All Japan Filers

[vny 0]

Okay, so now I have a question for all the K-1 filers.

I was just reading the FAQ about the US Embassy in Japan here on VJ and it states that there is no actual packet 4, that they send you an e-mail or something?

What exactly happens? How will I know that I can schedule an interview?

Oh, and where do you get the documents for the medical? Do they have them available at the hospitals listed on the embassy website?

Thanks for you help, everyone.

Hey Lauraandfrogger,

Sorry, can't help you with the interview part because we went for CR-1 and NVC scheduled my wife's interview. As for the medical, when we got the NOA2, she took that to one of the listed places and I believe they gave her all the paperwork that she needed. I think after the checkup, she went back and they gave her a sealed envelope which she had to take to the interview. Hope that helps.

Good luck,

vny

[Akiko 0]

Okay, so now I have a question for all the K-1 filers.

I was just reading the FAQ about the US Embassy in Japan here on VJ and it states that there is no actual packet 4, that they send you an e-mail or something?

What exactly happens? How will I know that I can schedule an interview?

Oh, and where do you get the documents for the medical? Do they have them available at the hospitals listed on the embassy website?

Thanks for you help, everyone.

Thank you to everyone!

It was a short and simple wedding, nothing big but it was the happiest day of my life

Lauraandfrogger - US Embassy Japan doesn't have a Packet 4. They are supposed to send you an email notifying you that they received the Packet 3 but I went ahead and requested an interview date on the Embassy website the night I sent it. The day after I got a confirmation email for my interview! So it was pretty simple for me. If you have all the documents required for the interview, I don't think it would be a problem. They do tell you to print out the interview confirmation email but they didn't check mine when I actually went in for the interview.

As for the medical documents; you go into one of the hospitals listed on the embassy website, they prepare all the documents for you. An original immunization record is needed for it so make sure your fiance doesn't forget his! They'll tell him what he needs when he calls to make his appointment.

Good luck with everything!

[vny 0]

Thank you to everyone!

It was a short and simple wedding, nothing big but it was the happiest day of my life

Hey MRS. Bronson,

Simple or whatever, it is over and done. A BIG congratulations. Yes, it must have been a happy day, but probably even a better night, huh!!! lol. Kidding....

Anyway, a BIG hug and congratulations is due to you.

vny

P.S. Good luck on the AOS. That is another whole journey in itself, but I'm sure you will do just fine.

[Akiko 0]

Thank you to everyone!

It was a short and simple wedding, nothing big but it was the happiest day of my life

Hey MRS. Bronson,

Simple or whatever, it is over and done. A BIG congratulations. Yes, it must have been a happy day, but probably even a better night, huh!!! lol. Kidding....

Anyway, a BIG hug and congratulations is due to you.

vny

P.S. Good luck on the AOS. That is another whole journey in itself, but I'm sure you will do just fine.

Thanks!

We had a bunch of people over the weekend so it was pretty busy. We didn't really have much time for ourselves haha. But surely, it was a dream come true.

I'm starting to work on the AOS. I'm just hoping it doesn't take as long as the K-1.

Hope things are going good with you and your wife!

[Anonymous 57 0]

Hi everyone!

Thanks for the replies, vny and Akiko! And congrats again on the marriage, Akiko~! Are you going to have a ceremony in Japan as well later? I wouldn't worry about AOS, it'll be fine. Even if it does take as long as K-1, as long as you get your employment authorization and permission to leave the country thingie in a timely manner, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

We got our interview date!! September 8. Nice.

So what happened is that Kenchin, in his depressed boredom did some research by reading all of these ladies blogs (LOL- Kenchin is not the kind of person to read ladies blogs under normal circumstances) and found out that the letter that he got was completely different than everyone else because of the RFE. He also found people claiming that the Tokyo embassy will just sit on your application unless you harass them with the $20 ripoff e-mails. So he asked me to send them an angry e-mail. I instead sent them a mildly peeved e-mail, worried that they would just sit on it longer if we tried to fight with them, and low and behold they sent us a mail the next day claiming that they had just happened to finish processing our case THAT DAY and that they just happened to send him a letter about the interview THAT DAY.

Yeah. It was pure chance. But at least he got his interview date. He's so excited.

Thanks for everyone's support and advice during this ridiculously stressful process! Were it not for VJ, we would still probably be waiting at USCIS for NOA2.

Will let you know how the interview goes

[Akiko 0]

Hi everyone!

