Voyageur27

Just to clarify, our daughter is only nine years old. Thanks for your help, BeHappy and Dave. I think that we will follow your advise Dave as you have successfully navigated through this situation. I hope someone else will post to add their experience.

Sorry, I meant to say that the child still needs to petition on their own, but the reason (i.e. who made this possible) is still the parent with their K-1 application. The child did not come on their own, but rather as a K-2 visa recipient. The K-2 is issued only as a result of a K-1 visa.

I think this explains it...^^

I am pretty sure you would put your name on the form..

We are also in a position that I can't be wrong. My wife already filed her I-751, her daughter came over 90 days later. So that we are clear, we fill out this form like my wife originally applied for her I-751? My wife's name is in the Part 1 and Part 2 b is checked? Additional information is my wife's information again, and my (sponsor) information is part 4. Daughter's information is in Part 5. Both my wife and I sign part 6.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!

Congrats Ray,

I am glad that you can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, soon all of this Dept of Homeland security cr@p will just seem like a bad dream.

Damn Galina!

I am sorry that this rant has gone on for 5 pages, since I posted about my "FSU Wife". I was the culprit, I admit it. Good lord, I am anything but racist when it comes to my wonderful wife and certainly did not mean anything by this. If you took offense to this I am sorry, but I have never heard this term ever be called racist before. TurboGuy and I are long-time posters on other Russian-American relationship forums and I can never remember anything like this being said about that term.

I have read your posts and although I am sensitive to your predicament, i think you are being a bit too sensitive on the trophy wife thing. There are allot worse things to be.

I do admit that women "from your area of the world" do tend to stick out in the American Woman crowd. No arguments there. There is a huge amount of adjustments that you have to live through when you arrive here, I can vouch for that first hand. It takes a strong woman (and a strong man and relationship) to get through this ordeal.

Slim was also correct in that the stereotype husband of a FSU woman (I am too lazy to re-type the Politically Correct version mentioned earlier) is one of a controlling loser who can't get an American Woman, so he has to find a wife by traveling to some impoverished country to offer her sanction in this American paradise.

I just wanted to set the record straight. I hope all works out for you.

Russ,

My FSU wife also spends more than I had expected before we were married on make-up, clothes and other personal items. But she is very aware of our budget and works well within it, searching the internet for the cheapest way to get the items she wants. I agree with the approach that our accounts are common - i.e. no allowance - because she is responsible in her purchases and in staying in our limits. Sometimes it has been tough, honestly. But knowing every aspect of household finances and expenses give her an appreciation for the cost of living - and life - in the US that merely having an allowance would not give her, in my opinion.

She spends more money on herself than I do, but she also explains to me that we are not equal in this, that she is a woman and needs to take care of her looking. I have to agree with her, she has always lived her life this way and who am I to try and change it.

But - to get back to the core topic at hand for this thread - sometimes - especially early in the relationship, when someone first comes to the US from the FSU, they do not adequately understand the cost of living differences between te FSU and the US. Learning what it costs for heating, electricity, gasoline and groceries is a big learning experience and telephone calls to the FSU are also one of the sobering items that FSU women must come to terms with. Using the LD Post telphone services has saved us allot of money.

I hope that things have calmed down between Mark and Olga. But it is disturbing, frankly, how Olga was willing to cite the Violence Against Women Act and cut herself for evidence. I am sure that the "expert" in this area, Maxx - the man TurboGuy mentioned upthread - would advise - run Mark, Run !

I agree with Ready4ONE. I used an attorney for my first (failed) K1. It was a well known K1 attorney and it was not worth the thousand or so it cost me, for sure. The second time my sweetheart and I did everything ourselves with much less problems. I simply used the guides in this forum and some common sense.

NeonRed,

A"cut-and-paste" from the Social Security site:

To apply for a Social Security number:

* Complete an Application For A Social Security Card (Form SS-5); and

* Show us documents proving:

o Immigration status;

o Work eligibility;

o Age; and

o Identity.

* Take your completed application and documents to your local Social Security office .

So, I disagree, you need the temporary work authorization stamp provided at JFK. I understand that no other US POE airport provides this.

John - I live around Norristown. We went the the Norristown SS office about 2 weeks after her arrival. Unfortuneately, the clerks working the counters at the SSA seem to have a great deal of influence on whether you get your number or not. So, I hope that luck is with you. I would definitely recommend a trip to your Darby office. Get there early, usually allot of people waiting around.

John,

It won't be long now....my now-wife arrived here about 14 months ago- I live in the Philly area also. I can only wish you the best of luck. There will be many obstacles to overcome - the CULTURAL difference, family biases (maybe), the Social Security administration, the PA DMV, and USCIS to name a few. But it has been the best year of my life so far.

What has made this somewhat easier for us is that my wife's point-of-entry was JFK, and she recieved her work authorization stamp. This started to make everything easier, as it allowed us to get her a social security number, which allows her to get a PA driver's license which also is important.....

Good luck and use this site as a good resource for future deals with the USCIS.

My wife did the same thing - she left her daughter with Babushka in Russia while we established our life together here in the US. Although we had a great relationship before she arrived here, she said that she would never bring her daughter into an unknown situation. I really had to agree with this kind of logic. She established our home here and married , applied for the Advanced Parole and Adjustment of Status immediately after marriage.

