Way to Russia Community and Forum

nimitz48 · Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2007 10:32 pm Post subject:

That's ok krasatulya, I appreciate the input; however, when she is here, the waiting will not be as bad as her not being here at all. So I think that is something we can deal with.

I guess I'll throw this one out for grabs then, if you had to do it over again, would you pursue a Russian lady? No disrespect intended or meant, I'm just trying to learn all I can, so I can explain everything to
my lady.

Thanks,

Wes

overseas_expat · VIP Joined: 11 Jan 2005 Posts: 741 Location: Moscow

In my experience so far, Russian/American marriages are probably running less than a 50-50 success rate after 5 years. The cultural divide is deep and wide. Russian girls are cute and blonde and sweet on the outside but not to forget, that after the initial sexual high, reality and bills and kids and inlaws kick in. That's when the marriages flounder.

Marriage is forever. Not a month long fling with a exotic pretty girl from another country.

surfguy · Lounge Wizard Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 6979

Ok well I got married in 1998 to a Japanese National. She was here on a student Visa...and actually was told that it would be her last visa issued as she had come to the US numerous times. Ok so we married...the next thing we did was go down to the immigration office and after waiting in line the clerk gave us all the necessary paper work...which we started to fill out on our own. Because she was here she was able to stay until the process was finished. Ok well 2 months later a death in the family forced her return to Japan...which because she left the country and the paper work/immigration process was started she could not return to the USA until it was finalized...So I had to wait from May to November for her to return. But once she did she had status here and is a permanent residence. While in Japan she worked with the consulate and submitted from there all her necessary information. I never had an interview...we thought about the lawyer route...but were told to just do it ourselves which we did...and the costs were insignificant. Everything went smoothly.

OK I say have her come here on a tourist visa...once she is here she will have to stay until the process is complete...or if she leaves then she won't be able to return until the things are in order. But if she comes here and you marry they will allow her to stay here. Also A tourist visa can be granted for a year...I know plenty of Russians who have come on 3 month and 1 year visas. Thing is you need to show support for her and sponsor her. And she will need to show that she has the means too. If everything is legitimate then you won't have any problems. Besides you have nothing to lose...a life time here is better than a one week trip to there just to find out as expat says...that you won't get anything accomplished. But also be sure before she comes over that you have all the necessary information to provide...which is probably the reasons for the fiance visa. But as was the case with my marriage...we had no fiance visa...and her student visa was set to expire 2 weeks after we married...and we were successful. And I am willing to bet you will be too. Besides there are lots of Russians here now...and I am sure most of them got in fairly easily

surfguy · Lounge Wizard Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 6979

this page explains it all.

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=0775667706f7d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextchannel=4f719c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD

Ok also find out what documentation is required for a marriage license...once you have the license then that is proof of relation. With this you can apply for an immediate immigrant visa number

surfguy · Lounge Wizard Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 6979

good luck

nimitz48 · Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 3:20 pm Post subject:

Hi Surfguy, I was not aware that a single Russian woman could get a tourist visa. Can they do so now? I also did not see anything indicating a marrage certificate could grant access vis an I-130, or did I miss that?

Thanks for all your help!

Wes

nimitz48 · Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 3:44 pm Post subject:

Hi overseas_expat, perhaps this is a question for another topic? What are the cultural differences? I mean what specificlly are the things I need to know about. Can you provide me with examples? I currently work with and for some Russians, and see no difficulties with learning their culture. I am, or at least have been quite adept at adopting to the cultural mores of people from other countries. So I would be greatly interested in learning what I need to know, to be able to adapt.

Regards,

Wes

surfguy · Lounge Wizard Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 6979

nimitz48 · Posted: Tue Oct 02, 2007 8:24 pm Post subject:

Hi Surfguy, thanks for the update. I now understand what she means by a number.

Wes

surfguy · Lounge Wizard Joined: 13 Apr 2006 Posts: 6979

Also...you can always call or visit the immigration offices...and ask them...say hey I just got married to a Russian national and she is here on a tourist visa...and what do you need to do to change her status? Trust me there are a lot of russians here who have gone through the process. Remember this too...Lawyers always try to make it seem more difficult than it is...why because they want the $$$. Whenmy wife came over we were told that we needed a lawyer etc to handle it all. Total BS and we did it on our own. Well anyways you'll be fine

saint_chrisburg · Frequent Guest Joined: 03 Oct 2007 Posts: 46

Ok Wes, I'm going to try and help. I lived in St. Petersburg for two years with a Russian girl before we got married. (She was originally from Khabarovsk, but was a student in St. Petersburg). Eventually we moved to America through the immigration process (I'm American, just to make it clear). We ended up separating about 1 1/2 years after moving to America (together for five years, married for two of those years - but cultural divides didn't end the relationship, her infidelity did). She was forced with leaving the country on her own or being deported. She made the wise decision and left on her own. That's my background story.

