My experience of DCF Moscow for visa CR-1

[julia&alex 0]

Hi!

I would like to tell my story of Direct Consular Filing for CR-1 visa in Moscow.

Slade&Natasha’s experience helped us VERY much. Thank you guys!!!

Slade&Natasha's med exams

Slade&Natasha's interview

First I must say that generally we spent 2 months for the whole procedure. It could be much for faster if we received letters with petition approval (from USCIS) and case number (from Immigration Visa Unit) on time (you can see timelines in my signature – thanks to Russian post). So my advice is the following: if you did not receive your approval letters in a week – you can start to e-mail regarding that matter the USCIS and IV Unit (contacts are at their web-sites). We received our case number via e-mail and the next day we received the registered letter at our post office…

Me and my American husband have married on December 31, 2011. As he lives in Moscow for more than 6 months, we decided to try DCF ‘cause it seemed to us the best way to get immigrant visa in our situation.

I-130 - petition filing

We prepared all necessary docs, and on January 23, 2012 Alex went to the Embassy to file the petition. It is to be filed from 1.00 until 4.00 pm. He came at 1.00 to the Embassy and around 2.00 he called me for me to come to the Embassy for interview (the officer told him that we are married not for a long time that’s why we should be interviewed together). Alex paid for I-130 form 420$.

My work is not very far from the US Embassy, so I came there in 30 minutes, although the officer said that it would be ok if we come back together the next day. So we entered the Embassy, then we were waiting for the officer for 40 minutes, than she came (blond smiley lady about 45 years old). When we were sitting together, she asked to give her all documents re: Alex’s stay in Russia for more that 6 months (temporary registration, apartment rent agreement, letter from supervisor that Alex lives in this apartment, labor agreement, certificate from workplace) and ALL our proofs of relationship (wedding photos, joint photos during the period of not married, telephone calls specifications with telephone number agreements - mine and Alex’s, letters from my parents and our friends re: our great love and happiness etc. I mean ALL that we had, even those docs that we prepared just in case). Oh yes, we don’t have any joint property, joint apartment rent agreement or joint bank account etc, that’s why the lady asked a lot about proofs of our relationship and always said: “What else do you have?” And that’s how we gave her all our huge ‘mountain’ of docs.

The lady said that we will receive approval or denial via DHL in two weeks (see above when we did receive it. AND we received not via DHL – we received simple registered letters sent via Russian post).

Then she asked Alex to go out and interviewed me about 40 minutes. She asked about names of our parents, places of residence, how, when and where did we meet, when we started to live together, what I like most about my husband, about the wedding (ring, dress, guests, party). She also looked at some photos and asked when and where they were taken (in café, in forest at weekends etc). She asked why there were so few people at our wedding (12 persons) and why did we choose the date on December 31. She asked what I am going to do in USA (housewife or working), if we are going to have kids etc.

So it was a real examination in a very friendly manner.

Also she offered me a translator, but I speak English quite well, and I refused. But if you need one - you can ask the officer to invite translator.

Then she asked me to go out and invite Alex. The officer interviewed him very quickly, about 15-20 minutes, and as I could hear (Alex spoke loudly) – she asked him same questions (as I think - to compare our answers). It took generally 3 hours (including time that Alex was at the Embassy alone and time I spent to reach the Embassy from my work).

Medical examination

I passed med exam in Hospital n.a. Filatov.

I called 8-499-254-90-28. The lady at phone told me to come on March 2 at the address: Shkolhaya street, 49 – Family clinic ‘Chudo doktor’ (Rimskaya metro station – exit to Shkolnaya street). It took 5 minutes to reach the clinic, it’s very easy to find. I had appointment at 9.00 am and I was the single person to the med exam (no queue at all). I visited the therapist, then gave my blood to analysis, then went to another department of the clinic (down the street 5 minutes) for fluorography, then returned to the therapist. That’s it. It took generally 1 hour.

I had with me:

- 5500 rubles;

- info about my vaccinations (I had all necessary, but if you do not have it all or any – the whole vaccination costs 1500 rubles);

Then on March 5 I came to Hospital n.a. Filatov at the address: Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya street, 15, bld. 11, 1st floor, office 104A (You’d better ask security guy at the entry how to reach bld. 11) – Barrikadnaya metro station, the sole exit.

There was only one married couple and me in the queue, and they received very quickly there med exam results, so I did not wait for a long time.

There the doctor asked me some questions and filled very quickly a questionnaire, then asked to wait while he entered info about my vaccinations into special form for the Embassy, then the lady gave me a sealed envelope. It took generally 30 minutes (including waiting in the queue).

I had with me:

- foreign passport;

- 2 color photos 3x4 cm (black&white photos are acceptable);

- info about vaccinations;

- all docs given to me in ‘Chudo doktor’.

