Satellite

I might be presumptuous but this poll really only concerns people who married a beneficiary from the 3rd world. My presumption gets even more support when considering the poll about whose standard of living has increased or decreased in the US:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6293

What we have over there are people from Western Europe, Australia, and Canada complaining about their lowered standard of living. Not too many people from Russia, Philippines, or Pakistan complaining about their low quality of life and low wages in the US

Yeah, he's been around for a while. Very popular with young kids. Did you get a chance to see the cartoon? I had no idea he was popular in Japan as well. Attached is the song and a funny picture.

http://www.momoshare.com/audio/view.php?pl...aeada685b525bdd Krokodil Gena

http://www.momoshare.com/audio/view.php?pl...77d2451607474f4 Cheburashka

Writing my Fiancee's name and address in her native alphabet...

You can write it many ways.

The general trend is:

Россия

12345 (put zip code here)

г. Альметьевск

Here is where you have options

You can do:

ул. Заслонова, 20-18

or

20 Заслонова кв 18

or

20 Заслонова дX(if there is a complex of buildings), кв 18

But generally all of your combinations will work. But I'd stick with "ул." part which means street just in case there is a similar переулок or Тракт with the same address somewhere else in the city.

russ,

You mention all these study aids, are you still using them now? I must be crazy, but wouldn't your wife be the best source to learn Russian from? You guys could try speaking Russian in the home. Or she can tutor you for an hour a day.

I can't really vouch for any particular method because Russian was my first language, granted I left the USSR when I was 6. But as a current student I would vouch for the junior college classes. There is something about a classroom setting that forces you to learn.

Congratulations on passing the interview.

...What will you do after you are married?...

My wife would have had a lot of fun with this question, if it was asked

They also were very interested in phone records...They also wanted to see letters and/or e-mail communication. We also had printed records of our ICQ instant messages...The interviewer did read some of the cards we had sent each other. They also asked for pictures, and kept one of our pictures.

We really had very different interview experiences. My fiancee at the time was not asked to produce any relationship documents except 1 photo which they kept and then returned in the DHL envelope with the visa/passport. The relationship proof was established simply by communicating with her in Russian. Although we did have emails and phone records on hand.

How about opening up a checking account in the US putting a small amount on it, and mailing or giving in person the debit card? Depending on your bank you will pay a minimal transaction cost per ATM withdrawal. This works well to sustain a person who is abroad. But works poorly for sending huge amounts.

My wife is currently getting the maximum amount of her Federal money through FAFSA. She has been getting it ever since we filed the FAFSA, the day she got her conditional green card. If you are poor, this is the way to go in terms of education. However, I am not sure if K1 visa holders are eligible, as "eligible non-citizens" before they get their greencards.

Also higher education is not covered under the I-864, so you are off the hook as the sponsor.

What I've heard is that you can only use only the income shown on your tax forms as "income" in terms of the I-134. Granted you could file a tax a return showing your graduate student loans as income and pay taxes on it to satisfy immigration. But that is a huge waste of your much needed loan and probably illegal or wrong in terms of tax filing. Once the money is in savings you can still use it, but it goes into to assets category requiring you to have 5 times the amount of money you are short to satisfy the I-134 / poverty guideliness.

Took 45 minutes by taxi to get to the embassy (traffic there is a problem) and even longer trip to the airport. By metro from down near Red Square it was an hour to return to the hotel. What I saved on the price of the hotel I spent on taxi service to the embassy. to DHL office and the other necessary trips we had to make.

Yet another reason to use the Metro. Less than a dollar back and forth and it's only about a 15 minute walk to embassy from the nearest station. Although I don't know where your hotel was in retrospect to the nearest station. In Moscow those who want to save money, never get into taxis unless they are late for a reason beyond their control or are carrying an impossible amount of luggage. A combination of bus and metro also gets you to the airport for under a $1. Took us under 1.5 hours from the central train station to SVOII using this combination. If you still insist on taxis, if you order a cab by the phone in advance you can get a pretty good deal. My advice: when you are in Russia, live like an average Russian. Average Russians don't ride taxis, don't expect high service, and don't stay at over priced hotels or apartments they ordered online from a website translated into English

Also hopefully in a few weeks I get to start this whole process over.

Glad there is no restocking fee. I had to send mine back. It was expensive enough as it was.

Shopping for a new one or getting back together with the last one?

The original poster is not talking about sibling immigration!

She is talking about a domestic helper. That is a work visa and not family related. There is no 20+ year wait for these visas, otherwise global economics would come to a halt.

It would be great if someone could direct the OP to the information concerning work visas.

I do understand the concern of family members sponsoring their own relatives. But perhaps someone from the husbands family could do so or even more distant relatives or friends for that matter. I believe it is an I-129 Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. But I could be wrong. So those who have knowledge please layout the details for this visa.

http://uscis.gov/graphics/formsfee/forms/i-129.htm

The part about this whole process that has always puzzled me is the use of companies for issuing and registering visas. It is essentially paying someone "extra" for the same government service. In political science this is very inefficient. The second part that puzzles me is why people rely so much on these companies rather than their own fiancees who are citizens of Russia and know their system best?

