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| Tokyo, Japan |  Review on December 5, 2014: |
pikushi
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
I am the petitioner, and my husband is the beneficiary. We came from Aomori the day before & had planned to make our "last" trip to Tokyo a bit of a vacation.
The interview was scheduled for 8:45am (12/1), but after hearing from a friend who had an interview for the student visa years before about how crowded it could get, we decided to make sure we were at the consulate an hour early. When we got there, people were just being let in. Security went smoothly. We entered the building & were given number 7. We were handed a clear plastic file & a small piece of paper, telling us what order to put our paperwork in.
& that is when I remembered - I had forgotten my husband's medical results! I had been so worried about our updated Affidavit of Support from our sponsor that the medical had completed been wiped from my mind. My husband was furious, and I wanted to break down and cry. We decided that we would let the first person we talked to know & see where it went from there.
After a few minutes of waiting, people began being calling up to the counter. My husband's number was soon called, & he was asked to hand in his paperwork. He told the woman behind the counter about what happened with the medical, but she didn't seem that fazed & said she understood. He was also told that the passport pictures he had brought wouldn't work because they didn't have a white background. The embassy has a photobooth in the waiting room, so he was able to quickly retake the pictures & hand them over.
He was asked to sit down after giving the new pictures, but a few minutes later, they gave us back the paperwork they didn't need & said it looked fine. A few more minutes of waiting after that, he was called up to get his fingerprints. More waiting after that, then his number was finally called up to have his interview.
I went with him up the counter but was asked to wait in one of the chairs. The interview was in English, but the interviewer was very kind & tried speaking Japanese when my husband had trouble with his English. He was asked things like when & where we met, had he ever met my family, had I met his, what kind of work does he do now, what kind of work does he want to do in the States, when we were married, & what he liked about me.
The Q&A lasted less than 5 minutes. I was then asked to come up. The interviewer said that they needed the medical results, but we could mail them. As long as my husband's health was fine, then the visa would be approved! 
We spent a few days in Tokyo after that before coming back to Aomori. We sent the medical results yesterday (12/4), so hopefully, this time next week, we will have his passport back with the visa inside!
If it hadn't been for my freaking out & forgetfulness, it would have been a great experience. Thankfully, everything turned out alright!
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #15731