semga

Hello everyone,

It is time for us to send the I-751 to USCIS. My wife's and daughter's temporary status expires on 1/9/2010. It would have been easy but our 10 years old daughter is in her home country Russia now with wife's parents. She left the US in late August and is attending school there. We are planning to bring her back permanently at the end of this school year.

We are going to include her data in the part 5 of I-751. The question is biometrics appointment and possible interview. We understand as she is only 10, she is not requred to have her fingerprints taken. But what about photo? Must it be taken at local Service Center, or she can have photos taken in Russia and sent to the US? Or, can she go to the US Consulate (there is one in the city where she is living now) and have her photo taken there?

And if we are invited for interview, is it necessary for her to come there with us? Or, what could happen if she does not come? how long in advance couples are usually informed of the interview date?

Thank you.

... you take vaccination record either from the doctor in foreign country to a civil surgeon to have transfered to an I-693A ...

... We had vaccinations done overseas just after visa was issued, and the medical center issued a vaccination record in the form of a small yellow book, we took it to a Civil Surgeon for transfer to I-693A supplement...

Hi YuAndDan,

I just found your post whiel searching for the answer how this vaccination record gets translated from the foreign language into English. My fiancee (wife now) does not have a copy of DS3025 from her medical for the K-1 visa. The only thing she has is her original immunization book in Russian. What do we do about this? Will appreciate the answer a lot.

In reviewing the VJ.com website, it seems my wife (here on a K1) will need to fill out Form I-693a as part of her AOS package. Where can I find this form???? Did you all do this???

...

The I-693A is 'the' medical/vaccination supplement - this is used when filing AOS. Niether the beneficiary, nor USC, completes this, it is done by a civil surgeon. The civil surgeon has these forms on hand and will complete it for you -....

What I do not understand is where the Civil Surgeon gets the information to fill out the I-693A. My fiancee (wife now) was not given any copy of DS3025 at her medical in Moscow. She has no documents from this medical. She submitted her sealed envelope at the point of entry - that's it. She has her vaccination record in Russian. So, what does Civil Surgeon do with this? Or we have to translate this record into English?

Thanks.

For this one our interview is next Tuesday...

Good luck to you both!

... my wife just asked what I am doing. I said I am reading posts from the guy who wished us good luck in April. She remembers her experience and wishes everything is all right for you both!

$600 if filing in conjunction with a parent other wise $930

thanks again for the quick reply. I really appreciate it

It can be found in the instructions to the I-485 at www.uscis.gov (and attached here)

i_485instr.pdf

I am filing for AOS for my K1 fiancee converted to wife and her K2 daughter. While I am preparing I-131 for my wife, do I need to do the same for her daughter? The daughter is 8 years old. If my wife takes her daughter back to Russia for vacation, how would the daughter be allowed back to US? Girl has her own Passport. How would the girl leave Russia in this case?

Thank you.

Thank you all for your answers.

My fiancee's visa expires on Aug 2. Unfortunately August 2 is not a weekend and we are missing this last weekend Saturday July 28, before the visa expiration date. How strict is USCIS if we are married on August 4, two days after visa officially expired? I know we can get married on business day, but ... Did anyone have have such experience - being married just after 90 days?

Thank you.

As I fill in her name on these forms, how do I write it, first name patronymic last name?

Or just first name and surname?

If she does not mind (however, she might) just first and last names are OK. And consistency: it must go like this through all other documents. And it will continue in Driver's License, SS card, etc. People were making mistakes, and my credit applications were rejected a couple of times just because people in US are not used to see middle names in DL's, etc. and would take my middle name (my dad's first name) as if it was my last name. Sure it did not match with SS#.

Thank you all for good words and support.

I called the Embassy info line two times. Girl on the phone could not give me any specific information about our case, as they do not comment on pending cases - this is what I understand. She just told the case is pending and I may want to call next day. I called but there was no fresh news. So, she said it can last from 3-4 days to v-e-e-r-y l-o-o-n-g and suggested to call next (this) week. I have started writing a letter to my congresswoman on Friday night. On Monday, when I was on the phone with my fiancee, she answered her cell phone: DHL was asking for directions to her house. Five minutes later she had two packages with documents in her hands! She was opening them and her heart ... well, you may imagine.

