Dima_April

Hi

Dima and I had our interview in Moscow, this last Tuesday, March 15. The appointment was at 9:30 and we were not seen until almost noon. The interviewer asked what language we communicated in and we said English. She told Dima, he spoke well. She asked him what he intended to do for work in the United States and he said anything. I informed her that I have friend that offered to help him get a job possibly with a local Russian company. She then commented on he was leaving behind an excellent job in Russia.

Next, she asked when we decided to take our relationship to the next level and we said spring of 2015. She, said we moved quickly. Then she asked if he came on a tourist visa and of course he did. How are couples to meet? After this, she said you spent 5 weeks together and we said, yes. Finally she asked for us to say how we felt about each other.

She took no Skype conversations and limited emails. She would not take my letter of employment or bank statements, saying that this was not required for this type of visa. Then she simply brushed us off saying to check the website regarding the visa. This was three days ago and we have seen nothing. They did keep his visa.

Hi Bill, thank you for the well wishes.
Dima, was saying that the medical results are to be given back the same day as the exam. I hope he is correct. He tried to locate his medical records for childhood immunization, but the hospital sent him on a goose chase and he came up empty handed. He had two shots given and they told him he would have to wait a month for the rest. Really not sure why he did that. I think it would have been better to take care of it the day of the exam. Then again, what do I know? Does the I 134 have to be notarized. I keep hearing different things, but noticed on this site, it says to have that done. I intend to take in Moscow as much as possible. If they grant the visa, I'll return in the spring.

Hello! Small world. Maybe we will see each other there.)))

Thanks. It is a fairly simple form yet this end section is "strange". The whole idea is, that you do intend to support each other as man and wife and yet other say do not check intend. I hope several that have been through this at the Moscow level respond; recent would be even better. I leave this coming Friday and will be in Moscow on the 12th. Medical is on the 14th and interview is on the 15th.
I have also heard/read, that he needs 8 passport photos for the embassy and for medical?

Hello, we finally have our interview set. Could someone tell me:

1.) How many bank statements should I submit? I have heard for 12 months all the way down to 1 month.
2.) What's a good number for emails/Skype conversations?
3.) On the i-134 #11, there are two check boxes one for I intend and one that says do not intend to make specific contributions to the support of the person named in item 3

I've been told to check intend and write something to the effect of - I intend to marry said person and take care of them for the remainder of our marriage. I've also seen

on Youtube, to check do not intend, since you are not making contributions for a limited time. Then, the example provided on VisaJourney, shows neither box checked

and the comment line stating - N/A (K1 visa process for permanent residence). Which way is correct?

baron555 - You just told me that the Moscow Embassy does not allow me to use my assets for the affidavit of support and yet you also told that if using assets, then I must have 5 times the poverty level in total. So which is it - yes or no?

I have $88,000 cash in the bank. Plus a home valued at $70,000 (appraised no mortgage). I'm going to do my taxes on Wednesday and I'm going to low ball it and say I'll be $8000 short on the affidavit. Will I have enough?

You guys are wonderful. I have two more questions:
1. Does the the Moscow Embassy allow the petitioner to use assets for the affidavit of support?
2. Does Russia limit the amount of cash that can be transferred to a US bank, when the beneficiary is ready to leave the country?

I will be using my assets - savings, stock, and home (mortgage free) to sponsor. I know that on the I-864, section/line 28, allows the beneficiary/spouse to contribute towards this affidavit. I'm still confused as to the value of assets. I think you multiply the amount short by 5?

Recently, some people told me that the CO likes to see pictures with friends and family. That never crossed my mind, when my fiance was here. I lost both parents in March of 2014, a brother in 1996, another lives out West and the younger boy, is in a nursing home with dementia. I did take him to my aunt and uncles home to meet them and they signed a paper saying that they met in person. We went out with a friend and her family to dinner, but didn't take pictures. The pictures we have are together on our trip, about 20 or a little more, taken by strangers in front of momentous that identify where we were at. Do you think this is okay? We also didn't think of taking face time pictures on Skype until recently. They make you feel like such a criminal!

Mrs. T-B., just tonight, observed that she never dreamed of having a marriage in which the husband did the laundry.

However, your other issue seems to be far more crucial to resolve.

