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US Visa for a Russian friend

Way to Russia Talk Lounge Forum Index -> Russian Visa Forum

Author	Message
ironzeppelin04 Frequent Guest Joined: 29 Dec 2007 Posts: 70 Location: USA	Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 1:33 am    Post subject: US Visa for a Russian friend Hello, I have a friend who lives in St. Petersburg, Russia. She wants to come visit me in America (Chicago, IL) and would like two bring her friend with her. As of right now we are planning on them staying at my house and they will be here for 2 weeks (in June). I tried researching this on my on found that it could be very difficult to get US visa or some people found it fairly easy and I am a little confused. I am more than willing to help them in anyway. I am trying to find out the easiest way for both of them to get Visas, any suggestions will be very helpful. Thank you)
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danbrew Just Starting Joined: 17 Mar 2010 Posts: 8	Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 3:56 am    Post subject: Good luck. Does she have a job, assets, family, etc., and will the consular officials in StP with whom she must interview believe that she'll come back to Russia? Read this: http://stpetersburg.usconsulate.gov/visafaqpage.html and this: http://stpetersburg.usconsulate.gov/visas-to-the-us/preparing-your-documents2.html
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ironzeppelin04 Frequent Guest Joined: 29 Dec 2007 Posts: 70 Location: USA	Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 6:57 am    Post subject: Thanks danbrew, you never cease to fail) Yes, all her family and assets are in SP, she is currently in the middle of getting a new job... I do not know her friend to well but I am sure it's the same. I know that she will be going back and she will not cheat the system (I will not let her cheat it anyway, if she wants to stay here she will do the correct way). Thanks again, I am currently in the middle of reading through the links still.
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overseas_expat VIP Joined: 11 Jan 2005 Posts: 741 Location: Moscow	Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 8:34 am    Post subject: We have been fleshing out a similar conversation here: http://www.waytorussia.net/TalkLounge/conversation11692.html However it should be said that single young Russian women have great difficulty obtaining US visas, as well as visas for other countries. Whereas any average Russian might have a very good chance of getting a US visa with the usual sponsorship, young single Russian women face more a more difficult challenge due to their international *cough* reputation. Fair or unfair, it is true.
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danbrew Just Starting Joined: 17 Mar 2010 Posts: 8	Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 9:06 pm    Post subject: True, all true. The gist that I got from the other thread is that the young lady in question is not here legally and wants to get married to stay here (which won't fly even if she does get married) and wants to bring her parents here for the wedding. While I'm certainly no expert on immigration and visa law, I just don't see the parents being approved to come over if they are honest about why they are coming.
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ironzeppelin04 Frequent Guest Joined: 29 Dec 2007 Posts: 70 Location: USA	Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 9:21 pm    Post subject: Thanks oversea_expat, I see that it could help a great deal if I write a letter, which I am willing to do... If I do so should I include both people looking to get a visa in the letter or write one for each? I guess also would it be good if she has her parents with her (as she still lives with them) to show that she does have good reason to and will be returning, or will they not even look at that? And... Just curious (b/c now I am getting worried this is going to be harder than I thought), if for some reason they get denied, is there a certain amount of time they have to wait or something they have to do before trying again? Thanks for all your help!
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everbrite Just Starting Joined: 10 Sep 2008 Posts: 4	Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:22 am    Post subject: writing a letter might not necessarily be such a good idea if it sends the message that there is someone in the US willing to help her out should she want to stay. Any letter must clearly indicate that you know that she has a job and family and that you expect that she will return to Russia for those reasons. If she is in the middle of getting a new job, she can just about forget getting a visa since this will raise all sorts of questions in the mind of the counselor agent as to how she can take off from her new job. Remember most Americans don't get vacation until they have worked for 90 or 180 days. It is extremely unlikely that there is anything that you can do to help. Either your friend and her friends have sufficient assets and ties to Russia and it will be clear to the consular agent that this is the case or not. Nothing you can do would make much difference if they can't show adequate income to afford such a trip, a job to which to return, ownership of goods and property that they would be unlikely to abandon, etc. Parents back in Russia don't mean that she wouldn't stay in the US. Lots of people leave family behind hoping to get settled and then bring them over. Ruth
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danbrew Just Starting Joined: 17 Mar 2010 Posts: 8	Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:02 am    Post subject: very much agree with everbrite's comments. for those that don't know, Ruth is *the* goddess of the Russian branch over at thorntree and has some great Russian pages. I completed a good bit of a walking tour that she put together for Moscow just a few weeks ago. Very interesting and very insightful.