They are going to be here in two weeks. Packing their stuff now. Four suitcases, 23 kg each, plus hand baggage - I will need to rent a van :-)

Just an update, for completeness:

My fiancee and her daughter received package with visas in their passports, and sealed packets by DHL yesterday!!!

Does the Moscow Embassy really require a " Statement from a Fiancial Officer or Institution" because my bank (Bank of America) does not seem to have very much interest in doing this. Will they accept my online statements along with my pay stubs to match up my deposits for the last year. I figured I would do a summary sheet for "easy reading" for the consul. One person said this would be fine but I would like some more input if possible!! Thanks

I have sent I-134 just four weeks ago and it was accepted. Not sure how much attention they pay to it. I sent my 2006 W-2 and 1099-MISC, as well as faxed letter from... Bank of America (did not notarize as it has Officer's signature on it).

I went to the BofA branch and asked for such letter. They gave me 800 number to call, I called, and they faxed it (as my time to interview was running out, otherwise they would send it by snail mail) to the branch I told them to. They charged me $20. I believe few recent regular statements would do as well. Why? My other bank (where the most of my money is) just printed out the statement of my accounts, which I could do at my computer at home.

No, I was never charged a fine for registering late. All I had to pay was the standard registration fee. I think I paid $25.00 and a box of chocolate candy at OVIR each time and the one time my fiancée registered me through a hotel was $20.00.

Wow, you really overpaid. I always paid 20 rubles ($0.75) for my registration at Sberbank. Then I would bring the paid slip to the OVIR. Never any candy or bribes. In fact the OVIR didn't even want to accept payment and only wanted the paid bank slip. The hotel I stayed at in Sochi didn't charge anything for registration because by law they have to do it. So if they charge, they are ripping you off for some kind of service because you can't demand your rights in Russian. Same situation in Moscow. Stayed at a hostel for two days and they did my registration for free. These companies that do your guys' visa invitations and visa registrations are just making a profit of something that costs almost nothing.

For example if you go to a Russian travel agent and order a hotel room they will issue a tourist invitation for free as part of the service. I am surprised your ladies don't make any of the reservations. Same with the new post office thing. I am sure the post office is charging less than a $1 for the Russian citizen to register the foreigner yet they take $20+ from you. Even the private invitation runs around $15 for the Russian citizen to order and no where near what the agencies charge. At least your fiancée bought the train tickets. I am sure the English speaking agencies make a good buck on this too.

My 2 cents:

There is more than one way to get registered, and >1 type of visa. If ones girlfiend has time and stomach to spend a day in OVIR for getting your Invitation (for homestay visa) done and sent to you (and it needs to be done well in advance you depart form your home, about a month), and then she would spend another 2 to 8 hours to get you registered, then it is fine. If one has either business or tourist visa, s/he can book a hotel and get registered there for free. But he would either need to pay for at least one night in hotel, or would not get a registration. And now they do not want to register you for longer than you are staying in the hotel. Before, I would stay a night in the hotel, get registered for three weeks, cacncel and leave. Now, on several occasions they didi not want to do it, just registered me for the exact amount of days I stayed. So, I go to travel agencies, pay them much less then I would spend for night in hotel, and get registered for as long as I like (up to 90 days).

Yes, they retained both passpots and girl's Birth Certificate. This surpruses me as this is not a passport where they put visa, and not a US issued document. In addition, it cause problems outside of the Embassy like not being allowed into train as the train ticket was purchased on birth certificate (like here you need ID to buy a plane ticket). So, girl had no documents while on the streets of Moscow and if stoped by police they would have to... well, pay 300 rubles or so, in best case.

