CyberSamurai013

It is a very unusual emergency situation so that is probably why. Thank you for your reply!

Evidently it is actually humanitarian parole that she was granted and not advance parole I could no longer edit the original post.

I do not know if this is the correct place for this, but I couldn't find another one. My wife and our family were forced to flee where we were living and she is effectively a political refugee. She has received advance parole authorized by the USCIS International and Refugee Affairs Division (IRAD). We are trying to find information about Advance Parole but all we can seem to find is about people using it to return to the US while on another visa. She does not yet have a visa as the consulate is holding up approval of her IR-1 and we cannot send her passport to them now. We are specifically trying to find out information about the process, especially after entering the US; what we can do regarding her immigration case after she enters the US; How she can remain in the US; how we go about getting her a permanent resident status; etc. She cannot return to her home country and returning to this hemisphere will also be impossible. I assume we would have to transfer her case to a country near the US or just send her passport to the consulate handling the IR-1 as she has already interviewed and done her medical but it expires at the end of August and she cannot get a new police certificate from her home country either. Any information or advice is appreciated!

As far as I am aware, none of the major companies are shipping to Russia. This includes DHL, FedEx, UPS, USPS, etc. We have tried to get some certificates sent here and they all told us they no longer ship to russia due to the invasion of Ukraine last year. It seems like CDEK might be an option for some documents. https://www.rbth.com/lifestyle/336063-how-to-send-parcel-to-russia-2023

Hello, No worries. The U.S. embassy in Russia only deals with certain emergencies and not the processing of immigration visas due to being effectively closed by the Russian government years ago. Immigrant visa cases are sent to Warsaw, Poland but Russian citizens cannot get visas to go there, the EU, or the Schengen Zone. You will likely either need to contact an embassy in another country or they will transfer your case to Almaty, Kazakhstan. We had to have Congressional assistance in transferring our case to Almaty but that was about a year ago.

This is great advice, thank you! Unfortunately, my wife is a bibliophile and therefore we have about 100 boxes (15kg each) of Soviet and Russian books that are rare and were hard for her to collect. LOL

I understand what you are saying and some of these are concerns of ours as well. I am a medically retired war veteran so all of our income is from American sources. We can definitely improve our financial situation much better and much faster from here than we ever could in America. The house versus flat issue is that flats in the area we are moving to cost about $1300-$1500 a month to rent and we can get a mortgage for less. We would be first time buyers using my VA home loan so it makes more sense to purchase a home than rent.

Roger that, thank you!

Isn't it likely they will either close the case or simply grant the visa? We showed them copies of the papers they requested but they want originals. I did upload one of the two originals to CEAC but we have not sent them or the passport and we are still trying to get the other original from the court in Maryland. I just do not want to get stuck with a denial or them granting it when we are in a weaker position as far as being ready to move.

What about the medical exam? They are only good for 6 months and she already had hers.

So, I just talked to an immigration attorney and he said that yes we can withdraw from the process at this point. That I need to be the one to do so as I am the petitioner. He also said we can submit a new petition to start the process over and that there would be no negative consequences for doing so and that they cannot deny us on these grounds.

Thank you for your replies! The reason is that we simply aren't in a good financial position to move back to America yet. We are thinking of staying another year or so in Russia in order to enhance our finances and there isn't a mechanism in place to delay the entry to America. We will be starting over there so in addition to the debt we already have from our youngest daughter's birth, we also need to buy a house, a car, furniture, etc. The move alone will cost about $10k-$20k depending on whether we bring our household goods or not. We do meet all the financial requirements for the visa such as those set by USCIS, NVC, etc. so that isn't the issue. For clarification, we live together in Russia; she had her medical and interview but no decision has been made as the consulate is awaiting more paperwork from us that we have yet to send; there has been no fraud or breakdown of the marriage, etc.; This would be a mutual decision if we decide to go this route.

If someone were to withdraw their petition to immigrate, even after their interview but before a decision was made on their visa, would there be negative consequences when they reapply? Could it be held against them? Could they be denied in the future based on this?

This. Try talking to others who also went through Almaty. @Simplytex is correct and our situation could have been a one off. Additionally, I worked for the US government for over 12 years so I am likely far more critical than most people would be.

Congratulations!

I apologize for being offline and not responding quicker, I have been trying to play catchup on my MSCJ capstone project.

No worries! The CEAC site. That is the official site and they forward everything to the applicable consulates.

No worries, I assumed it was due to typical bureaucratic nonsense. Almaty was a hot mess for various reasons but bureaucracy did not appear to be one of them.

I love the cooler weather! I suffered from several episodes of hypothermia during my time in the Middle East so I can no longer handle heat. Sounds like it is still a desirable retirement spot for Americans.