Thanks for the replies, vny and Akiko! And congrats again on the marriage, Akiko~! Are you going to have a ceremony in Japan as well later? I wouldn't worry about AOS, it'll be fine. Even if it does take as long as K-1, as long as you get your employment authorization and permission to leave the country thingie in a timely manner, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

We got our interview date!! September 8. Nice.

So what happened is that Kenchin, in his depressed boredom did some research by reading all of these ladies blogs (LOL- Kenchin is not the kind of person to read ladies blogs under normal circumstances) and found out that the letter that he got was completely different than everyone else because of the RFE. He also found people claiming that the Tokyo embassy will just sit on your application unless you harass them with the $20 ripoff e-mails. So he asked me to send them an angry e-mail. I instead sent them a mildly peeved e-mail, worried that they would just sit on it longer if we tried to fight with them, and low and behold they sent us a mail the next day claiming that they had just happened to finish processing our case THAT DAY and that they just happened to send him a letter about the interview THAT DAY.

Yeah. It was pure chance. But at least he got his interview date. He's so excited.

Thanks for everyone's support and advice during this ridiculously stressful process! Were it not for VJ, we would still probably be waiting at USCIS for NOA2.

Will let you know how the interview goes

Thank you!

Im happy to hear you got your interview date!

I didn't even bother contacting the embassy. This whole process just costs too much money! Although it is all worth it in the end.

Good luck with the interview! Keep up updated on how everything goes!

[vny 0]

Hi everyone!

Thanks for the replies, vny and Akiko! And congrats again on the marriage, Akiko~! Are you going to have a ceremony in Japan as well later? I wouldn't worry about AOS, it'll be fine. Even if it does take as long as K-1, as long as you get your employment authorization and permission to leave the country thingie in a timely manner, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

We got our interview date!! September 8. Nice.

So what happened is that Kenchin, in his depressed boredom did some research by reading all of these ladies blogs (LOL- Kenchin is not the kind of person to read ladies blogs under normal circumstances) and found out that the letter that he got was completely different than everyone else because of the RFE. He also found people claiming that the Tokyo embassy will just sit on your application unless you harass them with the $20 ripoff e-mails. So he asked me to send them an angry e-mail. I instead sent them a mildly peeved e-mail, worried that they would just sit on it longer if we tried to fight with them, and low and behold they sent us a mail the next day claiming that they had just happened to finish processing our case THAT DAY and that they just happened to send him a letter about the interview THAT DAY.

Yeah. It was pure chance. But at least he got his interview date. He's so excited.

Thanks for everyone's support and advice during this ridiculously stressful process! Were it not for VJ, we would still probably be waiting at USCIS for NOA2.

Will let you know how the interview goes

Congrats Lauraandfrogger on finally getting the interview date. One step closer. Wow, I guess there is good and bad to the Tokyo embassy. Our experience was mostly good and I hope yours will be better from here on out. Most of our wait was with USCIS and the NVC. Once it got to the embassy, we just had to wait until the interview date, because the NVC had scheduled our interview. And that took a while. But it finally passed and yours will too. Unfortunately with this immigration thing, you cannot overstate the old saying "Patience is a Virtue". It really is in this process.

Well, good luck with the rest of it and here's hoping for a speedy reunion for you.

vny

Edited August 8, 2009 by vny

[vny 0]

Thanks!

We had a bunch of people over the weekend so it was pretty busy. We didn't really have much time for ourselves haha. But surely, it was a dream come true.

I'm starting to work on the AOS. I'm just hoping it doesn't take as long as the K-1.

Hope things are going good with you and your wife!

You are very welcome, but mostly I just wish the best for you and Bronson. Yes, I know that time is hontoni isogashii, but once you settle down, hopefully you will have time for each other. Just remember that you married to each other now and that is what should come first.

Well, my wife is still back in Japan now to take care of her work stuff, but will be back in a little over a week. Tomorrow (actually today in Japan) we are married 1 year. We signed our papers on 8/8/08 at the Musashino city hall. Wow, it has been 1 year already!!! I am just looking forward until the time that she will be here full time. That will finally be in Sept, but we are working things out as it goes.

Anyway, BEST WISHES and a HAPPY MARRIAGE to YOU and all here on the Japan thread.

vny

[Anonymous 57 0]

Happy anniversary, vny!

And yet again, I turn to the wisdom of the VJers. So now we're looking for plane tickets and we're shocked at the price of one way tickets. I knew that they were always more than round trip, but $2000 dollars more?! I would just buy a round trip and ditch the return ticket but 1. he's going to have a visa in his passport, and 2. I heard that the airplane companies got wise and now they either blacklist you or charge your credit card for the difference. Does anybody have any advice for purchasing reasonable tickets from Japan to San Francisco? Kenchin insists on using JAL because he's afraid of airplanes, so that makes it even more difficult because 'JAL' and 'reasonable prices' are two terms that are not usually used in the same sentence. Where did everybody get their plane tickets?

