another new member

[Steve S 2]

I want to introduce myself to this forum and ask a couple of beginner questions I couldn't quite answer in guides or forums. I have been mining the k1 forum for a few months then discovered the regional forum recently. Perfect! About myself, I live in Atlanta, met my woman in person last September but we had been chatting off and on for a couple of years. There are other interesting details (at least to me) I may post on later. Anyway, I received NOA-1 in early May and we are settling in for the long wait. I am learning as much Russian as I can aside from all my other time constraints (just learned my longest word -- dostoprimachatelnosti!, means sights (sightseeing)). Later I will customize my signature and add couples photo if it is ok with Irina.

So, questions:

- any tips on how to get police certificates, and is one really needed for each city since age 16? Someone at VPC helpline seemed to think only the most recent city if record is clean.

- do you get a choice of interview dates in Moscow or do they just summon her for a certain appointment? How much lead time do you get? Enough to make travel plans? I know that step is many months away, just thinking ahead.

Btw, I was surprised to see a post earlier about good mayonaise in America. Quite the opposite, we have boring old Kraft or Hellmans whereas in Russia they have so many beloved varieties (you know if you've been there, you unscrew the cap and squirt it out!)

[chili74 0]

Hi Steve-

Welcome. Others will chime in. As to question 1, I am not sure, I would err on the side that you do need them, but our hunch would be that the place in Moscow may be able to cover all cities if they were in Russia (I mean the Главный информационно-аналитический центр МВД России (ГИАЦ), (Main Information/Analytical Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia) (this is the official Russian channel for getting it. You can get it other ways like at the local police station- certificates obtained this way have also been accepted at the US Consulate.)

Q 2: The US consulate will assign you a particular day and time. In our case, they gave us 3 months notice but when we emailed to Consular officer that our case had been at NVC for 250 days he rescheduled it for 3 weeks out at 8 AM.

Q 3: In my opinion, the mayonnaise in Russia is more lemony.

[sivad 0]

hello and welcome,i live here in atlanta as well.

[slim 1,530]

Hello and welcome SteveS.

To answer your questions :

Tips on police certs - A well-placed $100 at the regional police office will do the trick quite nicely. You only need certs for the places she listed on her G-325A. If she listed 12 places, you need 12 certs. If she only listed one or two then you need one or two. Make the certs line up with what's listed on the G325A. (Also, keep in mind it's a "regional" cert. One cert should cover the whole Krai or Oblast or whatever her region is. If she lived in four cities that were all in the same Krai, she'll only need one cert.)

No choice on interview date. They'll assign her one and then send her a packet. Plenty of time for travel arrangements but keep in mind, you can't go in with her. (I don't know if you were asking travel for her or travel for you.) You can join her in Moscow if you wish, but you can't actually go into the interview. And, it's going to take anywhere from two days to a week for her to get the visa and passport back after the interview.

A couple questions for you:

What kind of guns do you like to shoot and what's your favorite pie?

And lastly, a suggestion:

Stop wasting your time learning words like dostoprimowhatever and start learning phrases like, "Dai mi peeva, sichas! Bistreeeeeeeeee!"

[Corey-Mariya 14]

Stop wasting your time learning words like dostoprimowhatever and start learning phrases like, "Dai mi peeva, sichas! Bistreeeeeeeeee!"

[Jonathan Matthies 1]

Stop wasting your time learning words like dostoprimowhatever and start learning phrases like, "Dai mi peeva, sichas! Bistreeeeeeeeee!"

Is that "bring me a beer, now! somethiiiiiiiiiiiing (quickly?)?" Since it's transliterated I can't plop it into a translation service; so I have to rely on my unreliable Russian skills.

[Steve S 2]

Great stuff. Her 3 cities were all in the same Oblast, so that is great news that we can get one regional police certificate. Regarding the interview date, I will just hope that it is at a time I can go (realizing I cannot actually attend the interview itself).

Guns?! How to choose - I just know "happiness is a warm gun"!

In response to your other question, I love me some peCAN pie (not PEEcan).

[LvivLovers 39]

Welcome! Fellow Atlantans here too.

[Brad and Vika 129]

Howdy and welcome! Can't help much with the questions, past what was said above.

Don't get Slim started on guns .... or pie

[slim 1,530]

Is that "bring me a beer, now! somethiiiiiiiiiiiing (quickly?)?" Since it's transliterated I can't plop it into a translation service; so I have to rely on my unreliable Russian skills.

See, your Russian skills are pretty good! (Bistree means quickly, so you got that right too!)

Great stuff. Her 3 cities were all in the same Oblast, so that is great news that we can get one regional police certificate. Regarding the interview date, I will just hope that it is at a time I can go (realizing I cannot actually attend the interview itself).

Guns?! How to choose - I just know "happiness is a warm gun"!

In response to your other question, I love me some peCAN pie (not PEEcan).

Yep, you should only need one police cert. as it'll cover the whole region.

A warm gun is happiness!

And here, north of the Mason-Dixon line, we have peh-con pie. No matter how you say it, it's D-Licious!