All Japan Filers

[sarudoshi 0]

Congratulations on getting an interview date. That was quick

Our interview is at 9:30 the same date. Wish you Goodluck

Our case is completed at the NVC and our interview date has been assigned!!!

DS-230 completed: 7/9/2008

Interview Date: 8/11/2008

I am sooooo happy right now!!!!

I can't wait to tell my wonderful wife!!!

I just hope we can fit the medical exam in, as we will need our appointment letter for it.

I also have to book a ticket quick!

[YOUTOO 2]

Sure, no problems. I will keep you updated about the interview process. We are hoping and wishing for the best.

[Justin and Masako 0]

Congratulations on getting an interview date. That was quick

Our interview is at 9:30 the same date. Wish you Goodluck

Thanks sarudoshi, and I will see you there. Ours is at 9:30 as well.

YOUTOO,

I plan on attending the interview with my wife unless told that I cannot which I don't see any reason they wouldn't want me there. I don't believe that me being there would bring about any more drilling then they would do otherwise. We have nothing to hide anyway and I believe that it is important for me to be there. It is my family after all. How could they expect less then for me to want to be there with her? I would think they would only "drill" someone if they had some reason to believe they were trying to defraud the immigration system or if the interviewer just got off on giving people a hard time (in which case they will wish they never met me as I guarantee I can give them a much worse time. No one messes with MY family!). All I was looking for was if I was supposed to let them know ahead of time I was coming to the interview as well. I guess I will just have to pay the stupid fee and call them. $20 for a phone call I am already picking up the tab on is just ridiculous, and email as well. And for the $20 you only get to talk to a call center that is not even located at the embassy. :/ Unless someone knows a number to call where you actually do speak to someone at the embassy and not have to pay the fee?

Thanks,

[YOUTOO 2]

Justin, maybe I did not write clearly or you misunderstood. Save the money for the call, of course you can accompany your wife to the interview. As long as you are a U.S. citizen, they cannot refuse you entry to the Embassy. I merely

repeated what others wrote here before me. We wish you all the luck.

[YOUTOO 2]

My wife had her medical today. Nothing exciting, 3 hours, chest x-ray and two shots, and last but not least another payment to be made : $ 495.00. Seems that nothing connected with this visa is under $ 400.00. Tomorrow she has to pick up the paperwork, the interview is next.

[Justin and Masako 0]

My wife had her medical today. Nothing exciting, 3 hours, chest x-ray and two shots, and last but not least another payment to be made : $ 495.00. Seems that nothing connected with this visa is under $ 400.00. Tomorrow she has to pick up the paperwork, the interview is next.

May I ask where your wife had her medical? We are thinking of Tokyo, even though its a bit of a trip, as they have one day service. The office in Kobe wants two weeks to get the results.

Also thanks for the post YOUTOO, I understood that I have a right to be at the embassy but I had read posts around here indicating that some embassies required you to let them know you were gong to be there as well. That is why I was asking. I wasn't trying to be obstinate or seem unappreciative, sorry if I came off a little nasty in the post.

On another note if my wife doesn't have complete vaccination records, she doesn't have the ones from her school, will they just give her vaccinations for anything she doesn't have records for right at the medical? I think I had heard that was the way it was done but I just want to check again.

Thanks again,

[Uncle Wally 2]

My old lady and I haven't even had a goddamn touch since mid-February, those bums.

Anyway, I had her risk entry under the Visa Waiver Program, and she got in without a snag last week.

We'd prepared a letter from me explaining the situation and promising that she'd honor the 90-day limit on the VWP, and her old boss was kind enough to bust out a bull$h!t letter for her saying that she's taking a leave of absence from work (we also prepared a certified translation of this).

At any rate, the border officer just asked her what she's coming to America for, and she said "to visit my husband." Wam bam thank you ma'am a quick stamp to the old passport and she was in. She didn't have to show any of the documents or even the return ticket. She entered through Atlanta.

Just wanted to post our experience with this for the sake of any Japan filers who are hesitant to have a spouse enter on the VWP while an I-130 is in the works.

[YOUTOO 2]

Let's start at the end. I have agreat mother-in-law, this Japanese woman is the poster child of keeping records and stuff. I am not exaggerating, she has about 1000 boxes in her two closets and knows exactly which box containes what. 85 years old!!! She had all my wife's immunization records, the doctor at the hospital was surprised, he said he had never seen anything like this before. Lucky, I guess, for my wife, she had only to endure two shots. That's beside the blood testing.

The medical was at the Catholic Hospital in Tokyo, if you need more details let me know, my wife won't be back home until Wednesday. It's not a one day service. Appoinment is for one day in the morning ( for example ) and pick up of docs at 5 p.m. the next day. I remember she said, afternoon appointment and pick up of docs two days later in the morning. Again, costs ( for us ) was $ 495.00 ).

You know, I will be at my wife's appointment as well. Here is a hint. Last time we were at the Embassy because we were stupid enough to spend $ 175.00 and apply for a visitor's visa for my wife to attend her daughter's wedding in Las Vegas. Of course, once they found out she was applying for an Immigrant Visa, that was turned down. But anyway, the appointment was for a Monday, the day they schedule immigrant visa appointments. The line was HUGE.

