I very happy..

[ndalessandro 0]

No no, my fiance did not get her K-1 yet. That would be quite impossible... and a miracle if it was approved that quick LOL... or even to get an NOA2 that quickly.

But for now, what she did get, will do quite nicely until that process is over.

She just got her B1/B2 Visa from the US consulate in Yektainberg.

The amazing thing is though.... when I got a Tourist Visa to visit Russia in July, it was only for 30 days. Her tourist visa, is good for 1 year. It's crazy. Her expire date on visa is September 19th, 2009.

Anyway, she is coming to visit me in October and she is planning on staying for 25 days. We are going to visit my parents. The rest of time , she will be staying with me in Florida.. joy joy!!

Yes yes, I already told her to bring all her documents with her, that she sent to the consulate, such as her Certified letter from her job stating her title, salary, and she would return to work. her financial statements, that she owns a flat, and that she has a significant amount of family.

I am still amazed though that she got it, because she is single and childless. But, maybe because she is a lawyer for the republic of bashkortostan government, our government looked favorably on her and issued the visa.

She said the whole interview was very short. She waited in the lobby longer than the interview took.. and the gentlemen who interviewed her was very pleasant and friendly. Something else I did not expect.

Anyway, wanted to share my joy. Maybe give someone else a little hope that their fiance can get a Visitor visa also. Who knows, maybe our government is loosening the leash a little on single russian women.

Nick

[ndalessandro 0]

I also wanted to add. Even though I was surprised that the visa is valid for 1 year, I made it very clear in my letter of invite I gave to her, to give to consulate that she is only staying 25 days.

The reason why?

When you intend for someone to stay longer than 1 month, consulates and CBP's start getting suspicious.

They are not stupid. They have been doing this for a long time. If you write down that your 'friend' is going to visit for 3-4 months... pretty good chance, your going to be denied visa. And if your not denied visa, than at POE, the CBP will give a I-94 form, limiting her visit to 1 month.

It is almost tempting. You have a visa valid for 12 months.... hey, why not let her stay for 12 months with me? Whatever you do, do not do it. Do not take the bait LOL.

Later on down the road, you will thank yourself when your fiance goes to interview for her K-1, and they see she left the country and did indeed return before 1 month. It will look favorably on her, that she is trustworthy and respectful.

Nick

[Satellite 1]

It is almost tempting. You have a visa valid for 12 months.... hey, why not let her stay for 12 months with me? Whatever you do, do not do it. Do not take the bait LOL.

You are indeed very lucky. I would suggest you review the law and vast options available to you which were not given to others becasue we had our requests for US tourist visas denied.

First of all, no matter how long the visa is valid for, you are only going to get a maximum of 6 months of status on the I-94. And most folks actually get the 6 months once they get passed the POE.

Next, if your "girl friend" and I would call her that if you want to exercise all her options is just coming over for 25 days to see if you two are going to be a compatible couple then you do have the legal option to actually apply for Adjustment of Status here in the US and by pass the entire K waiting period if you realize you are indeed compatible.

Things to remember:

You cannot have immigrant intent when you enter the US on a tourist visa. You can have the intent to visit your significant other to check for compatibility issues. Do not leave your home country by rapping up all loose ends like quiting your job, moving all your belongings, selling your property, and taking all your money.

Make the decision to stay in the US and get married a spur of the moment thing rather than preplanned. If you get my rift, then you need understand how the immigration officer will be adjudicating your adjustment of status application.

If you apply for OAS within 30 days of arrival it is presumed you had intent to immigrate. If you apply more than 60 days after arrival it is presumed you did not. Between 30 and 60 can go either way. You can look it up in their public procedural manual. FAM X.XX something, I'm not going to research it for you.

For those of you that think K1 / K3 is the only valid and most common way of adjusting status or that the method I described above is a likely denial, you are only kidding yourself.

[ndalessandro 0]

Next, if your "girl friend" and I would call her that if you want to exercise all her options is just coming over for 25 days to see if you two are going to be a compatible couple then you do have the legal option to actually apply for Adjustment of Status here in the US and by pass the entire K waiting period if you realize you are indeed compatible.

