Paul and Natalia

Congratulations!!!!

Hi!

I used "N" (upper case) for the replacement of № in my passport number in all my forms. Got my visa without problems.

Good luck with your Visa Journey!

Congratulations!!

Thanks to everyone for the support!!

Was anyone asked at a POE to show an X-Ray photo made during medical exam, or it can be put into a suitcase?

Hi all! Just wanted to thank the VJ and all people posted here - this information was very helpful for us to prepare all required documents.

I had an interview in Moscow on Feb 2 and was approved! (picked my passport with a visa at the DHL office in Ekaterinburg today).

There were several recent posts describing the process in Moscow, and I just wouldlike to add some comments - maybe they willbe useful for someone preparing to medical exam/interview.

1/ Medical at IOM on Feb 01 - everything went very smoothly, the only "inconveniency" was a need to run from IOM to the clinics, but the whole process was very easy. As easy as a visit to a doctor in a district clinics. The lady at the clinic's office (an administrator) was nice and kind and gave very clear explanations of what to do step-by-step. The ladies doing blood test and X-ray were also nice (simply did their job). Then I came back to the office and returned the envelope with the X-Ray results to the "administrator", she requested to wait for a physician. Seems, there were several physicians (in different rooms), they just picked the envelopes from the administrator's room, inviting a person whose name was written on the envelope. I was examined by a tall gentleman with gray beard. He has only requested me to show him my vaccination records, asked what operations I had and did I have any "serious" disease in a childhood. Then he listened to my heart and requested to come and take the results at 4pm!

THAT'S ALL!!

I came back about 4pm, took my envelope (nobody asked any additional questions or money or anything else).

2/ Interview at Feb 02. The "smiling lady" was nice, and my interview took just 5 minutes!

She asked me how I met Paul (asked the date! - I think, on the screen of her computer there was a file submitted with a petition and explaining how we met and stages of our relationships during these 2 years.) Then she asked why our prevoius marriages didn't work, and at the end she requested to show the most recent photographs of us together.

Now, Paul is going to come to Ekaterinburg on Feb 27th, we will make a party for our friends, then pick my luggage and will go to the USA on March 5th!

Good luck to everyone, whatever part of the Visa Journey he/she does!

Natalya

Natalia and I will live in a semi-rural area in Maryland with poor public transportation, and she really needed to learn to drive. She wasn't sure that she was meant to be a driver, and she decided to take a driving course in Russia, thinking it might be easier to learn without possible language issues, etc. She found a driving school near her apt and started in.

Russian rules of the road are more complicated and she had to take her practice using a stick shift. Her school required that she pass their internal tests with 99% correct on theory and be able to parallel park, drive up and down ramps, and handle city traffic before they allowed her to take the police license tests. This probably wasn't the easy route to learning to drive, but she did it all, and went on to the police exams. Last week she passed her final city driving test in traffic, in a snow storm, using a stick shift. Although she now has a Russian license, she will still have to take driving and theory tests in Maryland. She'll have to learn a few new rules, but it'll be a piece of cake. May be the most important thing is that she has confidence now - she knows that she can drive.

Natalia still suggests that we get her a practice car. But, frankly, she's welcome to drive any car that we'll own.

Paul

I didn't sleep a wink as I waited for her to get back from her interview. She was there for 4 hours, they interview was in Russian, her son Denis was not asked any questions, they asked standard questions that have been mentioned here "Where did you meet, when did he see you in person, when is the wedding, what of the engagement, how will you communicate?". No dodgeball questions

Now we wait for the VISA's to arrive. They said a week, but I'm hoping for the 3 days window since she's picking them up in Moscow. I wish I could buy the tickets now, but that's tempting fate and I don't have $1600 to throw around. I'd be more happy if I wasn't so tired.

Congratulations!

found out today,they will accept med exams from ao medicina if it is dated before oct 1st,so all is good.yayyyyyyyyy

Glad for you!

My .01 cents is NOT to wait for the packet. You can go to ANY medical places listed on the website. Do not be alarmed if you do not get the packet. Ours took 3 weeks to get. You need to make sure that you get the police certificate started. That takes about a month to get.

Hope this helps.

Thanks.

I have the police certificates already.

Will be very interesting to know the embassy's answer about AOM and what to do if the exam was done there (sincerely hope that the fiancees faced this problem would not need to go through the exam again)!

Thank you for the answers! So, should I wait for the packet and go to the medical center listed there?

I thought I could use ANY clinic listed on the web-site.

I live in Yekaterinburg, and had an idea to use any business trip (travel to Moscow quite often) to have an exam, especially because its results are valid for 6 months...

