Filipina wife on my orders to go to Okinowa, Japan?

Question

Ok... i've gotten too many different answers to this question. Let me go over where i'm at right now:

-I'm in the army going to Japan.

-Filipina wife is in philippines waiting till i get to japan to get a house.

-She *is* on my orders and I took care of all that paperwork.

-She isn't a U.S. citizen nor a green card holder. We were just going to get her to Japan on the sofa visa. She has a military dependant id and all that good stuff.

The question:

Does she get the sofa visa in the Philippines or Japan?? If it is in Japan I assume she just needs the basic paperwork (marriage certif, military id, passport, birthcertificate)? Anyone have an experience with this?

Answer 1

1.  She uses her passport and applies for a tourist visa to PI.  This is a V01  "as temporary visitor".  It's a one time entry and good for 90 days.  Once she arrives she'll go through immigration and be stamped for entry (without your orders).  The stamp will notate 90 days.  

2.  Then once in the base there is a legal office with a Japanese advisor who will help you fill out the paperwork to cancel the entry stamp for 90 days and adjust the status to "status of forces" agreement.  The adjustment will actually be done by the city immigration office.  

3.  Once on base there are many things to do, like get Military ID card (first), drivers license permit.  

4.  The Japanese embassy is located on Roxas Blvd in Pasay City along the Roxas Service road next to the San Juan De Dios Hospital, not far from Edsa and Roxas intersection.  North of Edsa.  She should bring a copy of your military ID (certified by base), letter of assignment from personnel office indicating you are in Japan under SOFA, etc.  

5.  Special note, I actually had my wife apply for tourist visa before we married so we could depart directly from wedding to Japan, but I think there is a different process if she is married to you to get a SOFA Visa.  So the steps 1-4 apply if you decide not to use the SOFA status for entry initially.

6.  Things to bring (of course embassy's like NSO documents) but the base and american agencies like original locally produces documents (so have her bring both to Japan).  Japanese embassy requires a med screening through St Lukes Extension clinic.  As I mentioned you can apply for her as a tourist or as a your wife (under orders) for a sofa visa entry, but in order to get sofa entry you need the NSO copy of your marriage.  NSO is National Statistics Office, and although you may have an original of your marriage cert that you showed the Army (which the Army accepts) the Japanese Embassy only takes NSO.  From the time of marriage to the time an NSO cert might be ready may be 3 or 6 or 9 months (depending).  So if you already know for a fact you have the Stamped NSO offical marriage cert copy then go ahead and file as your wife under orders.  If not, then go for tourist entry and adjust status.

7.  Bringing her family there to visit is very easy, but if you live on base there are limits to how long non SOFA members can live onbase.  

8.  You can apply to make her parents your dependents, which gives them free health care in Japan on base, and onbase privlideges at exchange when they visit.  The process is easier if they come there for 3 months and extend.  Have the application filled out and submitted right before arrival.  Be sure to use an off base address (every military member has an "on base" address like PSC 561 Box 247, FPO AP 96310-00013, but you can also use an off base address (which you have to do when applying) which you can get from the post office which is like "US Army Air Station, #1 Post Sakai Road, Muronoki Cho, Okinawa s**+, Okinawa Ken for example.  You parents in law cannot get mail through FPO and the Personnel HQ will send you the verification in the mail.  

9.  Good news is there is new laws concerning immigration and citizenship of spouses of military overseas.  So you can apply for her permanent residency and then US citizenship which is about 4 years quicker in Japan with the waivers, but I don't know this as this was new when I left.  There's a lot to this and the local filipinos on base can probably help you with copies of their packages.

10.  So if you are quick with the paper work, and pay for the medical screening (US immigration screening done in Japan, onbase has many restrictions, or offbase for about $500).  Then apply and abotu 1 yr later she's a citizen, then she applies for her parents (they come to Japan as tourists and stay as your dependents under SOFA), and they are citizens about year year after that.  Very fast.  

11.  Warnings:  USMC and USN (not sure about USAF and USA) in Japan only have policy that White or African Americans cannot go to PI for Leave vacation, but you may go to PI if you are Filipino or are visiting your retired White or African american parents (Racist rule).  

12.  Money and communication:  if you use base internet you can get vonage or other voip and have unlimited calls to US.  If your wife's parents have internet they can get vonage or voip and call other US numbers for free too.  

13.  You need to talk to your wife about the rules on money now before her coming to Japan...whatever they may be.  One thing is to decide who will pay for her parents airfare, and immigration expenses, like med exam (which will probably be 3 thousand in total).  You will have a lot of expenses supporting them, paying for food etc.  If she has bros or sis in US, they may be tasked to pay for the airfare to help out, and money for immigraetion fees, med exams.   Be sure that she doesn't extend your generosity, meaning that she must understand now that you will be spending a lot of money setting up life in Japan, and setting it up for her parents too, so she must understaned and agree that she and you will not send any money to PI for other relatives.  Tell her that making them citizens is expensive and your priority, and that if she works that money is not for her cousin or her neice, but for her home and her family (her children etc).

Answer 2

While I can't answer your question exactly, I can direct you to the Japanese Embassy or Consulate in the Philippines... they will be able to handle the visa there, or advise you on the possibility of a visa on arrival.