And one more quetion -what happens when you land in USA for the first time? what do the immigration officers do there? Just check my papers for 10-15 min? I am asking as after landing in US I have to fly further. And the time between the flights is about 1 hour and a half ... I can easily make it unless immigration takes long time.

Your POE is based on the itinerary that you have choosen, however, it will be the first airport that you arrive at that is on US soil or, should you choose to transit via Canada, Ireland or the some of the Caribbean Islands, you will present your documents at one of the pre-clearance stations located in those countries.

The length of time it takes to clear immigration depends predominantly on how busy the POE is at the time you land. JFK can be .5 - 4 hrs dependant on the time of day....

there are 2 planes arriving to jfk from Kiev in the afternoon DELTA and AEROSVIT approximate arriving time is 4 pm so do you have any idea wich flight is better?

It is not only the concurrent arrivals from KBP that you need to worry about, but it is all the other concurrent arrivals from every other possible country as well... Actually, If I remember correctly, 3-5pm in the afternoon is typically the worst time to arrive at JFK. We arrived via AeroSvit from KBP and it was 2.5 hrs for my wife to clear and we went via the USC line because I was with her. Everyone's experience is different but I would be afraid that 1.5 hrs will be cutting it short particularly if you need to change terminals and recheck baggage....

ONE MORE QUESTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CAN EVERYONE POST HOW LONG IT TOOK FOR YOU TO GET PASSPORT AFTER THE INTERVIEW DATE
I hope it won't take as long as 10 days and if it's possible to track it online or by calling to the courier company?

7 days and no tracking capability that I am aware of

You get to choose which airport you fly into in the USA, once you schedule your flight to USA. Basically the first airport you land in the USA is consider your port of entry. Good luck.

Sorry to inform you, but I wish you would have asked this before booking any flights. To be honest, from experience flying back into the USA from Europe via Ukraine, flights are always running behind anywhere from 30 minutes up to hour and half at times and especially along east coast or JFK if after 4 pm in the day. It should not take but 15 - minutes or less to hand over your sealed packet at passport control, get your passport stamped. Then go claim your luggage and recheck it on to your next flight(remember no matter what they tell you in Russia/Ukraine or other airports in western Europe you are connecting from flying into USA, they cannot check your luggage all the way through to your final airport destination, you have to go claim your checked luggage at the first POE airport then recheck luggage back in on your connecting airline flight within USA to where your final destination is).

You may make your connecting flight just fine with 1.5 hours once arriving in USA, but you will have to hustle and be ready to move fast through the airport. Speaking from experience, flights from Europe are always running behind coming into USA, I would recommend at least 2.5 or more between connecting flight when you first arrive in USA.

Good Luck.

Delta is better, but only problem is you are arriving during the worst or most busy time of day starting at 4 - 8 pm in NYC at JFK. It really depends on if you will have a connecting flight out of JFK airport to another city within the USA, allow at least 2.5 plus hours in between that flight to connect. Or if JFK is your final destination then no worries worst thing that can happen to you is your flight is delayed 30 minutes, hour or two but if it is your destination and no connecting flights, no big deal. Speaking from lot of experience flying internationally back into the USA. Good luck.

See the problem is that JFK, Miami, Boston, DC, Philly, Chicago, Atlanta, all those airports on east Coast and with last two are major hubs for airline companies and they tend to overbook flights during certain time slots(Greedy) and then if any little thing occurs it can delay the entire airport for every airline landing and taking off for many minutes or hours, this past week was a totall mess with the weather(snow/ice/rain)everything was running 2-4 hours behind and some were just cancelled out right.

Best to fly in anytime from before 4 pm if you can when coming from Europe back to east coast USA or midwest.

Fwaguy, zgt3344--- THANK YOU..
So I need to get ready for that flight to US morally first as I gonna go through all that with my little son (1 year old) by myself. I am definetely not looking forward to that day though I want to see my husband very much..

And I guess that I'll try to choose a flight with at least 2.5 hrs between the connecting flights in USA Again I appreciate your good advice.

