clueless_in_usa

I am also a TRUE liberal (libertarian) so while I undewrstand your frustration, it is not our governments place to dictate policy to Mexico and not all illegal aliens are Mexican. Also it is not our government's policy to dictate to Dodge (well, maybe it is now, but it shouldn;t be)

The government can get any of those companies to move back tomorrow by passing the FAIR TAX. The government can get ALL the illegal aliens to go home tomorrow by taxing the holy living sh*t out of any business that hires one and seizing their proerty to cover the tax debt.

The politicians in Mexico (since you mention it) need illegals also. Slavery is, and always has been, good for both sides of the slave supply chain. Mexico has, at any given moment, nearly 10% of its citizens in the USA, this is a huge relief valve for the Mexican government. Also, the sale of its citizens as slaves to the USA provides the largest part of their foreign income (except possibly for drug smuggling which isn't nearly so well documented) The primary source of foreign trade for Mexico is as a pimp for its citizens. You would be asking them to cut off their biggest industry...slave auctioning. It will never happen. Just as Africans sold their fellow Africans into slavery, the Mexican government will sell its citizens into slavery. Nothing new under the sun. The widespread use of Africans as slaves did NOT end because of some moral compunction originating in Africa. Mexico will do nothing to end the exploitation of Mecians, they get too much money from it.

This whole problem is about MONEY. It all goes away when there is no MONEY reason for it to exist.

The US government has the ability to end this tomorrow, they do not need to askl anyone, they do not need to be accused of racism, they do not need to invade anyones rights, they do not need a fence, a virtual fence or anything else, They simply need to make it economically impossible to employ slaves. If employers wish to exploit humans, abuse them, take awy all the rights we fought for, turn back 125 years of labor laws...then we need to tax them right out of business.

I was wrong, Gary. You should not be the president of the USA. There is a better job for you: Secretary of State!

Who needs Ms. Clinton when we have one of the greatest minds in Vermont?

You will do a hell of a job in foreign relations. It will be a great (dis) service to your country.

Wow! I had not noticed, but I have a God Member (look below my Avatar)

The way to prevent this is to end the economic incetive for illegals to be here by severly punishing people that employ, abuse and exploit illegal aliens. Punish the real criminals. IF we would do so, it could mean so much more to the people of Mexico. Ending the economic lure would mean that they could eventually join Canadians with their special easy access to the USA, when there would no longer be a high risk of illegal immigration, sich as with Canadians and EU citizens, then they could travel here without visas.

People opposing laws to end the human tragedy that is this illegal slavery would be appalled if I proposed ending the minimum wage or workman's comp., they would howl to the moon if I suggested removing laws protecting us from sexual harassment or wanted to end social security or medicare or our new universal health care...yet they condone exactly the same thing for these illegal workers. It is the strangest situation I ever saw and qualifies as a new level of stupidity if not blatant racism.

Who among us here would suggest, or even imagine, taking away safety equipment from our nations firefighters? Which of you would suggest that families of policemen killed in the line of duty not get compensated? And maybe not even get notified! who would suggest that? Anyone? Yet so many people will suggest doing the same to illegal aliens. Why? Because they are brown or yellow?

First:

You need to wake up, because you are living in dream land. The two most important incentives that illegals have to come to the USA are a better life than what they can ever dream to have in their home countries (Yes! countries, because illegals are not only Mexican) and the lure of very easy money through the trafficking of drugs to the vast and hungry USA market.

Second:

I could care less about the laws that you mentioned above. Obama care should have never passed, and it has to come a day when people stop depending on the government and start depending on themselves, especially for retirement. Stop being victims! Everything has to be a law in this country. It makes me sick!

Third:

I know more illegals that have pearly white skin like YOU, than illegals that have brown or yellow skin. According to you, I should immediately report these "white slaves" and their "owners" because a crime is being committed. Well, I won't do that. Why? Because these people are happier doing what they are doing than how they were in their fabulous countries, where you propose to send them back to.

