sashitaski

Congrats!!!

Good luck with the interview.

Keep us posted.

Thank you! I will.

Hello! We are currently preparing for my husband's interview for a IR-1/CR-1 visa at the consulate in Moscow. We have already obtained the police certificate, and now we are trying to figure out how to get the military certificate we need (since my husband served in the military).

This is the requirement "If the applicant was on military service, he/she should bring the certificate from the local draft board."

In the Russian version this document is called "справка об отсутствии судимости из военного комиссариата по месту жительства"

Has anyone obtained one of these before? If so, how? Yesteraday my husband called his local draft board, where he was told that he should come today and just bring his 'военный билет' with him. So he did that, but when he got there, they told him he also needed to bring some documents proving his employment, plus some sort of special form that they need in order to issue his document. He asked them where to obtain this form and what is was, and nobody would tell him. So later today he called the office again, asking what he needed to bring, and (not so surprising for Russia) the person on the phone said they do not and WILL NOT issue him any such certificate. (by the way, his local draft board is Люблинский округ)

So what to do now? He plans to call back again and hope that someone else will answer the phone....Everything was going so smoothly up till this point! Now we are at a loss.

How have others obtained this military certificate? Do they ask for it at the interview?

If I don't get any answers here and we can't work something out with the draft board I guess I will e-mail the U.S. embassy and ask them.

Any help will be appreciated!

Alexandra

No, we didn't submit anything else after the I-130. After looking through the DCF guide and the information on the embassy's website it doesn't look like we have to submit the DS-2001, but nevertheless I thought we had to do something to indicate the applicant was ready. Anyway, the interview date has already been assigned.

It looks like the only thing to be submitted before the interview (which is when we submit the medical, police, I-864, etc.) is DS-230 part I.

Maybe we will still receive the packet in the mail before then, who knows?

Update: Packet received! It arrived after over a month.

You need to call the NYS DMV office to find out more about it since all states handle things differently. We were told the same thing in Colorado and on top of that they didn't accept my husband's Colombian DL. What we had to do was wait for his green card to arrive in the mail, which took about 7 weeks, and then take that with his social security card to the DMV office to get his learner's permit and then eventually his driver's license. So call your local DMV office to find out if he can use his country's DL in the state of NY while he gets his green card in the mail.

Diana

Thanks, Diana! I will do that.

Alexandra

I read on the NYS DMV site that you must get a NYS license within 30 days of becoming a NYS resident. When does an immigrant formally become a state resident? We are doing DCF and if all goes well we will be moving to the States in the summer, and my husband should receive his green card in the mail soon after crossing the border. Does that mean he has 30 days from the time he receives the green card in order to get his license (before that he can use the license from his own country, like all non-immigrants can)?

No, we didn't submit anything else after the I-130. After looking through the DCF guide and the information on the embassy's website it doesn't look like we have to submit the DS-2001, but nevertheless I thought we had to do something to indicate the applicant was ready. Anyway, the interview date has already been assigned.

It looks like the only thing to be submitted before the interview (which is when we submit the medical, police, I-864, etc.) is DS-230 part I.

Maybe we will still receive the packet in the mail before then, who knows?

If you cannot locate the previous records then the "titer" test is an option, if available, to determine what antibodies are present and then they will update what is missing...

Thanks, I will definitely keep that in mind. However, I know there is a way to get a letter from one's local hospital stating he has had all the vaccinations, I was just wondering if anyone else could provide an example letter or had recently obtained one. I'm sure we'll figure something out. We plan to go to the hospital in the near future and ask them what kind of documents they can provide to this extent.

I never received an actual letter that the I-130 was adjudicated or approved, but when I e-mailed the consulate, they told me that it had been approved. However, the actual, physical letter seems to have gotten lost in the mail.

Regarding vaccinations, I thought that he needs to prove that he has had all those vaccinations that he got in his childhood? Mumps, measles, etc.

I just found out that my husband's interview has been scheduled for exactly one month from now, February 20th. I was a bit surprised, since I have yet to receive anything in the mail from the consulate, including the letter saying that the I-130 was approved. I found everything out only by e-mailing the consulate. So now I guess it's time to start gathering all the documents! Fortunately there is a list of required documents on the consulate's website, so that even if we don't receive the package (which I suspect we may not-- a lot of mail has been lost on its way to us), we pretty much know what to do.