Is it better to wait for the packet?

That's your opinion, and that's all it is. This is just my opinion....do I really need to qualify it in this manner? I'll stand by my original answer. Unless specifically stated that copies are acceptable, original documents should be taken. This applies to any documents the visa applicant is required to take to the interview whether they pertain to the applicant or the petitioner. Where did you come up with the idea that the USC needs to provide a police certificate to anyone? BTW, the CO kept almost nothing that my fiancee took. How about that? Could that possibly mean that different individuals have different experiences?

MHO, FWIW, YMMV

NO! It is not my opinion, it is a fact: your suggestion was and still is misleading. Period!

For example, a copy of the Birth Certificate or Passport of the applicant is required to process the application (I-129F) at USCIS. That does not mean that the beneficiary has to take the originals of any of those documents to the interview. If they were needed, an RFE would have been issued by USCIS. The consulate does not have to assess the proper citizenship of the petitioner. It only has to assess the proper ID of the beneficiary.

My message was instead clear. It contains a list of the original documents required from every person at the consulate stage, without being vague, and possibly misleading.

If you believe that being vague is better than being specific, then go ahead. I, on the other hand, prefer SPECIFIC information.

Wow!

After such a hot discussion Paul decided to bring me all his originals (except his passport ). Even if they are not required. Just to be sure that I will have everything what may be requested by an inventive interviewer.

Thank you both for your advices!

You should have originals of everything - both yours and your fiance's.

This statement is misleading. Why would the consulate want to see the USC's original Birth Certificate or Police Report, for example?

To the OP: Follow the list I gave you above. If I remembered correctly (consulate kept everything I gave my fiancee and I did not make copies) that list is complete and comprehensive.

Thank you! Just have talked to Paul, told him about the answers I've got. He will come to see me next week, so your answer is helpful to understand what documents to take.

As far as photos & other evidences, I'm going to take for the interview exactly the same photos that were sent with the petition, plus a couple of photos we will take during his trip next week... plus emails, Skype screen captures showing how he learns Russian, tickets... Hope, will be enough

Thank you again!

Did they just change the name?

No, Filatov's clinics was always in this list (its address is Sadovo-Kudrinskaya, 15, while AOM's is "2nd Tverskoy-Yamskoy, 10").

The Consulate's site says that AO Medicina is not available anymore for the med exam. Instead, there is Filatov's clinics.

Did anyone have experience with them? How soon they give the results?

Do they let ANY adults to come, or only adults with kids (this is children's clinics)?

Is it necessary to have an X-ray check (lungs) before the exam in Moscow, or it wil be made during the exam? (or shouldn't be done at all?)

The company where I work will arrange for an X-ray lab to come soon, and will provide the check-up for all employees.

Just don't want to do it twice for such a short time.

My fiancee went to Filatov. She picked up the results the next day, but I believe they were offered for the same day. I can ask her tomorrow if you want more details about her experience.

In general she said that she was treated well and had no issues whatsoever. Everything that is needed is done during one exam that you pay for at the clinic.

Thanks! Yes, it would be helpful to know more about the "process" in this clinics!

The Consulate's site says that AO Medicina is not available anymore for the med exam. Instead, there is Filatov's clinics.

Did anyone have experience with them? How soon they give the results?

Do they let ANY adults to come, or only adults with kids (this is children's clinics)?

Is it necessary to have an X-ray check (lungs) before the exam in Moscow, or it wil be made during the exam? (or shouldn't be done at all?)

The company where I work will arrange for an X-ray lab to come soon, and will provide the check-up for all employees.

Just don't want to do it twice for such a short time.

Please help me to understand one thing about the documents that I should have for the interview.

The K1 visa tips (visa application process described on the VJ) say:

"4.3.6)...What should I bring with me to the interview?

A...You need everything from the checklist, of course, but you also need originals of everything that was originally submitted as a copy, even with the I-129F petition (except the US Citizens passport and the original I-797 approval notice). Original birth certificates, divorce or death decrees, and originals of any documents to support the I-134 fall into this category. The Consulate has the right to ask for the original of any document, so best be prepared. "

Does it mean that I should have originals of Paul's Birth Certificate and Divorce decree?

Or does it say only about originals of my documents?

Hello all!

We are new at this forum, despite both Paul and I used it a lot to prepare our case (filed for K1 on Aug 21).

I want to thank everyone who shares his/her experience in VJ!

Today Paul began our Skype session saying "Honey, I have great news!"

Then he forwarded me an email saying that our case was approved! Just 6 weeks!

Unbelievable, despite I know, there are other couples that got approvals in 4-6 weeks from VSC!

Good luck to everyone!

Natalya