In comparison, imagine if your fiancee prior to arriving to the US, paid some firm $100 to pick her up and help her fill out forms for her Social Security card. This hypothetical firm took orders online and said getting a SS card for K1 visas was quick and easy. I'd imagine you'd be shocked. Because you were just as capable of walking into the SSA office and helping her fill out a one page form. And in hind sight you know she'll get the card and there is no reason to pay a firm. And if there are problems you know how to get them solved here in the US.

And for those that argue convenience and ease, my hypothetical firm is both

The same reasoning applies to visa registration and the booking of hotels and apartments. (Again, imagine your fiancee paying some firm or guy in the US an extra $50 per night to be able to place an order for a hotel in Las Vegas - through their translated, convenient, and simple website).

This was just some food for thought. Because it always makes me laugh to think that sending your passport directly to the Russian consulate with your ordered tourist invitation, which should be given out for free or a minimal charge to anyone who books at a Russian hotel is less reliable then sending the passport to a firm (extra cost), who then pays a courier (extra cost) to take the passports to the consulate. And the scenario gets even funnier if you happen to live within 25 miles of the consulate.

My final advice on this is to use the private visa if you know you are going to Russia, going less than twice a year, will be staying with your fiancee, and you are planning your trip more than 4 months in advance.

Otherwise default to the tourist visa for hotel stays and short notice trips.

And for people that go frequently the business visa is the best.

I have not had a problem registering my visa at the OVIR, but we did check in advance and made a contact at the office so we had a persons name and they were expecting us. Payed the small fee at the bank and brought the receipt and were in and out in less than half an hour. Not sure what one would expect if they just showed up at the OVIR.

I am in the same boat as you here. Twice my fiancee ordered the private invitation without any troubles paying half of what it costs for a tourist visa. I received the invitation with no problems in 2003 and 2004. Similarily we registered at the OVIR in less than 1/2 an hour + 1/4 hour at the bank with the 25 ruble fee. No fines or bribes. All legal. No hotel tricks and the like. Nobody was even expecting us at the OVIR and we didn't know anyone there. My fiancee simply called and asked what time they do visa registrations and we showed up accordingly.

I guess some people just have more trouble than others.

I have found contradictory information online to my previous post:

10. Am I required to have my own passport to apply for K-2 visa?

In general, a separate passport is not required if you are below the age of 16. If the Consulate requires you to have a passport, it will be listed on the checklist."

http://faq.visapro.com/K2-Visa-FAQ4.asp

Some more information here:

"All children (under 21 years old and unmarried) of an alien classified K1 should be listed on I-129F Petition for Alien Fiance(e). Children also must be present at the interview."

http://moscow.usembassy.gov/consular/consu...cord_id=fiancee

"Accompanying child requires a valid passport (or may be included in the parent's passport), a birth certificate and a medical examination. If a child is 16 years of age or over, police certificates are required. Translations of the indicated documents are required as well."

http://www.usembassy.ru/consular/consular....cord_id=fiancee

Hope that solves the issue for you.

Is the interview scheduled once the Embassy receives the petition from NVC or after the packet 3 and application for a visa w/ payment is received from the beneficiary?

The interview is scheduled once the embassy receives your data from the NVC. You pay for the visa the day of the interview.

This site says one thing and other sites and forums are conflicting.

That is because every embassy is different. Moscow seems to be the exception of not having a packet 3 followed by packet 4. You just get one packet to bring to the interview with the interview scheduled in advance. A better system in my opinion considering how well Russian mail works.

Do we need to bring our / my three year old child ?

Probably, but I am not sure.

I know he will likely require a medical but not sure if he needs to be at the interview or needs a passport due to his age.

He will certainly need a medical exam, and his own passport, as all visa recipients need their own passports to receive the visa. I know Russia has their unique system of writing kids into the parent's passport, but this pretty much works only in Russia.

In general, in Russia, plan on keeping a crisp $100 bill in your passport. If you get stopped on the street, it is best to give whoever is stopping you a "tip" for their trouble. $50 is reasonable outside of Moscow. FYI - the bribes I've paid in Russia have been for my wife's papers, not mine.

Russ, you over paid drastically. I've paid for my wife's paper's as well. But 250 rubles ($8) in Novosibirsk and 100 rubles ($3) in Sochi. I would never give them anything more. I speak perfect Russian. I claim to be a poor student. I talk with them kindly. Joke with them about my experiences in Russia. Tell them how much they'd be respected in America and how much money they'd make. I even invite them over for tea. This tactic even got me out of a 300 ruble fine for making an incorrect left turn while driving because the sign was hanging about 100ft in the air and I couldn't see it! These officers know how much Russians make per month. It is unrealistic to ask for more. Only if the officer begins to insist that we go down to the station would I consider raising the bribe beyond 500 rubles. I've been to Moscow as well. And talking is the best, just as long as you are not in a hurry. And the best of course if to let your fiancee do all of it. And just sit back and watch. Don't be the "rich" American throwing his hard earned dollars around, unless it is absolutely necessary.