For the record, these illegals that I know are not being raped, and not being forced to do jobs they do not want to do. Their only disadvantage is that they get paid a little less than their peers and they cannot complain. Otherwise their working conditions are exactly the same as those working with them who have all the benefits of working in the USA legally.

Could not of said it better myself Gary!

Gary for PRESIDENT!

You guys seem to think that illegals prefer to be returned home rather than work with no added benefits, but at least getting money to eat.

According to you, the defenders of the "poor brown people," is better to have paid vacation, fair benefits, social security, etc. rather than having any food on the table to eat, no matter how much work it took to have such precious food.

Therefore, because you all know better, let us unionize all these illegals, let us bring them back home, and let us make them strike against the fat PIGs who exploit them until these racists decide to provide all required benefits to these workers. Meanwhile, if these illegals die because they cannot eat any food, that will be better because there will be fewer illegals to worry about.

Like I said before, the real problem in Arizona is not the illegals, but the DRUGS. However, for some strange reason you failed to mention anything about drugs. Maybe because the drug buyers are "poor white" people with a problem and they should use "sick pay, universal health care, medical leave, and other benefits given only to whites to TREAT their problem.

The brown people who are trying to make a life for themselves and their families should be treated as criminals, put in jail immediately, and sent home to die, because they are scum, but the white people who create the reason for drug wars and violent crime should be given free benefits and put in beautiful hospitals until they get cure, because they have benefits they deserve.

Who is more racist now?

P.S.: The son of Michael Douglas should have been given at least 20 years without parole. Examples like that would be a beginning to deter drug use and specially drug trafficking. Unfortunately, he is the SON of a famous movie star and daddy has plenty of money to spend on lawyers.

I think every one should have to provide proof that they are here legally, on demand, all the time. If they aren't, they shoulf be taken into custody and deported. Most countries require this, and America should be no different.

There is so much I could write in response, but I will refrain so as to not get suspended.

The only thing I do want to add is that I am glad that you are not my neighbor. If you were, the police would have been at my door multiple times already.

Alla carries a copy of her green card wherever she goes. Problem? People in this country illegally SHOULD be put in jail, at least ubntil they can be freed from their slaveowners and sent home. Problem? Or do you promote the enslavement of illegals that are unable to demand fair treatment, fair wages, fair benefits for work? Do you support human trafficking of people for low wages, agricultural slavery and construction industry safety abuse? I hope you are not one of those racists that thinks we should turn a blind eye to exploited humans in this country. One of those that thinks it is OK for men to work too long hours in the too hot sun without safety equipment for a white owned roofing company...just because they are Mexicans. THAT would be disgusting if you thought that.

When our federal government gets off its lame @ss as passes a tax on employment of slaves illegally in this country and makes the economic punsihment far exceed the economic benfot of employing slaves, then this non-sense will stop, we will not need to deport ANYone and these honorbale people can go home and live as free men and women...not hiding in the shadows to be abused by industry, agriculture and politicians. Until then the states will have to try and eradicate this abomination on their own.

Crime is one serious thing in Arizona, and I agree that ALL criminals should be prosecuted, especially the ruthless scum working for the drug cartels. Drugs are worse than a cancer and they keep spreading out of control. Why? Because we, Americans, keep using our dollars to feed these criminals. That is the real problem!!! If there were not a market for illegal drugs, there would be no drug cartels and no crime related to it.

Regarding the statements above, I know a few people who would give anything to work as the kind of slaves you mention than have to go hungry in their own "FREE" land. I know somebody who is currently a "proud" and "happy" American citizen that came to the USA as a tourist and worked her way up as illegal, until she got the right job that provided her a path to citizenship. That is what she wanted for her and her children and she did it even delivering newspapers early in the morning for lazy Americans who had to have their papers at the door when they woke up in the morning. This woman never committed a crime, but the patriotic crowd in this forum will say that she should be treated as a common criminal because she stayed in the USA illegally. Meanwhile, the rich people who buy the drugs and keep feeding the real criminals, murderers, and other violent people, are not criminals. Instead, they are "poor" souls with a problem they cannot control. Go figure!