And Kenchin told me a really scary story about what happened during his medical exam. To whoever's fiancee this is.

Kenchin got his medical check the other day and they gave them a mandatory vaccine for some disease that most Japanese people have never even heard of. He hates hospitals and is afraid of shots, medical checkups, and anything that even vaguely smacks of pain. He was put in a room with a woman who was also undergoing the K1 medical exam and they were given the shot at the same time. He got the shot first. He had been talking to her a bit and started telling her how much it hurt and it how he hated shots and just being a general baby and when she got the shot she said, " Oh, it doesn't really hurt that much," and he kept going on about how painful shots were and how he hated doing stuff like this when all of a sudden the lady began convulsing and collapsed. They found out too late that she had a severe allergy to the vaccine that they had given her. The nurses started screaming for the doctor and the lady started turning blue. Somebody announced that her heart had stopped. The doctor came running in and sent the nurses scrambling for things and they began to try to revive her right there. They soon rushed her away in a stretcher. Poor Kenchin told me that he almost started crying and had to stay there for an hour with a nurse staring at him and thinking that everytime he twitched that his heart would stop too. He doesn't know what happened to her, but since she was in the hospital at the time we are hoping for the best and praying for both her and her fiance.

[vny 0]

Happy anniversary, vny!

And yet again, I turn to the wisdom of the VJers. So now we're looking for plane tickets and we're shocked at the price of one way tickets. I knew that they were always more than round trip, but $2000 dollars more?! I would just buy a round trip and ditch the return ticket but 1. he's going to have a visa in his passport, and 2. I heard that the airplane companies got wise and now they either blacklist you or charge your credit card for the difference. Does anybody have any advice for purchasing reasonable tickets from Japan to San Francisco? Kenchin insists on using JAL because he's afraid of airplanes, so that makes it even more difficult because 'JAL' and 'reasonable prices' are two terms that are not usually used in the same sentence. Where did everybody get their plane tickets?

And Kenchin told me a really scary story about what happened during his medical exam. To whoever's fiancee this is.

Kenchin got his medical check the other day and they gave them a mandatory vaccine for some disease that most Japanese people have never even heard of. He hates hospitals and is afraid of shots, medical checkups, and anything that even vaguely smacks of pain. He was put in a room with a woman who was also undergoing the K1 medical exam and they were given the shot at the same time. He got the shot first. He had been talking to her a bit and started telling her how much it hurt and it how he hated shots and just being a general baby and when she got the shot she said, " Oh, it doesn't really hurt that much," and he kept going on about how painful shots were and how he hated doing stuff like this when all of a sudden the lady began convulsing and collapsed. They found out too late that she had a severe allergy to the vaccine that they had given her. The nurses started screaming for the doctor and the lady started turning blue. Somebody announced that her heart had stopped. The doctor came running in and sent the nurses scrambling for things and they began to try to revive her right there. They soon rushed her away in a stretcher. Poor Kenchin told me that he almost started crying and had to stay there for an hour with a nurse staring at him and thinking that everytime he twitched that his heart would stop too. He doesn't know what happened to her, but since she was in the hospital at the time we are hoping for the best and praying for both her and her fiance.

Thanks Laura. Yes, but we had to spend it apart as she is back in Japan settling her work stuff. She comes back next week. Hopefully she will not have a problem with the immigration since her GC arrived here while she was back there. But everyone says that the stamp in her passport should be enough. My fingers are crossed.

And YES, what a racket they have going with the plane ticket thing. JAL is such a ripoff on the one way that she was just going to get a round trip and skip the return. She has to go back to Japan in Sept again and that will finally take care of her work so she finally come here to stay. She searched and finally found a one way fare on China airlines to Hawaii for $400 something. I flew China airlines a couple of times and they are pretty good and their flight attendants do speak Japanese too (as well as a little English and of course Chinese). I know they have one flight a day that starts in Taiwan, stops at Narita then comes to Honolulu and back. Not sure if they have a direct flight to San Fran, but I think they are just as good as JAL. But Hawaii is a good stop over and he can do his POE thing here. My wife said it went really smoothly when she first got here with her VISA in hand. And we have a lot of Japanese tourists so he should have no problem at the airport.

Anyway, good luck with finding that elusive REASONABLE one way fare. They should have some law about gouging on that one.

vny

[Johnny & Yumi 0]

Hey Everyone! It has been awhile, but it looks like a lot of good things have been happening!

