Russian Girlfriend Questions for Visit to USA

[St&Sv 33]

Hello Everyone I've come to seek your knowledge and experiences in the visa world, which I am new to. I've combed over the forums, and read many websites looking for answers for the questions my girlfriend and I have about her pending visit. So here is our story:

My girlfriend and I met back in April online, and since then have been talking non-stop. We hit it off really good, and after a couple of months we began to date each other, and planned a trip to Turkey with her best friend in September. Turkey was the first place that we had met each other, physically, and now we would like to meet again here in the USA. We are planning to have her come visit the first week in January since we both have off but we are stumped about what to do with the Visa process. I'm not sure if we are worrying too much from everything we have read, but both of us have never had to get a visa like this before. Our worry is that because we are dating, and I am looking to be her sponsor that they will deny her a visa because of the risk of her maybe wanting to stay. Truth is she wants to come here and see the USA with her own eyes, experience our lifestyle and meet my family; to decide if one day she wanted to move here. She just moved from Moscow to St Petes and currently is looking for a new job. We both know that it will be a excellent idea for her to find employment before she tries, as it's a great way to show she has ties there. She also joined a volunteer group, and owns a house in another part of Russia that her parents live in. Because we worry about the relationship getting in the way of the visa approval, we thought it would be best to just say that we are friends and that I'm inviting her as a friend (we have no intention at all of getting married on a tourist visa as we know it can really screw stuff up). However, we also worry that if we decide to get married, that maybe these lies would come to bite us in the ####. Both of us are very honest, and truthful people, and for us to lie is very difficult. So I wanted to know if anyone else had experiences like this, and what did they do. What worked, what didn't? All we want is to spend a week or 2 together here in the USA.

I should also mention that I have all the recommend documents ready to send to her for sponsorship, though i knew it means nothing about proof that she will return to Russia.

So any advice that could be given will be truly appreciated to help bring us together for New Years.

Edit:

Do i need to sponsor her if we plan on her staying in my home, or can she do without?

[Brad and Vika 129]

From what I read here, she is Russian? You are a USC? If you fill in some profile details, you might help us to help you.

[SMR 368]

I'm assuming you're looking to get a tourist visa.

Don't lie. That said, you are friends and are inviting her as a friend. There is a difference between friends and 'just friends.' There really isn't a necessity to detail your relationship unless you are asked. An invitation letter needs to say that you are inviting the person and perhaps the nature of the visit (tourism, etc.). There isn't a need to go into detail about how you met. However, you have to understand that the people reading the applications aren't completely clueless and will have a pretty good idea of what your relationship is, regardless of how you describe it.

As far as sponsorship, it doesn't hurt to fill out the I-134 but it often isn't looked at. Ties to the country are subjective. A job, especially if she hasn't had it very long and it isn't an especially good job is not really a very strong tie. It's a reason to go back but it isn't really a reason not to stay in the US. Ditto on a jointly owned house. She won't give that up by leaving and if she isn't living there anyways it doesn't change much. A volunteer group probably doesn't even merit mentioning (maybe if she had been in it for a long time playing a key role). In short, I have never really seen a good explanation as to what the exact criteria are for establishing ties. A job and real estate can't hurt, but they aren't super strong. Children that are being left behind can be a strong tie (depending on primary caregiver status, etc.), but that only works if you have them. Another strong predictor of approval (anecdotal from my experience but pretty good) is a past history of travel and honoring visas, especially to Europe or the US. That's also not easy to get if you don't have it, but good to know and should be brought up if you have it. If your girl is in St. Pete, she could get a Schengen visa and take a trip to Finland or Estonia without too much trouble. That might be a good idea if you have time/funds (the ride from Peter to Helsinki is only about 20 Euros) and she doesn't have any visa experience.

My now wife received a tourist visa and traveled here to see me. She came back a second time while we were engaged and got hell at the border but they let her in eventually. She had no job to speak of and an apartment with her parents. She did have several past visas to Europe and a past visa to the US. She didn't elaborate about our relationship in the application and it didn't come up in the interview.

[bt1 42]

Hello Everyone I've come to seek your knowledge and experiences in the visa world, which I am new to. I've combed over the forums, and read many websites looking for answers for the questions my girlfriend and I have about her pending visit. So here is our story:

