sense1

Hello,

My wife and her son's Russian passport(they are both in the same passport) expires in March so she wants to start the renewal process now. I called the consulate in Washington and they said that she and her son had to appear in person to drop off and pick up the documents when they're ready. I didn't expect this and really don't want to purchase 3 planes tickets times 2, hotel room, etc:) I was hoping to mail the documents and do everything from home. If there is another way to make this happen please let me know...

As an interim measure, you should at least have copies of the first page of her passport and her I-94, right? You would have made copies of those when you submitted your AOS packet, so hopefully you scanned them and have a copy laying around your computer.

If she didn't have a drivers license or state ID card, then her primary identification is still her passport. I'd start there by having her contact the closest Russian consulate. Then the SSA to get her a new SS card, then USCIS to get a reissued I-94 (or at least guidance if they won't reissue).

Sorry to hear about this, let us know what all you wound up having to do when you get everything back in order. Best of luck to you, and although the circumstances suck, it's nice to see you around again.

Thanks for all your advice. I figured out today that the passport is the first thing that needs to be replaced after being unsuccessful at getting any other docs. My wife is going to ask a friend of hers that is still in Ufa to try and get a new/replacement passport for her (I don't know if this is even possible). She is determined to try and find a shortcut and also not wanting to wait 4 months for Washington DC to issue another. I'll keep you all posted of the progress...

Hello,

My wife is notorious for losing things. Usually, it is just a brush or sunglasses (she has been through a dozen in a year's time). However, this time she lost her purse which was loaded with all the important stuff. She lost her Russian international passport (the one with the visa pages and entry stamps into the US), SSN cards for her and her 12 year old son, work card EAD, and some other items. The single passport had all the info in it for her and her son. I reported this to the police already. I've tried calling Washington DC and they keep telling me to read the website. Even after reading the website I can't seem to figure out what to do next to start getting new documents for her. She and her son have not had there interview yet to temporarily adjust to status here in the US (I-485 interview). Please let me know what papers to send, where to send them, and the cost involved to get a replacement passport for her and her son. The visa pages expired about 6 months ago so I don't know if these need to be purchased again for the replacement passport. Thank you for any info...

Hello Everyone,

My fiancee and her 11 year old son are here now in the US with me. It has not been an easy transition for any of us (more on that later). We've applied for a Social Security Number for my fiancee but could not get one for her son. They said he needed an EAD. I am unsure of how to get this for a child (if it's even possible). If anyone has any ideas...

I would probably have the uncle send some medical records if possible. The civil surgeon here may consider them. It would probably be a good idea to have the uncle send a DS-3025 if possible.

No medical records are available. She had no regular doctor in Ufa. Also, no DS-3025 that can be sent either. I am even having trouble finding a civil surgeon in my area. I called a few doctor's offices(civil surgeons) that were listed on the USCIS website and they all refer me to the local health department for vaccinations. My fiancee will need to have 5 shots and her son needs 9. At my local health clinic they are priced individually at $88 to $100 each. This cost I was definitely not prepared for

She said that she did not have the form DS-3025 because the lady at IOM told her that she could get vaccinations here in the U.S. My fiancée admitted to wanting to keep more of the money that I sent and that is why she didn't get the shots done. Maybe I have misunderstood how this is supposed to happen, but I didn't think she could even get into the U.S. without the proper vaccinations.

You must have gotten the same lady we did nearly 4 years ago. She flat out refused to give my wife the required vaccinations for the $30 they were charging then. That is a good deal compared to what most of us will pay in the US for those same shots. We even had a proper medical passport with us. The good news is that we got those shots done at public health here in the US for $10 each, thus we didn't lose that much money, by my wife had to suffer through most of the same shots she already had. But for most of you, who can't get a fiancée on your health insurance and won't take them to a place like a public health, the cost of vaccinations along with the civil surgeon visit who has to sign off on it, is going to be very price. Doing to a test for the presence of vaccinations is also costly.

