Wouter

@millefleur is correct on all points, but I'd like to add that the COVID vaccine requirement does not apply to US citizens, permanents resident or immigrants.
So when you fly to the US on a CR-1/IR-1 visa you are not yet a permanent resident but you are an immigrant so the vaccination requirement does not apply for that reason. (My wife was not vaccinated and flew Aeroflot from Moscow (SVO) and at check-in they were aware of this rule and it was no problem she was not vaccinated. Of course she did need a negative COVID test less than 24 hours old.)
 

Millefleur is indeed correct in her responses.  Your wife will need a Schengen Visa to fly to Warsaw.  It's most common for people to fly to Greece then transit the next day to Poland.  I think Greece is one of the few Schengen zone countries issuing Schengen visas.  I don't think you can fly directly from Russia to Poland right now. Of course things change frequently.  My fiancee had to fly through Greece to get to Warsaw, although when returning to Russia, she will be flying directly back to Russia.  No need to go back through Greece.
 
EDIT: I realize CR1 is different than K1, but for what it's worth it was about 10 calendar days from when the application was delivered to the embassy until my fiancee got her instructions email, and official go ahead to schedule the interview.  I think CR1 the embassy schedules your interview.  K1s are allowed to make their own appointment.  Don't know why there's a difference.
 
Also, if anyone here is interested, my fiancee got her visa approval on Friday.  She'll pickup her passport with visa on Monday!!  We're almost finished!!!

I am a scientist so I like to use numerical data and analysis to get some insight into a situation.
Although Warsaw isn't the biggest post they have actually done amazingly well in processing CR1/IR1 visas throughout the pandemic.
Based on the published numbers https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics/immigrant-visa-statistics/monthly-immigrant-visa-issuances.html
I have made the below graph of the CR1+IR1 visas issued each month.
You can see that before the pandemic, in 2019, their average was about 15 per month. After a dip in early 2020 they actually increased their processing to well above 15, more like an average of 20. I just added the July 2021 data that came out today and they issued 28 CR1+IR1 visas last month which is a good number. My impression is that they continue to push to work through any backlog and increased case load.
I think this embassy is doing an impressive job processing these visas, especially if you compare it to many other embassies where processing is still way below their 2019 average.
I remain hopeful!

@millefleur is correct on all points, but I'd like to add that the COVID vaccine requirement does not apply to US citizens, permanents resident or immigrants.
So when you fly to the US on a CR-1/IR-1 visa you are not yet a permanent resident but you are an immigrant so the vaccination requirement does not apply for that reason. (My wife was not vaccinated and flew Aeroflot from Moscow (SVO) and at check-in they were aware of this rule and it was no problem she was not vaccinated. Of course she did need a negative COVID test less than 24 hours old.)
 

@millefleur is correct on all points, but I'd like to add that the COVID vaccine requirement does not apply to US citizens, permanents resident or immigrants.
So when you fly to the US on a CR-1/IR-1 visa you are not yet a permanent resident but you are an immigrant so the vaccination requirement does not apply for that reason. (My wife was not vaccinated and flew Aeroflot from Moscow (SVO) and at check-in they were aware of this rule and it was no problem she was not vaccinated. Of course she did need a negative COVID test less than 24 hours old.)
 

Hi all,
This is just a summary of the events that led me to file a lawsuit with al lawyer called "Writ of Mandamus" to move my case forward.
Removal of conditions filed in July 2019.
October 2019 Fingerprints taken
No movement for 2 years. In the meantime all my fellow July 2019 filers had been approved.
In March 2021 my case was very much outside processing times, so I started contacting the DHS Ombudsman, my local representative and my 2 US Senators. Not one of them ever replied, nor contacted me in any way. With USCS I filed about 8 or 9 Service Requests. Not a single one was ever adressed. They were closed without any explaination.
 
After 30 months waiting, I decided to file a lawsuit in October of this year, within 3 weeks my Removal of Conditions was approved and my N400 interview was scheduled and last week I became a Citizen.
 
This should not be normal. Blaming COVID for these ridiculous delays is an easy excuse.
I have a strong case, both me and my wife have good jobs, I am not from a "conflictive" country (whatever that means) of course no criminal records and I pay a lot in taxes to Uncle Sam.
 
This process has been a complete nightmare to me and my family and I hope I never have to step inside a USCIS office ever again. 
 
