R and Li's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: Roy Beneficiary's Name: Liliya VJ Member: R and Li Country: Russia Last Updated: 2022-01-26 |
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Immigration Checklist for Roy & Liliya:
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Member Reviews:
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Timeline Comments: 23
Mekulisch on 2019-01-21 said:If you have any tips on scheduling your interview, I would love to hear! Good luck
R And Li on 2019-01-21 said:Mekulisch, I was very frustrated by the conditions in order to get a date. it seemed to me to be nothing more than a lottery. We were both ready to accept the fact that it could be weeks before she got lucky and got a date. I believe she tripped upon dates totally by freak accident. She used one of her 5 times to log on, and there were dates. She grabbed one. I think that is how she described it to me. She was so excited, I don't remember if she gave me all the correct details. Roy
Mekulisch on 2019-01-21 said:But, now she is almost home! Everything I’ve read sounds like your experience... persistence pays off. So, she can log in and check 5 times per day? I’ve heard that there are WhatsApp groups to help alert people when there are openings...but, i’m Not sure if that would help or not. Your total time after getting your packet was pretty quick! We just got our NOA2 after 204 days. So, we are behind you awhile. Thanks for getting back to me!
Mekulisch on 2019-01-26 said:Congratulations 🎊🎈🎉
R And Li on 2019-01-27 said:Yes, I believe she said she was only allowed to log on 5 times per day. If she logged on and there were no dates? Tough luck. If she use her 5 times and there were no dates? Tough luck, try again tomorrow. I'm sure there are groups to help alert to dates. However, the way I understand it? It turns into a feeding frenzy. Dates get sucked up faster than popcorn thrown in a pool of carp.
She passed her interview on January 24. She said the whole thing took about 5 minutes. The guy only asked her one question. That was "Where do you plan to live when you arrive in the US?". Afterwards, she just casually talked to him. When she told him I had cats, he approved her visa just that fast. Apparently, the guy was a cat lover!
Liliya is booked to arrive in Miami February 15, 2019. I tease her profusely about the 90-Days. I told her it's "The American 90-Day Money Back Guarantee". If I change my mind, I can send her back to Russia on a small banana boat and get my money back. I told her the boat comes to Miami every 3 weeks to pick up all the Russian women the American men don't want. Frankly, I'm not sure how she put up with my sarcasm over the past 8 months!!!! I'm so bad!
Mekulisch on 2019-01-27 said:How lovely to be so close to her arrival. Thanks for your update. I hope things continue to go well for you both.
Mekulisch on 2019-01-27 said:Hope you don’t mind me bugging you!
Did the embassy require originals or wet signatures on the I-134?
R And Li on 2019-01-27 said:I sent her a wet copy of the I-134 at the first part of January. Then I forgot about it! After she left, the letter was returned to me as undelivered. I emailed her in Moscow to let her know she didn't have it. She sent me a photo of the scanned image, and she felt it should be enough. Apparently it was. There was no issue made of it.
Mekulisch on 2019-01-28 said:That’s great to know. Much cheaper than sending anything DHL😬 Thanks again!
Mekulisch on 2019-02-01 said:Another question for you!
For the I-134... I just pulled the tax transcripts off the IRS site and printed them. Now I’m wondering if I need to request the “official†transcripts by mail?
R And Li on 2019-02-01 said:From the IRS? I'm not sure what transcripts you are talking about. I sent her (copies) of my tax returns for 2016 and 2017, plus, my last pay stubs for two months, 2018. I think that is all I sent her.
Mekulisch on 2019-02-01 said:Thanks! I’ve read that you can send “transcripts†basically your filed return in a condensed version, but I don’t know if it has to the online one you can print off or if you have to get the one you order from the IRS. No worries... we still have time... no NVC # yet
R And Li on 2019-02-01 said:I do my taxes online, at H&R Block. Basically, all I did was download my past 2 years into a .PDF, and I emailed them to Liliya. She printed them off, that was it. Too easy.
I see you got your NOA2 a couple of weeks ago. Congratulations. That is a big hurdle. The rest of this is all downhill.
I looked at your stats. You two are just under 3-months behind us.It will move quickly. Hopefully, Victoria will be able to quickly schedule her interview. By now, you should have a fairly good idea of when she will be here. From the time Liliya and I got our NOA1, I estimated February 2019 from the very start. I was spot on. I' m so good!
Two weeks left, and I still have lots to do. Her and I were discussing it this morning. She got confirmation that her visa is on it's way. Unfortunately, she lives in the middle of frickin' nowhere Siberia. It's the place Stalin sent people he didn't like. Things get delivered to her via an old guy driving an ox cart. Her passport is expected Feb. 7 via courier. Exactly two weeks from the interview. Her flight arrives in Miami at 7:30 PM. I'm guessing by the time she gets through customs, and we drive to Fort Pierce, it will be between 11:00 PM and midnight. Just in time for me to go to bed! I have to be up the next morning!