I will take my fiancee and her son to a public health facility if the vaccination records will be accepted for AOS, work permit, etc.

Can a relative get a properly certified set of immunization records?

I'm not sure how this would work. Would she call her uncle and have him pay someone to "manufacture" a set of immunization records for her and her son? When she went to her medical exam and interview in Moscow she did not bring any medical records from her city. She said she had no doctor and no immunization records.

I looked at all of her paperwork last night. she has very little. There is no medical paperwork(records) other than her receipt from IOM.

Hello Everyone,

My fiancee arrived here a few weeks ago. Last night I asked to see her paperwork. She said that she did not have the form DS-3025 because the lady at IOM told her that she could get vaccinations here in the U.S. My fiancee admitted to wanting to keep more of the money that I sent and that is why she didn't get the shots done. Maybe I have misunderstood how this is supposed to happen, but I didn't think she could even get into the U.S. without the proper vaccinations. I am wondering now how I will get this form for her and her son. If anyone has any ideas... Please help.

I emailed them on the 8th, 13th, and again today. I know they are getting my emails because I receive the auto-reply message each time. But, I have yet to receive any response from the Embassy...

I got tired of waiting for my fiancee to get her visa so I called the Visa Support Center in Moscow (or wherever the 800 number is located). The lady told me that she would send an inquiry to the Embassy to find the status. And that I should call back the next day for an answer (and give my CC again). Even though I did not get an answer I thought I would call back the next day and know something. Then I checked my credit card and that scamming Support Center employee charged me $42 for a 2 minute phone call. On the Embassy page it states that the charge is $12 for each call of any duration. Needless to say, I will not be calling again. They are clueless at that number. I think this 800 line is set up to steal money from everyone who calls:( It has now been 16 days since my fiancee had her interview and still no visa...

It would be nice to see things before they happen, but this is not how life works. If it did I would like to see the lottery numbers just before the multi-million dollar drawing. There are no guarantees with anything. However, I am sorry to hear this sad news... I feel for you Irish, I really do

Hello Everyone,

My fiancee and her son had thier interview on June 2. She had her medical papers but her son was not able to get his in time for the interview (because the doctors made him undergoe a psych eval and the results were not ready). She had her medical at IOM. Rather than typing all this info, here is her email to me about the interview:

"My interview was O.K. The officer was in good mood , smiling and joking all the time .

He didn"t torture me with long investigations . When I came up to his

cell, he asked me how I was all right .Then he asked if I was all

right . Then he asked if I could speak English, I answered "no" He

asked if my American fiance could speak Russian , I answered that you

could speak a bit Russian .Then he gave me a sheet of paper and told

me to write your name. I did it. He asked me how we got to know each other , I explained it Then he took my foreign passport from me, so that the visa stamp could be put in it and send it to me by post .

But the visa will be given only in case I sent more documents via

Express post .I don"t need to undergo a repeated interview . Now I"ll explain you about medical exam. I"ve done my own exam in half a day

Andrei"s exam was begun on May 29 , but they couldn"t doctor had a

day-off Then there was a weekend (2 days), the hospital didn"t work

.So Andrei"s exam was over only on June 2, afternoon .And it"s the

result of this exam that i have to send to the embassy now. It"s not

my fault that the doctors did it that long . It is the only missing

paper they are waiting in the Embassy for . On the day of the

interview I arrived to the embassy at 6.00 am I did it in advance

because there are awful traffic jams in Moscow I waited till 8,00

when it opened and came in. They looked through all my things and paper thoroughly. Then they gave me a ticket and told me to come up to an officer’s window. Then i was waiting until I was called through a loud -speaker.I"ve already told you about the interview. Many of the girls tried to speak English with officers, but it only irritated the

Officers because speaking was too bad. The girl that went before me

was investigated for 3 hours , she spoke English but it didn’t

help. There were many girls who already had married Americans here in Russia, and they got their visas very quickly .Some of them even had children with them born with American men all the married girls got their visas If we had married in Ufa. i may have got a visa already. Now I’ll send them the medical exam result and then I’ll wait for the answer."