Hi everyone, I put this post up for comic relief originally Since that time, I've watched the comments come in and yes, he can iron his own tidy whities if he so pleases. I agree completely that people are people wherever you go and family background, social economic conditions and personality all shape the individual; it's not just cultural differences. I still hope we can keep the post going and have fun. Life certainly would be boring without a laugh or two. Hopefully people, can keep an open mind. I'm certain, that while i am poking fun at the neatness of my guy, he may be sitting back thinking my God, does she even know what an iron is?

If you don't mind, could we step back from the laundry issue for just a moment? Mrs. T-B caught my concern regarding how to make someone feel financially safe and part of something here in America and I'm just curious how others did that? I think Bill, mentioned something about letting his wife add her touch to the home. I'm all for letting my guy make changes, so long as we don't place an oriental rug on the wall and playboy calendars all over the place!

I'm talking about financial here and obviously, non of us are going to want to go into great detail, but some solid advice on how it worked for some would be helpful. I'll go first about myself, since it was me that started the thread. So heart on sleeve, here I go and you get a little boring info about my past and where I'm at. I married about 11 years ago; very wealthy family, mine middle class. I had a prenup with my first husband and let me tell you, it made you feel lower than dirt. I divorced him, b/c we never shared what I would call a true marital life. The kind of life, where you look out for the other person and have their interest at heart. When I think back I remember always viewing this from a standpoint in Lincoln's address to the Union - " A house divided, cannot stand." After I divorced, I made up my mind, if I ever remarried, I wouldn't do this to someone. Of course, I am sometimes afraid, marriage is a big step, but the benefits can be great. I never imagined that I would meet someone from a different country. I even blew him off for almost a month, b/c I honestly didn't think I could understand him. Only after weeding some guys out, did I attempt to talk with Dim. Since, we've had our ups and downs and some serious; at the end of the day, we still come back to each other. That stems from another philosophy of mine, that is actually very old and that is, "If something's broken, you fix it." To many people divorce these days. We come into a marriage with "soapy eyes." It's never going to be easy, but instead hard work. It was hard work generations ago. The only thing different between now and 50 years ago, was people new the value of each other and of family.

I've always worked as a sub teacher and now I'm hired in to the school as the permanent building sub. I have an expired teaching certificate and the reason I never moved away was b/c I wanted to be close to family. My degree was in art education, with a concentration in metals. Coming from a small town, there really isn't a call for that job. My Income is lower, but I think we will be okay. I own a house, with no mortgage, have a nice sum in the bank and my credit rating is perfect. I look at friends that work a similar job as mine, lower pay and between them and their spouse they live comfortably together. I didn't work last summer, I took time off to travel with him. I'll never regret it. For three solid years, I pretty much stopped working to take care of two parents, both on hospice, palliative care. Financially, that probably wasn't the best move, but I can't say I wouldn't do it all over again. I think it's just my nature to be nurturing and highly loyal. So, that is where I've been and were I'm going I only hope to get stronger. I also hope to make Dima, stronger too. I keep trying to make contact, with people I know that work with a Russian company close by and I also asked a girlfriend about oil jobs in Texas, today (her hubby is upper management). I hope Dima, will be happy here and I'll give my very best to make all work; but a marriage is a two way road and he must come here with good intentions. Those are simple for me - he must love me, be willing to work and move up the later with time. To me, I don't care what type of work he does and I'm willing to be a partner - rich or poor, sickness or health.

So, how have some of you managed to blend all?

I'm learning some things regarding finances and laundry - yes, I said laundry. The two don't really go together; it's not like money laundering, were I'm moving untold volumes of cash to the Cayman's (although I wish)! I'm talking about finances in regards to how do you combine two lives, from different countries and both parties being middle age with greater wealth? My fiancee doesn't want to combine. I don't care for that idea. He also views the house as being entirely mine. He complains that it belonged to my parents, now mine and never his. I've told him that I would place him on the deed. I certainly don't expect to bring someone over here and then pass away and they have no place to live. If I get him here, it's my job as a spouse to make sure he's taken care of in life. I've also suggested selling it and buying one together; same town or new location. He doesn't seem to like that idea either. I feel damned if I do and damned if I don't. Some of this stems from recent arguments and his fear of leaving all behind and not finding work here. My goal is for him to be happy, but also for me to be happy. I don't know how to solve these issues.

On a lighter note, we were talking about laundry. He told me that I needed a new wash machine (true) and a new steam iron. During the course of this conversation, I learned he irons his underwear and bedding. American women, don't do that! Not any I know of - as usual, he melted my heart when he Vibered pictures of such, asking me how they could go without ironing? That's one of the charms, I find appealing about this guy. Yes, his clothes needed to be ironed, but in America, cotton is no longer king!