No no. I do not want to bypass anything. I submitted the 129f roughly around the same time she submitted her DS156 for tourism. We have already decided that she is only coming for 25 days. No more. She is mainly coming to meet my parents and to see the USA way of life. I can not say I blame her. I am asking her to move to the USA, she should at least see it first.

Plus, she has business of her own to finish in her country. Such as giving her job ample notice of her leaving (she works for the government, so if she screws them, who knows... maybe they make it difficult for her to visit her family on vacations LOL) and selling her flat. So, she has to back anyway.

Do not leave your home country by rapping up all loose ends like quiting your job, moving all your belongings, selling your property, and taking all your money.

No no, of course not. That is why she is going back. To begin the process of wrapping up her loose ends, while we wait for the K-1 process.

Make the decision to stay in the US and get married a spur of the moment thing rather than preplanned. If you get my rift, then you need understand how the immigration officer will be adjudicating your adjustment of status application.

No no, I understand what you are saying. I also know, from reading other people's past experiences... if your Significant other intends to enter the USA and stay for more than a month, they get suspicious.

Even though the consulate and Homeland security do not answer to the same person.. the Customs officier isn't going to just deny someone at POE, without a valid reason, if the consulate just issued a brand new visa to enter.

Customs begins denying people when they have already visited before, and now they try to visit again to soon. Or for too long. Example being, if she visited me for 4 months. Left. Than tried coming back again in 2 months, to visit me for another 5 months. They would probably become very very wary of her motives... no matter how innocent they may be.

Nick

[ndalessandro 0]

I agree that it's good to know all your options. However, if I understand correctly, she can only adjust status after they get married. Which means that if AOS is denied, his wife will have to leave the country and they will then have to file K3/IR1. And when their interview comes up 6-8 months later, they're going to have to explain why they married on a tourist visa and why she was denied AOS. An initial AOS denial would probably indicate the adjudicator felt there was fraud. During the K3/IR1 interview, the consulate would very likely conclude the same. Seems to me a very risky strategy that could end up with the FSU spouse not being able to obtain a visa.

A K1 would be the safer way to go, and you'd have a nice bonus under your belt in that the consulate would see that she came over on a tourist visa and left when she was supposed to. That goes a long way towards proving bona fides.

As Sat points out though, do the research and know your options.

I have no intention of bypassing the system or process. We are very resolute to do this the honest and legal way. She is seriously just entering for 25 days to visit my parents and check out where and how I live in USA.

1 months has gone by now. When she visits in october.. and I visit her in russia again in January... before we know it, it will be almost ready. So no... no need to risk anything.

I am sure it will be a stark contrast of weather in january though, from when I visited her in July LOL. Brrrrr.

And your right. As I said in my first post.. reading other peoples experiences, the consulate will look favorably upon her when she visits the USA.. and she did leave the USA when she said she would.

But if she overstayed her visit or we tried doing something shady because we lacked resolve.. who knows what could happen later on down the road.

Nick

[slim 1,533]

Given that your situation is atypical (single FSU woman entering on a tourist visa) it could be prudent to have an immigration attorney on standby when she arrives. Also make sure she has a cell phone that works in the US when she disembarks. That way if she has problems at POE, she can immediately call you, and you can immediately call the lawyer, who can start working on her behalf to make sure they don't stick her back on the next flight back to Moscow.

Totally unnecessary.

[ndalessandro 0]

Totally unnecessary.

Probably. At least one VJ member in the last year was saved by this. ~$25 for a disposable cell phone, and $0 to call a lawyer and say "hey, you mind if I call you if we have any problems at POE?" Cheap insurance if you ask me.

disposable cell phone? I am intrigued? Could you tell me more about this, as I was worrying a bit about how she would call me if she got lost in the terminal.

Nick

[akdiver 3]

disposable cell phone? I am intrigued? Could you tell me more about this, as I was worrying a bit about how she would call me if she got lost in the terminal.

You can get them at Walmart for cheap. Last time I was there, they had AT&T prepaid phones with SIM for $10.

[slim 1,533]

Totally unnecessary.

