Codeblue009

Congratualtions!!!! Happy Birthday and I am so happy for you!!!! Good luck!!

It is good. A man SHOULD work and the woman should provide a cozy home and huge amounts of sex

Is there any other way?

Alla has a friend. Olga, from Donetsk but now living in Moscow that has been after her to find her a "good American man"' She is very tall, not bad looking, about 40 years old, never married, no children. Speaks English a little. She likes to practice with me when she skypes with Alla. She loves cities so Chicago would be a good area for her. Plus, it is almost tropical compared to Moscow.She is educated, intelligent, likes arts and opera and theatre (she is Alla's theatre and opera pal)

I will ask Alla if she is still interested.

Gary, Moscow can be quite tame compared to a Chicago winter!!! I lived there for 18 years!!! But Chi-town is a great place and the largest polish population outside Warsaw.

If you can , do it in St Petersburg, the hotels are cheaper and better than in Moscow; there is a season of white nights (polar nights ) right now, with only couple of hours of actual nighttime in during month of June; so it would be better there. Visit places like Hermmitage< Russian Museeum , Petropavlovskay krepost, Avrora, and so on - this ciy is the cultural center of Russia!

Agreed!!! St. Petersburg was a very romantic place and has many activities to choose from. Hermitage is a wonderful place to start.

This is old news, the fees increased LAST June (2010...Hello!) YES it is $350 for EACH visa. PLUS medical fees for each person, PLUS AOS fees for each person PLUS RoC fees for each person.

I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go!

If you go down a little further, you will find they have the Orals and valleys in Ukraine also.

Maybe you could get a bit more in depth with that post.

btw I can't think of any nations that the US has open visa laws with that has such a miserable human rights record such as Russia where murdering journalist and anyone else deemed a threat to the mafia run Kremlin is the norm.

Hmmmmmm.....Does China ring a bell?

Olya got her visa and flew here Kazan-Frankfurt-Chicago with her children on the 24th. No questions at POE, just opened the envelopes, looked at the passports/visas, and did the fingerprints! Their flight was late due to having to avoid the iceland volcano eruption. It was a good thing we had already decided it was not worth chancing the connection in Chicago which was less than 90 minutes. We had decided I would meet them there and we would make the 7 hour drive north rather than wait 10 hours for an uncertain next flight north.

On the way north the 2 year-old vomited once. No big deal, they all had restless stomachs after the airline food. We arrived home and tried to sleep but she vomited twice more. She was fine Wednesday but vomited again that night. Thursday morning she had a seizure. Olya was terrified! I wasn't doing much better! We spent the day in the hospital where they found dehydration, low blood sugar, and fever. After IV fluids she was discharged at 5pm. At 6pm while happily playing outside she fell and had a second seizure! More sheer panic and back to the ER. She stayed in the hospital this time and began strong meds for epilepsy. All the tests that could be done locally were done and no answer was found. She needs referral to a major children's center soon for specialist evaluation and more testing. For now she is doing well but suffering major side effects (sedation, incoordination) from the meds. At least we hope it is only the meds!

I have a good income but we are talking some major expenses here. Of course I want everything done for her, what could be more important?! But we decided that since we were planning marriage anyway why wait? We got the 3 day waiting period waived and a marriage license Friday. A clergy friend performed the wedding right there in the hospital room. Now the 2 year-old has insurance! But it was not what we had wanted, certainly! Maybe we will still do the ceremony in July.

This has been the most intense and excruciating emotional roller-coaster I could ever imagine! Olya was convinced her daughter was dying. We have both lost children in the past so we share that awful knowledge already that nobody should ever know. Now we face an uncertain future. It remains to be seen whether this stress will bind us more tightly together or threaten to tear us apart.

The point I hope to make here is that the risk so many of us take of having our fiancees going without good health insurance while our marriages are pending may be a very foolish risk. The last thing any of us needs during this is a great deal of added financial stress if the unthinkable should happen. I hope none of you out there have to endure what we have faced the last few days (it seems like years!).

But if you do I hope you have the insurance coverage you need. The risk is not worth taking!

I pray that Olya's child has a speedy recovery and I agree with you on the matter of having good insurance for the ones you love. There is more to consider than filing for a visa to get them here. Life can turn complicated in a hurry. James, I am praying for you and Olya and I hope this will bring you both closer together. God Bless you all!

No offense but...

You sure 29 times to Ukraine? Seems your mentioning of "the" Ukraine is rather ... ignorant

For those of you other countries reading it's not "the" Ukraine it's Ukraine

Grammer noted, and yes, I have been there 29 times.

I'm from Simferopol (nothing to see there, pretty much).

Go to Yalta, Alushta, Sevastopol (museums and port), Bahchisaraj (dunno how it's spelled properly) for the Khan's Palace.

Khersones (ancient ruins).

Botanical Gardens, for sure too.

Other than that - figure it out once you get there. There's lots of places to see.