Happy Christmas for all the Russian Orthodox out there! Katya has convinced me to take the day off and go to the local Russian Orthodox Church for a Christmas service. This should be interesting.

So, how was your experience with the Russian Orthodox Church, Bill?

Sounds like your process is moving forward. Good luck with the interview!

It's moving forward, but there are new problems as well. Last night he expressed his concerns about not finding a job here and the possiblity of moving back. I'm trying to address that concern. I told him I would add him to the house, so he always has a home. I own it and there is no mortgage. He told me that it would always be mine. I've offered to sell it and buy one together; he doesn't seem to like that idea. I told him it didn't matter if he worked in a factory and he had been okay with it in the beginning. So I've told him go back to school, pick up a welding certificate. In time, he''l gain experience and can get a job with an American oil company. Then he could fly back to Russia, once a month and work there, fly home. I don't like that idea, as I want him with me, living a marital life. I guess in this regard, I not only need advice about AP processing, but also making a spouse feel comfortable and part of something. I wish Victor, could chime in on this one.

I'm a little confused, but what's new? NVC, said our case left them Dec. 14. We had an email for packet 3, Dec. 24. My fiance, filled out his app online for the DS 160 and paid the fee. He also requested that an interview be made for Mid March. However, when I plug in our case num. to the CEAC site, it shows we are in Administration Processing. The case creation date was Dec. 10, 2015 and it was updated on Dec. 28, 2015. How could it be created, before it left the NVC? Why is it sitting in AP for so long? Is it a bad thing to be in AP and could this be because of the holiday. I'm worried; everything else USCIS and NVC, went so quickly.

This is something someone wrote to me on an FB group, regarding the matter:

" if you have not had your interview then you should not be in AP

but who knows it coudl be either a false or incorrrect case status or that maybe the way Russia does it. place you in AP until they review the case and scheudle the interview. ."

Others, have said that the reason why is b/c Russia was a former Communist country.

Could any of you that have been through the interview process tell me if something went seriously wrong or if it just takes time and what is typical wait time?

Thanks.

April

Thank, you both!

Citizenship....congratulations, Victor!
Our case arrived in Moscow, the day of Christmas eve. Can't remember what day, Dima, filled out the DS-160 and requested and interview for mid March. Of course, it's in AP right now. Wonder how many days, it will take them before they let us know?

Could someone tell me, if there is a specific email address one writes to, in order to ask permission to be present at their fiance's interview in Moscow?

We are trying to schedule an appointment for the middle of March and I would like to ask someone, if I can be there with him.

Also, is there a long wait between the time one applies for the DS-160 and the time they actually are given an interview?

Many thanks ~ we are advancing in the process!

I love Katya's herring beetroot salad! Relative to the thread, I guess I can say I did experience this a little when Katya arrived, but I think this was more to do with her first trip outside of Russia and coming halfway around the world. We talked a lot about how things would change for her when she arrived such as the fact that she would need to drive (she hadn't driven in over 20 years), how she would be alone a bit once I went back to work (I saved all my vacation for the time around when she would arrive), and how she would be away from her family particularly her adult son and mother. I decided that I would do everything I could to make sure she could adjust as smoothly as possible, I think the first thing we did was get her an iPhone with an international plan to allow for communication back to Russia (she loves Skype, Viber, and Whatsapp). We got her SSN, and a driving permit, and of course got married and did a webcast back to Russia for her family. Overall, I think she is adjusting quite well, she has her license and we got her a car, she has been making friends with many others including from the local Russian community, we take trips to the Russian grocery every now and then, she has exposed me to many new menu items and I am an adventurous eater, and I make sure to cook up a few things for her as well (for some reason she loves my banana bread and guacamole). In summary, we share the load, and even though we know man is and who the woman is, we formed a true partnership. As far as I can tell, she even enjoys tailgating at the MSU games in the fall except when it is too cold (this surprises me since she is from Siberia).

A partnership is the only way, to have a good marriage! At least, that is my opinion and what will work with me. We have no Russian community here, as I live in a small town. I'm from Sturgis. I can't help but ask this Bill, do you have an aunt Sue and uncle Bill, living in my town? I work at the high school and if your aunt is Sue, I know of Katya.