Hopefully this info help others when it comes time for your interview. I still wait for a reply from the Embassy about how long it will take for her and her son to get a visa...

Congratulations Mr. Kind Eyes! I think you'll have many laughs from the driving lessons and hopefully no accidents

My fiancee is in Moscow now. Her interview is scheduled for tomorrow, June 2. I am uncertain if either her or her son will receive a visa. She gets frustrated easily and her son is very quiet and shy. She is going to the Embassy with the wrong attitude. She thinks they treat all Russian girls badly at the interview. It has taken a long time to get to this point and it's a bit nerve racking. In a few days I'll find out what happened...

My fiancee's son has just had his 11th birthday a week ago. His father has not been around most of his life. Maybe this has affected his ability to deal with adults. However, I don't think that this is a good enough reason to keep him from entering the U.S. I don't have the full details of what happened at his medical, only that his results have been delayed. I hope this all gets sorted out soon.

Today I expected an email from my fiancee to tell me about her and her son's medical examination. She did not say anything about it. So, I called IOM and spoke with the lady there. She told me that my fiancee's exam went fine and she could get her results today, Friday. But her son had to have a psychological exam and his results would not be ready until Monday at 9am. So, I guess they do give the young boys more difficult questions:( The only problem with this is that the visa interview is also scheduled for Monday. This situation doesn't look good.

Hello Everyone,

My fiancee and her son are on an airplane headed for Moscow. I'm pretty sure this is the first time that either of them has ever been on an airplane. She will get her medical done in the AM on May 29 at IOM. When I called her today she was still working on her Embassy visa packet. She likes to wait until the last minute. I'll post how her medical goes after she emails me. Thank you all for your support and wisdom...

That's Awesome! Congratulations

Best of luck to both of you!

My fiancee finally requested her Police records from the local police department (I have been asking her to do it for a month already) . They told her it would take 4 weeks for her to receive. So, I am certain that she will not have enough time to translate it before her interview. But, I don't think it needs to be translated from Russian into English anyway:)

would it really be a problem to stay in a room in an apartment?

Today I got an email about the $80 apartment. In fact the $80 a night is only for a room in the apartment. The owner informed me that the whole apartment would be $144 per night. I am disappointed because I thought I had finally found a place for her to stay that isn't outrageous The search continues...

I think it would be fine for her and her son to stay in a room in an apartment. However, from what I have read here it sounds like $80 is too much to pay for a room rental.

Last August, Masha and I stayed at the Sverchkov 8. It cost $80/night for a clean soviet style double room, breakfast (nothing fancy) included. The closest metro station is Kitay Gorod, half way between the hotel and Kremlin (about a 15 minute walk). If Kremlin is your center of coordinates, the Sverchkov is somewhat symetrically opposite to the Arbat district, where the US embassy I believe is located. Let your fiancee call (625-4978) and find out if this suits you. On line: http://www.all-hotels.ru/h116545/hotel/index.en.html and search for Sverchkov 8. Masha's interview probably will be in July, so we will try again with the FridayGirl, but if this person is not avaliable right now, here you have another possibilty. Best to you, buddy Javier

Thank you for your suggestions. I emailed rusgirlfriday too and after 5 days she emailed me back. She is super busy. Must be alot of people trying to get rooms for their visa interviews.

would it really be a problem to stay in a room in an apartment?

Today I got an email about the $80 apartment. In fact the $80 a night is only for a room in the apartment. The owner informed me that the whole apartment would be $144 per night. I am disappointed because I thought I had finally found a place for her to stay that isn't outrageous The search continues...

I think it would be fine for her and her son to stay in a room in an apartment. However, from what I have read here it sounds like $80 is too much to pay for a room rental.