"Digital nomads" applying for green card

[DK999 14]

6 minutes ago, SteveInBostonI130 said:

You keep stating "permanent address".  Perhaps there is a difference between the online app and the paper I-130 form

You might be right on that one—I need to double check the wording on the online form tomorrow. In any case, I think you’re right that I should just list everything to play it safe. Thanks again for your help. 

[Redro 4,600]

4 hours ago, DK999 said:

You might be right on that one—I need to double check the wording on the online form tomorrow. In any case, I think you’re right that I should just list everything to play it safe. Thanks again for your help. 

If you plan on listing all your addresses, make sure your wife lists them in her i-130A, too. 

She should also keep a list of all the countries she's visited/stayed in for the last 5 years. 

When she gets to NVC stage, she'll have to list of all the addresses she's lived in since the age of 16 in the DS-260 (so keep it consistent).

The digital nomad life is awesome, but it'll complicate your process a little. 

Depending on where you interview, they might not believe you (the USC) intend to re-establish domicile. So, make sure you either a) move back to the States before your wife interviews or b) set up a lease agreement/ housing to show you intend to move back to the States. 

 

[Just Paul 4,591]

7 hours ago, DK999 said:

I think you’re right that I should just list everything to play it safe

We kept a spreadsheet of all of out addresses.   We used Mary's at every step of the process all the way through to citizenship.   We also used the list when apply for other visas such as Canada.

[SteveInBostonI130 3,319]

14 hours ago, DK999 said:

That seems crazy. Russian citizens need an EU visa to go there. 
 

Are Russians even allowed in Poland right now with COVID/Sputnik and all that?

 

Am I missing something? 

 

Russians will need a visa to go to Warsaw for their visa processing:

 

https://pl.usembassy.gov/visas/family-based-immigration/

 

Quote

Special Notice for Applicants from Outside Poland: 

Immigrant visa applicants from countries that need visas to enter Poland should contact Polish consular posts in their home countries at their earliest convenience and inquire about current procedures and time frames for processing applications for Polish visas.  Please bear in mind that applying for an immigrant visa at our post will require at least one trip to Poland, and in some cases multiple trips to the Embassy in Warsaw.  Please also be aware that technical and procedural concerns may require a stay longer than the normal two days in Poland to complete processing of your case.  You should plan accordingly when applying for a Polish visa.

 

Travel policy is 10 days quarantine or less if you get a negative covid test result within 48 hours of arriving in Poland:

 

https://pl.usembassy.gov/visas/immigrant-visas/frequently-asked-questions-iv/

 

[dribbles 3]

On 10/13/2021 at 12:17 PM, DK999 said:

In short, I don't currently reside "permanently" anywhere and it will be that way for the foreseeable future. We work remotely (for a foreign company) and will be traveling from place to place. In fact, I'm traveling to Russia next week to meet her family for the first time!

 

On 10/13/2021 at 7:42 PM, Kor2USA said:

Depending on where you interview, they might not believe you (the USC) intend to re-establish domicile. So, make sure you either a) move back to the States before your wife interviews or b) set up a lease agreement/ housing to show you intend to move back to the States. 

I was in the same situation as @DK999 and this is exactly what I had to. The embassy initially rejected my wife's application because my principal domicile was not in the US.  I needed to submit a document detailing a 6-month plan (month-by-month) on how I would return to the US, and also sign a lease in the US to show I would go back there. I worked remotely for a US company at the time, so I also asked them to provide a letter saying that they needed me back in the US to work.

[nekotakacho 60]

On 10/13/2021 at 2:13 PM, DK999 said:

That seems crazy. Russian citizens need an EU visa to go there. 
 

Are Russians even allowed in Poland right now with COVID/Sputnik and all that?

 

Am I missing something? 

You seem to not know very much about the situation for Russians. Get ready. We  can help you. But understand the politics involved. The sheer indecency they receive!!
 

Since you’re marrying one, we can help out. I married one too. 
 

You cannot complete a K1 in Moscow anymore. Like stated above, you must travel through Europe and she must interview there. We were some of the last true K1 Moscow filers and were lucky to get through the Moscow system. We were being processed when they shut down St Petersburg and all the other locations in Russia. 
 

