And We're Done

I had a bit of a scare when the USCIS asked for more documentation that we were actually living together. I threw everything I could find that had both our names and our address on it at them.
Evidently it was enough. We have her shiny new green card in hand and we're finished till 2019. I expect that renewal then will be fairly routine.

A long silence ends

Wow...it's been over 2 years since I last updated this blog. Mostly because the whole process went with blessed little drama. I can tell you that other than a missing vaccination that we had to get in a rush, the whole process went quite smoothly and she received her conditional permanent residency in February 2007.

A large amount of credit for the smoothness goes to the the Siskind Susser Immigration Law firm's portal www.visalaw.com. I'm very grateful to them. Instructions on the site (which is free) walked us through everything we needed to do.

At this stage we are in the process of removing the conditions from my wife's residency. We have a biometrics appointment Saturday. The USCIS has already sent a one year extension but I'm hoping we won't need it.

I would also like to extend kudo's the USCIS staffers we have dealt with. I realize it's fashionable to slam bureaucrats, but everyone at the USCIS, that we have had personal dealings with, has been friendly and helpful.

Moving Right Along

Monday I received the written confirmation from the National VISA Center that our packet had been sent to the Tokyo Embassy and today she received the packet from the embassy. So everything is moving right along.
Next week while I'm in Tokyo we'll get her medical exam and turn in my I-134. I need to check with the Social Security Administration, so we can apply for her SSN. We're supposed to be able to do this at the same time we apply for her VISA.

Confirmation

I received the confirmation letter from the USCIS yesterday. Our petition has been approved and the information forwarded to the National VISA Center. I should receive written confirmation from the NVC that they have sent the information to the Tokyo Embassy within the month. Then we can schedule her interview and apply for her VISA.

There is still no guarantee the VISA will be approved, but my confidence level is high. She is about as non-political as a person comes and Japan is a one of the better allies of the U.S. so there shouldn't be any political obstacles. She has nothing that even vaguely resembles a criminal past, and has had a steady job for years, so her character shouldn't be an issue. The last test is mine and I'm sure I pass. I can easily demonstrate adequate income to support us at 125% of the poverty level.

I'm feeling pretty good about all this. I think we're probably on track to make the wedding date.

Joy

It's been an emotional rollercoaster, but the good news came. My fiance checked our status at the USCIS website yesterday and our I-129f petition has been approved. I should receive the written confirmation within 2 weeks.
Next step, the USCIS should send a kit for the VISA itself to the Tokyo Embassy. I'll go to Japan to help her fill out all the paperwork, although I don't think I'll be allowed to particapate in her interview. Truthfully, I don't even know how long it will take for the interview to be granted. I understand that it is still a several month process to do the VISA processing.
I'm praying that everything is still on track for an October 7th wedding. When we originally set the date, I had no idea of the significance of the date. It turned out her parents anniversary is the same date. It would be so cool to have her share wedding anniversaries with her mother.
From what I understand, we should apply for her SSN at the same time we do the VISA application. I'm a little uncertain about a couple of details, such as what do we use for her address. Probably mine, but I need to verify that. I'm also unsure if we're going to need to provide any supporting documents like we did for the I-129f and will have to provide for the VISA. I have some time to figure this out, but I can't drop the ball. I have to know within a month. In order to get her added to my health insurance, not to mention get her a job, we'll have to have it. It isn't strictly necessary that she work right away...or even at all, but it would make our lives much easier. It is necessary to get her added to my health insurance, health care is just too expensive otherwise. Therefore, I will get her SSN paperwork done properly.

Second Shot

The next set of papers is mailed. We gave them more than asked for but I'm feeling pessimistic. That's why I haven't posted anything yet. It was actually mailed almost a week ago, I've just have been waiting for a more cheerful mood to post. The cheer just isn't coming though. Maybe it's just the week I've had.

More Information?

So we finally hear back from immigration services and what they want is more information. They send two biographical information forms for us to fill out. Seems to be mostly a rehash of information they've already been sent plus a passport photo of me. Of me? Don't they have one of those on file? I do have a passport. Needless to say I was more than a little pissed, but there is nothing I can do about it.

So $18.25 global express postage to send this silly little form to Japan so she can fill it out. She has to sign it so I can't fill it out for her. Then she finds the form on their website. Don't I feel brilliant.

It's no wonder people need to hire lawyers to make sure they get everything filled out. All the information is on the web, but between the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security they've worked to ensure it's as hard to find as possible. Some pages seem to be complete instructions, but they are not, nor do they point to or mention there are other things you need to know.

Oh well, it could have been worse. At least I didn't have to start over from the beginning. We'll send them what they asked for plus some extra stuff just in case they were planning to ask for that later, like a passport picture of her.

What next?