I wish you all the best of luck,

When I moved to the US in 2012 it was an international transfer within a big multinational Pharma company and this company actually had arrangements with mortgage lenders (Citi, Wells Fargo, etc) to allow employees coming to the US the opportunity to buy even without any US credit score or credit history. I still had to show my contract and income and proof of making timely rent and car payments (from the country where I lived before moving to the US), but a credit score was not required thanks to my company 'backing' the mortgage. The interest rate was not the best and I actually refinanced a few years later when I had a decent score, but it allowed us to buy right away.
It may be worth it for your husband to check with his company to see if they have anything like that.

Final update: my Russian wife had the interview on Monday, October 4th and all went well and we could pick up her passport with the CR1 visa at the embassy in Warsaw yesterday, October 5th. Most other applicants we talked to also got fairly short notice of their interview appointment, only about 20 days ahead of time, so like us everyone had to scramble to arrange their travel to Poland and to get the medical exam done.
Everyone with an interview that day got invited for the interview at 8:30 or 9:00 AM and then everyone was kept in the waiting area in the embassy until their turn. For my wife it took about 2.5 hours of waiting. (Very interesting: during the waiting the applicants all get pamphlets to read about human trafficking, protection against abuse from their spouse, and their rights in the US. I think this is really great that they actually inform and protect the immigrants and not just see them as a number that is approved or refused.)
The actual interview was very short, perhaps 2 minutes. Questions were:
- how did you meet your husband?
- where does he live?
- when was the last time you saw your husband in person?
- you have been to the US for studies? (She has had an F-1 visa in the past)
Before the interview at a check-in window they looked at the original birth certificate, marriage certificate, police report, sealed envelope with medical records, and they took in the passport photos. During the interview they did not look at any documents (so they didn't look at the original I-864 or any proof of the relationship we brought)
She was told she was approved right away at the end of the interview and that she could pick up her passport with the visa the next day at 12.
She was out at about noon so the whole thing took about 3 hours.
The next day it was very quick to pick up the passport with the visa. Interestingly: there is no sealed envelope (IV packet) with immigration documents anymore. Apparently, they have switched (since 2018) to an online system to collect, review, and process the required documents previously contained in the IV packet. So we did not get the famous 'sealed envelope' but her visa says at the bottom "IV Docs in CCD".
 

Hello everyone, my Russian wife and I are currently in Poland preparing for the visa interview in Warsaw on Oct 4th and I thought it may be useful to hear some of our experiences so far.
We first travel to Zurich because my wife still has a multi-entry Schengen  visa from Switzerland from a previous trip. We arrived on 9/24.
On 9/25 she did a Covid Rapid Test in Zurich (my wife is not vaccinated)
On 9/26 we flew from Zurich to Warsaw. At the check-in they wanted to see my wife's negative covid test and the Schengen visa in her passport (even though this was a flight between two Schengen countries). Upon arrival in Warsaw there were border control officers standing in the corridor checking everyone's passport and negative covid test or vaccination record. There was no mention of a quarantine requirement.
The same day we flew to Krakow for the medical exam (there were no timely slots available for the medical exam in Warsaw).
On 9/27 my wife had appointments for blood test at 1 pm, x-ray at 2 pm, and to see the doctor at 7 pm. We showed up at the iMed24 medical center early at 11 am and it was no problem to do the blood test and x-ray earlier. We could pay for the tests by credit card. They only took one tube of blood sample and urine sample was no longer required (apparently this has changed) and then the x-ray. We were done by noon and were told to come back at 6:30 PM to collect a CD-ROM with the digital X-ray and wait for the doctor.
At 6:30 PM we picked up the CD-ROM and at about 7:00 the doctor could see my wife. It was a very simple exam which mostly involved answering questions.
My wife needed two vaccination shots: DTP and measles which were administered by the nurse right there.
We had to pay the doctor 300 polish zloty (cash only, no Euros or USD) and then pay for the vaccinations separately which could be done by credit card.
The nurse prepared all the medical documents right there for my wife and put them in a sealed envelope which we are to bring to the interview in Warsaw.
We also got to take the CD with the X-ray data with us.
I asked the doctor about the requirement for Covid vaccination after October 1st and he said that there were no updated instructions yet and since the medical exam was done in September he would sign off based on the current vaccination rules that do not require covid vaccination,  and that when it comes to the medical exam the decision of the doctor is final and that the consular officer does not have the authority to overrule or question that decision, so that this would not be a problem.
Now we are going to Warsaw and prepare for the interview next Monday, October 4th.
Some of my conclusions:
- entering Poland from another Schengen country is not a problem for a Russian if you have a Schengen visa and a recent negative Covid test. Be prepared to have your documents checked several times.
- doing the medical exam in Krakow is a hassle because of the traveling but it works and they are pretty efficient in getting it done. It is nice to get the envelope with the medical documents in a sealed envelope the same day so you can hand it over at the interview. Because of this, in hindsight, it was not necessary to have 7 days between the medical exam and the interview.
- if you do the medical exam in Krakow make sure to have 300 polish zloty in cash with you for the doctor.
 