My girlfriend and I met back in April online, and since then have been talking non-stop. We hit it off really good, and after a couple of months we began to date each other, and planned a trip to Turkey with her best friend in September. Turkey was the first place that we had met each other, physically, and now we would like to meet again here in the USA. We are planning to have her come visit the first week in January since we both have off but we are stumped about what to do with the Visa process. I'm not sure if we are worrying too much from everything we have read, but both of us have never had to get a visa like this before. Our worry is that because we are dating, and I am looking to be her sponsor that they will deny her a visa because of the risk of her maybe wanting to stay. Truth is she wants to come here and see the USA with her own eyes, experience our lifestyle and meet my family; to decide if one day she wanted to move here. She just moved from Moscow to St Petes and currently is looking for a new job. We both know that it will be a excellent idea for her to find employment before she tries, as it's a great way to show she has ties there. She also joined a volunteer group, and owns a house in another part of Russia that her parents live in. Because we worry about the relationship getting in the way of the visa approval, we thought it would be best to just say that we are friends and that I'm inviting her as a friend (we have no intention at all of getting married on a tourist visa as we know it can really screw stuff up). However, we also worry that if we decide to get married, that maybe these lies would come to bite us in the ####. Both of us are very honest, and truthful people, and for us to lie is very difficult. So I wanted to know if anyone else had experiences like this, and what did they do. What worked, what didn't? All we want is to spend a week or 2 together here in the USA.

I should also mention that I have all the recommend documents ready to send to her for sponsorship, though i knew it means nothing about proof that she will return to Russia.

So any advice that could be given will be truly appreciated to help bring us together for New Years.

Edit:

Do i need to sponsor her if we plan on her staying in my home, or can she do without?

Since you say you appreciate honesty, I will try to be honest. Your chances of getting her here to visit are pretty slim and I speak from experience. It is unlikely they will give a tourist visa to a young Russian girl with no strong ties to her homeland: no job and her parents house are not ties in any way. My, now husband, had 2 children, 2 apartments and a well paid job he held for 20 years and he wasn't granted a visitors visa. Unfortunately, for some countries that's the way it is. You can of course try, but the worst thing you could do is be a "sponsor". Firstly because they don't require sponsors for tourist visas and secondly, you are bringing up the fact that she is visiting you even as a "friend" that is suspicious to them, so don't do it! You can have her apply for the visa without "sponsoring" her, it may work, you never know though.

I'm assuming you're looking to get a tourist visa.

Don't lie. That said, you are friends and are inviting her as a friend. There is a difference between friends and 'just friends.' There really isn't a necessity to detail your relationship unless you are asked. An invitation letter needs to say that you are inviting the person and perhaps the nature of the visit (tourism, etc.). There isn't a need to go into detail about how you met. However, you have to understand that the people reading the applications aren't completely clueless and will have a pretty good idea of what your relationship is, regardless of how you describe it.

As far as sponsorship, it doesn't hurt to fill out the I-134 but it often isn't looked at. Ties to the country are subjective. A job, especially if she hasn't had it very long and it isn't an especially good job is not really a very strong tie. It's a reason to go back but it isn't really a reason not to stay in the US. Ditto on a jointly owned house. She won't give that up by leaving and if she isn't living there anyways it doesn't change much. A volunteer group probably doesn't even merit mentioning (maybe if she had been in it for a long time playing a key role). In short, I have never really seen a good explanation as to what the exact criteria are for establishing ties. A job and real estate can't hurt, but they aren't super strong. Children that are being left behind can be a strong tie (depending on primary caregiver status, etc.), but that only works if you have them. Another strong predictor of approval (anecdotal from my experience but pretty good) is a past history of travel and honoring visas, especially to Europe or the US. That's also not easy to get if you don't have it, but good to know and should be brought up if you have it. If your girl is in St. Pete, she could get a Schengen visa and take a trip to Finland or Estonia without too much trouble. That might be a good idea if you have time/funds (the ride from Peter to Helsinki is only about 20 Euros) and she doesn't have any visa experience.

My now wife received a tourist visa and traveled here to see me. She came back a second time while we were engaged and got hell at the border but they let her in eventually. She had no job to speak of and an apartment with her parents. She did have several past visas to Europe and a past visa to the US. She didn't elaborate about our relationship in the application and it didn't come up in the interview.

NO...DON'T send an invitation letter, they don't ask for it so why bring the suspicion up!

[St&Sv 33]

Thanks everyone, I guess i'm kind of confused on everything she will need to get a Visa here. I thought she needed a sponsor either via a hotel or by someone living here. Is she able to get a visa by just applying and saying well this is where she wants to go, this is where she will be staying, or would there need to be proof sent to her about who I am?

[SMR 368]

Since you say you appreciate honesty, I will try to be honest. Your chances of getting her here to visit are pretty slim and I speak from experience. It is unlikely they will give a tourist visa to a young Russian girl with no strong ties to her homeland: no job and her parents house are not ties in any way. My, now husband, had 2 children, 2 apartments and a well paid job he held for 20 years and he wasn't granted a visitors visa. Unfortunately, for some countries that's the way it is. You can of course try, but the worst thing you could do is be a "sponsor". Firstly because they don't require sponsors for tourist visas and secondly, you are bringing up the fact that she is visiting you even as a "friend" that is suspicious to them, so don't do it! You can have her apply for the visa without "sponsoring" her, it may work, you never know though.