I wrote, no, she did not and could not have a document from the father as he is not around for last 8.5 years. And asking for this permission contradicts Russian law. And American law does not require such permission either, as this is outside of US jurisdiction. She does have a document (passport) saying she is not and have never been married. And she has shown a document from Social Security office stating she IS a single mother.

1) Did she provide her internal passport or her international passport? What do you mean this is not where they put the visa and is not a US issued document? Where do you think they put the visa when issued?

2) I agree Russian law does not have any bearing on this

3) Procedure or required documents is not governed by any law. US consulate can establish any procedure or require any document they wish in order to issue a visa... If they require a particular document they can, plain and simple.... So in my estimation that any potential claim of "outside jurisdiction" you feel you may have will not stand up....

I hope this clears for you quickly....

Sorry, I did not make it clear. Was too ...

1) Both international passports of my fiancee and her daughter were taken. This is where they put visas, I know. They do not put visa into birth certificate, I believe. And Birth Certificate is not a US document, it was issued in Russia.

3) They could take a copy (which was provided), not an original. They saw the original already, it was in interviewer's hands. Taking the original document and not giving her any letter about this could create problem outside of the embassy under some unfortunate circumstances, believe me.

I hope everything clears soon... Thanks again.

Wow, that's terrible Segma, I hope they do their "thinking" quickly and this gets resolved. Are you going to call the Embassy to see if they will tell you more about what happened?

Did you have your previous two K-1 petitions listed on your I-129F application? What happened with those? Were they approved or denied?

I have only been to Russia once to visit my fiancee, but that has nothing to do with how much I love her or my intent to marry her! It's simply a matter of economics - it's too expensive for me to travel there to visit her, and I can't take the time off from work. I hope the interviewer doesn't look at this as a negative.

I guess the situation with your fiancee's daughter could be a problem. I don't know much about that, or how strict they are about getting the father's written permission before the child will be allowed to leave Russia.

Good luck to you. Please let us know how it works out.

James

Hi James,

I just called the embassy (please see my answer to Turboguy).

Sure, I submitted all necessary info about previous I-129F's on my recent I-129F and on my I-134. Otherwise, we would not be at the interview stage. Also, I told my fiancee as early as I could about those, and she does not have problem with my past. Both I-129F's were approved (in 1999 and 2005). First girl made it to US but it did not work, actually it started falling apart before her coming to US. She returned to Russia, did not overstay her visa, returned her I-94. Second one have not got a chance to go to the scheduled interview as I learned she has been having another romance in Ireland (it is called diversification).

Yes, damn economics... But meeting are needed. Not for interviewer. For both of you to learn better about each other and yourself (sorry for advice). Phone conversations are nice. When people live together their interests sometimes come into conflict, and that could be a moment of truth. Look, it is a bit easier for me as I am from there, but still we needed to learn ... The winter of (not so) cheap tickets is over :-( I wish you luck.

A couple of quick questions...

Did they retain her passport or did she leave with it in her possession?

Did you have notarized document from the father providing permission for the child to leave Russia?

Yes, they retained both passpots and girl's Birth Certificate. This surpruses me as this is not a passport where they put visa, and not a US issued document. In addition, it cause problems outside of the Embassy like not being allowed into train as the train ticket was purchased on birth certificate (like here you need ID to buy a plane ticket). So, girl had no documents while on the streets of Moscow and if stoped by police they would have to... well, pay 300 rubles or so, in best case.

I wrote, no, she did not and could not have a document from the father as he is not around for last 8.5 years. And asking for this permission contradicts Russian law. And American law does not require such permission either, as this is outside of US jurisdiction. She does have a document (passport) saying she is not and have never been married. And she has shown a document from Social Security office stating she IS a single mother.

Semga, I have been thinking about your post all day. Much of it is feeling some empathy for you, it is also being worried a bit more about my own after seeing what you have gone through. I'ts my second and we have a pretty good age difference.

I mentioned before contact your congressman.

I think if they wanted a letter from the child's father they would have given you a 221-G asking for it. I don't see that as the problem.