This is really helpful. My husband works for big multinational engineering company so this could come into play for us. He has held off negotiating the details of his transfer until after his visa interview (which has been delayed for the past 4 months due to a lockdown here). He's not in an especially senior role but it never hurts to ask. Our credit/payment history here is perfect and we bought our first house more than 10 years ago. Even if the rate is higher it would be nice to buy right away.

When I moved to the US in 2012 it was an international transfer within a big multinational Pharma company and this company actually had arrangements with mortgage lenders (Citi, Wells Fargo, etc) to allow employees coming to the US the opportunity to buy even without any US credit score or credit history. I still had to show my contract and income and proof of making timely rent and car payments (from the country where I lived before moving to the US), but a credit score was not required thanks to my company 'backing' the mortgage. The interest rate was not the best and I actually refinanced a few years later when I had a decent score, but it allowed us to buy right away.
It may be worth it for your husband to check with his company to see if they have anything like that.

I’m certain it will do nothing to contain the spread. 

Hi Eli, I commend you for asking good questions to prepare yourself.
Let me address a few of them:
3) My wife had no vaccination records (apparently childhood vaccination records from the Soviet times were lost). The doctor told her she therefore needed to get two shots (of some combination vaccines, I don't remember which). The nurse gave her the two injections a few minutes later. We just had to pay for them. And that was enough for the doctor to sign off on the whole health exam form. (I do believe that the medical requirements are different between K-1 and CR-1/IR-1?)
4) We went to the doctor in Krakow. The reason was that we got our interview date only 19 days ahead of time and there was no slot available in Warsaw before the interview. But it was no problem scheduling a medical exam in Krakow, plenty of slots. I picked a date one week before the interview (because I had read that it can take 7 days for the medical results to reach the US embassy in Warsaw) but it turned out that in Krakow the doctor just gives you a sealed envelope with the results right there at the end of the exam, which you just take with you to the interview. (So we could have put the medical exam much closer to the interview).
5) My wife flew on November 13th. She was not vaccinated. Since she had a CR-1 visa she was an immigrant and therefore the vaccine requirement did not apply to her. Not sure if this applies to a K-1 visa. She only needed a negative COVID test taken no more than 1 day before her first flight. (Ironically, nobody asked to see her PCR test result! Not at check-in in her home town, not in Moscow for the connecting flight to Los Angeles, and not at immigration at LAX!)

If you are using a lawyer to help you file your N-400 you will have signed and submitted a G-28 form. This form authorizes your lawyer to submit on your behalf and to get updates on your case. However, sometimes people decide they don't want to work with their lawyer anymore, and they want to withdraw the G-28 authorization so USCIS no longer sends updates to the lawyer.
So if you click on that Withdraw G-28 you are starting that process, of removing your lawyer from you case.
(If you don't have a lawyer and never submitted a G-28 then this option may just be there by default for everyone, and in your case it wouldn't be relevant)
 