I must say that both in ‘Chudo doctor’ and Hospital n.a. Filatov all was very quick and clear and friendly.

Interview

I registered at ustraveldocs.com, appointed my interview and printed the invitation with bar-code. As fast as you receive your case number from IV Unit – as soon you can appoint interview (see my advice above re: case number receipt).

On March 16 I came to the Embassy at 7.40 am. There was a quite big queue, but I stood at its top (and no one told me a word), and at that moment the police officer started to let people in. I was nearly 15th in the queue. There were a lot of immigrant visa applicants, so I did not try to pierce through the queue and stayed at my place, moreover the queue moved very fast. At the entrance security woman checked my passport and interview appointment.

I left my cell phone at the storage (bottle of water stayed with me). By the way, inside there are automates with food. Then I passed through security and then to the window that was first at my way. There the young lady checked the bar-code at my appointment and said where I should go further.

I went upstairs, said my name to the lady at the window 1 and started to wait for my turn. I did not pay for visa first.

When the lady in the window 1 said to speakerphone my name, I passed to the window, and she asked to give her some docs:

(we prepared A LOT of docs, but the following are the only that the lady in window asked to give)

- DS-230;

- I-864 of petitioner, his tax transcripts from IRS for 2010 (he did not file taxes for 2011 ‘cause his income was too law – under 9500 $);

-I-864 of joint sponsor, his taxes for 2011 (we had forms 1040 and W2);

- medical exams;

- 2 photos;

- my foreign passport and copy of the page with photo (copy of page with photo was optional);

- my birth certificate – copy with translation and original;

- military certificate – copy with translation and original;

- marriage certificate – copy with translation and original.

BUT I’m sure that it is best to err on the safer side than not to bring something useless at your point of view, but could be necessary to the consul.

When she took all docs, she said to pay for visa in window 4 (you can pay in rubles and in dollars. I paid 404$ and I do not advise you to pay in rubles ‘cause the exchange in the Embassy is 1USD = 32 (!!!!!) Rubles) out of turn and to bring her a receipt. After that she told to pass to the window 5 for fingerprints (at 8.15 the window was empty, but the ladies in windows 1, 2 and 3 – Russian by the way - that were taking docs from applicants - told everyone to wait about 40 minutes – and the officer in window 5 appeared). Procedure is really fast. After fingerprints I gave back my passport to the lady in window 1, and she told me to wait. All very friendly.

All above mentioned windows are located in one big room with rows of chairs for applicants waiting for their turn, and you can freely watch the interview of every person.

At 9.45 to windows 2 and 3 came two ladies – consuls (American ladies). They started to look through applicants’ documents and invite them to their windows (look through documents – 10-15 minutes, interview – 5-10 minutes).

The questions that I was asked: how did we meet, how was the wedding, how did Alex receive his citizenship, why did we decide to move to USA, and finally why he is not at the Embassy with me. I told that I know that NOT applicants should not be in the room of interview. But the friendly lady told that the rules have changed, and now you can bring to the interview anyone you want But I think you’d better double check this info before your interview.

Then she told that visa is approved, and I will receive my passport in a week via Pony Express. The whole interview took 5-6 minutes. Ladies-consuls speak Russian quite well, but if you want you can speak English.

So generally I spent 3 hours 20 minutes at the Embassy (came at 7.40, went out at 11.00).

I must say that ALL procedures are VERY fast. So much time was spent for the queues to different windows because of a large amount of immigrant visa applicants (there were about 35-40 persons scheduled at 8.00 and 10.00 am – all different types of immigrant visas. As you can see – the time of appointment is quite approximate). EVERYONE in the Embassy was very friendly. Maybe I was lucky that day Or may be it was “consuls’ Friday” :)

And one more thing: take something to read (book, magazine) for waiting to be not so painful

I received passport with visa and the sealed big envelope not in a week, but in 2 working days – on March 21 - at the address of my office (as I specified by appointing interview at ustraveldocs.com) without any problems. I also received all our photos back, and even the written summary of our answers at the first joint interview while petition filing (when me and Alex were interviewed separately).

If you have any questions – contact me any time

Best regards and good luck!

Yulia and Alex

Edited March 22, 2012 by julia&alex

[Leatherneck 693]

Congratulations!

[julia&alex 0]

One little remark: exchange course USD 1 = RUB 32 was on March 16. It could be different on another day. So I had with me the sum for visa both in rubles and dollars.

[Slade&Natasha 7]

Slade&Natasha’s experience helped us VERY much. Thank you guys!!!

Our pleasure - glad it helped! And a huge congrats on your visa! Wish you a long and happy life together in the US.

[Slade&Natasha 7]

Congrats!

[Ryan H 3,791]

Moved from IR-1/CR-1 Process & Procedures to DCF forum.