When did DCF change for Japan

[Tensigh 0]

I've looked through the cases and I see that as late as 2009 people could still do DCF in Japan for the I-130. Does anyone know when DCF was closed for Japan?

 

Thank you

[Just Paul 4,594]

A long time ago you could do DCF at any post.  Then it was changed to only consulates with a USCIS office.  I don't remember Japan ever having an USCIS field office.

 

You can do DCF under exceptional circumstances.

[Tensigh 0]

Thanks for the answer. What I'm trying to find out is exactly when Americans who married Japanese had to submit their I-130s in the US as opposed to submitting them to the embassy in Tokyo.

 

Back in 1998 a friend of mine got married to a Japanese. He submitted everything to the US embassy in Tokyo and their visa got approved lightning fast (like less than 3 months). Not only their I-130 but every doc was sent to the US embassy in Tokyo and apparently it was all processed there which greatly sped up the process. When my wife and I submitted ours in 2017, we had to submit our I-130 to the US and that process alone took 4-5 months and the entire process took over a year. We had to submit EVERYTHING to the US despite previously people applying in Japan. 

 

It looks like it changed in 2011 based on what I've seen from the USCIS site archives but I'm trying to find out specifically when it changed for Japan. 

[Crazy Cat 41,184]

7 minutes ago, Tensigh said:

Thanks for the answer. What I'm trying to find out is exactly when Americans who married Japanese had to submit their I-130s in the US as opposed to submitting them to the embassy in Tokyo.

 

Back in 1998 a friend of mine got married to a Japanese. He submitted everything to the US embassy in Tokyo and their visa got approved lightning fast (like less than 3 months). Not only their I-130 but every doc was sent to the US embassy in Tokyo and apparently it was all processed there which greatly sped up the process. When my wife and I submitted ours in 2017, we had to submit our I-130 to the US and that process alone took 4-5 months and the entire process took over a year. We had to submit EVERYTHING to the US despite previously people applying in Japan. 

 

It looks like it changed in 2011 based on what I've seen from the USCIS site archives but I'm trying to find out specifically when it changed for Japan. 

DCF has been a faster route for spousal visas in the past......but times have changed........soon, everyone will be on a level playing field..It will take a year or longer for everyone.....

[Just Paul 4,594]

1 hour ago, Tensigh said:

Thanks for the answer. What I'm trying to find out is exactly when Americans who married Japanese had to submit their I-130s in the US as opposed to submitting them to the embassy in Tokyo.

 

Back in 1998 a friend of mine got married to a Japanese. He submitted everything to the US embassy in Tokyo and their visa got approved lightning fast (like less than 3 months). Not only their I-130 but every doc was sent to the US embassy in Tokyo and apparently it was all processed there which greatly sped up the process. When my wife and I submitted ours in 2017, we had to submit our I-130 to the US and that process alone took 4-5 months and the entire process took over a year. We had to submit EVERYTHING to the US despite previously people applying in Japan. 

 

It looks like it changed in 2011 based on what I've seen from the USCIS site archives but I'm trying to find out specifically when it changed for Japan. 

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/Laws/Memoranda/2012/May/DOS-I130May1412.pdf

 

[Tensigh 0]

@Paul & Mary Thanks for that. I came across that yesterday but after that there were still some embassies that did DCF. I'm trying to find when Japan specifically stopped but at least I can say 2011-2012 was when it generally stopped. Thanks for the lead. 

 

@missileman I think that's the goal - make EVERYONE wait and suffer as opposed to letting some countries process applications sooner. That seems appropriate given the year that this decision was made. 

Edited December 24, 2019 by Tensigh

[Crazy Cat 41,184]

7 minutes ago, Tensigh said:

 

@missileman I think that's the goal - make EVERYONE wait and suffer as opposed to letting some countries process applications sooner. That seems appropriate given the year that this decision was made. 

I don't think the goal is to make people suffer.......Personally, I see no reason out-of-country couples should be treated differently from the rest of us.

[Boiler 44,855]

Why does it matter? Or are you writing a history?

[Tensigh 0]

@missileman The difference with being overseas is twofold:

1. If you're an American returning to the U.S. you often have to live apart waiting for a visa and you can't time when you move back. If you're applying in the U.S., you're already there and in many cases, your future spouse is. 

2. In many countries (like Japan), illegal immigration isn't a problem. So it's really unfair lumping together applications from countries like South Korea or Japan where illegal immigration is virtually non existent with everyone else.