This time I will be the bad guy and cut in, using my U.S. passport, coming up with some kind of excuse and get my wife in as well. You can do the same thing, just think of something in case they ask you. Extra pages in your passport, social security, tax questions, notarizing........whatever you can come up with.

As always, best of luck and glad to be of help.

[YOUTOO 2]

My old lady and I haven't even had a goddamn touch since mid-February, those bums.

Anyway, I had her risk entry under the Visa Waiver Program, and she got in without a snag last week.

We'd prepared a letter from me explaining the situation and promising that she'd honor the 90-day limit on the VWP, and her old boss was kind enough to bust out a bull$h!t letter for her saying that she's taking a leave of absence from work (we also prepared a certified translation of this).

At any rate, the border officer just asked her what she's coming to America for, and she said "to visit my husband." Wam bam thank you ma'am a quick stamp to the old passport and she was in. She didn't have to show any of the documents or even the return ticket. She entered through Atlanta.

Just wanted to post our experience with this for the sake of any Japan filers who are hesitant to have a spouse enter on the VWP while an I-130 is in the works.

Wow, this is unbelievable. Truely unbelievable and I am ( nearly ) out of words. ATL was the airport, my wife was denied entry, thrown in jail overnight, treated like a piece of s**t and returned to Tokyo the next day. And why? Because she answered " I am here to visit my husband". This truly is sickening.

Nothing personal, UncleWally, I wish all of you best of luck. And I am glad, she got in.

[Justin and Masako 0]

The medical was at the Catholic Hospital in Tokyo, if you need more details let me know, my wife won't be back home until Wednesday. It's not a one day service. Appoinment is for one day in the morning ( for example ) and pick up of docs at 5 p.m. the next day. I remember she said, afternoon appointment and pick up of docs two days later in the morning. Again, costs ( for us ) was $ 495.00 ).

There is one there that offers same day service, but its loads extra. Unfortunately that's the way we have to go since my wife lives in Nara and the Kobe office wouldn't get us the results before our interview. So its an expensive appointment plus the shinkansen fare (~$120 each way). We are looking at a possible total cost of about $940 for two together. I am not sure which it is that offers that, I know there are three places you can go in Tokyo but if anyone is interested I can ask my wife about it.

Thanks again YOUTOO

Uncle_Wally, congratulations on getting your wife in for a visit!

We also didn't have an issue with her visiting me during our I-130. She came in at Minneapolis, St. Paul International (MSP).

[sarudoshi 0]

I went to Tokyo Medical Clinic, just infront of Tokyo Tower. The service was good, no wait, but I paid 60,000 yen coz I was missing one vaccine. I was sweating in pain not because of the vacc. but because of the bill , too expensive

The medical was at the Catholic Hospital in Tokyo, if you need more details let me know, my wife won't be back home until Wednesday. It's not a one day service. Appoinment is for one day in the morning ( for example ) and pick up of docs at 5 p.m. the next day. I remember she said, afternoon appointment and pick up of docs two days later in the morning. Again, costs ( for us ) was $ 495.00 ).

There is one there that offers same day service, but its loads extra. Unfortunately that's the way we have to go since my wife lives in Nara and the Kobe office wouldn't get us the results before our interview. So its an expensive appointment plus the shinkansen fare (~$120 each way). We are looking at a possible total cost of about $940 for two together. I am not sure which it is that offers that, I know there are three places you can go in Tokyo but if anyone is interested I can ask my wife about it.

Thanks again YOUTOO

Uncle_Wally, congratulations on getting your wife in for a visit!

We also didn't have an issue with her visiting me during our I-130. She came in at Minneapolis, St. Paul International (MSP).

[Justin and Masako 0]

I went to Tokyo Medical Clinic, just infront of Tokyo Tower. The service was good, no wait, but I paid 60,000 yen coz I was missing one vaccine. I was sweating in pain not because of the vacc. but because of the bill , too expensive

60,000 yen for ONE vaccine? Ouch!!!

I feel for you, and boy do I hope we aren't missing that vaccine!

Do you know if it was just one or did they give you a combo of all of them?

[iceman33 0]

quick question, my wife's interview is scheduled at 9:30 am on 8/11 (Tokyo). Any idea of how early should I plan to arrive? Is 30 minutes enough? How long would the line be at the entry of embassy usually?

[Justin and Masako 0]

quick question, my wife's interview is scheduled at 9:30 am on 8/11 (Tokyo). Any idea of how early should I plan to arrive? Is 30 minutes enough? How long would the line be at the entry of embassy usually?

Iceman, you too? Cool. I guess a few of us will be there at the same time.

I was thinking we should be there an hour early at the least as I have heard (from posts here and from the DoS website) that there can be a long waiting line to get into the embassy. I was even thinking about two hours but I am not sure. Our hotel is close to the embassy so I might duck over rather early to see if there is a line there. I am surprised that you have 9:30 as both I and Sarudoshi have 9:30 as well. Makes me wonder how many people are scheduled for the exact same time.

[Iliad 0]

Whats up everyone...good to see other Nihon filers here...

For those of you who did the medical check, what documents did yuo need to give or turn in to get the check? our I-129F is stuck at NVC even though its been 7 weeks since CIS sent me NOA2. We are basically trying to get as much stuff done ahead of time so that once NVC and CIS get their heads out of their a** we can get the interview scheduled right away. Thank for the help!