(By not possible, I mean it would take 5-10 visits to various offices to get the necessary paperwork. In Lipetsk, they wanted letters from the police, employer, FSB, etc for the person sponsoring the invitation. Each of these letters would take the better part of a day to get). For us, the effort was more than for an I-129F and AOS combined. (hence, why we have never been able to get one)...

They still made me pay fines, though.

I guess the process for getting an OVIR invitation various widely by region. So much for Putin's centralization plans. My fiancee simply had to fill out a basic form, with a few details from my passport and get a slip from the government bank that she paid the fee. She did everything in less than a day. Then they actually called her when the invitation was ready for pickup.

Why did you have to a pay a fine? If you came within 72 hours not counting holidays and weekends there was no reason for that.

My favorite story at the OVIR was a Ukrainian pensioner visiting her kids in Siberia. She crossed the border into Russia by train on Monday but the train didn't arrive into Tomsk until Thursday. The officials made her pay a 1000 ruble fine for late registration. And Ukranians don't even need visas, they just need to register. She was fighting it out when I was there. I hope she won her case.

On a side note, my fiancee did have to affirm and sign that she was going to be my "sponsor" in Russia. It always makes me laugh because I am coming from America and end up spending more than she makes in a year in one month.

Others on here can post their experience about the difficulty or ease of registering a tourist visa at the OVIR. Like I said before, officially the OVIR should refuse to register tourist visas. If you do not plan on staying at a hotel go with the private visa. Email your fiancee a copy of your vital passport page and have her make the homestay invitation. It will take roughly 4 - 8 weeks to get the invitation letter to your fiancee. Then have her send a certified letter using Russian post. You should receive it about two weeks later. My estimates are based on my experience from the OVIR in Western Siberia.

No matter what visa you use if your stay is longer than 72 hours you must register. Since you are going to be staying in her home you will have to register at the OVIR, unless you can find a hotel that will do the registering for you without you having to rent a room there. This "scam" and go "around" of official registration laws has been tough to do as of lately. Also most OVIRs won't register a tourist visa anyway. I am shocked at the long wait. Usually the OVIR has special hours during the day when they register foreigners. Coming at the right time with all the documents filled out and bank slip paid will speed up the processes. Your fiancee should call there and find out the exact procedure to make things easier.

I was little confused by your original post. Do you plan on staying in Russia around 90 days?

In that case you should apply for a private visa which will require your fiancee to go to the OVIR and make an invitation. The private visa is good for 90 days as all tourist visas are limited to 30 days. Also in my opinion registering a private visa is easier and gives you more flexibility than the tourist visa which favors hotel accommodations for each day you are in Russia. And a private visa is cheaper than a tourist visa based on the prices offered online for the invitation form. Although it does require a few more steps and you actually receiving the invitation.

Also be careful not to mention that you are "married" under the church-ceremony. Don't' bring any pictures of that "wedding" to US immigration officials to avoid unnecessary confusion.

Otherwise good luck! Lots of cool pictures on your site.

Don't exclude the internet completely. Just conduct the exact same apartment search in Russian on Russian search engines.

For example:

http://yandex.ru/

And make arrengments through the forums or advertisements you might find. Moscow is getting progressive now. But the newspaper generally is best and complete.

If I remeber correctly there is a paper in almost every Russian town that is just classifieds. For some good laughs have your fiancee read you some of the stuff being sold.

Russia's inflation rate is really on the rise.

You can keep up with all their financial news at

http://rbcnews.com

The dollar is on the decline and their prices have increased a lot since my trips in 2003 and 2004. And things will continue this way as long as oil prices stay where they are at and Russia continues to grow economically.

Next thing you know the dollar is equal to the ruble and our yearly salary is good for one month.

You want a small example, check out the real estate prices in central Moscow. Makes California look cheap.

But in the meantime enjoy the windfall in the price of living, although it is not as big as before.

She has to fly all the way to Moscow just for her interview. Vlad to Moscow is farther than NY to LA. Sucks. But, it's Russia.

Actually it is the US that requires all K1 interviews to be in Moscow and not Russia. The only part of "it's Russia" that would be applicable to this situation is the sheer size of Russia itself.

As far as my understanding goes the only thing the US embassy cares for in terms of the G-325A and employment are places you have resided for longer than 6 months after the age of 16 for police certificate purposes. They don't ask for your employment record and you don't need any letters to back this up. You are the beneficiary of a K1 visa. You are not applying for tourist visa and you certainly don't need any money or ties to Russia. The financial burden and employment record falls on the USC. Obviously if you have been working for a terrorist organization or the something like that, the employment record stated on the G-325A, if you were honest, would give you away. But I think there are other questions concerning these matters in the DS-156,157.

For practical purposes I would omit the unnecessary information. Like Slim said a lot of "unofficial" things go on in Russia. It is all too common. Although when dealing with US immigration, everyone on VJ preaches honesty, I, on the other hand, prefer common sense and discretion.