[Crazy Cat 41,184]

7 minutes ago, Tensigh said:

@missileman The difference with being overseas is twofold:

1. If you're an American returning to the U.S. you often have to live apart waiting for a visa and you can't time when you move back. If you're applying in the U.S., you're already there and in many cases, your future spouse is. 

2. In many countries (like Japan), illegal immigration isn't a problem. So it's really unfair lumping together applications from countries like South Korea or Japan where illegal immigration is virtually non existent with everyone else.

Most of us have had to endure living apart from our spouse.....for my wife and me, it took 13 months......after we were married.  I see zero difference.  I don't see why you should be placed in a short line, while everyone else waits for a year.

Edited December 24, 2019 by missileman

[Boiler 44,855]

Most people on this site are not living together.

 

Why is the level of undocumented in Japan significant?

[geowrian 22,337]

5 hours ago, Tensigh said:

@Paul & Mary Thanks for that. I came across that yesterday but after that there were still some embassies that did DCF. I'm trying to find when Japan specifically stopped but at least I can say 2011-2012 was when it generally stopped. Thanks for the lead. 

 

@missileman I think that's the goal - make EVERYONE wait and suffer as opposed to letting some countries process applications sooner. That seems appropriate given the year that this decision was made. 

The general inability to do DCF at any post came when that memo was enacted. I don't have a specific date, but the date on the memo would be quite close.

USCIS has field offices across the world. Per that memo, those USCIS field offices could still do DCF as a general rule-of-thumb. Japan never fell into this provision IIRC. So they stopped the same time most other countries stopped.

Exceptional circumstances allow DCF to be done at any post.

 

I disagree that the goal is to make people suffer.

25 minutes ago, Tensigh said:

2. In many countries (like Japan), illegal immigration isn't a problem. So it's really unfair lumping together applications from countries like South Korea or Japan where illegal immigration is virtually non existent with everyone else.

Why should Japan be treated as special? The law (and policies) have no provision for immigrants from one country being given preference over another (barring oversubscription caps in certain categories, but that's a different thing altogether and applies equally across countries).

 

Let alone what illegal immigration has to do with an immigrant visa...there are no immigrants coming to the US with intent to overstay/work w/o authorization/etc.

What you noted makes sense for non-immigrant visas (NIVs), and the VWP exists for that reason. Even w/o the VWP, countries with little abuse have lower refusal rates anyway. But it has absolutely nothing to do with immigrants...only non-immigrants.

Edited December 24, 2019 by geowrian

[Just Paul 4,594]

21 minutes ago, Tensigh said:

1. If you're an American returning to the U.S. you often have to live apart waiting for a visa and you can't time when you move back. 

If you have a job offer you apply under exceptional circumstances.  This can be done in any country, even those without USCIS offices.

 

23 minutes ago, Tensigh said:

If you're applying in the U.S., you're already there and in many cases, your future spouse is.

 If the foreign spouse is in the US you can file I-130 with AOS.   

 

25 minutes ago, Tensigh said:

In many countries (like Japan), illegal immigration isn't a problem.

So you suggest that in 2012 they should have implemented a two tier system for countries with less immigration issues?

 

[Dashinka 24,110]

5 hours ago, Tensigh said:

@Paul & Mary Thanks for that. I came across that yesterday but after that there were still some embassies that did DCF. I'm trying to find when Japan specifically stopped but at least I can say 2011-2012 was when it generally stopped. Thanks for the lead. 

 

@missileman I think that's the goal - make EVERYONE wait and suffer as opposed to letting some countries process applications sooner. That seems appropriate given the year that this decision was made. 

The embassies or more specifically the consulates that still have a USCIS field office allowed DCF.  Japan to my knowledge never had a USCIS field office as they were covered by the office in Seoul.  That office closed permanently last September.

 

I think some consulates do DCF for exceptional circumstances, but YMMV.

 

 

Edited December 24, 2019 by Bill & Katya

[Danny10 14]

59 minutes ago, Tensigh said:

@missileman The difference with being overseas is twofold:

1. If you're an American returning to the U.S. you often have to live apart waiting for a visa and you can't time when you move back. If you're applying in the U.S., you're already there and in many cases, your future spouse is. 

2. In many countries (like Japan), illegal immigration isn't a problem. So it's really unfair lumping together applications from countries like South Korea or Japan where illegal immigration is virtually non existent with everyone else.

The process is somewhat faster for low fraud countries already.

In high fraud countries, people are put in administrative processing for many weeks(some lasting over an year) after the interview.