JayFromTexas

3 hours ago, Yeen225 said:

Usually 2 to 3 years to get a green card.

He is asking how long after his Fiancé arrives in the US will she receive her green card. The process is taking 6-8 months, not 2-3 years.

8 hours ago, mendeleev said:

We fly to Siberia through Dubai.  Our friends who have used Istanbul have experienced frequent, unacceptable changes in connection times that have interfered with originating flights in the interior of the USA needed to get to a Turkish Air US-based departure airport.  Similarly, onward connections there have reported been sometimes unreliable.

 

Dubai is more expensive.  The international terminal is amazing.  The terminal we use to fly to Russia less so.  For us, layovers have gotten longer this year because number of flights into Russia have decreased.

 

We fly in June/July/September and I can mention experience later.

Just another datapoint to consider. I and my wife have flown through Istanbul on Turkish Air multiple times and have not experienced any delays or changes in connections. It is significantly cheaper than flying through Dubai, and it is a shorter distance and requires less travel time. For us, flying through Istanbul is the preferred route.

2 hours ago, bren123 said:

Hi, we were DQ'd in March, and given an interview date in May at the Dushanbe embassy. We just figured out that the Dushanbe embassy does not accept medical tests from Moscow, only from Dushanbe. This means my wife is required to take the COVID vaccine, which is a hard no for us. The Almaty embassy accepts medical tests from Moscow which does NOT require COVID vaccination, so we would like to transfer out interview there. 

Has anyone else had success transferring an interview to Almaty? 

People here were successful in getting a transfer to Almaty several months ago, but I haven't heard of any successful transfers in the past 3-4 months. It is my understanding that they are primarily accepting IR-5 transfers, but not IR/CR1/K1 transfers. It certainly won't hurt to try. Let us know how you make out.

1 hour ago, bren123 said:

I've read all of this, but it does not change the fact that Almaty accepts medical tests taken in Moscow, and Russians who take the test in Moscow are WAIVED from the COVID vaccine requirement. If you search the forum, you will find that many have confirmed this. I even called them today and they confirmed. The only embassies that accept Moscow medical tests are Warsaw and Almaty.

I concur

On 11/2/2023 at 11:05 PM, Roy an Panitta said:

we got an interview spot for Jan 5 of 2024 at the U.S consulate Bangkok.. our 1st spot that we found when we started looking in early Oct was in May of 24 my fience keep looking until a spot just randomly popped up which wasnt there earlier in the day.. we were hoping to get a spot in Nov as im currently here. 

   For some reason when we were initially looking we could only access the sit 5 times a day then the site would say that we would get locked out.. so we were limited to 5 searches/queries a day. 

    My fiance found a service that for 1500bat would keep looking for a closer date so we gave them our login info an they'v been pretty good about keeping us up to date on the activity.. the payment is due if an when they find a closer interview date no money up font. They work closely with the US consulate so not sure what that means but my fiance looked them up an they'v got great reviews on youtube an some other places. they primaly do other visas like the B2 an stuff because the K1 slots vary rarely cancel, but he said the consulate will perodically add spots based on workload an manpower.

Roy, I sent you a PM

21 hours ago, anjogo11 said:

When you did the interview, did they ask you any questions pertaining to why you used a tourist VISA to get married or something of that nature?  My partner is worried they will ask why we didn't use a K1 VISA to get married and used a tourist VISA instead, and I would like to qualm those fears.  

We haven't done the interview yet. It should be happening soon. As several have said and it is time to stop worrying about it, IT IS A NON-ISSUE.

Your bigger problem is getting a tourist visa. It will be difficult, if your fiance' doesn't already have hers. 

19 hours ago, TH_and_LK said:

WHAT?! "SEVERAL YEARS"?????!!!! No where online have I seen any timelines saying it will take that long.  Surely you mean for the entire process, not just US entry?

No, not several years for a K1. That prediction was unnecessarily scary. Yes, there have been a few K1 cases take more than 2 years, but it is pretty rare. K1 cases are taking about 18 months from the time you file your application to the time she has her interview and gets her visa. Before Covid several years ago, K1 cases progressed much more quickly than spouse visas, but now, they are taking about the same amount of time or maybe a little bit quicker for the K1.

