Last week, we hosted a workshop for our female members. The topic we talked about was a Fiance Visa, a Spouse Visa, and a Green Card. We had a special guest, an immigration lawyer who works in Los Angeles and Orange County, CA. He gave us a lecture about the immigration laws and the application process. It was very informative for our single Japanese women members and it would have also been great for our male members. Although this workshop was for Japanese women, we also would like single men who want to marry a Japanese woman to know at least the following three things.

1. The Differences Between Fiance Visa and Spouse Visa
2. Timeline: How Long Will it Take to Obtain a Visa
3. Hiring an Immigration Lawyer
   

1. The Differences Between Fiance Visa and Spouse Visa

The biggest difference between a Fiance Visa and a Spouse Visa is when she can start the filing process and when she will obtain her green card. If she chooses to get a Fiance Visa, she will start filing for her green card after getting married in the US. On the other hand, if she chooses the Spouse Visa instead, she can start filing both the Spouse Visa and the green card at the same time if she has already gotten married.

Basically, either way is fine, but there most likely will be a difference in the time and money of the process. When you choose to obtain a Fiance Visa and later a green card, it will most likely cost more money since you are filing these two items separately. When you choose to receive a Spouse Visa and green card together, it will most likely take more time to obtain both the visa and the green card since these two items are filed together.

2. Timeline: How Long Will it Take to Obtain a Visa and a Green Card

Some male members may think that it takes about two or three weeks for her to receive a visa and a green card like the passport application process, but this is NOT true. It will usually take more than six months or nearly a year to obtain a visa.

For references, you can see many people’s experiences on Youtube when you search with the words 【FIANCE VISA TIMELINE】or 【SPOUSE VISA TIMELINE】. You will understand how long it takes, and it may be longer than you expected.

3. Hiring an Immigration Lawyer

Hiring an immigration lawyer is a good solution if you are too busy to support her visa application process. If necessary, we are happy to introduce an immigration lawyer who can speak both English and Japanese. An immigration lawyer will help reduce stress because there are many terminologies that are hard for the public to understand. Hiring an English and Japanese speaking immigration lawyer will better be able to support both you and your Japanese spouse. Please be aware that immigration laws are always changing. You will need to get the latest, correct information from authorized organizations, such as the USCIS. You will feel much more comfortable if an immigration lawyer helps.

USCIS　Website:
https://www.uscis.gov/

It was a great workshop! There were many questions about immigration visas from our female members before the workshop, and their questions were answered by the immigration lawyer during the workshop. In the future, we would like to host a similar workshop in English for our male members. Are you interested? If so, would you please let us know your opinion? Thank you!

The visa application process is the first project for you and your Japanese wife, so your cooperation and understanding are the key to success in your marriage.

We look forward to meeting with you at our online dating events!
Naoko Matsumoto

Traditional Japanese Matchmaker is the best dating and matchmaking service in Japan that is specialized for single professionals and Japanese women established in 1999. Please click the link below to sign up for TJM’s Free Registration if you are truly interested. We look forward to assisting you in finding your Japanese wife.

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Naoko Matsumoto
CEO and Your Personal Matchmaker
Traditional Japanese Matchmaker