Thank you! Yes, it was making me angry while writing it but I know others are about to go through this consulate and i wanted to give them a heads up. I am sorry you had to go through something similar in Guayaquil. On a side note, my wife and I were considering moving to Cuenca back in the day. What is it like there?

Sorry about the format being off. I wrote it in Word and it did not keep the source format when I pasted it here. When I saw the mistakes and tried to edit it, it was too late.

My family and I were in Almaty, KZ for a week or so to handle business at the U.S. consulate. That business was the renewal of our daughter’s (10) American passport and my wife’s immigration medical examination and interview. We have lived in Russia together since 2015 and I am a permanent resident (PRP) in Russia. On February 27, 2023, my wife had her medical examination appointment for her immigrant visa (IR-1) at the IMC Almaty office on Mukanova street. She said that everyone at the IMC clinic (Mukanova) was friendly and helpful. She was surprised at the difference between how they behaved there versus how it is at Russian clinics where everyone is cold and there is no privacy. Two things that are noteworthy that we wanted to post here for anyone about to do the same are: 1) She had to receive 2 vaccinations and was charged 25,000 Tenge total for them. She paid 95,000 Tenge (70,000 for the exam and x-ray + 25,000 for the 2 vaccines). She was not offered the COVID-19 vaccine, does not have it, and is not required to as Russian vaccines are not CDC or WHO-approved. 2) She was told that people pursuing "family reunification visas" are not given envelopes with documents anymore and that they are now done electronically. She did not receive any envelopes or documents to give to the consulate. The x-ray clinic she was sent to was on Nauryzbai Batyr. She said it was more Russian in nature. Fighting in line with babushki, cold and impersonal staff, no privacy, etc. She did have to take a taxi to the x-ray clinic as it is in a different location from both IMC clinics. They even had her return a few hours after her x-ray just to pick up a paper and CD that she was told she does not need for the interview. The x-ray results were digital and sent to the consulate just as the medical exam results were. We had to go to the consulate as a family on March 1, 2023, for our daughter’s passport appointment. The consulate is located at the Samal Towers inside the British Consulate. You have to go into the tower on the left when you are facing the entrances. You should see a board with information for both the British and US consulates. the entry area is very small and they made us leave when we arrived 30 minutes before our appointed time. They told us to return in 15 minutes and when we did we had to stand outside while they searched the man in front of us. The security team was comprised of locals and all but 1 of them (a short male with a shaved head who was extremely charismatic) were less than friendly. You cannot take any bags or telephones upstairs with you so they will hold them and give you a property receipt. After you are searched, you take your clothes and one of the security team will take you upstairs to the very small consulate. There is a security door between the elevator and the consulate area and a security officer will stay there watching everyone like a hawk. The consulate area basically consists of a large waiting area, 4 or 5 service windows (behind thick Plexiglas), and a small interview room. Everyone sits down and the security guard will eventually give you a ticket with a number on it. When they call your number, you go to the window and turn in the documents they request. If you have to pay a fee then you sit down again and wait for them to call you to the cashier on the far right. After that, they will call you back up to the window when they are ready for you. We had a Russian woman place us under oath and question us then she had us sign the forms we needed to and that was it. When you are done, you have to wait until the security guard has a small group of people and he will radio the guard in control of the security door and elevator and then take you down to the lobby. You get your personal property and then you are free to go. I will say that the entire experience felt very unprofessional and I was ashamed that this was a U.S. consulate. The way the security team behaved, the way they treated us, the way the consulate team treated us, the way security watched us like we were convicts and did everything for us, etc. was incredibly dehumanizing and humiliating. I have dealt with a lot of consulates and embassies during my military and federal police service, and this was by far the worst experience I have ever had. The next day, February 2, 2023, Olga went back to the consulate for her interview. She arrived early for her appointment at 0800 and there was a crowd of people already waiting outside. They had to take people in small groups because the entrance area where security screens you is tiny and the metal detector is right in front of the entrance door. People lined up outside and small groups were taken into the ‘breezeway’ in between the internal and external double doors. A security guard would come outside and shout an appointment time and then people would surge forward trying to get inside. Several people cut in front of Olga and there were Soviet-style arguments about who was first or next. Once she gained entry, the security staff did the same as the day before when we all went. They take your clothes, bags, etc., and run them through the x-ray machine then return the clothes and store the rest. Next, a security guard takes people upstairs and watches them just as before. This time, Olga said the waiting room was full and many people were standing. At least 50 or so people were there waiting with her. When they called her number, she went to the window and spoke to a Kazakh woman in Russian. She requested some documents but did not want any of our copies or translated papers. She only wanted originals and she copied them herself. We spent hundreds of dollars on copies, translations, and notarizations and it was all a waste. It is important that