I just received a phone call from a very happy Natalia, exiting the Moscow Consulate, saying that the visa was approved for her and her 17-year-old son Artem. The interview took approximately 5 minutes and consisted of 3 questions. For those that are interested, here are the questions:

Q1. How did you meet? [Answer: Natalia explained how we met.]

Q2. You have a very high position here in Russia. (Natalia is the head of the legal department for a large company). It is unlikely that your work in the USA will be at such a high level. How do you feel about that and what do you plan to do for work after you arrive in America? [Answer: Natalia honestly replied that are already people wishing to interview her in the USA after she arrives given her expertise in Russian trade and tax law. Finding decent work in the USA should not present a problem for her once she is legally authorized to work here.]

Q3. Did your fiancee visit you in Russia? [Answer: I visited her in August which satisfied them.]

That was it......... 5 minutes and out. There were no questions directed to her 17-year-old son. They merely took his fingerprints.

All-in-all it was a little anti-climactic after all the waiting and worry.......... but it sure is good to have that behind us now. I am sure that the euphoria will sink in after a day or 2.

A special "thank you" to all those that have been supporting us these many many months. It was certainly a roller-coaster ride sometimes as we were probably in the bottom 10% in terms of waiting time. Hahahaha.......... Kazan Tiger (Jeffrey & Alla) intentionally postponed their interview a couple of months and they still almost beat us. Oh well..... what's a few extra months of waiting in the big scheme of things when you are talking about a life-time commitment? We are just happy that it is drawing to a close.

We wish you all the best.

Buck & Natalia

Congratulations!

What happy news, and how wonderful that the interview was so short and painless! Congratulations to all of you, and best wishes for a beautiful new life together in America.



Edited to stay on-topic.

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations! I hope Ira's goes as swimmingly as yours did 14 days from now... :nail-biting:

Z

Congratulations to both you and Natalia!!! And thanks for sharing the interview experience.

Congrats Buck and Natalia!

Now the real fun begins!!!

congratulations!!!

Let me add yet another congratulations...and thanks for the feedback on the interview! Always appreciated and noted.

It always helps me believe there is a "light at the end of the tunnel" when someone reports a successful visa process.

I wish you both the best!

Congratulations Buck, Natalia, and Artem!!!!! Not a surprise by any stretch, but it's good to hear.

Congratulations!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Congratulations to you all, and the best of luck!!

Congratulations, Buck and Natalia!!!! Feels good, doesn't it. Have a happy reunion!

Congrats

Outstanding! Another one jumps the hurdle.

Yeah... I know!

A big congrats-----Ramzis' interview is this Friday!

that's super news! Congrats!

Congrats, be sure to let us know that he's approved!

You are my hero, I want to follow in your footsteps. So, don't leave us because you are successful and I wanna be that too. Congratulations

Yeah Buck! You two must be ecstatic! When are they planning on coming to the USA?

March 24 is the day......... although I did an American durak thing when I originally scheduled the flight and only allowed them an hour to change planes at Sheremetyevo airport. Natalia very politely told me that I was insane if I thought that they could transfer from Sheremetyevo 1 to Sheremetyevo 2, go through customs, and check their luggage in under an hour. She was right of course but I was able to correct the error and reschedule the first leg of the journey without too much difficulty.

Buck

Thanks for the compliment (and the congratulations) but, in my opinion, all of us are heros for enduring this Visajourney process. Not only that but all our fiancees should get a special medal for bravery for leaving family, friends, home, country and their native tongue to be with us. For us, it was mostly filling out a bunch of tedious forms and waiting. For them, they had to literally "jump in the deep end of the pool" with only their faith in us to sustain them......... that we would always love them, be faithful and do our best to be good spouses. Someone on this forum said it best earlier: The road is long and difficult but the rewards can be very high indeed for those that endure. Amen to that.

Buck

Sasha is arriving the same day! March 24th. Is Natalia going to JFK as well? I'm flying to JFK to meet her, then we're flying straight to Richmond together. congratulations again! Just 2 more weeks.

Yep............. JFK via Moscow with a connection in Prague.

Ah, I see. For a moment I thought maybe they'd even be on the same plane. But I'm pretty sure Sasha's flight is direct from SVO to JFK. Well, its still pretty neat. The same day has great significance for all of us.

Congrats!!

I had a 2 hour layover and it didn't even begin to cover the time I needed. I'd say a 4 hour layover is the absolute minimum at SVO.

I did it in 45 minutes once. But I got very lucky. It was supposed to be an hour and a half, but for whatever reason the bags were delayed at SVO1 by 45 minutes. I got a ride with a good samaritan and made it to the gate and walked on the plane. I felt very lucky that day. I think if you have 2 hours, as a rule, you will be OK, but you are definitely cutting it close and it would not take much of an error anywhere to put you behind the power curve. 3 hours would be perfect, and your 4 hour suggestion is safe But I am a daredevil and like to live on the wild side

Oh I so envy you all! More good news keeps on flowing! As Kirk said, four hours even three should be enough for a lay-over. SVO can be a big Russian bear!

I would have loved to hear this polite "insane" comment!

Speak for yourself, buddy. I rescued my wife from a harsh life of waiting in line for bread, working 14-hour shifts in the tank factory seven-days-a-week, and walking through two meters of snow while being bothered by alcoholics that would try to rape her.