Hello everyone,
Finally I can give an update on how it all worked out moving my wife's personal belonging from Russia (Samara) to California (San Francisco).
Her flight on Aeroflot (Moscow->LAX) allowed her two big suitcases (23kg) which took care of her most precious and sensitive belongings.
However, she still had six boxes full of clothes, shoes, coats, handbags, etc which were all precious and unique items she did not want to leave behind.
First I contacted international moving companies, but because this was not a full household move with furniture and kitchenware etc they were not interested in moving just six boxes, with one exception: INTL Movers LLC www.intl-movers.ru . In the end we did not use them but they were very professional and responsive and I would suggest contacting them if you have a larger shipment to send.
We found out that UPS now has a presence in Russia and they told us they could ship the boxes, but that we had to make a detailed packing list for each item specifying what kind of item, the value, the origin of manufacturing, and whether it was used or brand new. This was a huge job but my wife did it. However, when she sent the list to UPS they suddenly told us that they couldn't take the shipment for some vague reason! This was just one day before the boxes were supposed to be picked up. Very disappointing and frustrating. So I would say stay away from UPS.
Scrambling for a solution we contacted DHL Express and they were surprisingly easy in agreeing to take the boxes and even offered a 40% discount as a first-time-customer.
Since we already had the itemized packing list the paperwork was very quick, but they did not know much about US import rules (note: you need CBP form 3299) and we had to fill in that form ourselves. 
They came to pick up the boxes the next day and helped taping them up and took all the paperwork, including US import form 3299 and the packing lists. Even with the discount the cost was about $500 per box. (I know this is a lot of money and that for many people this would be prohibitively expensive, but for us it was worth it and the cost was not so much of an issue but rather the challenge of actually getting it shipped in a reliable and expedient way. So I am just sharing my story here for others who have the same consideration but I realize this may not be a viable option for everyone).
The shipping was supposed to take 3-5 business days but it took 12 days because it got held up in Moscow during several days of 'clearance events' and then in Los Angeles customs for another two days of 'customs clearance' but in the end the boxes arrived at my house yesterday. They had been opened and re-taped, probably by customs, and all looked like they had been through a rough experience, but since they were filled with clothes there was no damage done (but I would definitely not send anything breakable by this method).
The experience with DHL Express was not ideal because, although we could use a tracking number to follow the shipment there was very little information about what was going on and why things got stuck for clearance, and we had no idea of the delivery day right up to the day of delivery. The delivery people also just put the boxes out on the porch of the house without having us sign for it or even notifying us. (If I hadn't checked the tracker and saw that it was 'delivered' the boxes may have been sitting there overnight!).
So with the sub-par service and high cost I can't really recommend them but they did get the job done in the end.
 

It's fairly standard for large boxes traveling internationally to be opened and rummaged through by customs. That's too bad that the tracking ended up being such a bust. EMS via Russian Post always provides very robust tracking info. You wouldn't think but every time I've used them the tracking was equally good as US Priority Mail. 
 
Thanks for updating us and I'm glad the stuff arrived safely in the end! 

Hello everyone,
Finally I can give an update on how it all worked out moving my wife's personal belonging from Russia (Samara) to California (San Francisco).
Her flight on Aeroflot (Moscow->LAX) allowed her two big suitcases (23kg) which took care of her most precious and sensitive belongings.
However, she still had six boxes full of clothes, shoes, coats, handbags, etc which were all precious and unique items she did not want to leave behind.
First I contacted international moving companies, but because this was not a full household move with furniture and kitchenware etc they were not interested in moving just six boxes, with one exception: INTL Movers LLC www.intl-movers.ru . In the end we did not use them but they were very professional and responsive and I would suggest contacting them if you have a larger shipment to send.
We found out that UPS now has a presence in Russia and they told us they could ship the boxes, but that we had to make a detailed packing list for each item specifying what kind of item, the value, the origin of manufacturing, and whether it was used or brand new. This was a huge job but my wife did it. However, when she sent the list to UPS they suddenly told us that they couldn't take the shipment for some vague reason! This was just one day before the boxes were supposed to be picked up. Very disappointing and frustrating. So I would say stay away from UPS.
Scrambling for a solution we contacted DHL Express and they were surprisingly easy in agreeing to take the boxes and even offered a 40% discount as a first-time-customer.
Since we already had the itemized packing list the paperwork was very quick, but they did not know much about US import rules (note: you need CBP form 3299) and we had to fill in that form ourselves. 
They came to pick up the boxes the next day and helped taping them up and took all the paperwork, including US import form 3299 and the packing lists. Even with the discount the cost was about $500 per box. (I know this is a lot of money and that for many people this would be prohibitively expensive, but for us it was worth it and the cost was not so much of an issue but rather the challenge of actually getting it shipped in a reliable and expedient way. So I am just sharing my story here for others who have the same consideration but I realize this may not be a viable option for everyone).
The shipping was supposed to take 3-5 business days but it took 12 days because it got held up in Moscow during several days of 'clearance events' and then in Los Angeles customs for another two days of 'customs clearance' but in the end the boxes arrived at my house yesterday. They had been opened and re-taped, probably by customs, and all looked like they had been through a rough experience, but since they were filled with clothes there was no damage done (but I would definitely not send anything breakable by this method).
The experience with DHL Express was not ideal because, although we could use a tracking number to follow the shipment there was very little information about what was going on and why things got stuck for clearance, and we had no idea of the delivery day right up to the day of delivery. The delivery people also just put the boxes out on the porch of the house without having us sign for it or even notifying us. (If I hadn't checked the tracker and saw that it was 'delivered' the boxes may have been sitting there overnight!).
So with the sub-par service and high cost I can't really recommend them but they did get the job done in the end.
 

