at it lol. I'm sure you made a decision on whether to send it or not, but I'll post an update for future readers just in case.

[inzazubon 0]

On 2018/2/14 at 10:16 AM, logemon said:

Here is my experience:

2018-01-30: Received appointment letter

2018-02-06: Medical appointment at Seibo.  I can't remember when my wife made the appointment, but it was after we received the email so not even a week to wait.  She received a flu shot at that time

2018-02-09: Called Seibo to find out results of antibody tests.  Everything came back fine, so no additional vaccines

2018-02-10: Received medical results by mail

2018-02-12: Requested an earlier appointment date (original was March 26) mentioning that we now have all the paper work

2018-02-13: Received updated appointment date

 

The police report we sent to NVC so they should have it and we are not planning to request a new one since the email says we only have to do so if the one we sent is over a year old

//i\\

Question, what was your process to request an earlier appointment date? Was it as simple as a phone call??

[logemon 1]

31 minutes ago, inzazubon said:

Question, what was your process to request an earlier appointment date? Was it as simple as a phone call??

Hello Inzazubon,

 

I just went to the embassy site and used the form for requesting an appointment (right now:  https://japan2.usembassy.gov/e/visa/tvisa-ivapptrequest.html) and I made sure and mentioned in the note that we already had an appointment scheduled but wanted to re-schedule to an earlier date if possible. I received an email back a few days later (I think I made request on a weekend) with the new appointment date.

 

//i\\

[heykatydid 3]

1 hour ago, inzazubon said:

YES. THIS. I didn't send my Police Certificate (though I had it) because I the instructions online clearly stated DON'T send the Police Certificate to the NVC. I just got at email stating that I had to send it to the NVC before my case can move forward...getting my lawyers on it because I WILL rip someone a new one on the phone if I have to..but I figure the lawyers will be better at it lol. I'm sure you made a decision on whether to send it or not, but I'll post an update for future readers just in case.

Hey!! From what I can tell from previous posts, it's some kind of automated message, because people have reported getting that message and then three days later, getting the email that their case was complete. I did send the package without it, because multiple websites told me not to. I also passive-aggressively copied and pasted the information telling me NOT to send it into a word doc, citing it with the websites, and including it as "why the certificate is unavailable."

 

Before I made this decision, I emailed the NVC my question. By the time they responded, they'd already received our package because I decided to send it anyway (though they likely didn't know that), to no surprise: a three week delay in response. Here's the response they sent me:

 

" Special Seal(s) / Color / Format:  Japanese Police Certificates are issued in a sealed envelope. If the seal is broken, the certificate is considered invalid. Visa applicants should not open a sealed envelope containing a Police Certificate.  The applicant must bring the original Police Certificate in a sealed envelope to the U.S. Embassy/Consulate at the time of his/her interview. Applicants do not need to mail their Police Certificate to the National Visa Center. "

 

As you can see, they copy and pasted the exact same thing that I copy and pasted into my NVC document package. So now if they send me an email telling me it's incomplete, I've got this email to quote back at them to show them I was following THEIR instructions. I'll be in the U.S. by the time they make a decision since I'm going to have to go over earlier than my husband with all the delays in the paperwork, and I am not afraid to call them (which I couldn't do from Japan) and point this exact thing out.

 

I think you'll get the "complete" email in a few days, but if you don't please let us know!

[inzazubon 0]

On 3/5/2018 at 6:21 PM, logemon said:

Hello keykatydid,

 

I understand how it can be confusing as it was confusing for me as well, but we had worked on getting the police certificate as soon as we received the NOA2 letter so our situation differs from yours.  I can't provide any advice on what you should do in your case, only provide my experience, but maybe you can find what others have done by doing a board search (that is what I did as well).

 

Good luck

 

//i\\

Great, thank you so much for the info!! Appreciate it

[inzazubon 0]

3 hours ago, heykatydid said:

Hey!! From what I can tell from previous posts, it's some kind of automated message, because people have reported getting that message and then three days later, getting the email that their case was complete. I did send the package without it, because multiple websites told me not to. I also passive-aggressively copied and pasted the information telling me NOT to send it into a word doc, citing it with the websites, and including it as "why the certificate is unavailable."

 

Before I made this decision, I emailed the NVC my question. By the time they responded, they'd already received our package because I decided to send it anyway (though they likely didn't know that), to no surprise: a three week delay in response. Here's the response they sent me:

 

" Special Seal(s) / Color / Format:  Japanese Police Certificates are issued in a sealed envelope. If the seal is broken, the certificate is considered invalid. Visa applicants should not open a sealed envelope containing a Police Certificate.  The applicant must bring the original Police Certificate in a sealed envelope to the U.S. Embassy/Consulate at the time of his/her interview. Applicants do not need to mail their Police Certificate to the National Visa Center. "

 

As you can see, they copy and pasted the exact same thing that I copy and pasted into my NVC document package. So now if they send me an email telling me it's incomplete, I've got this email to quote back at them to show them I was following THEIR instructions. I'll be in the U.S. by the time they make a decision since I'm going to have to go over earlier than my husband with all the delays in the paperwork, and I am not afraid to call them (which I couldn't do from Japan) and point this exact thing out.

 

I think you'll get the "complete" email in a few days, but if you don't please let us know!

That. is. infuriating. LOL passive-aggressively. I would do the same thing! I will for sure keep you all posted. Hopefully I'll get the "complete" email asap  Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge!!

[heykatydid 3]

2 minutes ago, inzazubon said:

That. is. infuriating. LOL passive-aggressively. I would do the same thing! I will for sure keep you all posted. Hopefully I'll get the "complete" email asap  Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge!!

Oh, it is the actual worst. Five different websites with conflicting information. I spent an entire night in a complete panic attack. I don't understand why they can't just make country-specific instructions that clearly state what you need - and then don't punish you when you send in the documents as instructed! This whole thing is an absolute nightmare. Let us know if you do get that or not, since the official "answer" from the NVC I got a week ago was to do exactly what you and I did.

[heykatydid 3]

Okay, thread-goers, here's my update:

 

As expected, I received a letter saying I needed to send the Police Certificate. This seems impossibly foolish, as I received not two weeks ago, an email FROM the NVC stating that Japan applicants need not send their certificates and should take them to the interview. !!!!! WHY ARE THEY LIKE THIS??? Thus, I will wait and see if the interview schedule comes in a few days like the other posters have reported before calling and getting very... testy.

 

The second thing is that it said I need to provide W-2s for my 2017 tax returns. But, I have no W-2s for my 2017 tax returns! I haven't worked in the United States since 2012! I made a copy of the paperwork that my Japanese school provided me each year for taxes, but now I don't know what to do, as that's the only thing I can provide. This part was clearer on the form and did say that I didn't need to mail anything, but should give it to my husband when he goes to the embassy for his interview. Which is fine, as I've now accepted a job, and he can also take in a copy of my contract in the States as well to prove I'll be supporting us. However, what on earth do I do about W-2s that I never had?? That's an American thing, and I haven't the foggiest what they want me to provide in this category other than what I already did. Maybe if I send the tax documents with my husband, the Japanese staff will be able to read them at the embassy? Has anyone else come across this? Should I type up a paper explaining that I have no W-2s and filed all my American taxes using my converted Japanese documents?