U.S. Immigration Visa for Russian Wife

[Welcome to USA216 0]

I'm an American living in Russia with my Russian wife. I applied for my wife to get an immigration visa to the U.S. and I finally I got an email notification from the NVC that my wife's documents were qualified on November 7th, 2022:

 

"The National Visa Center (NVC) received all of the fees, forms, and documents that are required prior to attending an immigrant visa interview at a U.S. Embassy/Consulate General overseas.

NVC will work with the U.S. Embassy/Consulate General in ANKARA, TRKY to schedule an interview appointment for you. Once we have confirmed an interview date, we will send a notice to you, your petitioner and attorney (if applicable)"

 

But since then, we haven't heard anything from the NVC. 

 

Currently, the usual location for Russians to have their U.S. immigration visas processed is in Warsaw, Poland, but due to the state of the world and the difficulty for Russians to get to Poland at the moment, I was able to ask my congressperson to get my wife's case transferred to Ankara, Turkey. Russians don’t need a visa to get to Turkey so we thought it would be easier to apply from there.

 

I have tried various approaches to expedite my wife's case, including contacting my congresswoman, senator, White House helpline, and submitting a Statement of Hardship with evidence. However, nothing has worked so far, and I've only been asked to “please wait.” 

Things here in Russia are continuing to deteriorate and as my wife is unemployed and entirely dependent on my income for survival, I can't just go to the U.S. and wait this process out. 

 

Does anyone have any advice on how to get my Russian wife a U.S. immigration visa as soon as possible?

I’ve tried every reason to show a need to expedite my wife’s case and all I’m met with is silence or just that I need to keep waiting. 

 

I’m really open to anything at this point.

[powerpuff 6,734]

~~ Topic moved to regional discussion: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus ~~

 

Choosing Ankara without researching was a poor choice. It’s a consulate with a large backlog and even longer one for non-residents such as your spouse.

 

Not wanting to wait longer or getting to the US “as soon as possible” are not valid expedite reasons - that’s the wish of everyone going through the same process as you. Unless you have exceptional circumstances, and from what you described, you do not,  your best bet is to research around for consulates with a smaller backlog and ask if they will accept your case for a transfer.

 

9 hours ago, Welcome to USA216 said:

Things here in Russia are continuing to deteriorate and as my wife is unemployed and entirely dependent on my income for survival, I can't just go to the U.S. and wait this process out. 

A lot of beneficiary spouses are unemployed and relying on their US spouses for income, this is not something extraordinary. A lot of them are also from countries that have a much more unstable situation than Russia and have civil wars and unrest raging (Sudan, Haiti, Afghanistan, Iraq, the list goes on) but they wait just as everybody else. A lot of them do not have the privilege to live together, they’re separated for many years. I don’t see what is stopping you, the US petitioner, from waiting the process out in the US.

This is my honest, objective and realistic feedback on your situation. As I mentioned, start looking for a more strategic consulate to transfer your case to.

Edited May 4, 2023 by powerpuff

[Welcome to USA216 0]

I knew Ankara has a backlog of cases but I thought because I am an American citizen my wife would be able to get some kind of priority. I also expected to be able to expedite my wife’s case there so the backlog would not be as much of a factor.

 

Last October 2022, through my congressperson, I provided a Statement of Hardship about the dangerous situation my wife and I are living through by continuing to stay in Russia and the embassy in Ankara approved the request, but they would only go forward with it if my wife could prove she was in Turkey for a solid month while the process continues. I have emails stating that the expedite request for my wife has been approved.

 

I tried to get more clarification on the matter but when my congressperson’s district was redrawn the representative I was dealing with disappeared and all I got was an auto-reply that they can’t help me anymore and that I should start the process again with a new representative.

 

I am now dealing with my Senator and his representative is telling me my wife’s case can be advanced for medical reasons and that alone. So I keep getting conflicting information from my government representatives.

 

So my initial expedite request was approved but for some reason now it can’t be?

 

Also, I work for a Russian company and get paid in rubles. If I leave Russia I lose my job and access to any income that can provide for myself and my wife. And with Russia being cut off from the Western banking system, even if I left here for the U.S. and found another job as soon as possible, I would have no means to transfer my income to my wife in Russia.

[Chancy 6,241]

15 hours ago, Welcome to USA216 said:

I thought because I am an American citizen my wife would be able to get some kind of priority.

 

But what reason would you have to get priority over all the other Americans also pursuing visas for their spouses through the consulate in Ankara?  That's the line your wife is at, the CR1/IR1 interview line -- all applicants are spouses of Americans.  And it's Ankara's policy to prioritize applicants who are legal residents of Turkey.

 

This RUB sub-forum has many reports from other Americans who successfully requested their beneficiary's cases to be transferred to Jerusalem or Almaty.  Maybe you could try those other consulates instead.

 

[PakistaniRussian 83]

I have a Russian fiance' (she has a Turkish Resident Permit for 2 years now). NVC is about to create our case. I heard horribly backlog stories about Ankara, so we are thinking about moving our case to Almaty, KZ or Belgrade, Serbia if possible. I'll keep you all posted if either accepts us. Otherwise, we are either stuck with Warsaw, Poland or Ankara. Not sure which one has a larger backlog

[Vashezzo 43]

34 minutes ago, PakistaniRussian said:

I have a Russian fiance' (she has a Turkish Resident Permit for 2 years now). NVC is about to create our case. I heard horribly backlog stories about Ankara, so we are thinking about moving our case to Almaty, KZ or Belgrade, Serbia if possible. I'll keep you all posted if either accepts us. Otherwise, we are either stuck with Warsaw, Poland or Ankara. Not sure which one has a larger backlog

Don't take this as gospel, but according to VJ statistics Ankara isn't bad at all for K-1 filers. You can check here, just search for "Ankara" https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/stats.php?cfl=

 

63 day average for K1 vs 322 days for an IR1 or CR1

[PakistaniRussian 83]

8 minutes ago, Vashezzo said:

Don't take this as gospel, but according to VJ statistics Ankara isn't bad at all for K-1 filers. You can check here, just search for "Ankara" https://www.visajourney.com/timeline/stats.php?cfl=

 

63 day average for K1 vs 322 days for an IR1 or CR1

Okay that's good to know. I just know its very difficult to get an appointment scheduled because Ankara's scheduling system is poorly designed and you have to check every day to get a slot

 

But more than likely, we'll stick to the plan and do Ankara because we live there currently and the embassy is right down the road. 

[Simplytex 387]

On 5/4/2023 at 7:33 AM, Welcome to USA216 said:

Does anyone have any advice on how to get my Russian wife a U.S. immigration visa as soon as possible?

 

If you are still in Russia, try to transfer to Almaty, Jerusalem, or back to Warsaw. All of those are processing pretty quickly. Ankara has too many ME&A cases (Iraq, refugees, etc.)

[PakistaniRussian 83]

17 hours ago, Simplytex said:

If you are still in Russia, try to transfer to Almaty, Jerusalem, or back to Warsaw. All of those are processing pretty quickly. Ankara has too many ME&A cases (Iraq, refugees, etc.)

We are Turkish Residents, but my wife is Russian. Should I transfer to Ankara or Almaty in your opinion? Currently its going to be going to Warsaw, but we will be eligible to transfer to Ankara, although I'm on the fence if we should transfer it to Turkey or not because of all the issues I've heard about the Ankara embassy