Hello everyone,
Finally I can give an update on how it all worked out moving my wife's personal belonging from Russia (Samara) to California (San Francisco).
Her flight on Aeroflot (Moscow->LAX) allowed her two big suitcases (23kg) which took care of her most precious and sensitive belongings.
However, she still had six boxes full of clothes, shoes, coats, handbags, etc which were all precious and unique items she did not want to leave behind.
First I contacted international moving companies, but because this was not a full household move with furniture and kitchenware etc they were not interested in moving just six boxes, with one exception: INTL Movers LLC www.intl-movers.ru . In the end we did not use them but they were very professional and responsive and I would suggest contacting them if you have a larger shipment to send.
We found out that UPS now has a presence in Russia and they told us they could ship the boxes, but that we had to make a detailed packing list for each item specifying what kind of item, the value, the origin of manufacturing, and whether it was used or brand new. This was a huge job but my wife did it. However, when she sent the list to UPS they suddenly told us that they couldn't take the shipment for some vague reason! This was just one day before the boxes were supposed to be picked up. Very disappointing and frustrating. So I would say stay away from UPS.
Scrambling for a solution we contacted DHL Express and they were surprisingly easy in agreeing to take the boxes and even offered a 40% discount as a first-time-customer.
Since we already had the itemized packing list the paperwork was very quick, but they did not know much about US import rules (note: you need CBP form 3299) and we had to fill in that form ourselves. 
They came to pick up the boxes the next day and helped taping them up and took all the paperwork, including US import form 3299 and the packing lists. Even with the discount the cost was about $500 per box. (I know this is a lot of money and that for many people this would be prohibitively expensive, but for us it was worth it and the cost was not so much of an issue but rather the challenge of actually getting it shipped in a reliable and expedient way. So I am just sharing my story here for others who have the same consideration but I realize this may not be a viable option for everyone).
The shipping was supposed to take 3-5 business days but it took 12 days because it got held up in Moscow during several days of 'clearance events' and then in Los Angeles customs for another two days of 'customs clearance' but in the end the boxes arrived at my house yesterday. They had been opened and re-taped, probably by customs, and all looked like they had been through a rough experience, but since they were filled with clothes there was no damage done (but I would definitely not send anything breakable by this method).
The experience with DHL Express was not ideal because, although we could use a tracking number to follow the shipment there was very little information about what was going on and why things got stuck for clearance, and we had no idea of the delivery day right up to the day of delivery. The delivery people also just put the boxes out on the porch of the house without having us sign for it or even notifying us. (If I hadn't checked the tracker and saw that it was 'delivered' the boxes may have been sitting there overnight!).
So with the sub-par service and high cost I can't really recommend them but they did get the job done in the end.
 

Hello everyone,
Finally I can give an update on how it all worked out moving my wife's personal belonging from Russia (Samara) to California (San Francisco).
Her flight on Aeroflot (Moscow->LAX) allowed her two big suitcases (23kg) which took care of her most precious and sensitive belongings.
However, she still had six boxes full of clothes, shoes, coats, handbags, etc which were all precious and unique items she did not want to leave behind.
First I contacted international moving companies, but because this was not a full household move with furniture and kitchenware etc they were not interested in moving just six boxes, with one exception: INTL Movers LLC www.intl-movers.ru . In the end we did not use them but they were very professional and responsive and I would suggest contacting them if you have a larger shipment to send.
We found out that UPS now has a presence in Russia and they told us they could ship the boxes, but that we had to make a detailed packing list for each item specifying what kind of item, the value, the origin of manufacturing, and whether it was used or brand new. This was a huge job but my wife did it. However, when she sent the list to UPS they suddenly told us that they couldn't take the shipment for some vague reason! This was just one day before the boxes were supposed to be picked up. Very disappointing and frustrating. So I would say stay away from UPS.
Scrambling for a solution we contacted DHL Express and they were surprisingly easy in agreeing to take the boxes and even offered a 40% discount as a first-time-customer.
Since we already had the itemized packing list the paperwork was very quick, but they did not know much about US import rules (note: you need CBP form 3299) and we had to fill in that form ourselves. 
They came to pick up the boxes the next day and helped taping them up and took all the paperwork, including US import form 3299 and the packing lists. Even with the discount the cost was about $500 per box. (I know this is a lot of money and that for many people this would be prohibitively expensive, but for us it was worth it and the cost was not so much of an issue but rather the challenge of actually getting it shipped in a reliable and expedient way. So I am just sharing my story here for others who have the same consideration but I realize this may not be a viable option for everyone).
The shipping was supposed to take 3-5 business days but it took 12 days because it got held up in Moscow during several days of 'clearance events' and then in Los Angeles customs for another two days of 'customs clearance' but in the end the boxes arrived at my house yesterday. They had been opened and re-taped, probably by customs, and all looked like they had been through a rough experience, but since they were filled with clothes there was no damage done (but I would definitely not send anything breakable by this method).
The experience with DHL Express was not ideal because, although we could use a tracking number to follow the shipment there was very little information about what was going on and why things got stuck for clearance, and we had no idea of the delivery day right up to the day of delivery. The delivery people also just put the boxes out on the porch of the house without having us sign for it or even notifying us. (If I hadn't checked the tracker and saw that it was 'delivered' the boxes may have been sitting there overnight!).
So with the sub-par service and high cost I can't really recommend them but they did get the job done in the end.
 