NO...DON'T send an invitation letter, they don't ask for it so why bring the suspicion up!

That depends. My mother-in-law and brother-in-law both got visas here after showing invitation letters at their interview. A lot of it is about having a story. Being invited to see a friend or family member is a good story. Coming to see the sites can be a good story (depending on where the USC lives, it is a harder sell in Nebraska).

I can think nearly a dozen different girls (18-30, single at the time) that I know through my wife that got visas to the US. I know a couple that were denied. The stories and circumstances were varied. But it really isn't as hopeless as bt1 seems to think. You may get denied. But you might have a decent shot depending on your story.

[bt1 42]

Thanks everyone, I guess i'm kind of confused on everything she will need to get a Visa here. I thought she needed a sponsor either via a hotel or by someone living here. Is she able to get a visa by just applying and saying well this is where she wants to go, this is where she will be staying, or would there need to be proof sent to her about who I am?

Unless there is something they specifically require in Russia, there is no need for any invitation or sponsor letter from anyone: one can just apply for a visa because they want to go and the Empire State Building! Of course, they will ask whether the applicant knows anyone in the US and you should tell them that, but there is no need to send an official invite or anything like that.

[SMR 368]

Thanks everyone, I guess i'm kind of confused on everything she will need to get a Visa here. I thought she needed a sponsor either via a hotel or by someone living here. Is she able to get a visa by just applying and saying well this is where she wants to go, this is where she will be staying, or would there need to be proof sent to her about who I am?

Technically, she needs a sponsor or itinerary. The scrutiny with which this is examined varies widely and seems to be unpredictable. They'll want to know where she will be staying so she needs a good answer. A hotel reservation or an invitation would be good.

[USSR 1]

A young, unmarried Russian girl getting a U.S. tourist visa? Ain't gonna happen. Sorry.

Don

[SMR 368]

A young, unmarried Russian girl getting a U.S. tourist visa? Ain't gonna happen. Sorry.

Don

Why? As I said it my earlier post, my wife and I know well close to a dozen Russian women for whom it has happened. And that is larger than the number of people whom I know that were denied.

I'm not saying it's a slam dunk, but in my experience it is better than 50/50 with proper planning.

[1HappyGuy 45]

The new visa relationship between Russia and USA is suppose to encourage travel between the two countries. She should apply for a tourist visa and maybe have a letter of invitation from the parents of her friend that she met in Turkey. The letter should suggest that she visit during his time off from school so he can show her America. I think if it comes from the parents of her friend that increases the chances of it appearing more open and friendly.

She should probably say that she has an opportunity to make a short visit and hopes with the new openness of the visa application she will have a chance to visit America. It seems that the emphasis should be more on visiting America than visiting friends.

[eekee 182]

I agree with SMR. It is not an automatic denial to be young and unmarried! I think a past history of honoring visas is a good indicator to the consulate. Also, while this is not something I can back up with official statistics, I feel like it has gotten easier in the Obama years.

Edited October 24, 2012 by eekee

[St&Sv 33]

Thanks for the all the feedback everyone, you've definitely helped us answer some questions.

Would anyone happen to know if copies of her parents visas, a copy of her birth cert, and copies of the property she owns is good for the Consulate or original docs only?

Thanks again everyone

[Kyle_Ochoa 0]

Apparently Guam is visa free for Russians.  So is Mexico.  You could always meet up there.  I know it is not ideal, but it would be far easier than jumping through flaming hoops to get her a tourist visa.  

[Ksenia_O 695]

21 minutes ago, Kyle_Ochoa said:

Apparently Guam is visa free for Russians.  So is Mexico.  You could always meet up there.  I know it is not ideal, but it would be far easier than jumping through flaming hoops to get her a tourist visa.  

It doesn't hurt to try - the only thing they will lose if she gets denied is a visa cost, $160 or so,  if I remember correct.  That's it.  Also, a B1/B2 denial doesn't hurt future (possible) Fiancee/Spouse applications and visas.

 

OP. give it a shot. Also, I don't think I-134 is needed - it's for K1 (Fiancee) visa, but not for B1-B2. 

Property /car documents, steady job - yes, all this might help. But not necessary - very often it's not even taken a look at. The same can be with an Invitation Letter, but again - it doesn't hurt to have it.

DS-160 - is the most important thing. Fill it out careful, thoughtful and honest. 

As someone mentioned above - a length of stay shouldn't be long, 2- weeks usually is fine (you'll have to mention this in DS-160).

 

P.S. I know girls(ladies), who successfully got their B1/B2 approval. For some of them a US visa was the first visa ever.  So you never know until you try, right?

 

Good luck!!! 

 

Edited October 2, 2017 by Ksenia_O