Hey all!! I know I am starting to be annoying, but one more question if ya please. Does the interview HAVE to be in English or can it be conducted in Russian? I know not everybody speaks perfect English at their interviews, and am curious if there is anything Lada can say to the CO to let them know she is more comfortable speaking in Russian. We are almost there!! Thanks Everybody!!

Can be in Russia or English.

Many people who frequent this forum over the years have said that the interview was done in Russian, and they passed. There has been some rumors that doing the interview in English, and not being very good with English, is a negative.

So she not even attempt to speak English?? I merely told her to answer the Yes/No and easy questions in English, and for the more detailed answers attempt English then confirm answer in Russian so there are no misunderstandings....Does that sound like a decent method?

If she's not totally comfortable/fluent in English, it's probably better for her to do the whole thing in Russian.

My wife spoke mainly Russian...unless your fiance can speak decent English I'd go with Russian. My wife used a few English words but mostly Russian. Don't think it matters.

Either language is fine. Do they like to hear your answers in English? Is speaking in Russian going to increase your chances of denial?

"I'm more comfortable speaking in Russian." (Only in Russian, of course!)



Your method sounds really good and is exactly what she should do.



Although speaking Russian doesn't technically increase your chances of a denial, I don't think it improves your chances of approval either. The language factor is one that I believe (and this is just slim theorizing here, not gospel) the C/Os use as the deciding factor in cases that are close and could possibly be denied on other grounds - she's 20, never worked a day in her life, speaks no English and he's 65, rich as hell, speaks no Russian - or if something else in the case is fishy - previous K-1 applications, etc. - then they may look at the language issue as "well, she hasn't even attempted to learn English, how serious can she be?"

However, if your S/O is headed to the interview and they're a new English speaker or really not that comfortable speaking English, then they should, by all means, do the interview in Russian. They don't "lose points" for doing it in their native tongue, but they definitely "gain points" for attempting in English.

There are other factors involved, but for the most part, the strategy outlined by Mark above is probably best for the "average" couples.

Slim, thank you very much for that post! I think that we really should not have any issues as she will be carrying a "pile" of evidence about 2 inches thick. There should be no reason for the CO to suspect her. She is 38 w/a 14 yr old daughter. I hired a private English tutor, and their lessons lasted just over 3 months. She just needs practice, and she is afraid that if she is not perfect then it will count against her. I am trying to reassure her that this will not be the case, and I will copy/paste your post to her. It also did not help that our attorney's assistant in Moscow scared the crap out of her about the interview being in nothing but English! I will address that little issue myself! Thanks for the responses everybody!

Yep, too many "experts" over there in Moscow. I wish the girls would just read the posts here at VJ. It would make life a lot easier on them. There are horror stories in some of the Russian Fiancee forums.


Anyway..... almost done!

My wife noticed during her interview that girls doing their interviews in Russian were getting asked more questions and taking more time for the interview. Be prepared for the question that if she is not speaking fair English how are you communicating? Having said all that, relax as I have not seen any one from the VJ Russia forum have a visa denial. A few people were asked for additional evidence but were approved very quickly after providing it. A few ended up in some type of review but after a delay were approved.

That's something that I have long been curious about.

But I don't think doing the interview in Russian precludes speaking passable English, just that it's a high stress situation so adding the extra stress of having to do it in a language where you're not entirely comfortable might make things worse.

When asked at the interview if she spoke English, my Natasha replied "Only a little", and the consular officer said "No problem, we'll conduct the interview in Russian". There were only a few questions asked, almost exclusively about her prior K-1, and several questions for her daughter about wanting to come to the USA, etc. It was a short, pleasant, "stress-free" interview all around. Getting the actual visa issued was an entirely different matter, but the interview was cake.

Just our experience.

Good luck!

I don't want to start a new topic. Let me just tell you what the situation is. My Masha needs to go back to Petersburg after visa interview so, if the appointment is at 8am, what is the longest the interview process may take? Thank you.

It makes the most sense for her to take the night train, so don't worry about it.

Natasha's appointment was also at 8, and she was done around 10:30. Just our experience, though!

Our experience was the same as KGSodie's.

If you read my interview post, you know my wife arrived late for her appointment. Her interview time was 8 am (like everyone's). She got to the interview area of the embassy at 10:30 am and there were still a few people waiting.

So...I'd say the latest interviews might go to 11:30 am or so. Remember, some interviews last 5 minutes and some up to an hour (though this would be rare).

My Alla was in the same boat. Done around 10.30.

when they saw my english was good,he seemed relieved and happy..so i think knowing english helps..but i also saw many people here passing interview without speaking much english..should be ok as long as you can prove you can comunicate with each other...

My first fiancee had the interview from h*ll and was told the interview could be in Russian or English but if she elected Russian she would be refused the visa. This was unusual and that CO is long gone as far as I know but I will mention this in passing.