If I had to choose to live with either one of the "criminals" I mentioned, I would be more than happy choosing the criminal who committed the big crime of staying in the USA illegally and working very hard as a "slave", than the poor soul who has too much money to burn and uses it for drugs to feel good about him/herself.

I would like to see how many people in Arizona will go to jail, even after showing the police a valid driver's license. Do you people thing that Latin people who drive in Arizona and are American citizens should drive with a copy of their birth certificate and/or naturalization document (assuming they do not have a passport)?

You'll be put in jail, unless you carry your passport/green card with you.

HI ALL....Just got a text saying another RFE issued....we reponsed to one requesting a completed I-693 and another copy of my wives taxes for 2008..which was included in the package....

Contacted my congressman last week regarding the I-693 form as i entered on a K-1 visa married, medical etc all done with the 90 days...she said that USCIS infomed her they had everything that they need...now this?????

our stress levels are so high right now.....what else can we send them???

have a great week

Tony & Carol

My comment may not help, but my wife sent exactly what they ask for and she got approved with no RFE. She also had the exam done in her home country. Despite that, she went to a CS and got a new I-693 with all the vaccinations only. That is all they needed. And in terms of taxes, they do not want a COPY of your taxes. They prefer a tax TRANSCRIPT. That is what my wife sent.

Overall, her AOS, EAD, and Parole got approved without issues. No stress either!

Three months and five days from receipt in Chicago to Interview and final approval.

Hey all,

I have a question and hope I am in the right forum here. I am sitting here in Cairo waiting to come back to the US tonight and we are now officially engaged. We both could not be happier. So now the fun begins. So we met in Egypt, and everything went great, but there were concerns about her passport. A month ago we tried to go to Paris, but her visa was denied. Essentially when the French embassy called her manager at work to ask about her employment he was not there to talk, so rather than call back later they said, "Next." So she now has a stamp in her passport they probably says in French, "Visa was deined for France." So moving forward we decided on Egypt and less than a month later here we are in Egypt. She went home yesterday and I am heading back tonight. Had a wonderful time, but she had a concern about the French stamp saying her visa was denied. Our question is does she need a new passport so that stamp is not in there now? She thought it would be a good idea to get a new one because of the French, but now she has an Egyptian visa in this one which obviously will not transfer. Should we worry about this, or will she need a new one? I looked in the application guide and there really was nothing that said we need to show a copy of the passport for the application. However this may not be true for the interview and she may be asked baout it.

Also I must have not seen in the guide where it says she needs a passport sized photo for the application. I never thought about asking her to bring one, or even getting one when we were here. Is there a ways she could email me the passport photo so I can make the copy, or is it acceptable to look at the many pictures we too and try to find one that meets the specs? I'm sure she could take a bunch herself and then email them to me and I can use one from there. I'm sure we could use DHL or FED Ex to send the photo, but as most of you probably know the Russian mail is slow as hell. Not to say ours is much better.

Thanks again for the help.

Let me answer your question with a fact:

My now wife is living with me in the USA. Her passport has a visa denial to USA, when she tried the Work & Travel program but was told during the interview at the American consulate that she did not speak enough English. Her K-1 interview took less than 10 minutes.

Interpret that as you wish.

Domestic, she will have to walk to the international terminal at JFK.

In case it was not understood in my previous post, there is only ONE Delta terminal at JFK. It is very large, so she'll have to walk to her connecting gate, but she will not have to go to the street or another terminal for that matter. Even DELTA arrivals occur on the same terminal no matter where they come from, so her connection at JFK will be on the same terminal, in the larger hall with more gates.

Yeah, I heard about that. She doesn't fly until Monday, but even still, it's rotten luck. Even if the sky is clear, these past few days of canceled and delayed flights is going to make JFK (and probably SVO as well) a madhouse.

On the bright side, if she can't make it because of the volcano, I don't see how it could be pinned on me.