I think they are going to approve it but want to make you sweat a bit to make sure you are not back for a 4th K-1

I would also suggest sending an E-mail to the Embassy. Outline the proofs of relationship you have, profess your dying love and ask if there is any information you can provide that might help them in their decision.

As long as they did not give the passport back there is hope.

Turboguy,

Thank you for your words and thoughts.

I am going to take some actions if the situation does not resolve quickly. I just called the Embassy info line and explained the situation. Girl on the phone told me to call back tomorrow at same time and tell them I made an inquiry. May be, Consular Section will have an update, she said. If this does not produce anything positive, I am going to write to congressman.

I am still thinking, the visa will be approved in a shorter period of time, as there is no grounds to ask for someone's permission for a child one never lived with, did not want to give his name to, never was interested in, or supported. Also, there is no grounds in Russian law for asking for such permission in this situation. The law on entry and exit from Russia clearly states this. LAW on entry/exit form Russia (Chapter 20 and 21)

My fiancee called the Embassy about two weeks ago and asked this very question: what to bring to the interview to prove she is single mother and only she makes decisions about her daughter. She was told NOTHING IS NEEDED. Then she went further and asked would it make sence to bring that single mom SPRAVKA. The answer was THAT WOULD BE PERFECT. She also called Border Guard Service (pogranichniki) and they confirmed no extra documents are required, just usual stuff: passports, birth certificate, and visas.

As to K-1 #4, I told myself a year ago: no #4! :-)

Good luck with your trip. I think it does not really matter where you were meeting but more for how long and how often. Age difference: it is 14 years in our case. It seems if the situation with documents is plain and usual, the approval is quick [but we know it can be made looking nice]. If there is something out of what they consider standard, the flag is raised, no matter there is a real ground for it or not.

My fiancee walked out from the Embassy in Moscow about 1 hour ago, where she had very strange interview. She was told at the end, they will think whether to give her visa or not. The thinking process will last between 2 to 3 weeks.

Not sure about sequence of questions, but these are some of those she was asked:

1. She was asked (with raised voice) whether she knows that I filed two petitions for Russian fiancees before (ah, shame on me: I should have gotten married two times and leave a dosen children behind before even emigrating to US). She said, yes she knows because I told her a while ago, and she has no problems with this. {interesting: she was not asked why Russian guy is so persistent in his desire to marry Russian woman:-) }

2. Another question: why she wants to marry me. I hope she answered well )

3. How many times I was in Russia meeting her? She said: three times: July, August, November, and we spent 10 Christmass days in Europe together. Apparently, this is not enough, in interviewer's eyes. She (interviewer) was not interesed in seeing our photos together (about 20 from all these visits).

4. My fiancee was asked where is her daughter's father. She said they broke up before her daughter was born (which is true) and she does not know where he or any of his family members are. He is not interested in his daughter. Interviewer asked her daughter HOW MANY TIMES she had contacts with her father. 8 years old answered: No, SHE HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM OR HEARD FROM HIM. My fiancee has shown daughter's birth certificate with both her and that man's name on it (8 years ago, she was advised by employee of the Social Security office СОБЕС to put man's real name there. Sometimes women do not put any name in "father" space there). She has also shown Russian internal passport with no marriage stamp in it. (For those who does not know: Russians have internal passports and fact of being married or divorced is stated there, in addition to having mariage certificate or divorce decree). She also produced a SPRAVKA (information letter) from СОБЕС that she is single mother (this status makes one eligible for "help" for kid from government - about $8/month). This did not impress interviewer either: she said she DOES NOT KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS AND HEARING FIRST TIME ABOUT SUCH STATUS. She said my fiancee SHOULD CONTACT DAUGHTER'S FATHER !!!

5. Interviewer asked girl if she knows my name. Girl proudly said my name and smiled. She smiles all the time. Among those 20 photos, there were 3 photos of girl and me together (she was hugging me) made in November, but I am not sure interviewer was interested.

