Hi. I'm getting ready to submit an I-130 (Petition for Alien Spouse) to get my wife an immigrant visa to the States.  The procedures have changed recently -- they have a "lockbox" mailing address in Chicago.  I have to send the application there, along with a check & supporting documentation.  She doesn't get any "fast track" treatment as far as I know cuz we're not an active duty family.

So, any pointers or tips on filing for the visa, supporting docs, how long will it take, mistakes to avoid, etc?  We're both new to the process & we'd really appreciate any wisdom from those who have been down this path already. 

Thanks!

There is no fast track even with active duty family members. I applied January 9, got the W~7 RECEIPT FOR THE $420 PAYMENT AFTER A MONTH WITH THE TRACKING number so you'll know on what is happening to your application but other than that up to this moment I haven't received any result yet. They said it takes 5 months. Then they will send you a paperwork if your approved and that's the only time you'll proceed to the medical process and submissions of other paperwork like the police record etc at the US embassy near you.

Idk if its faster and I guess it is coz what I did instead of sending it via ordinary usps mail is I send it via express mail with a different address which is this one.


For Express mail and courier deliveries:

USCIS Attn: I-130 131 South Dearborn-3 rd Floor Chicago, IL 60603-5517

yeah, I'll use FEDEX just so I can track the delivery. I've heard some people have a long wait, and some have a short wait. There's no rhyme or reason and no way to predict.

So after the five months & you get all the paperwork, what happens next? and how long do the next steps take? I guess ultimately this will result in us leaving Japan & I'm kinda wondering how much longer we should plan on staying here.

Within the 5 months you should receive a result whether its approved or denied. If ot is approve and hopefully is they will tell you to start the process which is getting a medical exam done, which I would suggest get the vaccines neccessary at the base hospital before doing the medical test so instead of paying around 50000 yen it'll be around 28000 yen instead. They only got certain clinics that are authorized to do the medical exam and you'll find that on the us embassy Tokyo website if your planning to go on the one in Tokyo and you also need to get a police clearance in the district where you presently are. In my case kanagawa and ill get it free in Yokohama district police station. After you got both medical and police results report you can go ahead and get an appointment for your interview and bring the other forms and that's it. That same day after the interview you'll get results. They'll send you your passport within a week if you pass the interview and pay the $330.

Hey thanks, that's very comforting. It's actually a lot easier (although slower) than the process she went through when she got her first tourist visa which is very difficult for a young Thai woman to get.

It used to be a lot easier up to last year up to August where you could apply directly from the Tokyo and naha but then they changed it and have to go through the uscis office in the us now. Ok. Hopefully it helps. Good luck.

She will also need Police Certificate from her country of nationality. 

 Each visa applicant 16 years and older must submit a certificate from the appropriate police authorities. This certificate should provide any information contained in police files concerning the applicant. All applicants must obtain a police certificate from their country of nationality, and the country of present residence if the applicant has resided there for six months or more. Applicants must also obtain police certificates from all countries where he/she resided for one year or more.

Thanks. So that sounds a trip back to Thailand cuz I doubt they'll do that by long distance.

Thaiguy before deciding to do so you can go do a lot of reading on the us embassy Tokyo website and I took the liberty of reading about the police clearance in Thailand and here's the link that might clear your question about that. http://travel.state.gov/visa/fees/f...l?cid=9660

Just to share to anyone who will be doing this for their spouses soon, do it as soon as you could like a year before you leave. We applied 6 months ago and my husband is leaving on July 10th and I wont be going yet due to the immigrantvisa problem. They don't expedite as well unless its a matter of life and death I guess.

Has anyone else had any experience recently doing the visa process???? We applied January and up to this moment our case is still at the NVC for we don't know how long. The process is very stressful. My husband already left and were still here. 

Ours is in process and it's going well. We applied in May (which is what kicked off this discussion in the first place). In about 30 days, the application was accepted and sent to one of their processing centers in California. "Accepted" means they did an initial review and they decided we filled out everything correctly. Two months later (mid-August) the application was approved. "Approved" means I am approved to be her sponsor; it doesn't mean her visa is approved. It means they understand our marriage is legitimate, not a scam. The fact that we've been married nearly 5 years helps. If you've been married less than 2 years this step is very slow and they will add extra steps later on in the process. We've also traveled a lot together over the past 5 years; I submitted copies of entry/exit stamps from our 2 passports showing our mutual travel. Whatever it takes to document a genuine relationship.

After approval, we received 2 letters. One was to me to pay for the Affidavit of Support ($88). I didn't have to submit any support documents like income or bank accounts cuz I'd done that during the initial application and apparently they were sufficient. My wife received a letter asking her to name an agent with a U.S. mailing address (this is optional. but it speeds things up.) She named me since I'm now in Hawaii. The package has been sent back to the NVC from the California center. I think the next step will be asking her for her background check, medical check & getting ready for her interview in Bangkok.