We had troubles and worries in 2019 for our K1. We tried to transfer to Kiev, as many other Russian girls did at the time. My wife would not go to Ukraine, because, you know, they are at WAR with each other.

 

You can transfer the case to any US consulate, if they are willing to accept you. The best way to find out is to email the consulates first and ask them. That’s what we did. They will ask for your NVC case number. They will send you instructions if they accept you. 
 

I would suggest thinking outside of the box. Tel Aviv has virtually no waits for visa processing. I don’t know if they do K1s but I would talk to them. They have very short turn around times. We are sending my wife’s parents there, in December/January in hopes of getting their tourists visas. They applied two years ago in Moscow and US state department essentially ripped them off (and everyone else who sent in their money). State department promised after Covid they will honor the money and application, but it’s false. They have essentially accepted applications and payments, in Moscow, until this July 2021 with no intentions whatsoever of providing visa services. This is a criminal act!! They stole hard earned money from poor Russians by the thousands!! The government of the USA!!!! So maybe Tel Aviv doesn’t do K1s (call and ask?) but they sure do a hell of a lot more than those clowns in Moscow.
 

otherwise, like others suggested. Tbilisi or Warsaw is her best bet. Maybe Vienna. Check all of them.

 

another thing to check, is the Russian girl’s WhatsApp chat group. If you know, you know about this! If she isn’t in the chat group, we can get her added and she can speak to other Russian girls to find out where the K1s are processing best. 

Just let us know. I have a feeling you’re already part of the men’s group chat on WhatsApp?

 

Edited October 18, 2021 by nekotakacho

[nekotakacho 60]

Is it possible you can use a PO Box as your permanent address? 
 

like previous folks have stated, you do not need anything they send you in the mail, unlesse it’s an RFE. Some of the RFE’s have specific instructions in the mailed letters and you can’t view them online.

 

I know because I got one of those RFEs about my birth certificate being non-original. So I think your mailing address is super important! 

Edited October 18, 2021 by nekotakacho

[SalishSea 16,772]

18 minutes ago, nekotakacho said:

Tel Aviv has virtually no waits for visa processing. I don’t know if they do K1s but I would talk to them. They have very short turn around times. We are sending my wife’s parents there, in December/January in hopes of getting their tourists visas.

I recommend making sure this is possible if they are not legal residents of Israel.  Consulate-shopping is frowned upon and/or not allowed.

[millefleur 5,035]

32 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

I recommend making sure this is possible if they are not legal residents of Israel.  Consulate-shopping is frowned upon and/or not allowed.

Neither Moscow Embassy nor the Dept of State have announced an official "replacement consulate" for Russian applicants, so people don't really have a choice but to write places and ask. Warsaw has never been declared as the de facto embassy for Russians. People only know about it due to word-of-mouth successful transfer cases, such as you see here on VJ and in other groups. What's even more confusing is that, the Warsaw Embassy site says: "We're currently only accepting Polish nationals and/or residents of Poland" and we know this is NOT TRUE as multiple Russian applicants have successfully transferred there without any ties to Poland! It's extremely frustrating that the US government has not published any official channel or instructions for Russian, and the information that is published is misleading and wrong.

 

Why the Embassy/DoS don't just make an official announcement as to where Russian applicants can go beyond me. I guess they keep hoping the Moscow Embassy will open again but it's not something they have control over. It is the Russian government who has banned Americans from working there, thus the Embassy and DoS can do nothing.

 

If the US government would just officially designate Warsaw as the go-to Embassy for Russians, then it would at least be clear. Since for whatever reason they won't announce that, it seems like they almost want people to consulate shop. I don't get it myself, the whole scenario is confusing. Here on VJ it seems like most people have been able to transfer to Warsaw, but we've also seen a few get accepted at embassies in Georgia and Kazakhstan. I doubt Vienna makes sense, that's just another Schengen country like Poland. If a Russian applicant had difficulty obtaining a Schengen visa, then I could see Tel Aviv as a legit option because Russians don't need a visa to enter Israel.

