.yana

I was rooting for you so much… Don’t give up! 🙏🏻

I sent the absolute bare minimum. Didn't even include the most recent year of tax returns as they weren't available at the time when I filed. No RFEs, interviewed in less than year (I-751 was delayed but that's another story).

Personally, I wouldn't risk it either. Was in your exact situation few years ago and decided to postpone the trip as I was finding too may stories of people having issues at the border for my comfort level.

Personally - I wouldn't press my luck. Push the trip out few weeks? Weather is crappy there anyway.

I do however recall, that CA DMV site specifically listed I797C form + expired GC as one of the valid documents. So it’s a little different yet still wasn’t a smooth process. if I were you, I’d print out whatever explanation of what the form I797C is and its validity from USCIS website, bring it with me, and ask to speak with a supervisor if they push back. MA is a huge state, undoubtedly they’re familiar with this form.

Do you have a valid EAD? It looks like it's one of the accepted documents: https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2018/04/21/Acceptable Forms of Identification online 041818.pdf I got my DL in California with an extension letter although it took some convincing and speaking to the supervisor.

Once you renounce your citizenship - you need to apply for a visa, like any other foreigner.

It truly baffles me when VERY experienced folks like yourself try to opine on such specific situations and such specific country laws they're not familiar with.

That's a great point! I can't imagine it working how it's supposed to in Russian reality but helpful to know! No need to put quotes for internal passports by the way. It's our reality.

How is the border agent going to know you're a Russian citizen if you show up with a passport from another country? Also - you're implying not only that everyone on Russian border patrol is aware of laws but that they also follow them.\? My guy! 😬

* Correct, on Russian passport * I would be shocked if so: Russia/US never had a smooth relationship, I can't imagine Russian Embassy NOT scrutinizing an American applying for a visa, especially one bearing a Russian name since you mentioned your colleague's wife is a Russian native. *** I think only those who had experienced crossing the Russian border can relate but I have never in my life been questioned as much as while entering / exiting Russia, and I am a Russian citizen, so the oversight you mentioned above is very hard to believe😅

I was always under this impression too! But my family members who were born in Switzerland yet haven’t renewed their Swiss passports in many years travel back and forth on their US passports alone… I was very surprised that they never had any issues!

How did she enter with US passport? By sea assuming the stay was under 48 hours or did she have a Russian visa in her US passport? While the former is somewhere plausible, the latter is not.

Clarification: while Russia recognizes Russian citizens holding another citizenship solely as Russian citizens (as many other countries do) - its laws don't forbid one to have dual citizenship. Ukraine laws strictly forbid having a dual citizenship: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_nationality_law#Acquisition_and_loss_of_citizenship "Citizenship may be involuntarily deprived from individuals who acquire foreign citizenship without renouncing their Ukrainian citizenship"

She has to have 2 passports. If she only has her expired traveler's passport then she will need to obtain proof of citizenship via the Embassy (not sure about procedure): "Если заявитель не имеет действующего внутреннего российского паспорта, а срок действия загранпаспорта истек, необходимо предварительно сделать запрос о принадлежности заявителя к российскому гражданству." " В случае если срок действия загранпаспорта заявителя истёк до подачи заявления на оформление нового загранпаспорта и заявитель не может представить оригинал действующего внутреннего российского паспорта нового образца, то в такой ситуации необходимо пройти проверку принадлежности к российскому гражданству через Посольство России в США." San Francisco consulate is long gone. Friend had to go to Washington one for passport renewal. Consulate vs embassy situation (one accepts passport renewal application, one doesn't). Yes, I've used russianpassportservice twice. Last time was in 2018, and they stopped processing all remote appointments by then (before you could grant power of attorney to their agency, and they went in and submitted everything on your behalf, was not an option as of 2018).

Russians have 2 passports: - Internal - Traveler's passport Assuming the one expired and the one she needs is traveler's one (internal means nothing in the US), hopefully she brought her internal one with her as she'll need it to apply for traveler's passport renewal via the service provider above (I've used them twice by the way, they're really good). I don't know if anything has changed now, but few years ago when I applied for renewal via russian passport services, I had to go to the embassy in-person, there was no other option (many years before that the agency did everything for the applicant but they have since shut that down). So depending on where you live, you'll likely looking at $200 + the cost of travel to the nearest embassy. You can certainly skip the $200 and complete the forms and submit paperwork yourself. I used the agency more recently because it was really hard to make an appointment in the embassy, but the agency could get you in whenever you needed.