Definitely Botanical Gardens!!! Been there 4 times, as recent as last year.

This will never happen. Ukraine did this only one way. US will never allow this. There would be huge in-flux of illegal immigrants from Russia. Unfortunately for me as I am trying to get my in-laws for larger wedding for September and not sure if this will happen.

I don't know about a huge imflux of people coming from Russia to the U.S.A. Though I have only been to Russia 7 times, the predominant feeling I get is that most people would like to visit, but not stay. Then there is something of the expense coming here. Now, I've been to the Ukraine 29 times and I know that most of them don't want to stay in the States either. Yes, the Ukraine waives the visa requirement, but I think the immigration policy won't change too much but be a little more flexible for Russian citizens, with respect to U.S. visa requirements. Now I have no problem going to the Russian Consulate or use Red Star travel for my Russian visa. I have to go there next month anyways. The new policy won't help me now. Anyway, just my 2 cents.

About 7 years ago I stayed at a sanatorium in Livadia, Ukraine. It's about 10 miles by bus to downtown Yalta. It was a great place. It had been a palace but was converted into this health resort. There was lots to see and do, from taking the tram up to the top of the nearby mountains, to lounging along the Black Sea. The former tsar palace is not far away where the Yalta Conference of World War II was held. The boardwalk along the Black Sea in Yalta is delightful with restaurants and shops. They had a spot where you could dress up like royalty of old and have photos taken. It was a great time. Of course, the food at the sanatorium was included in the price and it was "healthy" for you. I think that means it has little taste.

I am sure there are several resorts there to choose from. Sorry, I can't remember the exact name but I'm pretty sure any one there would be nice. Have your SO look into some spas there. We also took a bus tour over to Massandra winery. The wine tasting portion was more of a wine drinking than a tasting. Most of their wines are too fruity tasting for me. But it was interesting and fun.

The above is a must for everyone, but also go to Sevastopol and Balakava. In Yalta you can stay at the tourist hotel or any other fine hotels in the area. I have a personal love for Simferopol. :-) Been there so many times, I am practically a resident. But between Yalta, Alushta, Sevastopol and Balakava (near Sevastopol) you will have a great time. Good Luck to you!!!

There is no question as to who is the "boss of the house". The man is the "boss outside of the house", the house belongs to the woman. Just give up on that one and your life will be much less stressful.

Truer words have never been spoken!!!!!

Well, we finally have an interview date, 17 June at 9:00 AM. Lena wants to get an estimate of how long the interview lasts from start to finish from those of you who have gone through the process. She needs to consider what time to schedule her return train ride back to Kharkov. I realize that an estimate is - just that but please chime-in. Thanks so much!

Well it depends on the amount of people there that day and how well you answer the questions, but in 2008, Natasha was there for an 0830 appointment and was out in under two hours. By the way, I hate the train ride, especially if she is taking the overnight train. Kharkov was the first Ukrainian city I visited. If you can afford it, Ukraine International has an afternoon flight going to Kharkov. It's quicker and convenient. Good Luck!!!!

They are all tricksters! We had a party here Sunday and one of the single women was whining about not having a man. Alla told her that she has to "pretend to be real nice until they marry you and then..." Then she turned around and saw me standing there.

Yeah, I guess my girl is a little different in her approach. I see how good, sweet and obedient she is with her mother. I made a comment on how I thought that was wonderful (Big Mistake). She told me right away, She will not be like that with me! She is the boss in our house! I learned to keep my comments to myself!!!

To all December filers, I just wanted to let you know that I received my NOA2 today!!! My NOA1 date was December 29. I am the happiest now. Thank you to all of you who provide the GREAT information.

Brandon

Congratulations!!!!!

I read somewhere that such a bill was introduced, probably by Zhirinovsky, but it didn't make it past the Duma.

As others have mentioned, I use an agency, Visa Express. I guess there are less expensive ways, but I was willing to pay the roughly $175 to let someone else jump through all the hoops for me. That includes the visa and letter of invitation.

Less than 2 hours til we leave for the airport, woohoo!

Good luck to you and enjoy your trip!

I got a letter from NVC saying that our case was forwarded to the US Embassy in Moscow. I called NVC to get a sense on how long it takes for the documents to travel between US and Russia. I was told that it take about 3-5 days to reach the embassy and I, if I want to get an update, I should call the embassy directly and give them the case number.

So late last night I called the embassy and found out that I have to pay to get the status of our visa application. Was I given a wrong number or this is how US does business overseas now?

Ahhhhhhh...Russian Capitalism!!!!!!! Czar Vladimir, can I have a loan please!

The Moscow Embassy website clearly states that the I-134 is not needed AND it clearly states that the I-134 must be notarized. Clear as mud.

Know that the consulates can impose their own rules regardless of what USCIS says.

That being said many have gone through Moscow with notarization.