For others who may be starting the process, I would just like to let you know that I submitted I-130 and G-325 Dec. 1, we were adjudicated Dec. 22, and the interview will be Feb. 20 (do not forget that the office was closed for about two weeks due to the Christmas/New Year's holidays--you should subtract that when calculating how long the process will take you).

After reading what some other people said about a 5-minute interview, does that mean that in the span of 5 minutes they can see whether all your I-864 documents are in order? I was a bit surprised about that, as there is a lot of paperwork involved there.

Also, can anyone give any good advice as to how to obtain childhood vaccination records at a Russian hospital?

They just often need to be reminded of their own laws.

I was told at POE that I had a 2-yr GC and needed to remove conditions on my second wedding anniversary. When I asked the Customs and Border Patrol officer if he meant the second anniversary minus 90 days of my entry to the US, he had to look it up and found I was right.

Good to know. I will definitely make sure my husband reminds the officer.

it is based on the age of the marriage when the greencard is issued..... for your situation, that will be the same date of first US entry for your spouse... if that is after 2 years, then a 10 yr card will be issued

Thank you!!

Tell him to remind the IO at his POE that he's been married for more than 2 years.

I'll do that..do they often forget to check?

it is based on the age of the marriage when the greencard is issued..... for your situation, that will be the same date of first US entry for your spouse... if that is after 2 years, then a 10 yr card will be issued

Thank you!!

Here is the situation. We have been married for just under 1.5 years. I just filed the I-130 through DCF in Moscow. I am expecting my husband to have his interview in 2-3 months. However, we do not plan to go back to the U.S. until summer, of course within the 6-month time frame he has to go in. I have to go back a month before our 2nd wedding anniversary to finish my MA degree, but the plan is for my husband to come over a month later, that is, after our 2nd wedding anniversary. Now I'm trying to figure out if he will receive conditional permanent residency, or not? If everything goes as planned, his interview will take place BEFORE our 2nd anniversary, but he will only enter the U.S. AFTER. I have read conflicting information on different sites. For example, here http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.ph...mp;page=i130faq it says "...unless the couple has been married for two years at the time of the interview." But here http://www.***removed***/greencard/familyba...-residence.html it says "...on the day you were lawfully admitted to the U.S. on an immigrant visa."

I'm confused! So is it that we need to have been married two years on the day of the interview or at the POE? I thought it was POE, but now I don't know anymore.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hello, everyone! I finally got everything together and did all the paperwork for the I-130 this weekend. Today I went to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to file. To prove residency I used my student visa which is issued for one year and a letter from the director of my program that states that my program is in Moscow and that I am here for one whole year. They did not give me any trouble about the residency requirement.

I tried to find information about the first step of the process in Moscow and was unable to find anything.

Therefore, I will post my experience here for future Moscow DCF filers!

1. Make sure you can fulfill the residency requirement. Generally, they want proof that you have been in the country for six months already. In certain circumstances, however, if you have compelling evidence, you may be able to start sooner.

2. I-130 petitions are accepted everyday from 1-4 PM. (Of course, this could change. I found this information on the website, although this is the ONLY mention they have about anything DCF-related)

3. Your foreign spouse does not need to go with you. I read on many sites that you should go together, but at least in Moscow, there is absolutely no need, although I guess it can't hurt. I went alone.

4. They accept payment in both dollars and rubles.

5. You use the same entrance that all the Russians applying for tourist/business visas use. At first I was told to go to the Citizen Services section, which was not correct. They (Citizen Services) told me to go back to where I had seen the huge line of Russians. They told me to show the Russian guards there my American passport and they should let me through. They told me I did not have to stand in the loooong line with all the people for tourist visas. However, when I got there and showed them my passport, they said "get in line." I argued with them for a few minutes and insisted that I was told by Citizen Services that I did not have to stand in the same line as my situtation was different. Because once inside, there is no line for people filing the I-130. I was the only one there. Finally, they decided they would "make an exception" and let me in. Once you get in and go through all the security, after taking a number you do NOT wait for your number to show up on the board on the wall. You just go to Window 20, pick up the phone, and tell the person on the line you're here to file the I-130. I guess they have so few people apply that they don't have someone at the window all the time. But when you call they come right away. So a man came down to look at my papers. He was very nice, and very courteous. He looked over my papers, then took them to an immigration officer so he could make sure everything was there. Once that was approved I went to the kassa to pay the $355 fee, went back to Window 20 with my receipt and documents (you have to take your documents with you to the kassa), handed them in, and that was it! I didn't understand exactly what would happen next, but we were advised to start working on the police certificate right away. It seems that after immigration services approves our paperwork, it will be handed over to the consular section, and I will be filing the I-864 through them, and they will send the interview information to my husband.