Probably. At least one VJ member in the last year was saved by this. ~$25 for a disposable cell phone, and $0 to call a lawyer and say "hey, you mind if I call you if we have any problems at POE?" Cheap insurance if you ask me.

This wasn't a member of the Russia Forum, was it? As far as I know there've been almost no problems (other than delays and sitting in the room for "questioning") and everyone has entered without a problem. Which leads me to believe the Russian embassy makes sure the paperwork is in order and most folks can walk on through without a problem.

Totally unnecessary.

Probably. At least one VJ member in the last year was saved by this. ~$25 for a disposable cell phone, and $0 to call a lawyer and say "hey, you mind if I call you if we have any problems at POE?" Cheap insurance if you ask me.

disposable cell phone? I am intrigued? Could you tell me more about this, as I was worrying a bit about how she would call me if she got lost in the terminal.

Nick

We're talking about adults here, right?

It is still possible to make a phone call from a payphone. You have a cell phone, right? She has the number, right? She can get change and use a pay phone.... right?

Guys, I know there's a tendancy to want to try to make everything as hassle free and easy as possible, but keep in mind, your wife/girlfriend has been just fine without you for years and years. She should be OK at the airport without needing a disposable cell phone and an attorney on standby.

I'm not saying don't have a good plan and even a "plan B" but what I am saying is if you worry this much about her coming through the airport, how is she going to survive all day without you while you're at work?

[Ana&D 0]

Generally you are not allowed to use the cell phone in the holding areas, at least in JFK. I seriously wouldn't stress too much. Just tell your SO to be honest and carry proof of her ties to Russia and the fact that she is indeed leaving in 25 days.

[ndalessandro 0]

I seriously do not anticipate any problems.

You said that her having a visa in hand, does little more than just give her the chance to stand in front of an immigration officer at the airport is not true.

A visa is access into a country, unless there is some outstanding circumstance not known at the time that would prevent someone access at the POE.

For every story of someone being denied at the POE, there are 10 stories of someone walking through with very little problems. If you read why someone was denied at the POE, most of the time, if not all the time it comes down to these reasons:

1. They violated a previous visa, either knowingly or unknowingly, by staying after it expired.

2. They have visited too often in a short frame of time. How does Customs determine what is too often, or too short a time frame... I do not know.

3. They have had criminal activity previously in the USA.

I have never, read any member here, ever, writing that they or there SO walked into the POE, visa in hand.. and customs said, "Oh, your a single woman? From Russia? Hmmmm... nope... don't trust you. Go back to russia"

If your visa has just been granted to you, and you have never been in the USA before... Customs already knows that in order for you to get that visa, you had to go to the American Consulate and interview, had to submit applications and documents proving your ties to your country, prove you will return to your country, the consulate already ran a background check to make sure your not a criminal. You got your visa, because you passed all of the suspicions.

Customs plays a much larger role at the POE when you try to re-enter. If your B-2 visa expires in 1 year.. and you already visited in the past and you want to come visit again, well you do not have to re-establish your ties at the consulate or re-interview. Because your visa is still good. So now, Customs has to verify your ties to your country and verify you plan on going back.

[Neonred 3,931]

I really doubt customs gives a damn who comes in as long as you are not bringing in contraban. Immigration, however does care.....

[ndalessandro 0]

I seriously do not anticipate any problems.

If she has all her ducks in a row, I wouldn't anticipate any problems either. But it's always good to be prepared.

You said that her having a visa in hand, does little more than just give her the chance to stand in front of an immigration officer at the airport is not true.

Department of State issues the visa. DoHS controls the border. They are 2 different departments, and just because DoS issues the visa doesn't obligate DoHS to accept it. Do some reading in the other forums, you will begin to understand how this process really works, as opposed to how it should work.

A visa is access into a country, unless there is some outstanding circumstance not known at the time that would prevent someone access at the POE.

Not true. A visa is a de facto invitation, not access. You are not guaranteed entry. In fact, they don't even have to give you a reason why you are being denied entry.