My wife is a Russian citizen and we are almost done. I filed a I130 in March of 2023 and we should be done in the next 60-90 days, so our timeline will have been about 16 months. I've seen spouse cases take longer than that and a few even shorter than that. I haven't monitored K1 cases as closely, but in general they progress at about the same pace.

You asked if a CR1 would be better and I think most here would say yes. I know I think a CR1 is better. For these reasons:

1) Your wife, if desired, can work in the U.S. when she arrives, otherwise it could be several months to a year before she is allowed to work

2) You don't have to go through the lengthy K1-CR1 Adjustment of Status (AOS) process (I think we will have to adjust from Cr1 to IR1, but I haven't researched that step, yet. I am under the impression that CR1 to IR1 is a much simpler and easier process, but not sure.)

3) It is cheaper to get a CR1 visa, compared to a K1

4) CR1 cases seem to carry more weight with consulates, if you decide to transfer your case away from Poland. We requested a transfer to Bangkok and it was accepted. Literally 4 days before ours was accepted, a person I know requested a transfer for his K1 case and they were denied

There are other reasons for going with CR1, but I can't remember them of the top of my head.

Regarding Poland, it IS possible to get there. Several do it every month. But it is a hassle. You've got to get a Schengen in another country like Spain or Hungary and travel their first and then travel to Poland from there. The Schengen Visa you get will be very time limited, like 2 weeks and sometimes it takes longer than 2 weeks to complete the interview process in Warsaw. Most of that time is due to you waiting to get your girl's passport back, after the interview.

Good luck!

4 hours ago, JayFromTexas said:

Yes, you can visit on a tourist visa and it is unlikely that you'll have any issues with border patrol. Getting a tourist visa might be a challenge, especially since you're so far along in the immigration process.

I should have added, my wife got her tourist visa before got engaged and has visited me several times while the IR/CR1 process has been going on. She had no issues entering the US.

Yes, you can visit on a tourist visa and it is unlikely that you'll have any issues with border patrol. Getting a tourist visa might be a challenge, especially since you're so far along in the immigration process.

11 hours ago, k0nstantin said:

As far as I know, all Schengen countries require visa applicants to have some amount of money in their bank accounts. This amount will depend on how long the applicant intends to stay in the Schengen area. For someone who's requesting a month-long visa, 6900 euros doesn't sound too outrageous.

 

As to your original question, I believe Hungary is one of the friendliest Schengen countries for Russian citizens. Other relatively friendly countries are Italy and Spain. Poland and Baltic countries (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) are the most hostile and do not issue tourist visas to Russian citizens at all. The post, which was mentioned in this thread, talks about a Belarusian citizen, and the situation is somewhat different for them.

 

Keep in mind, that your fiancee shouldn't fly directly to Poland, because the airline will not let her board the plane to Poland with a Russian passport, even with a valid Schengen visa. She should fly to some other Schengen country first (preferably to the country that issues the visa) and then travel to Poland from there. I believe inside Europe she can travel by plane, because AFAIK they don't check passports for flights within the Schengen area. The ticket to Poland should however be booked separately from the ticket to the transit country.

 

The amount of time it takes to get a visa can vary, and right now I believe it does take several months.

I agree with almost everything you wrote including considering Hungary and Spain as countries to target for the Schengen, but I've read several posts that it doesn't take several months. I know of a couple men with Russian fiancé's who got a Hungarian Schengen within 2-3 weeks. They all used a service and were located in either St. Petersburg or Moscow. I don't know about the availability of such services elsewhere in Russia.

On 4/8/2024 at 3:35 PM, pushbrk said:

Correct, upload AND bring.  In this situation and most others, the word "or" in the instructions is there for a reason.  As in "Tax Return Transcript" ....OR.....complete copy......

What if I usually don't file my taxes until later in the year? I own 2 businesses and it takes time to prepare everything to do my taxes. If our interview is in June and if I filed an extension, but haven't filed my 2023 tax return, is that ok?