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overseas_expat VIP Joined: 11 Jan 2005 Posts: 741 Location: Moscow	Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:53 am    Post subject: We know who everbrite is. I'm not voting for the goddess status. I just sponsored a visa for a Russian citizen in June 2008. Moreover, I also have some inside insight into the visa process. I would disagree with several points in his/her post: "might not necessarily be such a good idea if it sends the message that there is someone in the US willing to help her out should she want to stay." *My response--Huh? "Remember most Americans don't get vacation until they have worked for 90 or 180 days. " *My response--Utterly immaterial. I call total BS on this. The US embassy visa office is well aware that the rest of the world has more generous holidays and vacation leave than the US. Particularly Russia, which seems to be always on some kind of holiday. The US embassy visa office workers get all the Russian AND American holidays and an extremely generous vacation leave as well. Pfft. "It is extremely unlikely that there is anything that you can do to help." *My response--of course there is something you can do to help a Russian friend requesting a visa to visit you in the US. Write a letter of sponsorship explaining that you will be in careful charge of the visitor and you are willing to take financial responsibility during the visit. I've done it, I've been through it, and sponsoring a Russian for a US tourist visa just isn't that difficult in most cases. Young single Russian women would be an exception to that statement.
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danbrew Just Starting Joined: 17 Mar 2010 Posts: 8	Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 7:03 am    Post subject: yeah, to each their own on goddess status. heh. let's just say amazingly helpful and always willing to share her experiences. i've probably spent more time at Thorntree than I have at WTR and I can't ever recall a specific user at WTR that has offered the same quantity and quality of assistance as everbrite has over at Thorntree. as an interesting aside, I must admit, the first thing I thought when the OP said "she wants to come visit me... ...and would like to bring her friend...", I thought that the friend was a guy and that they were a couple looking to immigrate. Maybe, maybe not. But if it is a guy, I'd bet that's what the counselor officer will think too. I've got some pals in Russia for whom I would dearly love to find a way for them to get a visa to immigrate to the US so that they could relocate here - pretty unlikely it will ever happen.
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ironzeppelin04 Frequent Guest Joined: 29 Dec 2007 Posts: 70 Location: USA	Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 2:38 am    Post subject: That is my fault I should have stated that they are both females. Thanks again to all for helping, I really appreciate it.
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Brad44 Just Starting Joined: 26 Jan 2009 Posts: 3 Location: USA	Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 11:46 pm    Post subject: VISA US I can tell you from first hand experience. If she is sinlge female owning no property or not having a lot of money you can forget her getting a tourist VISA. I have have spoken several times to my congressman and the consulate office in Moscow. The "official" US policy is that anyone applying for a VISA to the US is coming with the intentions of staying and not returning. Therefore, the applicant must convince the interviewing officer that he/she will return to there home country. THere are no set guidelines or rules. The interviewing officer makes the decision and there is no form of review or appeal. Once a person is denied a US VISA they will have problems for the next 3 years getting a VISA to any country that requires one. I am speaking from first hand knowledge here. The US shares a database with the majority of the other countries and once your VISA has been denied by the US most other countries will do the same. My friend and I went to Italy and France no problems. I had her apply for US VISA I prepaid for the airlines tickets, hotel, gave an itenary of where we would be for the two weeks and sent copies of bank records and letters from congressman. When she arrived in Moscow to interview the officer never even looked at any of this information. He asked her age, occupation, how much money she had, does she own any property. In less than 15 minutes he denied the VISA and never looked at the supporting documents, and guess what he does not have to and there is no appeal. So we decided to go to the UK the UK denied her VISA. So I said we will go to France again and the French governement denied her VISA this time even though just 12 months earlier they gave her one. When I enquired as to why she was denied I was told that because US denied her ealrier VISA that France did deny also because she was flagged now in the database. We were told it was best she wait 3 years before applying again. So we only did travel to countries that Russian's not need obtain an official VISA to visit
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