One last thought, the biggest issue I have found so far is the need to have a good GPS for her in the car. Generally we use Waze since we can set it for metric and set the language to Russia which we did initially. The one drawback is that when in Russia mode, it doesn't give street names, so we switched back to English which fortunately Katya speaks very well.

I have to laugh about the GPS, because you are speaking with the direction-ally challenged! Dima and I went up north, as soon as school was out. He ran the GPS, stayed calm when I was excitable and even pulled us out of a huge mess, when I was going to lead us in the wrong direction.

There're certainly some cultural differences but not anymore than between American man and Russian woman. They can be just slightly different.

I agree that many Russian men tend to be stubborn and love to take a role of alpha man, but it's because that's what many Russian women want - they want a man who will take care of finances, make decisions and resolve problems so they will feel behind their man's back "like behind stone wall". While women will raise their kids, make dinners and have some side job they can do around it (taking a break for up to 3 years after each child is born). That's how many of my classmates and college mates who stayed in Russia live. Of course, it leads for some loss of independence for women. There're plenty of Russian common sayings that underline it, like "you're the man, do something!" Gender roles are still strong in Russia, however not as strong and slightly different for the younger generation.

I think even American women, behind the facade want a man that they can stand behind to a degree. I wouldn't mind the feeling of being protected "like behind stone wall." Then again, the American in me says, if I see a crack in the mortar, patch it, if he won't. That does get old!

About American women being bossy... I would disagree. Russian women have plenty of these tendencies as well, they're just going in a different way. I would tell American women more independent and tend to get what they want themselves, while Russian women tend to get what they want through their man or at least with his help and participation what gender roles lead to. But of course it doesn't apply to everyone.

There're plenty of other minor cultural differences - social life, finances, cooking etc. but that's a really long story.

Finances would be an interesting topic. One minute, I understand there are not joint bank accounts the next there is. It causes frustration and confusion. Really, I can't see the point in being married if you never share. That seems like a lot of work if one still wants to be separate. I can be separate all on my own and only take care of and clean up after myself! Two is better than one, in my opinion.

I did learn, that he doesn't know how to write a check, so this I will teach him.

Social life and mixing - I could give you an ear full!

And again, we're painting people with a wide brush because as long as some stereotypes are true, it's very individual, and even people who're willing to give up everything and move to another country to loved one could be slightly different from majority who think that's a crazy sh*t. Both me and my wife in the beginning of our relationship heard a lot of concerns, warnings and doubts from our families and friends about risk of international relationship and one of us moving to another country, and very few people actually believed that it all will be good. Sure, Russian men tend to be stubborn, but do you really think Russian women don't? Or like many Americans running away from herring-beetroot salad or boiled whole beef tongue, many Russians don't like meals that you would find delicious. I live here for almost 4 years and still don't want in my food and probably never will things like sage, celery, bologna...

That's an interesting topic to discuss about but really long and should involve several people to get something close to the truth.

I'm not running from his herring-beetroot salad! I'll try anything, at least once. I would also make it for him, even if I did not like it, simply because I know his mother, made it for him at holidays. He can eat his herring and I will eat my nasty oyster stew!

Thanks for the heads up, on things like sage and celery. That explains a lot, b/c I'm sage happy!

- Victor from Russia

No, haven't seen it yet. There's so many darn numbers and abbreviations to keep in your mind. My head hurts sometimes.

Now, comes the major preparation. Gathering documents.

Thanks! I wondered what the heck those abbreviations stood for!

Our petition (I-129F) was sent out in the mail, on October 29th and our forms have made it through the NVC. I checked for our case number either Dec. 14th or 15th (can't remember which day/not feeling good at the moment) and the lady provided me with the new MOS#. She also said, the case would be on it's way to the embassy either later this week or early next.
When I was looking at updating the time line here, it asked about date case # (I'm assuming that is the MOS#?), but what in the world is IlN and BIN?

When we did it, I didn't call the official NVC number, but there's another call line for State department. They can tell you the same thing as the official NVC one as it's all in one system and they can check it, but almost nobody calls there, so you wait maximum of like 3 minutes for an operator. I'll try to find the number that I used.

Edit: I think this is the number: (202) 485-7600 They work from 8:30am to 5pm Eastern Time. This is the Department of State visa services line. Try calling here and see what they tell you.

vbtwo, thank you for the phone number. You were so correct! I called during my lunch time and waited only a short time to speak with someone. So much better than calling the actual number for NVC.

I did get the MOS number and was told it should be at the embassy, sometime next week. I notice on the Timeline chart here, it asks about "Case #, IIN and BIN assigned."