I did her a favor. I should get a medal too. If it wasn't for me and guys like me (not just the guys who did some *whooptidy-freakin-doo* tedious forms) who go over there and literally scoop these girls up off the streets and put them into nice apartments with heat and running water and a stove, then there would be a whole country full of gorgeous women that would have to fend for themselves, never knowing the joy and elation of finally seeing what the inside of Bebe Sport looks like.

Give me a medal? Give me a break. The Nobel prize would be more fitting.


(Oh, and congrats, by the way! Not on the visa, but on getting the tickets changed with no hassles! You should get a medal for that!)

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! That wait is a pain in the hips. Now it is over. We are happy for both of you!

GOOD DAY!!!
IT's me- NATALIA!!!

Thank you to everyone for congraduation, for help and hope.

Interview really was more easy than I thought. Like you already know just 3 questions, also she (consul) found in her PC information that I have been in USA at april-may 2006 with B1/B2 visa and she liked that.
Buck did not write here that I got my DHL mail with passports and visas very soon - 6 march ( 3 days after interview). WOW!

I have just two weeks and will come to my love Buck))) LA LA LA LA) and 306 days of waiting does not seem so terrible now)
What feelings do I have now? MIX- happiness that soon I will be with my Buck and 3 years of waiting are now behind us, but also I feel sad about my parents, friends, job. Most - about parents. Couse I do not know when I will see them next time. And I just can pray that God will keep them in health.

So just one more step and I will be with my Buck!

The path for each of us (me, Buck, all of you) was not easy. I want to keep the memory of our journey for many long years. It will help us always to remember how much we can be strong if we are together...... and weak if we are alone.

GOOD MOOD!!!! GOOD NEWS!!!GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Congratulations to you Natalia, I'm so happy your interview went well. I'm so happy for you both! It's understandable that you will be a little sad, but I hope you will be able to speak with your parents on the phone often.

Please continue to post here with your experiences!

Slim, tell us the truth....you went back in time 30 years to rescue your wife from Siberia didnt you??

Hahaha...... Slim........ you joker. I can almost hear the Molotov cocktails come crashing through your windows now as a sea of patriotic Russian women take up arms after reading your post. Or worse....... maybe your love does a Bobbitt job and "de-helicopters" you in the dead of night. Could happen. More than one German soldier woke up with his you know what missing. Oooooo mannnnnnnnnnnnnn........ I have been out of circulation so long I had to look up your reference to "Bebe Sport" on the internet......... didn't know what it was.

It's true, and this footage of Slim in a convertable proves it. (and you thought time machines just came in DeLorean's...)

Here we go again-!!!

Yesssssss..... one can only imagine the shock and bitter disappointment upon learning that the border guard was not actually a young man.

Hey...are you saying Slim's rotors rotate counter-clockwise?!?!?! Say it aint so!

Hahahaha....Hahahaha!!!

Depending on what time Sasha's plane arrives at JFK, they may be hanging out in the VISA processing line together.

True. She gets into NY at about 7:15pm.

OOoops....... too late. Nata and her son leave JFK for Portland at 6:55 pm. Anyway...... a big congratulations and happy reunion at JFK. Are you flying or driving down to Virginia?

Hahaha...... I was talking about Elfin John........ unless Slim tells us differently.

Funny you should ask. I was originally going to drive up to JFK and then drive back the next day. Giving us one night to rest in a hotel. However, after a bit of investigating, I discovered buying 3 tickets was cheaper than the gas and tolls to get there and back. Unbelievable! (1 one way to JFK, 2 one way tickets back to RIC) I've never seen prices this low. I mean 65 bucks per ticket was just too good to pass on. And this cost would have equaled the fee for her extra luggage weight on a domestic ticket, had she needed. Instead, I will fly and arrive in NY an hour before she arrives. I'm going with 2 empty suitcases. Then we can simply split her luggage up and each take 2 cases and her carry-ons. In a way, its like I'm getting to tag along for free really. AND I get to be there when she comes out of customs. She loves long road trips. I drove to NY before to pick her up and we had a great time. So, in a small way, she's bummed that we wont have this long drive. But not me! Saved my truck the trip. I dont have to leave for NY until that evening, as opposed to early morning. Her flight is direct from SVO to JFK. So, we'll both be fairly fresh and alert to better enjoy each other's company on the 1.5 hour flight to Richmond. There were just too many pros to one con. A no brainer. So, to answer your question...I'm flying

You'll find out all about it when she gets here. In actuality, it's probably one of the better stores for her to shop in. It's a bit pricey, but the clothes are very "fashionable" and still feature something most American women's clothing stores do not; shape.

As far as my rotor turning counter-clockwise like Elfin's, I can assure you there's only one direction...wait a minute. I was just talking about fashionable clothes with a nice shape. Oh no.

Well, Eva Longoria is their new model, so ha! Anyone's rotor turning that way would be like, "Eww. Gross. Look how unattractive she is." (There's no way I said any of that! I said, "You would look so good in that, honey!")

EXCELLENT ............ with a deal like that I would be flying to JFK also.

I am truly out-of-touch and pathetic. I had to look up "Eva Longoria" also because I did not know who she was............. but it was a nice lookup though. Hahaha....... did not think that your rotor and the Elf-man's swang in the same way ...... but thanks for the "cute clothes tip" all the same. We will check out Bebe Sport when she gets here.