If anyone has any other questions I would be glad to help!

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately I don't know too much about this process--what's the difference between a K3 and a GC? I thought that eventually my husband would get a green card...So I called the American embassy in Russia, and they directed me to immigration services, where I was told that only American citizen residents of Moscow could file the I-130 in Moscow. Is there hope that I could talk someone into it though, or are they pretty strict about that? Right now the plan was to try to prepare the I-130 by beginning of next week and send it DHL or UPS to the States. But, another hassle is that first I have to send it to my parents so they can put a money order in, and then have them send it in. Unfortunately I don't know anyone going to the States in the near future, and I don't think I could find someone that fast. But I'm really worried about the time constraint, any other suggestions to speed up the process, anyone? Oh yes, and about the proving the bonafide marriage thing--how am I supposed to do that? We don't own property together or have joint bank accounts...does the "other documents" proving you're married part include pictures and things like that? Or do we need to try to get friends to sign something in front of a notary public?

Thanks so much, Rika! You have helped a great deal, just what I needed!

Hello Everyone! I have a question concerning a visa for my husband (as of one and a half weeks!). I am American, but my husband is Russian. He lives in Moscow, and I am currently studying in Canada. We got married here in Moscow, but only the ZAGs wedding. We are planning a second, church wedding in New York for next May. That will be the one for my family and friends. I have already reserved a reception venue and made arrangements with the pastor and the church for next May, so everything is set--except for my husband's visa. He has never been to the States, or out of the country in general, except to Turkey. He applied for a tourist visa once, but was denied. After the wedding, we are coming back to Moscow for one year, because I will be doing my graduate coursework in Mosocw. But after that year, we are planning on moving to the States. So the problem is, what type of visa should he apply for? With an immigration visa you have to spend more than half of the year in the United States, but we are coming back to Moscow after the wedding. So I was thinking that he needs a tourist visa, but I have heard that he is not guaranteed a tourist visa just because he is married to an American citizen, and that they may be suspicious that he will try to stay there on a tourist visa. I am really worried about the fact that he may be denied after I have made all the wedding arrangements there already. He really just needs to go over for 1-2 months, that's it. So is a tourist visa the best way to go? Besides the necessary documents, I guess I write him the invitation, and also I will try to provide a copy of the reception contract and a letter from the pastor. Unfortunately, I don't have any documentation from the graduate program yet, that would prove I'm coming back to Moscow. Has anyone had a similar situation? Any advice would be helpful, concerning type of visa, approximate processing times, how to improve his chances, and what's the possibility of him getting turned down?

Thanks a lot!

Alexandra

The possibility of the tourist visa being denied is unfortunately very high. Have you made any wedding arrangements yet? I suggest looking into the requirements for him to visit Canada and perhaps have the church wedding there in a border city close to your relatives.

Yes, the thing is, I have made all the arrangements! The reception venue is booked, the arrangements with the church and pastor have been made! Money has been paid and contracts signed! This is not looking good now, I don't know what to do! Any other suggestions?

Oh dear... when is the date? Sometime in May? That may be enough time to get a K3 visa if the tourist visa is denied, but with the K3 he'd have some complications with going back to Moscow for a whole year, but I don't think those complications are insurmountable. I'm not sure about the timelines for a K3 for the embassy in Russia though. Something that would help the tourist visa application is proof of your studies in Moscow, especially if you've already been accepted somewhere and paid some tuition fees.

Yes, the wedding date is May 18th. You know, I was thinking that maybe the K3 is the way to go. My only questions then would be concerning financial issues. Since I am a student, I do not own property, and I do not have a huge bank account--i.e., I cannot prove that I can support my husband in the United States. We would be living with my parents at first, and then find a place to rent--do you know if it is possible to use my parents' financial information to support him? And also I did not do my taxes last year becasue I was living and studying in Canada and therefore did not work in the U.S., and also because I was a dependent of my parents (before I got married, that is, which was just over a week ago). Any insight on these issues? If that can be worked out, then maybe I should skip the tourist visa and we should just try for the K3 and later apply for the exemption, because unfortunately at this point I have no documents proving my future studies in Moscow.