Regarding marriage in Russia:
The quickest you can get married with any luck is 1 month and 1 week from the date you officially start the process. Exactly. 1 month and 1 week. You need not be present for the entire 1 month and 1 week. You'll need to be there the first day, to file the paperwork, and the last day (the day you get married, obviously!). The rest can be done by the soon-to-be-spouse.

Go to http://stpetersburg.usconsulate.gov/citizen_immigrant.htm - there you'll find a link describing the process of getting married and the immigration process. The site is for the SPb consulate, but the first four steps are the same no matter where in Russia your girlfriend lives. The website makes it sound pretty easy, and in theory it is. Of course life has its way of throwing little curve balls.

So, you will have to appear in Moscow at the American embassy, fill out the form and pay the dinky little fee. I'd make sure to arrive at the embassy as soon as it opens, for time management reasons. Anyway, the form is two pages long. Make sure that the consulate attaches the pages properly. It should not be stapled or regular-paperclipped; there's a special little gold color ring-clip that is used. You will be sent back to the embassy if the documents are not properly clipped (Russian bureaucracy at its best).

Then go down the street (it's not too far of a walk) and hand over your papers and pay your next dinky little fees. I'd recommend doing this with your spouse-to-be. As far as you're concerned, you've done your work. In a week, you or your fiancee go back and pick up the now "legalized" paperwork. If your fiancee went with you the first time, they'll probably be okay giving her the paperwork (I wouldn't swear on this, however); if she didn't go with you, you'll have to go yourself to pick it up.

During the week that you're waiting for the legalization to be done, go out and get the information page of your passport officially translated and notarized (most translation places have a notary on-site). It usually takes a couple days for the translation to be done, so I'd start it as soon as you've dropped off your papers at Legalizatsiya, that way it's done and finished before you go back to Legalizatsiya.

Now you'll have to go to the central ZAGS of the city your girlfriend lives in. They'll tell you what you need to do next. In essence you'll have to pay some more dinky fees. Once the fees are paid, you can go to the ZAGS office where you will actually be married (you'll be told where it is). In Moscow and St. Petersburg there are very specific ZAGS that do marriages to foreign nationals. Smaller towns with only one or two ZAGS offices it won't matter. At the ZAGS office you can make all the arrangements for your marriage: date, photography, flowers, music, etc. The date of the marriage can, at the earliest, be 32 days from the date you appear in this final ZAGS office. All that's left is to get married! Congrats!

....it's late and I'm going to bed...I'll continue tomorrow with the immigration part, if you want.

nimitz48 · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 6:18 pm Post subject:

Hi saint_chrisburg, thanks very much for the instructions. Could you please poet the immigration part.

Regards,

Wes

saint_chrisburg · Frequent Guest Joined: 03 Oct 2007 Posts: 46

Okay, I was waiting for a response from you before posting the immigration part, since I don't want to waste my time if it's unwanted. Please note that it has been a number of years since I went through all this, so my memory is becoming fuzzy about the exact details. What I wrote below is how I remember the process going. Please ignore typos.

Bringing your Russian spouse to America:

If you have lived in a consular district in Russia for a minimum of six months, you may file the immigration paperwork at the consulte in whose district you have been living. For example, if have been living in St. Petersburg for at least six months, you can go to the consulate in SPb and file the necessary papers there. If you have lived in a consular district for less than six months, or you are living in America, then you have to file the immigration paperwork in the US with the BCIS that has jurisdiction over your region. The process is quicker if you file in Russia, since there are a lot fewer people applying for spousal immigration in Russia compared to the United States - but once again, however, this means you have to have lived in a single area of Russia for at least six months.

The process starts off as mentioned at http://stpetersburg.usconsulate.gov/visas_petitions.htm - you basically show up at the consulate, fill out a form and supply some documents, photocopies of those documents, and photos of yourself and your spouse. Once you've handed over your documents, you'll be given a set of papers from the consulate describing the other things that have to be done.

In a short while (I remember it being only a matter of a few weeks for us) you will receive a packet from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow which has a stackload of stuff in it. I don't remember the exact way you get the date/time of your interview...if it's sent to you, or you're given a number to call. Regardless, your spouse will be given no choice about date/time, and if she fails to show up, then she will not receive approval for immigration. No ifs, ands, or buts. Don't bother trying to call and change the date/time either (we tried).

If you had to file your papers at the BCIS in America, your wife will get the same packet from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, but instead of taking a couple weeks, plan on it being several months (as I hinted at, there's a lot more people applying in America than in Russia = bigger backlog = longer for your individual request to go through). Once the spouse receives the packet from the U.S. Embassy, the rest of the process is the same, regardless of where you originally applied (Russia or America).

