IrinasMan

It makes me wonder if RFE's get handed out randomly, kind of like tax audits. I think evidence is only required when they have serious doubts about the relationship for some reason, and I really have no idea what the problem could be in your case. It also could be that they just rubber-stamp the ones that are coming up on an even 180 days. Is it possible that they issue an RFE if one of the forms isn't filled out correctly?

I feel bad for you. I know that every day that Irina and I are apart, I feel like a big part of my life is missing.

For evidence I submitted:

• copies of airline tickets
• photos covering the two months that she stayed with me here in Missouri and our road trip from New York (where I picked her up) back to Missouri via Florida and Texas. I icluded shots of her with my mother and kids. I just wrote the date the photo was taken,  and the names and relationships of the people in the photos, on the backs of each one with an ultra-fine Sharpie.
• screenshots of our video chat logs for the past 9 months from WhatsApp and Skype (we lost our first 3 weeks of chats when Viber freaked out on my phone one day)
• and receipts from gifts I had sent her during this time.

I think there were a few other things that I submitted as evidence, but I (maybe foolishly) didn't keep a copy of everything. I'm not sure if it could be considered evidence, but I submitted the letters of intent to marry with our application. I used advice from every source I could find, but this site was definitely the most helpful. There are many checklists floating around the internet, and we read every one of them to get ideas of what the USCIS officers would be looking for.

If the process had taken much longer, I think we would have transferred our case to Kiev. We had decided on a date for it, if she couldn't find an interview date by then, but fortunately she was looking at the site at just the right time. This was really only a few days before our agreed-upon transfer date arrived.

I wish you good luck.

LenaT,

Just curious. How long were you married before you filed for your CR1?

Quote

is Moscow even slower for CR-1 interviews than K-1 interviews?

Yes. I believe it is. From what we heard and read, the interview for K1 takes about 50 days, whereas the CR1 takes about 300 days. It was actually a little longer than 50 days. We got our NOA2 in July, and didn't get an interview date until October. I think it was about 75 days between the two. As you know, there's only one American embassy open now in all of Russia, and they just can't handle the volume. Also, they tend to move slower for CR1, and I read somewhere that there's a longer waiting period before you can apply for it. In speaking with my friends that have been through it, and her speaking to her friends that are going through the two different processes, the K1 seemed like the faster way.

Just as an aside, you have the option of moving your interview to a different country if you feel like you're waiting too long. Not every country will allow Russians to transfer their visa applications to them, but we have heard that Ukraine will allow  it. Of course, this means paying your visas application fee again, which was nearly $800 (Irina, plus her two children).

Quote

 I spent an extra 200 dollars waiting until Visa was in hand when buying tickets. Could have got the flight for 500 dollars, ended up spending 700 dollars, but spending 200 more was better than losing the whole 500. I can see buying tickets after the interview and you know you are approved, but even then it is a risk

This would have been safer, to be sure. but there were 3 tickets, and even a few days made about $500 difference in the price. So we decided to risk it.

Yes. Thank you. You're right, and I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart. Lol. It was a calculated risk. But the prices go up daily, and she wanted to spend Halloween here. Postponing the purchase for even a few days can costs hundreds of dollars.

I'd like to thank everyone in this forum, and the VisaJourney site staff for running it. This site has been invaluable, and I have often come here to search for answers. The comparative timelines that are posted helped us both to overcome our uncertainty many times.

My original question here was about filing a CR1. In August of last year, we decided that we were compatible, and that we wanted to get married. However, after all of the political setbacks we have undergone with Russia over the past couple of years, we found that the CR1 visa would take much, MUCH longer than the K1. So, we decided to go ahead and file for a K1. We did this in January, and her final interview at the embassy will be on October 9th. We have already purchased the plane tickets for her to come here on the 27th, and we will be getting married soon after that.

This has been a long process, and many times we were left wondering when things will happen and how long they should normally take. Waiting for the NOA2, the process of NVC getting our paperwork to the embassy in Moscow, and finally getting an interview date were all filled with times when we just didn't know the status of our case. The workers at USCIS and the embassy can't answer questions about the timeline because they just don't know. I think that last step was the worst for us because, unlike any reasonable person would expect, they don't set interview dates in the order in which cases arrive at the embassy. The beneficiaries have to keep watching the embassy website to see if any interview dates have been opened, and then they have to try to claim an open slot before they are all gone. And to make matters worse, they only allow the beneficiary to check the site 5 times per day, or they get locked out. It's like going to the park to feed the fish: you drop in a piece of food, and any fish that are watching get a piece of it, and any others have to wait for the next piece of food to drop. Irina actually missed one opening because she was asleep during the time when more interview dates became available. There are WhatsApp groups with many beneficiaries who check the website about every 10 minutes and let everyone else in the group know when new interview dates get posted. You should join one. There's strength in numbers.

So, this post isn't posing any new questions, but it's more of an encouragement to the ones who are still waiting or just starting. You will need a lot of patience, and there will be a lot of times when you're not sure if everything in your paperwork is ok, or if something is wrong, or if you included enough evidence. Be sure that you are honest and complete in your filings.  Send in your tax forms, your photos, your affidavit of support, your chat and video chat logs, your proof of eligibility to marry and your intent to do so. Be prepared to spend a lot of money because you will have filing fees, medical exam fees, visa fees, travel costs, and much more. Make sure you have all your ducks in a row, so to speak. Don't just double-check your forms; triple-check them. One example of this is that, being an American, I didn't know that different family members in Russia can have their surnames spelled differently, depend on the gender.

Anyway, I just wanted to send some words of encouragement to the ones who are going through this process right now. If you do everything that you need to do, there is an end to it.

Thanks

- Paul

Thank you all for your comments and advice. I think I get it now. The border guards won't let her in without a return ticket, so whatever date that says is when she will be leaving anyway. 

I would never try to deceive the border guards. They all have built-in BS detectots. Lol. But the truth of the matter is, she will be coming here to see if we are compatible in person. At this time, our plans do include marriage,  if we really are compatible, but we definitely have plans for her to go back to Russia on time.

From reading the forums here, we have decided that the CR1 will be the best option for us. I don't believe she will have any trouble getting this kind of visa, since the US has already issued her the B1/B2. My original question was really just trying to figure out if it would make a difference if she stated on arrival that she was going to be staying with me, versus not saying anything at all about her accommodations while she is here.

4 minutes ago, gregcrs2 said:

Violence Against Women Act

 

 

Ok. I understand 

25 minutes ago, gregcrs2 said:

Why don't you go visit her where she lives first? 

This is a possibility, but since she already has her B1/B2, we might as well use it

13 minutes ago, Boiler said:

 

"VAWA?"

?

She has corrected me. Her visa type is B1/B2.

Also should she say that she's staying with a friend,  or will that make a difference to the border guard z m

Thanks

I have been searching on this forum, and can't quite find my exact situation., so any hrlp would be appreciated.

I have met a wonderful Russian woman online. Common story, I know. She already has her B1 visa, and would like to come and stay with me for a few months to see if we click as well in person as we do in video chat. If so, then we will almost certainly get married while she is here. Our plan from there is to have her return to Russia and settle her affairs,  and apply for a CR1 visa. I think we will be following all the correct procedures if we follow this plan, so here are my questions:

1) When she arrives, how long should she state as her intended length of stay?

2) Will it matter that she will be staying with me, as far as the border guard allowing her to have the full 6 months?

3) Can we apply for the CR1 while she is still here, and have it processing while she is back in Russia?

If there are any concerns that I should know about, I would rather know now, rather than after she gets here.

Thanks is advance for any advice.