If you had made the plan earlier, she would have been able to go. Therefore, it is YOUR fault.

I've got two emails awaiting replies, plus I've been on hold for a half hour with Delta for what should be a simple question. My Ira is flying back to Russia to visit family on Monday. She's flying from DFW to JFK to SVO... When I drop her at DFW, should I drop her off at the Domestic gate (since she's going to New York to connect), or at the International gate (since Moscow is the ultimate destination on her ticket)?

Thanks,

ZS

All Delta flights DEPART from ONE and ONLY ONE terminal, no matter where they go to: the DELTA terminal. Only arrivals may use a different terminal, depending on the airport (not JFK).

We need a RUB sex thread.

Maybe if we talked about RUBbing sex more people would join.

Does anybody remember the slogan "make love not war?"

Well it looks like we might need to reschdule our damn interview date because of how slow the Russian mail system has become... Anna's interview is scheduled for for April 23rd and it will probably take the package I sent her at least another couple of weeks to get there (mailed March 24th via USPS).

Does anyone know what the latest interview dates are looking like? I know we'll end up getting bumped to the end of the line.

You can pay the $95 or be patient. The package has not been in the mail long enough. It usually takes 2.5 weeks from the east coast. Give it an extra week from Alaska.

Thanks for the heads-up on the show. I caught about 40 minutes of it. The one thing that struck me was how unattractive the Russian women were. Everybody needed to see a good dentist. If nothing else, it dispels the idea all Russian women are beautiful.

The twins were very cute and you could get TWO for the price of ONE.

Received in the mail yesterday, two envelopes from USCIS. One to each and each contained two originals of the AP form. The EADs should be arriving soon.

Don't really need the APs at this time but nice to have. With the EADs we'll be able to apply for Leonids SSN and have Alla's changed to work authorized.

No word on the GCs and no RFEs also. Actually I believe there will be no RFEs since those would have been incurred with the EAD and AP applications. You see I screwed up and did not include with those documents copies of the ID page of their passports or copies of the I-94 in their passports. Now those copies were included with the I-485 documents and all documents were sent together. So obviously the person handling the paperwork made the appropriate copies at USCIS and the EAD and APs moved forward. I was ready for an RFE for those.

Or...maybe the Moscow Embassy called back to USCIS and told them not to ask me for any additional documentation lest I send them another 10 pound FedEx box full of papers!!!!! (Back from the interview in Nov.)

We sent only TWO photos and ONE copy of every document with the three applications together and every one of them was already approved with no RFEs. Don't understand why people keep insisting on recommending to send copies and photos for each application separately when everything goes inside the same envelope.

The program shows one interesting statistic that often goes overlooked. They said:

Of 2000 women on the site (A Volga Girl) only eight get engaged a year. And the featured woman has been on the site four years and that was the first time somebody went to visit her.

For whoever think that the women are opportunistic and looking for an easy way out of Russia (Ukraine, Belarus, etc), look at those numbers.

They are talking about E-mail Order Bride

Ooooh how I hate United.

I actually took the exact flight you're talking about between Dulles and Domodedovo (spelling may be a little off).

The short story is this:

-Arriving

We departed late for reasons I can't remember.

Buncha little annoying things in flight like my own little screen not working. But it's about the destination not the journey.

Even though we left an our late, we managed to arrive in DME 2 hours late. At least we made it.

-Leaving

When I was leaving the plane was 2 hours late again. Apparently they hadn't figured it out yet.

At first they said they had to service the plane, so another hour delay. I'm ok with that, wouldn't want to fly across the world with no gas.

Then there was some confusion issue involving ice, so another hour and a half delay. Alright, DME is a nice airport anyway.

Next they stumbled on some mechanical issue, so just hang out for another hour and change. They must have found my broken TV screen.

Finally, sorry folks, we're not flying today. Well, better to stay on the ground than crash into it.

-The problem

I was in a hurry when I did my visa, so I didn't give myself a day buffer; thus I had to leave Russia that day or face the gulags.