She received both her temporary Green Card and AP a month before she went back to Russia for her child. It was rather close timing however, as the time left on her daughter's K-2 visa was only about 10 days, before she arrived in the US. It is possible to extend the K-2 visa by writing a letter of explaination to the embassy and leaving her passport, the fee (of course ) and her K-2 visa in a lock-box at the US Embassy in Moscow.

Damn Russ, I am sorry to hear about your troubles. I am about a year married now and although things are going great for us, it sometimes has not always been easy either. Slim and some others gave you some very good advice, but I know that you must be in some pain as you go through some of these changes in your life. The best of luck to you.

We have used ipipi(dot)com (http://www.ipipi.com). It works great into Russia for a very small fee. Good luck!

My fiancee is going to use MOM as well. One of her best friends (married to doudis, who used to frequent here...) used that clinic and said she was pleased with it.

My wife and her daughter used this clinic last summer also and was quite pleased with everything.

Larry and Maria,

My wife went through the Moscow Consulate last August, for her K1 interview. She was prepared and earnest. We had a real relationship so there was really nothing to worry about. The Consular Officers (COs) there look foremost at whether there is a real relationship. Bring phone records - a friend of mine TurboGuy (who posts here occasionally) also had his interview at this time and they looked at his telephone records and ignored his thousands of SMS and emails. Have your fiancee know your address and if you were married before . My wife spoke English during the interview but I have heard that this is not necessary.

The other thing that they look at is your W-2's and financial information (i.e. yearly salary - not Bank Statements).

Go to the Medicina clinic, it is first rate. Just have your fiancee be prepared and it will be obvious to the COs. Good luck!

I may be way off base here, but my RW is quite vigilant about bacteria and "microbes". Our shoes are off as soon as we enter from outside and our hands are always scrubbed, else we get an earful. Our puppy is forbidden to go upstairs or to sit on the couch.

And , I like it this way! I guess this indicates that all women are different, even from the FSU.

interesting username you have there.....

Yes, it sort of reminds me of another AK....like AKDiver whom used to post on this forum until the Feds came to his door to arrest him. Because his wife stole money in Russia...... maybe I am wrong and it really did happen////

I was just wondering if others had any experience in this area. My wife came over here first and received her two year Green Card, after we did everything that we read in this forum . After her Biometrics appointment, her case was transferred to the service center in Califoernia and she was sent her Green Card shortly thereafter, with no AOS interview.

She went back to Russia to get her daughter, and we applied for her AOS and Advanced Parole. We received word that her daughter's Biometrics appointment has been scheduled shortly.

I was mildly surprised, as she is only 6 years old and we did not pay any Biometrics fee in our application. Is it normal for such a young child to have this Biometrics appointment? Also, is it typical for such a young K2 visa holder to undergo an AOS interview?

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Speaking of being wanted by the police, has anyone heard anything more from AKDiver?

One question I have... once they're here for a while, do they still expect a little rear-end smooching on this day?

I can only speak for my own household. The answer is definitely "yes". My wife is going to another RW house in the area to celebrate on Sunday. I will be left to baby sit and miss playing in my normal hockey game on Sunday, but she really deserves this break and I am happy to do it.

She already told me what she wants me to buy her also (to be fair, it is a practical gift - a steamer for cooking vegetables) In this RW's opinion, the only day that matters is Women's Day, Valentines Day is just a late-comer

Slim,

What happened to this site, it is so boring now. All of the regulars are gone, no one gets offended about my ideas on prenuptial agreements. I miss the old days when they were handing out suspensions. .

This is what happens when you are too busy with your new bride to be posting on Internet forums. I know that I only post when I am at "work" these days becuse my home life is so busy.

I never once saw an airfare that was lower in cost for one-way travel to Russia, and believe me I have checked. Also, FWIW, the US Customs people never asked to see the return ticket for my wife or her daughter, who came here on a K-2 visa.

I do not know whether this will help you, but my wife told me that you really have nothing to fear at the US Consulate at Moscow interview if you are reasonably prepared and have a real relationship. Of course, I was also very worried during our time "at bat" also. Good luck.

Congratulations!! I hope she gets here soon.

We second that Great news!

Couldn't listen on speakerphone? What the heck is that all about?

Yes, evidently the I-131 application is only the property of the applicant. Even though I filled out the petition for her, my wife signed her name and the form was for her behalf.

When I called the USCIS information line to find out why the appication was being forwarded to the CSC, the woman officer on the other end was quite adamant that she could only discuss my wife's case with her only, or an attorney . I was not about to push the point with her, as it was too important for us.

Hello Russia Forum VJ'ers....

The forum looks a bit different these days. But I thought that I would post the good news that we recieved our Green Card without an interview. We were notified that our case was being transferred to the California Service Center. When Victoria called them (I was not allowed to speak, or even listen on speaker-phone), the woman assured her that it was good news.

And it was. She received her "Welcome to the US" Letter today, and notice that her Green Card would be sent in two or three weeks.

She has just brought her 6.5 year old daughter here from Russia, so I get to apply for Adjustment of Status all over again. But I am sure that the help from everyone in this forum made our GC journey much easier.

BTW, I even made a mistake and used the "VACCINATION DOCUMENTATION WORKSHEET" (DS-3025)" by mistake an we did not get an RFE.....I guess the USCIS is in a good mood. BTW, I do not recommend using this form instead of the I-693 form recommended by the USCIS.