Akiko and Bronson, Congratulations!

vny, Congrats to you as well for your anniversary!

Lauraandfrogger, I am glad that things are finally moving along for you! When Yumi got her shots, she said her arm was sore and felt 'blah' for a day or two after that. I was worried about her because of that, but after reading that story, it could have been worse. But for certain vaccinations that could have reactions, they make people stay for awhile to see if they have a reaction. I hope that the personnel at the hospital were prepared for that and the woman is ok now.

As for cheap tickets, I use Northwest Airlines. I did a search for round trip tickets from Narita to San Francisco International (NRT-SFO) in November, and they were under $650. Of course, the price will depend on what time of year you actually book, so this could change. But, I wouldn't worry about the airlines finding out that you are using a round trip ticket for one-way use.

1. The people at the counter and before boarding aren't visa experts. They are just checking boarding passes and/or photo ID.

2. Most airlines have to deal with nearly tens of thousands of passengers a day. Hundreds of those passengers have to cancel flights due to emergencies, business, or other change in plans. It would be a waste of money to track down every cancellation to verify their intent.

3. Airline usually overbook flights so as to make up for those who might have to cancel.

Unless you call them up and tell them EXACTLY what you are doing, I don't think they will be the wiser.

[Zefah 0]

Greetings all!

After searching the internet for information and help about completing the Affidavit of Support (I-864) I discovered these wonderful forums.

Instead of searching through vague guides that may or may not apply to my situation, I decided I would try asking you fine people for advice.

Allow me to briefly detail my story. I met my wife (who is Japanese) in my hometown of Seattle while she was on a study-abroad program back in 2003. We

hit it off immediately and went through a mostly long-distance relationship for 6 years until I graduated University and found a job in Japan in November of 2008. We moved in together this February and got married at a city hall in Tokyo in April. It had always been our plan to move back to Seattle and we figured the sooner we moved the better so we began to gather the materials needed for the visa application process. After getting everything together for the I-130 Petition, we paid a visit to the American embassy in Tokyo and everything went smoothly. The petition was approved and we received a notice in the mail a week later. Now we are currently working on the next step and obviously the Affidavit of Support (I-864) is a big part of that.

Because I came to Japan soon after graduating University I have never had a full-time job in the States and my income last year from part-time work doesn't quite meet the 125% above the poverty line requirement. I currently have a full-time job that pays decently in Japan, but obviously that doesn't count for anything for the I-864. I have therefore decided to do a joint sponsorship with my parents who gladly agreed to help, but there is one small detail that has me confused about what I need to do. My parents have always filed their tax returns jointly and thus do not have separate tax returns. I am fairly certain this will not be a problem for the I-864, but I do not know exactly how I should proceed considering that each sponsor needs to fill out an I-864 form. My parents are obviously two separate people and I believe that means they count as two separate sponsors, but there is only one tax return between them.

My question is: What should I do when I need to jointly sponsor with two parents who jointly file their tax returns? Do they need to fill out one I-864 each? If so, how should each of them fill out the income section of the form? If anyone on these forums has had a similar experience to mine, I would greatly appreciate any advice you can spare.

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for any help!

[vny 0]

Thanks Johnny & Yumi. She will be back in a couple of days so we will have another reunion. This long distance stuff sucks, and I'm sure all here on VJ understand.

Zefah, not exactly sure but I'm sure they understand joint filing of tax returns. So if just one of your parents will help to meet the minimum income requirement, then you probably just have to have one of them fill out the form. But what I have found from this venture is that you can never provide too little info. Always go ahead and take the extra step and give them more than they ask for. You cannot go wrong that way. So I'm sorry, not exactly sure what you need to do in your situation. Good luck and wishing you a speedy journey through this mess they call "immigration."

[redglasses 1]

Zefah

Welcome to VJ!

If my understanding is correct, either of your parents (who meets the poverty line) fills out I-864 and the other fills our I-864A.

Please check other forums to make sure what others did.

Good luck!

[Akiko 0]

Johnny & Yumi - Thanks! Hope things are going well with you two as well!

Lauraandfrogger - Sorry to hear about the medical. I didn't need to get any shots, just a blood test. Maybe because I was raised in the states, I already had the vaccine done or something. I'm not sure which one we're talking about here. As for plane tickets, I fly JAL too. I searched for one way tickets at first but they were 2-3 times more than roundtrip. So I just ended up buying a roundtrip and thinking of abandoning the ticket back. I don't think its a big deal. I mean, you paid for it and all... theres nothing they can do about it.