6. My fiancee was asked whether she has relatives in USA. Answer was NO.

7. She was asked if she ever been in USA. Answer was NO.

My fiancee said three other girls were refused K visas on the spot. This is all I know at this moment.

I was 100% sure interview is going to be just a formality and visa will be issued as we had many meetings since July and have been talking on the phone every day (40 pages of phone records) for last 7 months.

Par. 9 in I-134 asks about previously submitted affidavit(s) of support, and par. 10 asks about previously submitted visa petitions. I submitted two I-129F: in 1999, and in 2005, and one I-134 for one of these persons in 2000, and another I-134 just for a friend in 2001. I told my fiancee about all this. However, I do not want her seeing girls' names in this document she will be able to read. She does not know them as they live in different cities, and I do not keep any relationships wiht them. Nevertheless, I do not want their names in I-134. I just put dates of submission. Should this be OK? Any thoughts? (I do not have any dependents and well above the 125% threshold limit)

While in Moscow in 2002, I've got flu and came to the hospital. As Russian is my first language they did not ask my documents, just asked me whether I live in their district. I said "no" and gave them the address where I rented an apartment in the other part of the city. They said, as I am not from their district, but want to see a doctor here, I must purchase the insurance. I agreed, paid around $10 equivalent, and got some kind of basic insurance for 6 months. I did not bother to read the paper and in 20 minutes was in doctor's office.

By the way, while waiting outside of the office, together with other patients, I was hearing one old woman complaining about how long she had to wait for this appointment (4 or 5 days, likely did not have extra $10): "In America people can see their doctor immediately". I dissapointed her a bit by revealing that I live in US and how long I have to wait for appointment with my doc if there is no big emergency ;-) But I also said, that my dad was treated for heart attack quickly and effectively, stayed in the hospital for 3 days and paid nothing out of his pocket ( bill would be around $15000).

I believe Russia is special! After 35 years of living there :-) ...

Anyway, my girl called the Embassy, and they confirmed her daughter must come to the interview.

And she is going to get a SPRAVKA from SOBES (Dep-t of Social Services) that she is single mother.

You can contact the U.S. embassy by email for your answers. You need to be specific about your questions and detail them by case number and names. Give them at least a week to respond.

OK, makes sense. At Canadian forum here, Meliss wrote: Kids under 14 do not need to be present... (e-mail received from the Embassy in Canada), but I am going to e-mail to Moscow Embassy

My fiancee received a Package 3 with all the info, including what her 8 years old daughter's documents she needs to produce. One thing is missing: since what age children must be present at the interview. It does say child should be there, but what if she were 2 years old??? Do kids really need to travel to Moscow or Vladivostok, etc.? I shuffled through forums here, and have not found anything. Wanted to make a $12 call to the Embassy, then thought: can I get this info for free?:-)

Another question (should be easy): proof of her custody of her daughter (she has never been married). I believe, internal passport page with daughter's name and Birth Certificate with mother's name should be sufficient ?

Hello, my girl coming to America! Wonder how to solve health insurance coverege for her. Does anybody use short term non US citizen insurance such as Atlas or Multinatinational Underwriters? Any expirience in this field? Wonder if I lcould be legally responsible for god forbid any medical bills before actual marriege?

Yes, you can purchase travel insurance. You can find application forms at many ethnic travel agencies, at languauge schools, on Internet, ... . In California it is not a problem at all. I did it for my guest coming to the Bay Area. It has nothing to do with immigration status or visa type. It is for those who are temporarily in the country. And K-1 visa is good for 90 days, right? I believe, similar insurance can be purchased before departure, in Russia. But I guess it would not be convenient to deal with insurer being so far away (assuming it is a good one and al other things equal).

But, assuming from your nickname, you lived in Russia for longer than 90 days without any insurance, right? :-)

Better late than never :-) Лучше поздно, чем никогда :-) (This is same thing in Russian)

I was not able to thank all of you earlier, but really appreciate your thoughts. I agree, this is a matter of mutual trust. After that - just not so important technicalities