Don
Admire your conversion to Ukrainian Orthodox and your strong support of it and if it makes you happy then great, why would I or anyone care or deny it from you, go for it, it still will not change a thing in Ukraine. I do agree with you govt is govt and yes they do cause a lot of problems or more than necessary at times in the world, think about what you said, people themselves are normally just fine to live side by side and get along with one another, and you for example come from USA and a democratic form of government and way of life with freedom of religion to pursue, yet you have been able to meet and fall in love with someone from another part of the world and with a different religion and culture and government, yet you and your spouse to be are living side by side or yet you were able to be taken in by her family and friends and get along THUS it is usually a person's government(or elected leaders) that dictate or make decisions for the masses and go to war or force some other type of behavior upon the masses, for example look around at all the different world governments and the problems caused, like communism for example. Well I have been in a few churches in Ukraine or actually more than a few. You just validate what I just said.

Mariya:

Hi, how did your flight schedule work out? Hopefully everything is ok for your travel to USA. Good luck.

We interviewed on Feb 21 (Thursday) and received our visa on Feb 25 (Monday). So, it only took us 2.5 working days. I think when you get it depends on when you have your interview. I have heard that they only make visa once or twice a week and then send them all out at once, but I am not sure how accurate that is. My sister-in-law went through the process last June and she received hers in 7 days.

Hope that helps!

Mariya:

Hi, how did your flight schedule work out? Hopefully everything is ok for your travel to USA. Good luck.


zgt3344,


I have not bought the tickets yet. Have my interview tomorrow. Though I looked for flights already. I did not want to fly via JFK 'cause they say it is pretty busy. But it is the shortest way to get to Nashville:
KBP-JFK-Nashville. So I guess I'll go for it.

Natalie,
Congrats on your smooth visa journey! Well done!!

Sounds like everything is moving right along for you then. Good luck on interview, it will be piece of cake for you. Just try to find a flight that gives you about 2.5 hours in between landing in JFK and departing on to Nashville and you should be fine, also the winter weather is about over so delays will get less in coming months a little.

Guess what?! I did not get my visa yesterday.

They said that my husband is making enoughg fro two but NOT enough for three people.
Said that he has to find a co-sponsor now..

Oh sorry about that, did not know there was three of you in family now. Well get husband to get on finding an co sponsor and get it done asap back to them so you can get your visa. Good luck.

Well.. there were and are three of us -our son, husband and I. But my husband called NVC and they told him he does not need a co-sponsor as he makes enough to support one immigrant as our son is Amrerican citizen..

Hate to hear that, sounds like you got misinformation somewhere along the line, and the run around for no reason.

True.. Dan (my husband) called NVC twice asking if he needs a co-sponsor. They said "NO" ..
then at the embassy they said "YES"


Dan told me: "I could have showed more money for last year had they told me the correct info"...

Anyway I am not upset anymore. Dan just needs to "dig out" a co-sponsor somewhere .
I am sorry if I talk weird as I just translate some idioms from Russian.

Luda had her interview today and was approved. Needless to say, we are both extremely happy and looking forward to being together. I have asked Luda to summarize her interview experience to share with other Ukrainian VJ members. I will place it in the embassy review section as soon as possible. Good luck to all other VJers no matter what visa type or stage you're in.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats John.

Best of luck to both of you! Did they give a timeline on receiving the passport back? March 9th is only 6 days away, and unless she has the passport in hand today you'll be tough pressed to make that date.

My wife interviewed on a Monday also, I think we were very lucky to get the passports back on Thursday of the same week. Not trying to scare you or your fiancee, but 6 days from the Interview is VERY tight.

Good luck.

Thanks for the congrats. Yea, it's a gamble we are both aware of. If it requires a change in plans we will cross that bridge when we get there. The airline doesn't charge a fee to change the ticketing, but it wouldn't bother me that much if it did. The goal is to get Luda here this Sunday, but if it slips because her visa/passport hasn't arrived then it will just add to the already b.s. length of time this process takes. However, if she gets it as anticipated then we will finally be together on Sunday. A gamble worth taking IMO.

Cross your fingers, it might make it.

I'm crossing all fingers and toes - you're doing exactly what I was planning to do - but I was going to leave more like 9 days and fly back home with her. Let us know.