It is perfectly fine. My wife visited me on her tourist visa before we were married and after we were married with zero issues. You can absolutely marry while your fiancé visits you, as long as she leaves and doesn’t overstay her visa. 
 

My wife and I chose to marry online, but we could have married here with no issues.

Good luck with your new life!

53 minutes ago, Demise said:

He'd be 22 then and naturalization would move him over to F1. Age at parent's naturalization overwrites normal Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) age. If CSPA age would let him immigrate as an F2A it's instrumental to not naturalize until the son is in US.

 

CSPA Age is calculated as follows:

• Actual age on the date the priority date became current or date the I-130 was approved if the category is current
• minus time the I-130 was pending.

So:

Her son's birthday is October 22nd

Lets say your wife enters as a permanent resident and files an I-130 on June 22nd.

The I-130 current processing for F2A child varies on service center, but it's over 3 years across the board (my guess is that USCIS sits on applications like this to allow more to fall under CSPA). Lets just say USCIS sits on it for exactly 3 years.

That means that the son would be covered under CSPA until he's 24 years old on October 22, 2029.

Priority dates only move on the 1st of the month, so his priority date would have to become current (according to the final action dates chart) by October 1st, 2029.

Then he has 1 year to file DS-260 to lock in his age, assuming he didn't file early under the dates for filing chart in case of which he's good to go once the priority date becomes current. He should do this ASAP since a retrogression would prevent him from filing, but it wouldn't knock him off once he's already locked in.

He has to remain unmarried until he's in US.

Your wife should not naturalize until he's in US.

Based on the fact that F2a processing times are currently ~ 36 months and the date the PD becomes current is now 41 months, it is likely that he will be covered under CSPA, correct? Assuming the timelines remain the same, which they won't of course, but it helps understand the math by using current timelines.

51 minutes ago, Demise said:

He'd be 22 then and naturalization would move him over to F1. Age at parent's naturalization overwrites normal Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) age. If CSPA age would let him immigrate as an F2A it's instrumental to not naturalize until the son is in US.

 

CSPA Age is calculated as follows:

• Actual age on the date the priority date became current or date the I-130 was approved if the category is current
• minus time the I-130 was pending.

So:

Her son's birthday is October 22nd

Lets say your wife enters as a permanent resident and files an I-130 on June 22nd.

The I-130 current processing for F2A child varies on service center, but it's over 3 years across the board (my guess is that USCIS sits on applications like this to allow more to fall under CSPA). Lets just say USCIS sits on it for exactly 3 years.

That means that the son would be covered under CSPA until he's 24 years old on October 22, 2029.

Priority dates only move on the 1st of the month, so his priority date would have to become current (according to the final action dates chart) by October 1st, 2029.

Then he has 1 year to file DS-260 to lock in his age, assuming he didn't file early under the dates for filing chart in case of which he's good to go once the priority date becomes current. He should do this ASAP since a retrogression would prevent him from filing, but it wouldn't knock him off once he's already locked in.

He has to remain unmarried until he's in US.

Your wife should not naturalize until he's in US.

VERY helpful. Thank you.

1 minute ago, appleblossom said:

 

That just means that one of those forms need to have been filed to qualify for CPSA in the first place, but then the actual conditions for CPSA are laid out further down the page for each specific category, as it varies for each. Read the section on family preference categories for more info. 

Thank you very much for answering my question. I appreciate it.

7 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

Not sure who told you that, but they were wrong I'm afraid. https://www.uscis.gov/green-card/green-card-processes-and-procedures/child-status-protection-act-cspa

Thank you for your help. Reading your link it says, 

If you are applying for a Green Card based on one of the categories above, you are eligible for CSPA consideration if either your qualifying Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, or one of the following underlying forms was filed or pending on or after Aug. 6, 2002

And the Form I130 is one of the following underlying forms.

This says, "Filed", not approved. This makes me think that as long as my wife files an I130 for her son before he is 21, he won't age out. Is that not the case? 

I see that I may be referring to the NOA2 stage incorrectly for an I130 application. 

So again, I was told that as long as the I130 has been approved by USCIS by the time they are 21, they don't age out.