Liliya also had a bad experience at her local post office when she tried sending me her personal items. They ripped open the boxes and ransacked them. They reminded her the whole time that America is their enemy, and that we can attack them at any moment. I told her that if that is true, it's the first I've heard about it! She said they embarrassed her in front of everybody and she almost cried. I guess some parts of Russia still don't know the cold war is over. This is not the first time she has had people criticize her. Last year, she tried to send me present, and the post office refused to take it. She had to travel to a larger town where workers were more open minded. She doesn't have a printer at home. She went to a place to print off the documents she needed for the interview. When they found out what she was going to do, they refused her. She had to travel elsewhere. It's been a trying period for her, but she stayed determined. I hope Victoria doesn't run into this type of discrimination.
Mekulisch on 2019-02-01 said:Vika lives in Novosibirsk. It’s a big city, but she has run into some folks that aren’t real happy about this process. I don’t think anything quite like Liliya. People can be hard on others. We are pleased that there is another couple who will be living in the Spokane area, once their process is complete... so, they have a built in friend!
R And Li on 2019-02-01 said:It's funny you should mention that. Liliya was against using RussianCupid.com. Her friend was creating a profile for herself, and forced Liliya to do the same (against her better judgment. Liliya is a real prude.) Yesterday, Liliya told me her friend was back on Russian Cupid, actively seeking a man here, in Florida. This way they could be close together. I thought it was cute, but good luck with that!!! Her best friend, Inna, has pretty much dismissed Liliya all together. Total jealousy. But, her parents (both in their 80's) and her daughter (27) fully support her. Emotionally, Liliya has been put through the ringer.
Mekulisch on 2019-02-01 said:Sounds like it. I suppose there is a stigma attached to it...people make assumptions based on stereotypes and I don’t think that the show, 90 day fiancé, helps. Vika’s family has gone up and down. However, mostly ok. That’s got to be tough for her parents, and her, knowing visits may be limited. That shows a lot of love and sacrifice for Liliya’s happiness!
R And Li on 2019-02-02 said:Liliya goes to her parents house every day to cook and help. Her daughter, Alina, will be taking over that job. Her parents are very happy for her. I send a box of goodies there every now and then. Up until she met me, her dad has had nothing but NesCafe' instant coffee his whole life. Now I send him bags of Eight O'Clock whole bean and he cant' believe coffee can taste so good. Her mom loves gummie bears and such. I send bags of it. Anyhow, Liliya feels she has paid her dues in life. She has raised a successful daughter and has watched over her parents. Now, she feels it's the second chapter in her life, the chance to find happiness of her own. Her family agrees, and has been very supportive of her decisions. I am not sure, though, how she will handle the separation. She is very emotional. Obviously, I will let her return to Russia for a visit after she gets her green card. But, I am not sure how that will go, either. She was raised on very old, 19th century values, husband and house first. A husband is to never be left unattended. Period! Vika is a big city woman. I'd be curious to know her values concerning home and husband. Any input?
Mekulisch on 2019-02-05 said:I’m so happy for you guys! Congratulations!
Mekulisch on 2019-02-11 said:Sorry to keep bugging you! You must e very busy getting ready for Liliya’s arrival.
I’ve been reading so much stuff that I’ve gotten confused about fees.
Can I run this by you?
There’s the fee you can pay online after the DS-160 of $265.00
Then there is the medical of @$200 that Vika pays at her medical.
In the Moscow embassy site it talks about another fee of over $300 that has to be paid to the Russian bank 3-24 hours before you can schedule the interview?
How confused am I?
R And Li on 2019-02-11 said:Embassy fee of $265, yes. Medical fee, $245. But, Liliya told me what Vika is talking about. An invitation from the hospital must be sent to Vika prior to her exam. She must go to her local bank, pay the hospital fee, and get a receipt. Liliya sent a photo copy of the receipt to the hospital prior to her departure to Moscow. Then, she received her confirmation of appointment. People are probably saying it's better to send Vika an even $300 because of the fluctuations of the ruble. I sent Liliya $250, and she told me that was enough to cover it.
Mekulisch on 2019-02-11 said:The embassy website does not make this clear at all. So, there are only 2 more fees for this portion of the process:
Embassy fee of $265
And
Medical fee of @ $300 which Vika needs to pay at her local bank prior to the medical appointment
Whew, that sounds better! Again, thanks for your help
Lordithica101 on 2019-02-11 said:Roy,
My fiance is at the interview process now (also through Moscow).
I have a question:
Did your fiance receive any documents from the embassy prior to scheduling an interview. All I received was an email from the embassy stating that she can schedule an interview. There was an attached document that simply had links and information to getting the necessary things ready. Is this email the packet 3? As of now she has not received anything from the embassy and the embassy received our file on January 22nd of 2019. I know that in order to schedule an interview she needs to complete the DS-160 online and check off a box that states that she received "her documents". Was this the same for your fiance?
R And Li on 2019-02-12 said:I just asked Liliya, and she told me she received nothing but an email. She prepared everything on that list and brought it with her. She told me that the consulate had everything on his desk prior to her interview, including the DS-160. She was under the impression that his decision to approve her visa was made prior to the interview. If this did not answer your question, let me know.
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