What does that mean? I'm not sure what to do next. I also notice on the NOA2 we had a March cut off date.

Thank you all, for the help given thus far.

When I was going through this process NVC used to take about 1-3 weeks to process the case and then it may take few days to arrive embassy so you may need to wait for a bit before anything happens.

- Victor from Russia

Thank you, you Victor. Counting down!

First off, so sorry to hear about your troubles! Hope the issues are resolved quickly and your man can be with you soon!

Thank you. I had just started to breathe a little easier and then this!

Now, this is important. Do any of his friends/relatives know of his plans to travel to US? To me it honestly looks like someone's winding you up or maybe even trying defraud. For example, the Vladivostok number could be an expensive "call to" number, you call them and they start billing you like crazy.

Many are aware of our plans. We announced our engagement on Facebook, during the summer. We were going to use this as evidence we intend to marry. Establishing a time line. I had a friend or so I thought she was, get angry about our relationship. She went so far, as to look up one of the women that was on his FB page, that he had correspondence with (they to had met on the dating site). At first I was angry, but then realized that a dating site is for people to meet. At the end of the day, he decided to marry me. I am the one he came to see and I am the one he gave a ring to. Anyways, this person caused problems and I told her to stop. Whatever went on was over and I viewed him as my future husband. She continued to harass and I told her I would seek an attorney against her. She threatened to call immigration. I told her to do as she pleased, we broke no law and the government requires you meet at least once. He didn't even overstay the time. He could have stayed until November, but left in July. He has to work and we wanted permission - to do things correctly and by law.

1. You have just received NOA-2 recently. NVC takes about 20 days to go through. Nobody in Russia should even be aware of his case coming down the pipeline yet.

2. All K1 process is dealt with within Moscow Embassy. Your best guess for not is calling them directly on the official number from their website and asking for status, if you so desire. They will probably tell you he's not in the system yet, as they haven't received anything from NVC yet.

3. What is "re-interview" if you've just gotten NOA-2? You guys didn't have 1st interview yet, is that correct?

Regarding "re-interview"...I have no clue. This is the embassy in Vladivostok, they issue only tourist visas. Do they want him to come there and to ban him, b/c he met me? There has been no interview, regarding this K1 visa.

Don't call any number some shady Vladivostok dude gives you. Trust only information that you get from the official sources that you know to be official.

I would think that if the embassy in Vladivostok wanted to touch base with him, they would have sent something by mail; a hard copy. Instead, he gets this phone call and a very unofficial email. There was no letter head or info., behind her name to indicate her position at the embassy. All attorneys I have called and told about this, say it sounds very shady.

The female lawyer, wants to prepare him, says that they look at males seeking to immigrate, more harshly, at least in Russia. Is that true?

Fire her. Not true at all. Our process was a complete breeze.

One lawyer, says that he should call, even travel there and find out what is going on; so not to hurt the visa process later.

Actually, nvm my previous advice, fire this one. If he's pushing for you to call/travel God knows where, he may be in on the defraud schema. Sorry for typical Russian paranoia, but this could seriously well be the case.

The male lawyer, he said, it sounded illegitimate. He was nice enough, he just didn't want anything to hurt our case later. He did say, that he would leave it to Dima's discretion. H forced no issue.

Glad to hear the female lawyer is using scare tactics regarding males immigrating to the US.

I did speak with another teacher at school today and her sister-in-law, moved here from Russia, when she was in her teens, with her mother. They said, that you want a lawyer, because it sometimes helps push things along and there is also less chance of denial. If denied, you start back at step one. Really, everyone has there own opinions on lawyers. I'm not found of them myself, but not totally convinced we don't need one.

You best game plan is try and get info from the official sources at this point. Call NVC right after they open or right before they close and don't give up. 30 calls later, you're in the wait line, and 40 min later you can talk to someone who can actually give you all the info you need. Don't worry, just keep calling them.

I started calling the NVC this morning and finally got through. The lady was very nice. She told me that they have not received anything from USCIS yet. They have up to 35 days before they have to do something. She informed me that since they only approved on Dec. 1, the paperwork probably just hasn't reached them yet. I went on to tell her that the embassy in Vladivostok was trying to get him to come and she also mentioned that they wouldn't even be aware we had applied yet.

He should not call or travel to Vladivostok. Be attentive to relevant communications later from the Moscow embassy.

I'm listening; please tell me why, you think this?