Just give them what they want.  That is path of least resistance....

This is the way 
😊

Hello everyone! My husband finally got his visa! I know many of you are going through similar situations and I appreciate everyone who posts here with helpful information. I hope to also help anyone with questions like ours so here is a detailed description of how things went for us. 
 
We requested to transfer our case from Moscow to Warsaw august 21 2021 and they accepted our transfer august 23. On august 27 we got our Warsaw case number from NVC. 
We started preparing by gathering information on how to get to Poland. We knew that Russians cannot easily get to Poland because of covid and my husband didn’t have a schengen visa. So we decided that buying a tour to another schengen country and going to Poland through that country would be the best option. I knew that this is how many people did it by going to Greece first. 
October 15th we got an email saying that my husbands interview is scheduled for November 2nd. We had to hurry because that meant we had less than three weeks to get his medical exam done, apply for and receive his schengen visa, fly to somewhere in Europe and then to Poland. 
The same day we bought a tour to Hungary because it’s cheaper than Greece and closer to Poland. We also scheduled his medical exam for October 25th in Moscow (yes, you can do the medical exam in Moscow). We decided to go to Hungary because it is cheaper and closer to Poland. My husband applied for a schengen in Krasnodar on the 19th because that is the closest Hungarian visa center to where he lives. We requested that we pick up the visa by ourselves in Moscow since we would be there for the medical exam anyway. He was able to do the medical exam with his internal passport because his travel passport wasn’t ready with the schengen visa yet. Then we flew to Moscow, did the medical exam and picked up the schengen visa all on the 25th. We were very surprised and blessed to receive the schengen so quickly. Also Moscow sends the results of the medical exam automatically (we did have an issue with this later but I’ll explain when I get to that) to Poland and we didn’t have to come back to get the results. We did call and email them to make sure his results were sent to Poland. Also at the IOM they only used my husbands old Moscow case number even though we had a new Warsaw number. We were asked to write both numbers on all the forms. They told us not to worry and that it was only for the IOM and they know he has a new number. 
On October 31st we flew to Hungary.
November 1st we flew to Poland. 
November 2nd was the interview. My husband was asked about where he works, where I work, how we met and how he proposed. He was told that his visa is approved but they didn’t receive the results of the medical exam so he could r receive his visa yet. They said it wouldn’t take long to receive it and it will be okay. We were still worried because his schengen was opened for only 6 days. 
We walked out of the embassy and tried calling the IOM to make sure they’d sent the medical results. However, since Moscow is on lockdown since October 28th, they didn’t answer so we emailed them. They quickly responded saying they resent the results. We also got an email saying that the Warsaw embassy requested the results as well and they sent them to the embassy. It was all okay and we came back November 3rd (the next day) and picked up his passport with his visa! All is good and we flew back to Hungary because the tickets from there to Moscow were already payed for because of the tour. But I’m pretty sure you could get back to russia from Poland without any issues as well. Now we are on our way home. 
I hope that all made sense, and I’d be happy to answer any questions that I can. 

This is the way 
😊

Thank you, I already spoke to my husband and explained how it has to be done so we'll wait until the end of the month when we can both travel to the US without the need to return to Costa Rica.  Everything has gone so smoothly since the beginning of the procedure we certainly don't want to screw it up in the end.
 

I didn't met my partner via social media (we met through friends) and we keep in touch via Whatsapp (not a social media app)
I also know some couples meet via computer games or dating apps (which are not considered social media)
So, it is completely possible OP's partner does not have social media but, can still prove they met and communicate via the internet and messaging services.