you submit all the required papers via the website, because they will check them, and you have the originals of everything with you. The woman requested the originals of all my divorce certificates, not just the most current one. I had been divorced twice while in the military and Olga and I went through a divorce back in 2014. We had to have the first two divorces verified by the U.S. embassy in Moscow as valid to be granted a marriage license to remarry in 2021. As a result of this, I assumed we only needed the original of our divorce certificate from 2014 and not the ones from my military days. I was wrong because they refused to accept the copies Olga had of those certificates and demanded certified originals of them. They have halted the processing of our case while we attempt to collect said originals. I was able to get one from Michigan by paying about $100 online but for Maryland, the court issues it and usually only in person. They give you a photocopy when you divorce and keep the original in the file. To get a certified copy, I had to call the court, write a letter requesting it, and have my daughter in America send it all. Once I receive them physically here in Russia, I have to scan and upload them to the website and then send the originals via courier back to the consulate. This is really my mistake for assuming we didn’t need those so be sure to have the originals of everything. After this, Olga had to wait until they called her number again. When they did, she met with the consular officer at one of the windows. He was an American male who Olga said spoke almost perfect Russian with a very slight accent. He did not speak any English to her despite her speaking it to him when she couldn’t recall some words in Russian. She said this really threw her off because she had prepared her responses the night before in Russian and despite being fluent in English (she is a certified English teacher) she did not know a few words like ‘disabled’ in Russian. She said he had a very professional, impersonal, and slightly abrasive attitude. He asked her a few questions like “where does he live?” and just kept repeating himself when she was trying to answer but wasn’t saying exactly what he wanted to hear. Evidently, he wanted to know my exact address of record in America and would not take answers like “America”, “Michigan”, “Detroit”, etc. They usually take your international Russian passport at this point and you can return to Russia on your national passport, for now. You have to either return to the consulate in Almaty or they will send it via DHL to a pickup point in Kazakhstan for you to retrieve once you are issued your visa. They do not deliver them to Russia. One thing to note here is that they did not use the interview room at all and instead interrogated people right at the Plexiglas window in front of everyone in the waiting area. These windows utilize microphones so that you can hear through the Plexiglas and anyone nearby can hear exactly what is being said. He made her recite the entire story of our divorce, reconciliation, and remarriage right there in front of everyone, humiliating her in the process. Once she was done, they made her wait by the elevator with the security officer and another man was being interrogated at the nearby window. This man apparently had some disqualifying medical condition that was found during his medical examination and the consular officer said what it was in front of everyone, violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (1996), the Privacy Act (1974), and other federal privacy laws in the process. The security guard, who was waiting by the elevator with Olga, walked up to the window and stood next to the Russian man while the consular officer stated what they had found. Once this man was done, the guard took him and Olga down to the lobby where she retrieved her belongings and left. Olga said the entire experience was incredibly humiliating as they absolutely dehumanized everyone there and treated them as if they were convicts that needed to be watched closely. She compared this experience with the ones she had at the embassy in Moscow, other embassies and consulates, and living in America, then contrasted those differences. While reciting everything that happened, she began to cry from the stress and embarrassment of the entire experience. I was irate when she told me about it, especially how a United States consular officer violated multiple federal laws by speaking about everyone’s personal and medical information in front of a room full of people. This is the first encounter many prospective immigrants have with American government officials and it was disgusting how they treated people. I fully intend to write letters of complaint to the applicable agencies and our representatives once we have completed the process. I apologize if this review seems unprofessional or if I upset anyone but as a medically retired servicemember and federal police officer, this absolutely enrages me! When we went to the embassy in Moscow, I was proud and excited to tell my kids that this is a small piece of America but I was ashamed to say the same about the consulate in Almaty.

Congratulations to you guys!

So true!

Olga went to the IMC clinic on Mukanova but there is also one on Gagarina, I believe. The x-ray clinic was on Nauryzbai Batyr. Olga said that everyone at the IMC clinic (Mukanova) was friendly and helpful. She was surprised at the difference between how they were and how it is at Russian clinics where everyone is cold and there is no privacy. We lived in America together for years and had our first child there but she does not remember much because that was about a decade ago. She said the x-ray clinic was more Russian in nature. Fighting in line with babushki, cold and impersonal staff, no privacy, etc. She did have to take a taxi to the x-ray clinic as it is in a different location from both IMC clinics. They even had her return a few hours after her x-ray just to pick up a paper and CD that she was told she does not need for the interview. TL;DR: 2 separate IMC clinics, Mukanova clinic was good, x-ray clinic is at a different location from both IMC clinic locations, x-ray clinic experience was not great.