Yeah, sounds like starting asap on the K3 is the way to go. You'll need a joint sponsor - hopefully your parents would be willing and able.

When you convert your earnings in Canada to USD, is it more than the threshold before having to filing? If so, you'll need to backfile. www.irs.gov is a good site and calling their helpline is surprisingly helpful. No matter where a USC lives in the world, if they earn over the filing threshold they're supposed to file a tax return. Income up to $82,000 something can be excluded so you don't have to pay any taxes just file. It doesn't matter if you were a dependant of your parents - if you earned over the threshold, you still have to file. Call the IRS though - they'll help you sort it out.

All the financial stuff can be worked out later once the I-129f is approved and being processed at the NVC. I would get the I-130 and the I-129f in the mail ASAP. Have your husband print off the G-325a form (all four) sign them and send them to you quickly. That's all he needs to do at this point though I believe.

EDIT - Do you have the marriage certificate? If it's Moscow, get him to mail a copy to you quickly.

Margot--I cannot thank you enough! You have been so helpful answering all of my questions so quickly! Now, a few more details: I am still in Moscow right now, and will be here until August 28th. What can I do from here, without being in the United States? I only today decided to go the immigration route, so I'm kind of lost! We need to apply for the I-130 before the K3, is that correct? And what is the I-129f? Are those the first two things that need to be done? Is there a section of this site that explains the process step by step? And can I do anything here , or do I need to wait until I go to the U.S.? Can I have my parents prepare something for me? As for the marriage certificate, should I have the original in the United States, or should my husband keep it with him here in Moscow? And what is the G-325a? Sorry for bombarding you with questions. Thanks in advance! p.s. Regarding taxes, I did not make money over the threshold anywhere, so I guess if I call the IRS they could maybe just provide me with some document that would say that?

Hello Everyone! I have a question concerning a visa for my husband (as of one and a half weeks!). I am American, but my husband is Russian. He lives in Moscow, and I am currently studying in Canada. We got married here in Moscow, but only the ZAGs wedding. We are planning a second, church wedding in New York for next May. That will be the one for my family and friends. I have already reserved a reception venue and made arrangements with the pastor and the church for next May, so everything is set--except for my husband's visa. He has never been to the States, or out of the country in general, except to Turkey. He applied for a tourist visa once, but was denied. After the wedding, we are coming back to Moscow for one year, because I will be doing my graduate coursework in Mosocw. But after that year, we are planning on moving to the States. So the problem is, what type of visa should he apply for? With an immigration visa you have to spend more than half of the year in the United States, but we are coming back to Moscow after the wedding. So I was thinking that he needs a tourist visa, but I have heard that he is not guaranteed a tourist visa just because he is married to an American citizen, and that they may be suspicious that he will try to stay there on a tourist visa. I am really worried about the fact that he may be denied after I have made all the wedding arrangements there already. He really just needs to go over for 1-2 months, that's it. So is a tourist visa the best way to go? Besides the necessary documents, I guess I write him the invitation, and also I will try to provide a copy of the reception contract and a letter from the pastor. Unfortunately, I don't have any documentation from the graduate program yet, that would prove I'm coming back to Moscow. Has anyone had a similar situation? Any advice would be helpful, concerning type of visa, approximate processing times, how to improve his chances, and what's the possibility of him getting turned down?

Thanks a lot!

Alexandra

The possibility of the tourist visa being denied is unfortunately very high. Have you made any wedding arrangements yet? I suggest looking into the requirements for him to visit Canada and perhaps have the church wedding there in a border city close to your relatives.

Yes, the thing is, I have made all the arrangements! The reception venue is booked, the arrangements with the church and pastor have been made! Money has been paid and contracts signed! This is not looking good now, I don't know what to do! Any other suggestions?

Oh dear... when is the date? Sometime in May? That may be enough time to get a K3 visa if the tourist visa is denied, but with the K3 he'd have some complications with going back to Moscow for a whole year, but I don't think those complications are insurmountable. I'm not sure about the timelines for a K3 for the embassy in Russia though. Something that would help the tourist visa application is proof of your studies in Moscow, especially if you've already been accepted somewhere and paid some tuition fees.