 

51 minutes ago, nekotakacho said:

We are sending my wife’s parents there, in December/January in hopes of getting their tourists visas.

Do your wife's parents have strong ties to Israel or are they just planning to go as tourists? Do you know if this is an option at all, have you heard from Tel Aviv that this is truly an option? Will Israel let Russians in who aren't vaccinated? I have so many questions!

Edited October 18, 2021 by millefleur

[nekotakacho 60]

1 hour ago, millefleur said:

Do your wife's parents have strong ties to Israel or are they just planning to go as tourists? Do you know if this is an option at all, have you heard from Tel Aviv that this is truly an option? Will Israel let Russians in who aren't vaccinated? I have so many questions!

They intend to go as tourists. Currently Israel is not allowing tourists from Russia but they are indicating there will be chartered flights there for Russian citizens in December.

Edited October 18, 2021 by nekotakacho

[nekotakacho 60]

1 hour ago, Jorgedig said:

I recommend making sure this is possible if they are not legal residents of Israel.  Consulate-shopping is frowned upon and/or not allowed.

Frowned upon? What do you suggest Russians do then? Wait for Biden?? Lmao!

[nekotakacho 60]

I promise you that the Russian girls WhatsApp chat has all the details about which countries are processing K1s for Russians. My wife showed me the website. They have a spreadsheet style website that shows the processing times and availability for all US consulates, for Russian citizens (it’s in Russian language).

 

we even looked at transferring to Greece. My wife has a Schengen visa so it wouldn’t have been hard, pre-Covid. 
 

My wife was also born in Kazakhstan and that was an option as well. Honestly, Georgia is probably the cheapest route, but I’m not sure how long their processing times are. 
 

for my in-laws tourist visas, we have looked at transferring them everywhere and found that Israel will be best, since they speak Russian and do not need translators. We hope they will open and allow them to get processed before February. 
 

most likely they will have to quarantine there and stay near the embassy. They also have to take Covid tests upon arrival and departure, I believe. But the main benefit is that their staff speak Russian. You are not allowed a translator in your interview. Surprise! 

Edited October 18, 2021 by nekotakacho

[SalishSea 16,772]

1 hour ago, nekotakacho said:

Frowned upon? What do you suggest Russians do then? Wait for Biden?? Lmao!

I suggest Russians complain to their very own government about its policy.

 

Do you know for sure that the US consulate in Tel Aviv will schedule interviews for B visas for foreign nationals with no ties to Israel?

 

It is one thing for them to be able to travel there visa-free.  B visas have been low priority globally, and generally you cannot interview for a tourist visa in a country where you are not a legal resident, so I would make sure that they can interview there before traveling all that way.

[Cherie123 8]

My son had a similar situation. He and his wife were married in Tbilisi and lived there for a year after getting married. His lawyer told him to use our (his parents) address . It is now at the NVC stage. NVC assigned my daughter-in-law’s interview to Tbilisi, even though she is back in Moscow now. Now they are waiting for interview date. 

[nekotakacho 60]

8 hours ago, Jorgedig said:

I suggest Russians complain to their very own government about its policy.

 

Do you know for sure that the US consulate in Tel Aviv will schedule interviews for B visas for foreign nationals with no ties to Israel?

 

It is one thing for them to be able to travel there visa-free.  B visas have been low priority globally, and generally you cannot interview for a tourist visa in a country where you are not a legal resident, so I would make sure that they can interview there before traveling all that way.

Yes I do know Israel processes b visas for Russians. They get maybe 30-50 a month when they’re processing them. They usually go in groups or charters. Not only that, they speak Russian in Israel. Anything else you need help with?
 

why would the citizens of Russia complain to the Russian government about American government?? That is a very strange thing for you to suggest. Do you even know that the Russian government doesn’t care about the Russian people, much less the Americans politics or government? This isn’t New Zealand and they don’t pledge allegiance to the Queen of England. 
 

And let’s be very clear here, the Russians removed the US staff AFTER the Russian staff was removed from the USA. How do I know? Because we deal with all these wonderful people on both sides of this stupid fence

Edited October 18, 2021 by nekotakacho