Some of the preliminaries prior to the interview:

You will have to fill out an affidavit of support showing that you earn at least 125% of the income considered to be the poverty line for two people (so, for example, if the poverty line is determined to be $20,000 for two people, you have to show that you earn a minimum of $25,000). You prove this by supplying originals of your W-2s from the previous tax years. If you are unable to prove on your own that you earn enough money, you are allowed to use other U.S. citizens' income, but they will be required to fill out a similar income affidavit which must be notarized, and also submit their own W-2s. Note that if your spouse has children, and you plan to bring them along, then the percentage of necessary income is increased per number of dependents.

Your wife will have to go to Moscow and visit a clinic that has been approved by the U.S. Embassy - there are only two, if I remember correctly. Your spouse will have to have a chest x-ray taken. Additionally, she will have to show what immunizations she has, and will most likely have to receive additional vaccination shots to cover the immunizations required by the United States which aren't required in Russia (there are a couple, I don't remember which ones though). My wife did this part the day before her actual interview. I don't remember the reason why it was done so late. Anyway, I'd recommend that as soon as you get the contact information for the clinics, start calling to find out prices and to arrange an appointment. (And by the way, I unfortunately was stuck in Riga, Latvia when my wife had to do her medical exam and interview at the Embassy, so I can't give you really nitty-gritty details, sorry).

Your spouse also has to obtain a police certificate showing that she does not have a criminal background. This is obtained from the police department in the area where she has her registration. My wife and I lived in St. Petersburg, but she was officially registered back at her home in Khabarovsk (completely on the other side of the country) - but she still managed to get the certificate with no problems without evening going to Khabarovsk. I think she had her mom go to the police department there to get it for her. Anyway, your wife will simply need to go in/call the police department and ask what all has to be done.

The documents from the U.S. Embassy state exactly the documents they want from you guys, so your wife needs to make sure to bring them with her to her interview. Also, although it's not explicitly stated as being required, she definitely needs to bring photographs clearly showing the two of you together - and I'd recommend that they're not all just wedding photos, but some other photos from varying times that you guys have been together (e.g. hanging out at home, at a park, socializing with friends, etc.). My wife had all the documents with her at her interview, but she didn't have any photos - the Embassy approved her immigration request on the condition that she supply photos of us together to the Embassy within a couple weeks of the interview date. In our case, I showed up at 11 o'clock in the evening fresh off the bus from Latvia (14 hour long trip, mind you), and my wife said "we have to go to Moscow" and so we went straight from the bus to the train station, and caught an overnight train to Moscow so we could turn in the photos. (Needless to say, I was freaking exhausted!)

What questions will be asked at the interview? Well, it's basically up to the interviewer, but likely questions will be (and "you" here will mean the spouse):
1) Where and how did you meet?
2) How long have you two been together? How long have you been married?
3) What do you do in Russia?
4) What does your husband do?
5) What do you plan to do in America?

You get the picture...

Very shortly after getting approved by the embassy, you will receive a package from DHL containing the immigration visa (it took two weeks from the date we turned in the photos to the Embassy, in our case). And if I remember correctly, it's the responsibility of the wife to go to DHL after receiving immigration approval, and to provide the mailing address and pay the cost of shipping.

Once your wife has the immigration visa, she is required to enter America within six months. When she lands in America, she will go through passport control with all the other visa-holding foreigners. She will be led by a passport control official to a special area where they handle immigrants. She'll turn over her visa and have her fingerprints taken. They will place a stamp in her passport showing that she is awaiting arrival of her permanent resident card. The stamp is good for six months, (...I believe). My wife received her "green" card in the mail within a week of our arriving in America. If for some reason awhile has passed and she hasn't received her green card, call BCIS and see what's going on.

Note that if you have been married for less than two years at the time your wife arrives in America, the first green card she obtains will be what is called a "conditional" green card, and it will be valid for a duration of two years. A couple months before the expiration, you are required to apply for a regular, non-conditional greencard. This entails filing paperwork with the BCIS and paying a fee. So why a conditional green card? Because you have been married for less than two years, the government wants to make sure the marriage wasn't simply a way of circling immigration laws. If you have been married for two years or more at the time she immigrates, then she will get a regular green-card from the start.

All told, it took us only four months from the date we first applied for the immigrant visa to the date we landed in the US.

saint_chrisburg · Frequent Guest Joined: 03 Oct 2007 Posts: 46

Oh, and I guess lastly, if you do indeed get married to a Russian woman and bring her to America, prepare yourself for a lot of very rude and insensitive talk. People will say, to your face and behind your back, things about Russian mail-order brides, "oh she used him to come to America", etc. Nobody seems to believes that a Russian woman could love an American man; oh no, it's always assumed she's using him.

I was 21 with my 19 year old Russian wife when we came to America, and boy the shit I had to hear from people the entire time we were together in the U.S.! Give me a break.

Yuri-s-Girl · Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 8:44 pm Post subject:

People are just plain rude, do not mind their own busines.
I hope you just told them all just to sod off!

YG

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