Yes, the wedding date is May 18th. You know, I was thinking that maybe the K3 is the way to go. My only questions then would be concerning financial issues. Since I am a student, I do not own property, and I do not have a huge bank account--i.e., I cannot prove that I can support my husband in the United States. We would be living with my parents at first, and then find a place to rent--do you know if it is possible to use my parents' financial information to support him? And also I did not do my taxes last year becasue I was living and studying in Canada and therefore did not work in the U.S., and also because I was a dependent of my parents (before I got married, that is, which was just over a week ago). Any insight on these issues? If that can be worked out, then maybe I should skip the tourist visa and we should just try for the K3 and later apply for the exemption, because unfortunately at this point I have no documents proving my future studies in Moscow.

Hello Everyone! I have a question concerning a visa for my husband (as of one and a half weeks!). I am American, but my husband is Russian. He lives in Moscow, and I am currently studying in Canada. We got married here in Moscow, but only the ZAGs wedding. We are planning a second, church wedding in New York for next May. That will be the one for my family and friends. I have already reserved a reception venue and made arrangements with the pastor and the church for next May, so everything is set--except for my husband's visa. He has never been to the States, or out of the country in general, except to Turkey. He applied for a tourist visa once, but was denied. After the wedding, we are coming back to Moscow for one year, because I will be doing my graduate coursework in Mosocw. But after that year, we are planning on moving to the States. So the problem is, what type of visa should he apply for? With an immigration visa you have to spend more than half of the year in the United States, but we are coming back to Moscow after the wedding. So I was thinking that he needs a tourist visa, but I have heard that he is not guaranteed a tourist visa just because he is married to an American citizen, and that they may be suspicious that he will try to stay there on a tourist visa. I am really worried about the fact that he may be denied after I have made all the wedding arrangements there already. He really just needs to go over for 1-2 months, that's it. So is a tourist visa the best way to go? Besides the necessary documents, I guess I write him the invitation, and also I will try to provide a copy of the reception contract and a letter from the pastor. Unfortunately, I don't have any documentation from the graduate program yet, that would prove I'm coming back to Moscow. Has anyone had a similar situation? Any advice would be helpful, concerning type of visa, approximate processing times, how to improve his chances, and what's the possibility of him getting turned down?

Thanks a lot!

Alexandra

The possibility of the tourist visa being denied is unfortunately very high. Have you made any wedding arrangements yet? I suggest looking into the requirements for him to visit Canada and perhaps have the church wedding there in a border city close to your relatives.

Yes, the thing is, I have made all the arrangements! The reception venue is booked, the arrangements with the church and pastor have been made! Money has been paid and contracts signed! This is not looking good now, I don't know what to do! Any other suggestions?

Hello Everyone! I have a question concerning a visa for my husband (as of one and a half weeks!). I am American, but my husband is Russian. He lives in Moscow, and I am currently studying in Canada. We got married here in Moscow, but only the ZAGs wedding. We are planning a second, church wedding in New York for next May. That will be the one for my family and friends. I have already reserved a reception venue and made arrangements with the pastor and the church for next May, so everything is set--except for my husband's visa. He has never been to the States, or out of the country in general, except to Turkey. He applied for a tourist visa once, but was denied. After the wedding, we are coming back to Moscow for one year, because I will be doing my graduate coursework in Mosocw. But after that year, we are planning on moving to the States. So the problem is, what type of visa should he apply for? With an immigration visa you have to spend more than half of the year in the United States, but we are coming back to Moscow after the wedding. So I was thinking that he needs a tourist visa, but I have heard that he is not guaranteed a tourist visa just because he is married to an American citizen, and that they may be suspicious that he will try to stay there on a tourist visa. I am really worried about the fact that he may be denied after I have made all the wedding arrangements there already. He really just needs to go over for 1-2 months, that's it. So is a tourist visa the best way to go? Besides the necessary documents, I guess I write him the invitation, and also I will try to provide a copy of the reception contract and a letter from the pastor. Unfortunately, I don't have any documentation from the graduate program yet, that would prove I'm coming back to Moscow. Has anyone had a similar situation? Any advice would be helpful, concerning type of visa, approximate processing times, how to improve his chances, and what's the possibility of him getting turned down?

Thanks a lot!

Alexandra