I must be blind as a bat, because I can't see where it indicates that an I-134 must be notorized. Checked the embassy website and saw no reference to it. Though the OP is correct in saying the I-134 did not need notorization in the Ukraine, I also thought the same of Russia. Correct me if I am wrong, but what is the purpose of submitting your taxes if they do not correspond with your ability to support your fiance/spouse? I sent the I-134 (along with 3 years of current tax returns) with my original petition and gave Olya a copy of all the petition packet. I didn't notorize anything. Though Baron you are correct that the consulate can do as they please, I hope that it is not mandated to have a notorized I-134. I'll find out next month if that will be the case.

Thans for the information. Can you tell us how you got a visa to Russia "just in case"? I would like to do that as Donetsk is close to Russia and Alla has relatrives just across the border and we never really know when we would like to go there and visit but for me to attend Sergey's graduation this year in Moscow and for our previous visits, there was no "just in case" about it. Many of us here would like to know about that.

Your experience would be invaluable.

I use Red Star Travel Agency in Seattle. They are really nice people and the lady who runs the agency is really helpful. I met her when I was living in Seattle for 6 months. Also, since I live in Houston, I just go to the Russian Consulate office here and it is much cheaper. You just need a letter of invitation that any Russian hotel can give you. Just do a search for Red Star Travel it will pop up. There are multiple Russian visa options, so talk to them an let them now what you want to do. No worries about multiple Ukrainian entries, since U.S.C are visa waivered. Good Luck and anyone needs more information just send me a message. You all are great!!!

No one said it is not possible.

Any mature man looking for a long term relationship with a much younger woman in Russia/Ukraine/Belarus with no kids, needs his head examined, IMO. However it is absolutely no problem for a man in his 40s to find a woman in her 20s that will have sex with him/live with him/marry him. And yes it is "easy". Note that I did not say ALL women and I did not even say MOST women, I said it is "no problem" to do so. I had plenty of opportunity from day one to do so if I wanted. A few thousand women out of the hundreds of thousands living in Odessa is more than enough to keep a man busy.

I do not think anyone will deny that Russia and Ukraine and Belarus are well represented in the foreign marriage advertisement sites and not many of the advertisers are men. Yet it is probably just a fraction of 1% of the women in those countries. Anyone thinking the average woman in those countries is wandering around with dreams of meeting an American and moving to America is wacko. Most don't even give it a thought and as many as "will do it" are "afraid to do it".

Now in case anyone hasn't figured it out, Eduard's posts were advertisements for a service he provides in order to make money. They should be taken as such.

Once again Gary, I agree with you! I never lived in the Ukraine, but been there 29 times. I have been fortunate enough to meet good friends and learn about their culture. You are absolutely correct on the fact that most of the women will not leave their country, nor wait for a foreigner. Though Odessa girls might want you to take then to Steak House for dinner, then send you back to your country. I love all my Odessa women! Point is, everyone has their own likes and dislikes. Not all FSU countries contain only scammers, you just have to be intelligent enough to understand that it might happen and be on guard. Everyone has different paths they choose to follow to find the one or the ones! I had a combination of ways that I reached mine, just like others will have theirs. It was a great journey for me and I even had some scammers in the mix, but it was a lot of fun!

That is a really good point and I do agree that most American's have a very distorted view of what life is like in other parts of the world. Vacationing abroad can help but living abroad would really change someones perspecive of life in other countries. I do agree totally with what you said.

We're kind of artsy-fartsy. Theater, ballet, museums, stuff like that. No interest in amusement parks. Supposedly there's some good shopping to be had on Nevsky Prospekt, which of course is of special interest to Victoria. I'm kind of an amateur military history buff too, and I've heard there's a great Naval museum that we'll check out. If we go, that is. We won't decide until we get to Kyiv and see how involved with family we'll need to be. We'll be abroad for a month, and if we can pull off a week in St. Pete that would be nifty.

If you have time go to Sevastopol and Balakava. The Russian Navy is stationed in Sevastopol and Balakava has the former nuclear submarine base there. I went to all those places in St. Petersburg you mentioned. It was awsome. Try to look for a direct flight from Borispol. maybe aerosvit or Aeroflot. Good luck and enjoy yourselves.

Olya had her interview today and all went well after one little scare for her. When she went to pay the $1050.00 ($350 apiece for her and the 2 kids) they refused to accept the payment in US cash that I left with her when I was there! Apparently when they say it can be paid in dollars or in rubles they mean in 'Russian' dollars, whatever they are. They would not accept regular US cash and she had to go to a nearby bank that only gave her 26 rubles per dollar, even though the embassy was using a fee of 30 rubles per dollar. Fortunately she had a bit of extra cash with her. But I guess all is well that ends well, they asked only several simple questions and asked to see a few pictures, then told her she would have the visa in a week! Their flight is booked for the 24th!

Thanks for the information. I am trying to schedule my finaces interview date now. I will tell her about the money situation.