So I wasn't able to go to the nice plush hotel they had set up for everyone that was supposed to fly.

-The Solution

Myself and a couple other people explained this to the United rep. I felt so bad for her, she was getting mauled by people and trying to be nice and find a solution. Poor lady, she did a good job though, I mean it wasn't her fault.

Anyway, so she found a way to get us out on Luftansa (again, check that spelling). But it was only to Frankfurt, was all they could do. So when we would arrive in Frankfurt, they would set us up with a hotel for the night and fly us back to the states the next day.

So we go out of security to get tickets and then back through it, which was just funny and confusing. This lady was walking at an impressive running pace and we knew if we lost sight of her, it would end badly for us. Not a complaint though.

-Frankfurt

Luftansa was an awesome flight, no delays and even nice and comfy. Much better than United.

So we arrive in Frankfurt and myself and the other people b-line it for the United desk. Although when we arrived, it seemed rather dark and sparsely populated. We asked around and the Luftansa rep said "Oh, they go home at 5:00 every day". We'd been HAD.

So we had to stay all night in the airport; not the most comfortable thing to do.

-Leaving Take 2

My final leg of the trip was back to DC on United.

They were over half an our late arriving/departing again. I was already planning how I would sleep in the airport again.

On the flight back over, I was greeted with the same meal they ran out of on the way to Moscow. The last thing I was worried about of course.

Maybe I was spoiled because I took British airways on my first trip to Russia.

The sad part is I know I'm going to end up having to take the exact same flight again this summer, due to arrival departure times and train times.

If you can though, never ever ever ever (I can't stress this enough) ever take United if you can help it. Or at least bring patience, a pillow and a blanket.

It has to be a United practice, because I had a similar experience within the USA the only time I tried to fly United this year. The worst part is that they do not care. You are at their mercy. I got my ticket refunded after getting stranded in Chicago (their big hub) because "they did not have a crew available to fly the plane." However, I only got the purchase price. The client loss was MY loss.

If you fly frequently in Delta and have a good status, you may chosen to fly business across the Atlantic because those seats are never full, but they assign them all. I was the lucky one twice from Kiev. It is SO much comfortable!

Now United has a direct flight between Moscow and Washington DC.

I am surprised about your comments regarding Aeroflot. They use their newest planes in their route to the USA, and last time I used them the flight was pleasant. Turbulence is not attributable to the airline, but to your luck with the weather in route. The only thing I do agree with is that Aeroflot's service leaves much to be desired. But if you are not checking bags, there is no much to worry.

Wanted to add that a couple of years ago Aerosvit used to rent an Italian plane for their flight to and from New York. The whole crew (except for a couple who spoke Russian/Ukrainian) were all from Italy, including pilots. One problem you may encounter with these direct flights between US and Russia/Ukraine in any airline, is that you will be stuck for many hours and possibly days if the plane breaks in the foreign land (US for Aeroflot/Aerosvit and Russia/Ukraine for Delta/United). It happened to me in New York with Aerosvit and to a friend in Kiev with Delta, so I know.

My wife and I always travel Delta these days. Service is consistently good, and the direct flight from JFK to SVO is perfect for us. Prices are usually reasonable, but not always.

During my early travels to Russia, I tried saving money by flying United, Lufthansa, and Aeroflot. If you don't mind a connection in Europe, Lufthansa is a pretty decent airline to travel on. I strongly advise that you don't fly Aeroflot. I had two flights with Aeroflot (once to Moscow, once to New York), and both trips were consistently bad. Horrendous turbulence, pilots flew faster than the US-based ones ever did, planes creaked like an old house, landings were abrupt and frightening. Never again for us.

As for the topic at hand, I only tried Travelocity once and it wouldn't let me purchase with Moscow as the origin point, but I never had a problem doing so from Delta's website. I'm not sure if Travelocity's policy has changed since I last tried.