My two cents worth on this is that if she only speaks Russian during the interview it "can" raise the question of if the two of you have the ability to communicate well enough to have a real relationship. How much of a factor this can be depends on the C.O. you draw. I have heard of women grilled pretty intensively about how they commuicate but I have also heard of gals flying right through without knowing a word of English. My suggestion is that if the fiancee knows any English throwing out a few words can do more good than harm.

Both my first fiancee's and my wife's interview in Moscow finished up about 10:30. There were gals left in there both times but I think you can be fairly safe with the thought she will be done in the morning, maybe 11:30 for the latest.

Sorry to hear that she had that bad experience. Maybe that CO woke up on the wrong side of somebody else's bed. If they are gone, then that is a good thing. These ladies do not need any more undue stress! Anyway, after sending my SO these responses and also getting a call from our attorney (and this is one of the very reasons I hired one...fiancee support!), she feels she is confident and ready. Her and her daughter have been practicing the questions/responses in English. She is going to start in English and only switch to Russian if an answer needs clarification. She is going to be great! It is next week!! OMG, it has been a long time coming! (well..it felt like it anyway )

Thank you for the answers and support!

Considering the number of failures I'd say that the COs should be more inquisitive - they'd save time, money, and heartache for many involved in this pursuit who choose to marry virtual strangers after a few days of face time together.

While I agree with that statement, I was simply referring to unnecessary abusive, condescending, or general poor treatment. I would think that the obvious non-legit applicants tend to stand out.

I disagree. The C/O's main purpose is to ascertain if the petitioner and beneficiary are complying with the law in terms of getting the visa applied for. They're not there to be the "marriage police" or screen for possible marital problems down the road.

And truthfully, if they were, then none of us would've gotten a visa because marrying someone from a foreign country that you barely know has all the makings of disaster. So does marrying someone from right next door. Over half the marriages in the U.S. end in divorce so strictly speaking, they could deny everyone!

All they need to do is simply check the appropriate box - "Beneficiary and Petitioner are in compliance with the laws" _____ YES ______ NO

Funny enough, my wife had nothing but praise for the American employees at the Moscow embassy, particularly her CO. It was the Russian employees who checked to make sure all the applicants had their docs in order prior to their interviews who treated everyone shabbily.

Then why do the COs ask questions like "what is your husband's profession?" or "what is your fiance's father's name?" when all that proof is documented within the petition that sits on his desk during the interview? It seems they do have a role - albeit very limited - in determining that there is a basis for a relationship beyond vacation photos together, emails, and copies of boarding passes. Or am I incorrect?



There's a difference between marrying someone you've never spent more than two weeks at a time with and marrying a complete stranger. I know guys who've used marriage agencies and caved under pressure from the agency owner who insisted that it's perfectly appropriate - indeed expected - for an American to propose to one of his girls after spending 3-4 days together, despite the fact that she can't speak a word of English I'd be willing to bet that the standard 50% divorce rate nearly doubles under such circumstances.

I agree with slim, to a point.

They need to ask questions to find out if 2 people actually know each other, simply because scammers (i.e. people who are planning to break the law) would be less concerned about this.

I do not think the CO should give 2 rat's a$$'s about love, because love doesn't have to have anything to do with marriage. At least as far as the law is concerned. Some do, as was the case at the time my wife interviewed. She was asked lots of questions pertaining to 'love', as were the other girls interviewed around that time frame.

You never know what you are going to get really. Your best information source when preparing for an upcoming interview is someone who very recently had the interview.

Svetlana is an English teacher and knows the language very well.

But I suggested to her that she first show the interviewer how well she can communicate in English . . . but then insist that the interview be done in Russian. This is the most important interview of her life, and there can be zero margin of error for a simple misunderstanding or a slight hesitation in answering a question. Her answers should be quick and confident, and the best way to ensure this is to have it done in Russian.

My original comment was mostly facetious, quite frankly it would be a nightmare to have a CO probe into the specifics of a relationship in order to determine whether or not to issue a visa. (I believe they DO practice this to a very limited extent, however.)

To play devil's advocate, upthread Turboguy complained that his ex-fiancee had the interview from h*ll at the Moscow embassy. TG, since that K1 didn't work out, do you not think the CO might have had more than an inkling that things would go belly up for you both very quickly?

To get back on topic... my wife was really nervous for her interview and initially asked that it be conducted in Russian. However, the CO who interviewed her spoke fairly lousy Russian so my wife switched to English (much to the CO's relief).

It is possible Groov. I think there was more than enough proof of a relationship but I think he could have picked up on some of the inner demons that Luda was wrestling with.

Two years later when my wife had her interview they were very nice and the interview was not too far from a nice chat.

I recall you posted your wife finished her interview at noon.

I said "wife" in error, I meant to say "fiancee" and I was referring to Kazan Tiger's post if anyone was confused.