I have never, read any member here, ever, writing that they or there SO walked into the POE, visa in hand.. and customs said, "Oh, your a single woman? From Russia? Hmmmm... nope... don't trust you. Go back to russia"

I don't recall ever reading a VJ post about a single FSU woman obtaining a tourist visa at all, especially to visit her boyfriend. But I have read many posts about women from other countries, even Western countries, being denied entry into the US, and she and/or the boyfriend had the distinct impression it was because she was single and visiting her boyfriend, and the PoE officers were not convinced that her visit was temporary. I've seen other posts where the contents of the luggage gave the officer a reasonable suspicion that the visitor was entering for reasons other than tourism, such as more than a couple weeks worth of clothes or a wedding dress. A tourist visa held by a young, single lady is going to come under more scrutiny, especially if she is from a FSU or other high fraud country.

I'm not saying that you should resign yourself to her being denied. But you also need to be realistic in your understanding of the process. You seem to be under the impression that her visa is guaranteed admission. I'm saying there's nothing guaranteed about it, and there's a TON of evidence on this site alone to back me up on that. Just be prepared is all.

I am not implying it is guaranteed. What I am implying is that the chances of customs stoping someone, who is visiting for less than a month, has just gotten their visa from the consulate, has no prior history of violating a visa in past, etc, are slim to none.

Customs and Consulate are two different departments. But Customs also knows when someone walks up to their little desk with there new little visa, that the consulate already interviewed and established that this person has strong ties to their country, and will be returning. Because if this person could not prove that to the consulate..... guess what? They would not be standing there with a visa in hand.

The Customs steps up more on people who try to re-enter the USA.

Now, I agree with you. If my SO had a wedding dress in her luggage, or she had 3 weeks of clothes... and a bunch of family pictures etc, they she may send off a red flag.

But than again, so would someone who was carrying contraband on them.

The problem with Single russian women.. not being granted access to the USA that you read about so many times from members here.. is that they NEVER even get the visa from the consulate to begin with. Those who did get their visa for the first time from the consulate, typically enter the USA just fine, as a previous poster (Slim) stated.

[Bobalouie 0]

I seriously do not anticipate any problems.

If she has all her ducks in a row, I wouldn't anticipate any problems either. But it's always good to be prepared.

You said that her having a visa in hand, does little more than just give her the chance to stand in front of an immigration officer at the airport is not true.

Department of State issues the visa. DoHS controls the border. They are 2 different departments, and just because DoS issues the visa doesn't obligate DoHS to accept it. Do some reading in the other forums, you will begin to understand how this process really works, as opposed to how it should work.

A visa is access into a country, unless there is some outstanding circumstance not known at the time that would prevent someone access at the POE.

Not true. A visa is a de facto invitation, not access. You are not guaranteed entry. In fact, they don't even have to give you a reason why you are being denied entry.

I have never, read any member here, ever, writing that they or there SO walked into the POE, visa in hand.. and customs said, "Oh, your a single woman? From Russia? Hmmmm... nope... don't trust you. Go back to russia"

I don't recall ever reading a VJ post about a single FSU woman obtaining a tourist visa at all, especially to visit her boyfriend. But I have read many posts about women from other countries, even Western countries, being denied entry into the US, and she and/or the boyfriend had the distinct impression it was because she was single and visiting her boyfriend, and the PoE officers were not convinced that her visit was temporary. I've seen other posts where the contents of the luggage gave the officer a reasonable suspicion that the visitor was entering for reasons other than tourism, such as more than a couple weeks worth of clothes or a wedding dress. A tourist visa held by a young, single lady is going to come under more scrutiny, especially if she is from a FSU or other high fraud country.

I'm not saying that you should resign yourself to her being denied. But you also need to be realistic in your understanding of the process. You seem to be under the impression that her visa is guaranteed admission. I'm saying there's nothing guaranteed about it, and there's a TON of evidence on this site alone to back me up on that. Just be prepared is all.

I am not implying it is guaranteed. What I am implying is that the chances of customs stoping someone, who is visiting for less than a month, has just gotten their visa from the consulate, has no prior history of violating a visa in past, etc, are slim to none.