5 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

Not sure what you mean by NOA2? Have only ever heard that used for a K1 visa, so not sure what context you're using it in?

 

But the dates on the Visa Bulletin are the Priority Dates of those who are now eligible to receive visas - so those that submitted I-130s before 8th Sept 2020 are now eligible. 

 

For your stepson, it will depend on how long his I-130 takes to be approved, and when his PD becomes current on the Visa Bulletin. 

NOA2 is when the i30 is approved by USCIS and the case is passed on to the National Visa Center. My understanding is that as long as their I130 has been approved before they turn 21, they won't age out. 

Getting an I130 approved and getting a visa are 2 different steps. 

6 minutes ago, appleblossom said:

 

It will depend on the Visa Bulletin at the time. At the moment, it would be slightly better ( F1 category those who applied in Feb 2015 are now eligible for visas, versus Nov 2015 for F2B's). But that may change, all you can do is wait and see. He can choose to keep his category as F2B if it would be beneficial when the time comes.

Thank you. A quick followup question, if you don't mind...

The Visa Bulletin shows the current F2A dates being processed as Sept 8 2020. Is this how long these cases are taking, on average, to get to NOA2? Or is it the dates that are currently receiving visas? If it is the latter, where can we see how long it takes to get to the NOA2 stage?

Lastly, it is my understanding that as long as an F2A application received the NOA2 approval before age 21, they will remain an F2A and not age out. Is this correct?

Headline pretty much asks the question... My wife has a 13 yr old daughter and I filed an i130 for both. We are getting close to their interview and we wanted to know what is required, if anything, from her father to allow her to immigrate? Their country is Russia and we are interviewing in Bangkok.

My Russian wife is about 2 months away from getting her green card. We are waiting on her interview letter from the Bangkok consulate (we transferred there from Warsaw). She has a son who is 19 yrs old with a birthday of October 22. The minute my wife gets her green card, we are going to submit an i130 for her son. And btw, we were not married when he was under 18. 

I understand that he would be an F2A case and would age out and become an F2B case, if he doesn't receive his NOA2 before his 21st birthday.

What happens if he ages out and his mother becomes a naturalized citizen, 3 years after she becomes a LPR? Does that help or change his case for the better?

For those who are seeking CR/IR visas, I think consulates are more likely to accept your transfer than K1 cases.

This morning, I received notification from the Thailand consulate that they are accepting my wife's and my stepdaughter's CR1/CR2 transfer request from Warsaw. They responded in 3 days. Only 2 days before, an American with a Russian fiance' was rejected by the same consulate.

I am by no means telling K1 cases to not try. What I am saying is if you are CR/IR cases, don't be discouraged by news that a K1 case was rejected.

I believe I saw one agency that had an expedited service. I’ll look into it. Thanks!

1 hour ago, Tex_44 said:

I attempted the Almaty transfer back in February 2024, and attempted the Bangkok transfer last Thursday.

I received the Appointment Eligibility Letter from Warsaw back in January.  My fiance'e and her daughter have an appointment scheduled in Warsaw, but it does not look like she will be able to travel there.  She was denied a Schengen visa, but her daughter was approved.

The denial from Almaty was:

"Please be informed that consular section in Almaty processes immigrant visa applications for the permanent residents of Kazakhstan only. We can accept very limited number of cases not from our consular district in exceptional circumstances involving life or death issues. Unfortunately, your case does not meet our criteria for exceptional case. Therefore, given our current capacity and huge backlog we are unable to accept your case transfer request."

 

The denial from Bangkok was:

"Unfortunately, we are not able to accept your case transfer request due to internal policies and limited staffing resources.  Please do not travel to Thailand without a confirmed appointment.  Thank you for your understanding."

@Tex_44 Where did you try to get Schengen visas? My wife and stepdaughter got DQ'd a few days ago and we now need to make some decisions as to where we're going to go.

1 hour ago, Troy B said:

 

correction,  normally it is 6 months from the medical before you go to the interview for the CR1 visa.

You are correct. I was speaking in general terms. The medical is usually conducted near the time of the interview, but not always.