【2023 K-1 Visa Embassy Interview】 Documents, Procedure, and Interview Questions

I went to the embassy in Tokyo to interview for the K-1 visa. This article covers the required documents for the visa interview, the procedure on the day, and the questions I was asked during the interview. at the end of this article, I will also share the total amount I paid until receiving the K-1 visa.

Items to Bring

• Printed appointment confirmation page
• Two 5×5 passport photos
• Passport
• Old passport(s) with valid visa(s), if applicable
• Certificate of Family Registration (Koseki Tohon) and its translation into English (yours)
• DS-160 confirmation page
• I-134 Affidavit of Support and two forms of financial evidence related to your fiancé(e)
• Police certificate (must be sealed)
• Medical examination results (must be sealed)
• Proof of your relationship

Note that some items may not be applicable to your specific case, and there may be additional documents required by the embassy. You should always check the embassy’s website for the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding required documents.

Regarding Carry-on Items on the Day of the Interview

As stated on the embassy’s website, I went to the embassy with a bag no larger than 25cm x 25cm, with my documents in an accordion file. These were the only items I brought with me.

I also brought my AirPods, but I left them in a coin locker near the 11th exit after getting off at the Kokkaigijidou station.

It’s good to follow the embassy’s guidelines for what you can bring, and it’s also a good idea to store any unnecessary items in a safe place, such as a locker, to avoid any issues during the interview process.

Flow of the day

My appointment was at 8:15 am. I woke up at 5:30 am and headed to the embassy. I was worried about waking up too early the night before, so I only slept for about 2 hours.

It seems like I was the first in line for the K-1 visa wait, and I was able to leave the embassy in about 40 minutes from my scheduled appointment time. If you want to reduce your waiting time, it’s best to go early. Right after entering, there is a ticket vending machine diagonally to the right, so you can get your ticket there.

During the document submission process, many people around me were denied about passport photos by the stuffs. Apparently, the size was fine, but a a lot of people had brought photos with blue backgrounds and were asked to retake them. However, don’t worry! Inside the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, there is a photo booth with a white background.
But it’s always a good idea to prepare in advance and have the proper photos before your interview, if possible.

The questions

From what I have read, the blogger had thought that the K-1 visa application process was divided into three steps: 1) document submission, 2) fingerprinting, and 3) interview. However, when I went for the interview, I found that the fingerprinting and interview were conducted at the same time.

【Questions】

• Where did you guys meet？
• When did I go back to Japan？
• Ｗhen did you guys start dating？
• Have you guys lived together?
• Ｗhat are your fiancé s hobbies
• Ｗhen was the last time you guys met up?
• Ｗhen are you two going to get married? Court marriage or something else? （
• When did he propose to you?
• Does he work? What does he do?
• Did you read the pamphlet about domestic violence? Do you have any questions about that?

When I explained how we met and mentioned that we met at my workplace in Seattle, the interviewer repeated my words back to me, asking “Oh, so you met in Seattle, right?” with a face that seemed satisfied with the answer.

Then, the interviewer, upon knowing that I had lived in Seattle, asked me if I had ever lived with my fiance. This question caught me off guard as I hadn’t seen it anywhere else, but I had lived with him for a couple of months before returning to Japan. so I only answered that part. I had lived in places without a fixed address during my approximately 3-month stay in the United States and when my fiance came to Japan, I decided to only mention the Seattle time.

Overall, I felt like there were more questions than what I had seen on Twitter or Facebook groups, but I was able to handle them smoothly. Finally, the interviewer said, “I will approve your visa.”

Until the VISA arrives

After finishing the VISA interview, my status was Ready.

After the interview, when I checked my application status at 2 pm which is 5 hours later, it was already showing Approved.

And then, when I checked the next day around 1 PM, it had already been issued! So fast!!!

On the day that the visa status changed to “Issued“, I received an email from Ayobus (a delivery service company) around 9 pm saying that my package has been shipped.

Then, the next day, I finally received that long-awaited yellow package that I had been dreaming of♪

My journey

Here is the process timelinne. It took about 570 days to obtain the visa.

The amount we paid

★	Bill
Application fee	72,081yen（$535）
Health Checkup	51,330yen
Interview fee	37100yen
Express mailing(Ayobus)	3410yen
Photos and prints	3000yen
Mailings	about35,000yen
Total	201,958yen(1,497USD)

Unexpectedly, it cost over 200,000 yen(about 1,500 USD). When I calculated all, I started feeling sick. LOL Plus, I will buy a one-way economy flight ticket that cost 200,000 yen. International marriage really does cost a lot of money. However, the day when I can be together with my fiance who is waiting for me in the United States is coming soon. I will prepare well and move to the US next month!

This article is about my experience with the visa interview in May 2023. Please note that the required documents and procedures may change each time, so be sure to check the embassy’s website for the latest information.