Hope it works out but the odds are not in your favor, things move very slow in Ukraine, and it normally takes about 10 days to get that visa and passport mailed back to the fiance, they used to let you pick it up the day of after interview approved but not anymore.

If you had bothered to look at his timeline before you posted you would have noticed that they made it.... US entry on 03/09!!!!!

I'd love to hear from wives of US citizens that moved already to US awhile ago. Just wonder if they adjusted easy or encounter some difficulties.

Sorry FWA GUY I do not have time to live on this website like you do, so forgive me for not checking everyone's timeline daily, by the minute and hour like you do!

Mariya my wifr participates on a forum of women from FSU (Former Sovirt Union) countries that now live in the USA she says it has been really helpful for her to get an idea of what it will be like here. I have her give me the site address.

As far as your being denied because your husband doesn't make enough it is because it is not the number of immigrints but the number in the household he is supporting. For instance I have to show that i support my two children from my previous marriage as well as my wife, her son and our son. He also has to count himself so fro me that makes six. The amount for me to pass poverty level is somewhere around $32,000 gross income. Sounds like someone at NVC is unable to correctly interpret their own criteria.

Im' wondering if anyone has experience w/ DCF in Ukraine. I'm a US citizen living in Odessa (without visa, going on 2 months), hoping to find a way to get my Ukrainian girlfriend/fiance back to the US. Thanks!

Josh,
under the new rules you must have lived in Ukraine for six months on a non tourist visa to apply for a DCF.

No, it is not "living" on this website as you proclaim that is the solution to your problem, it is simply utilizing all the information that is resident on this site before you go and proclaim to someone (several days after the fact BTW), that the odds of something is not in there favor when in fact it did.

See there, you are living on here just as I said, thanks for proving me right once again, besides it was to help the person to look for a potential obstacle to look out for when traveling on short notice, which you did not notice and then interject yourself in it someway as usual without knowing what was meant or said AND Coming from you FWAGUY it means so much, why thank you for your brilliance and all knowing intelligence, you are by God brilliant! I want to thank you for how would I make it without you is beyond me. You remind me of the Budwieser beer commercial, Mr Know everything Man, I salute you! Here is to you Mr Know everything Man

Guess what!!

I GOT MY VISA TODAY!!

We are so happy

Everything was ok with my husband's financial papers. They just over-looked some of his financial info. He showed low income just because he spent some months with us in Ukraine - so did not work much time. But they over-looked his assets..

My hubby just called the Embassy a few times. Then sent them e-mails and they issued my visa with NO co-sponsor needed.. I will write my story later..

Yeah!!!! I am so happy for you Mariya!

Glad things have worked out for you guys quickly!

As far as your question about talking to USC's wives, there is a website http://www.russian-fiancee.com/rus/forum/index.php that you can check out. I have read a little here and there (in Russian) and it seems to be a good sight.

Natalie,

That is awesome, good for you, good luck with your trip to USA!

From the U.S. Embassy in Kiev: "Medical exam results for the beneficiary and any dependent children".

Just noticed this. My fiance has a 13 year old son, so he needs to accompany her to Kiev for a medical exam also?

Don

All "K" & immigrant applicants (regardless of age) require a medical examination before the visa can be issued

Thanks, fwaguy. One other thing: I also noticed that the U.S. Embassy sends the packet containing the information as to what the beneficiary has to bring with her to the interview in Ukrainian. That may be fine in western Ukraine, but darn near everybody east of the Dnieper speaks and reads Russian. I'm curious as to how much of a problem this has been for the Russian speaking ladies. Ladies?

Don

My wife speaks and reads both...

Should not be a problem for your wife, they will speak Russian at embassy for her if she needs to during interview.




Dah! He will need one also.

They asked me in the embassy what language I prefer. I used Russian - though Ukrainian is not a problem too!

Thanks, but I'm not worried about the Embassy. What I am worried about is the set of instructions that will be sent to her in Ukrainian, telling her what documents, etc. that she needs to acquire for the interview.

Don

It has been awhile but I think the instructions are in Russian also to send out or on the website of US embassy in Kiev.