Customs and Consulate are two different departments. But Customs also knows when someone walks up to their little desk with there new little visa, that the consulate already interviewed and established that this person has strong ties to their country, and will be returning. Because if this person could not prove that to the consulate..... guess what? They would not be standing there with a visa in hand.

The Customs steps up more on people who try to re-enter the USA.

Now, I agree with you. If my SO had a wedding dress in her luggage, or she had 3 weeks of clothes... and a bunch of family pictures etc, they she may send off a red flag.

But than again, so would someone who was carrying contraband on them.

The problem with Single russian women.. not being granted access to the USA that you read about so many times from members here.. is that they NEVER even get the visa from the consulate to begin with. Those who did get their visa for the first time from the consulate, typically enter the USA just fine, as a previous poster (Slim) stated.

I think you are a little naive about this process. There are 3 places where you can get denied. 2 are when dealing with the USCIS and one at the DOS. USCIS looks at your stuff and if they deem that you meet/dont meet the filing requirements you are approved/denied the chance to appear at a consulate for further scruitiny. Then DOS looks at your stuff at the consulate and determines, in their estimation if you are being forthright in your application. They then approve or deny your actual visa. If, while under further scruitiny at the POE, the USCIS determines that you are not being forthright, then you are denined entry to the country.

Will they single her out? Whos to say, because like Mox, I cant remember a single instance of a tourist visa being granted to a person's girlfriend. Family members, yes, girlfriends, no. It would not surprise me to hear that she gets increased scruitiny at the POE. If not, great!

[ndalessandro 0]

What I am implying is that the chances of customs stoping someone, who is visiting for less than a month, has just gotten their visa from the consulate, has no prior history of violating a visa in past, etc, are slim to none.

This statement does not align with what I've been reading on VJ for over a year.

Look, I'm not trying to scare you or start a fight. If she's got everything in order and has no problems at the PoE, then I think her odds of entering the country are pretty good. I'm amazed and impressed that she was able to get a tourist visa, and would love to hear more details on why you think she managed to get one. With any luck it will help others trying to do the same thing. I'm also happy for you both that she will be coming to check out what will hopefully be her new home. Moledets to you both, and please keep us all up to date on your progress!

Believe me, I am surprised she got it to. I would be a liar if I said I was not preparing my application for tourist visa, to submit to the Russian embassy in D.C. again.

But when I talked to her the day of her interview, she said the CO was very nice and pleasent to her. He asked her how she and I met, he inquired into my visit to her in July, he inquired to why she was visiting the USA.

Her answer to the CO, of why she is visiting the USA, was for vacation purposes and to meet my parents. She explained that I came in July to meet her and to meet her parents (nice people by the way. Her family was nice actually). And she told him that her and I think it would be nice if she could come and meet my parents and see where I live.

The documents she included in her application package that she mailed to the consulate was:

DS156

A letter from her job, official letter head, with her chief's signature stating her departure date and return date to work. She works as a lawyer for the Russian government

Her Financial statements showing her income and savings

Her bank statements showing that she owns her own flat

Various documents showing her ties to a large extended family, including her brothers, her sick father, mother, many cousins, nieces and nephews

A letter of invite from me, stating I will be financially responsible for her visit, That I am paying for her travel to and from russia, outlining the purpose of her visit, my parents address in delaware that she will be staying at and my address in florida that she will be staying at.

And that's about it.

She said the interview at the consulate took about 5 minutes with the CO. The wait is roughly about 1.5 hours, but the actual interview was very short.

Like I said though, I am as surprised as anyone of her approval. The only thing i can think of, is that her job in the russian government helped her somehow get an approval for the visa. Maybe the consulate figures that being a lawyer for the government is a well-paying job, and a good job at that, that she wouldn't just abandon that so quickly.

Plus, I never asked her to disclose her financial statements to me. Maybe she has a bunch of money in her bank accounts. Because I know sometimes people are denied Tourist Visas, because the consulate deems that they have insufficient funds to cover any travel expenses that may result from traveling abroad.

I know that the russian consulates tend to have a very high denial rate, just like china. But as the poster Slim stated before, the women who manage to get approval for visa, typically have no problems passing through POE.

Nick