I also echo the previously given advice to purchase a round trip ticket. All the airlines massively mark up one-way tickets. If you skip your return flight, they don't usually penalize you unless you try to collect a partial refund, or get the difference applied to a future flight. So, if you purchase a two way ticket to use as a one-way, consider the return ticket a loss, and buy a new round-trip the next time you travel.

Good luck!

Z

Now United has a direct flight between Moscow and Washington DC.

I am surprised about your comments regarding Aeroflot. They use their newest planes in their route to the USA, and last time I used them the flight was pleasant. Turbulence is not attributable to the airline, but to your luck with the weather in route. The only thing I do agree with is that Aeroflot's service leaves much to be desired. But if you are not checking bags, there is no much to worry.

Dude, luck has nothing to do with it. If you're going to be a tool, then just refrain from posting and keep your misery to yourself. Jesus Christ, I have never seen such negativity on a forum where mutual support is ultimately what people are looking for here.

The refusal rate for B-1/B-2 visa applications from Russia is >ONLY< 4.9%. Luck has nothing to do with it, genius.

Sheesh...really.

Again--thank you for the people who were supportive and I hope our experience is of some help to others considering a similar course of action.

Dude, keep your personal attacks to yourself. I am very good at insults if you want to start a pissing match anytime.

You and your Olga are lucky, and that is it. If you believe that you are God because you can throw money around at will, that is your problem, not mine. The truth is that the majority of Russians who try what you did are not so lucky, usually because they are not spoiled rich like you.

By the way, who said that being at VJ I had to "support" anybody's whims?

Insult me again and I will get you suspended.

Sorry, perhaps I should have given my comments broader context.

Olga and I started talking in February of 2008. We decided that we would get together in person no less than every six months--so things like airfare, hotel and all that are a moot point because that money would be spent anyway. If she doesn't come here on the B-2, then we meet somewhere else. We already tried Canada earlier this year, but her tourist visa application was denied. So for me, it's $200 and that's it.

So if the observation is that I have money to burn because we vacation together a couple of times a year, well, I guess I could understand that a bit more. I don't really know how my income compares with others on here, but I do not pull down a particularly large salary I just basically live as frugally as I can because it's more than worth it to have that brief time together when we can manage it.

My apologies for any misunderstanding on my part there.

Whoever said that one consulate does not know what happens in another consulate is dreaming. That is what computers are for, and even if people change passport numbers, they research applicants by name and date of birth. I know this by experience.

Congratulations on getting the visa. Consider yourself lucky.

I got a letter to tell me my Census forms were coming. I got my Census forms. I got a letter to tell me to send in my Census forms. I got a letter to remind me the Census was taking place. I got a second Census form.

I'm fully expecting a thank you letter any day.

And they wonder why the govt. is in debt.

So, for those who were expecting me to pave the way for a new standard of expectations from USCIS, the only thing that mattered to the interviewer was that I added my wife to my own health insurance. We were not asked why there were no other commingling of assets whatsoever.

The interview was not easy, though. It took more than 30 minutes, because my wife did not understand one thing the interviewer said and made him repeat every question that has a YES or NO answer on form I-485 (page 3). It was funny to hear answer whether she (a twenty something) had been part of the communist party. Some questions caught her by surprise so much that the interviewer understood that SHE had not read the form even once.

Therefore, if anybody else is having an interview soon, it is a good advice to at least read and understand the forms. Fortunately this time I was there to help.

As a result, we have a new Conditional LPR in the US. Next step: ROC.

Good news Phil. Say hello to Alla. I half expected an announcement of a bun in the oven, based on the title.

And it is about time you got that kid up in the saddle. You need to start him shooting soon! He is almost 3 already...get on it!

Pasha got his Driving learners permit this week, so I am now teaching Ukrainian immigrant number 3 to drive! If I survive teaching three to drive without dying in a flaming car wreck I should get the medal of valor or something!

My wife's EAD card was also ordered (three months after NOA-1. Unfortunately, the interview is only a couple of days later, so unless she is denied, she will not need that card when it arrives.

It is a very efficient use of government resources!