ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
IMBRA Special TopicsWhat is the meaning of "Met"
Yes, I guess the same word can mean different things. When they ask how you met they want to know the sorce of your initial contact. When they ask if you have met within the past two years or how many times you have met they are talking about face to face.

Bride.RU has both free and paid contacts. Since neither of you paid it is not considered a MOB under Imbra.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-01 11:00:00
IMBRA Special TopicsWhat is the meaning of "Met"
Danno you are correct and incorrect in the way you have analized the reg's. When they ask about meeting they are wanting to know how you made your first contact not how you had your first face to face meeting. You can used that definition but they won't.

Since it was a free personals site and no money was exchanged for the contact information it is not considered that you met through a MOB agency. Your answer is correct but your analasis is wrong. Had you met through a religious based organization it would also have been exempt even if you had paid.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-01 06:50:00
IMBRA Special Topicswhat if some one fiancee was pregnant

what if some one had a fiancee and she got pregnant and then found out she cant be petitioned under imbra laws??? what would happen?


What would happen, She would have a baby, a miscarrage or an abortion. Those are the options I can think of.

I have not seen the part of the law that an American sperm guarantees citizenship. Being born in America can but not the sperm alone. Otherwise we could all get rich as sperm doners to countries with women who want to come to America. Personally I think they should change the law. I could use a little extra income.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-04-25 15:14:00
IMBRA Special TopicsApplying again
Hey Kat!

Yes, it does get frustrating these days when all you want to do is be with the person you love. I can understand your frustration and your desire to do whatever you have to in order to be together. Keep me posted and I hope things go well for you.

I keep hearing about people spending 10 months, or two years in A/R. It gets a little disheartning for me too but I try to keep my hopes up but not get to disappointed if it does take a while. The worst part is not knowing and the difficulty in making plans. Right now we are talking about trying to live togehter in Barbados starting next month.

FWA,

LOL
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-04 23:20:00
IMBRA Special TopicsApplying again

THANKS TURBOGUY FOR ALL THE INFO :thumbs:

You are welcome Jon. Let's see if the others feel the same as I about your question.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-04-29 15:37:00
IMBRA Special TopicsIMBRA Interoffice memorandum

Steve55,

It is your own fault that you are not on the committee for the upcoming lawsuit. If you are not willing to sue even when there are groups out there who would gladly foot the legal bill, then you don't deserve freedom.

Midnight, why don't you post some links to this for those who might be interested in getting involved or for those who want to at least follow the progress.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-09 07:06:00
IMBRA Special TopicsK1 Fiance must return to Mexico. K1 again?
The IMBRA limitations only apply to a new fiancee. There are no limits on applying for a K-1 for the SAME fiancee. Of course do it enough and that may raise some questions.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-10 17:21:00
IMBRA Special TopicsK-1 Visa questionn regarding IMBRA
I am not so sure that foreign agencies are not required to comply with the IMBRA laws when the customer is from the USA. I have heard of agencies shutting down because they could not comply.

When the do start enforcing it they can use denial of the visa as the method of enforcement. I have no doubts a few years from now there will be many sad stories here from it but hopefully we will all be ok.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-17 23:01:00
IMBRA Special TopicsK-1 Visa questionn regarding IMBRA
The agency you met her through does qualify as an IMBRA marriage broker. If you checked 'NO' it probably won't cause you any problems. They don't seem to be paying too much attention to that part of the IMBRA law yet. That may change in the future. I am sure if they give you a problem about it answering that you misunderstood the question should let you get by without problems.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-10 17:26:00
IMBRA Special TopicsQuestion on IMBRA
My 2 cents worth are that it is a nice attempt to be as compliant as possible but if they ever decide to get really strict on IMBRA it won't cut it. I don't really think there is a lot you can do on your own to be totally compliant. It is supposed to be done by the agency before you say hello. After all every American male is a sleeze bag, abusive rapist.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-27 23:51:00
IMBRA Special TopicsQuestion on IMBRA
If they ever get strict in the inforcment of that part of IMBRA I don't think the electronic forms are going to hold water. As I remember the wording of the law it is necessary to submit a full criminal backgroud check for everywhere you have lived since age 18 or something like that just like the beneficiary. Just stating you have no record will not hold up if they ever decide to press the issue.

Edited by Turboguy, 27 May 2007 - 03:54 PM.

TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-27 15:54:00
IMBRA Special TopicsQuestion on IMBRA
There is no pat answer for your question. The way the IMBRA laws are being enforced now you don't need to worry about it. Your thought of having the background check at this stage is very resourceful but it would still not bring you into compliance with IMBRA if they do start enforcing things. I would just go do your thing and not worrry. If they ever do start enforcing it I think all they will really accomplish is motivating a lot of people to commit visa fraud and lie about how them met.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-22 07:03:00
IMBRA Special TopicsQuestion 1 definition & CSC/IMBRA RFE form
I would not suggest leaving the line bland. Either put yes or no or you may get an RFE The correct answer is no.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-06-02 00:03:00
IMBRA Special TopicsIMBRA and Yahoo Meetic
I believe the wording of the law excludes sites that do not charge and religious based organizations so there are exceptions. I have no idea how they would deal with a site that has both free and paid addresses. If you got a free one it should be excluded but since they charge it might not be.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-28 11:06:00
IMBRA Special TopicsIMBRA and Yahoo Meetic
FreePersonals.ru is probably ok. You didn't pay for the address and they charge the man and the woman the same thing (nothing). They would not be an IMB
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-27 15:56:00
IMBRA Special TopicsIMBRA and Yahoo Meetic
No, Yahoo and Match are exempt from IMBRA because 50% of their business or more is matching people from the USA
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-22 06:59:00
IMBRA Special TopicsIMBRA K1 visa waiver
I got my approval today with waver request too. I was happy to see that. It seemed like it was taking forever for Vermont and the waver deal really had me worried that they would turn it down. Now I can breathe a little and get ready for the next chapter.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-01-28 19:37:00
IMBRA Special TopicsIMBRA K1 visa waiver
If you have had two previous K-1 Visas for different fiancee's you are required to write the waver letter.

If you have filed a K-1 visa application less the 24 months prior to the current one you are required to do the same.

I have not paid quite as much attention to the other qualificatins but basically if you have been convicted of domestic abuse, have three convictions for substance abuse, have a felony conviction (It may have to be a violent crime) or something close to that you are required to file the waver letter.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-01-13 12:12:00
IMBRA Special TopicsIMBRA K1 visa waiver
There are some samples of waver letters for a K-1 in this section if you look through the posts. Mine has been sent off and i am watiing nervously for word on it.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-01-11 23:37:00
IMBRA Special TopicsIMBRA limitation filing on K nonimmigrant
I think most of us who have filed for a waver for a second K-1 would have a hard time making a case for hardship. When I did mine I just explained that the failure of my first K-1 was not my fault. That I had done all I could to make the relationship succeed and that she was unable to deal with the adjustment to life in America and being away from her family and friends etc. All I can say is that my waver was approved.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-06-20 07:05:00
IMBRA Special TopicsRFE Waiver
That is what the law says but they don't seem to be able to read too well there. I have heard of them requiring wavers in cases where the law does not apply like yours. The waver is no big deal and all they want to do is add you to a data base of serial k-1 filers for future reference.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-07-17 10:00:00
IMBRA Special TopicsIMBRA
Since neither of you payed to meet you probably could have answered no but I think it will not cause you a bit of problem one way or the other. I doubt if you will hear anything during the interview or at any time about it just based on how things have been handled so far.

Good luck in your journey. It is an amazing experience.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-07-09 11:22:00
IMBRA Special TopicsWrite IMBRA yes or no ??? Pls Help !!
What I hear on VJ over and over is "Never Lie" I am sure there are times when some do but when there is no reason to why take the risk. It won't delay you or cause problems.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-08-07 06:58:00
IMBRA Special TopicsFile Waiver now or wait till file K1
Yes, you have to wait. They track everything by the numbers starting with the Receipt number assigned when they send you your first notices. They could never have it connect up with your application if you sent it first. The instructions are to send it with the application.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-09-05 05:50:00
IMBRA Special TopicsK-1 for the second time
You don't have to wait. Just file again and request a waver. Actually according to the way the law was written you don't even need the waver. ( It reads "different" fiancee) but in practice if you did not send it you would get an RFE for it.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-08-05 07:13:00
IMBRA Special TopicsWill IMBRA affect third time filer?
I have been following the waver issue very closely and I think you will be fine. Of course it is the government and that means you are dealing with a lot of people who can do things that are not real logical. I am looking forward to seeing how it goes but I think it will be just fine.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-05-31 18:07:00
IMBRA Special TopicsIMBRA Waiver Approved!!
Keep us posted how it is going but my bet is that it will go into Administrative Review while it is at NVC. I hope not but you should know soon.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-08-06 06:11:00
IMBRA Special Topicsimbra waiver question for filing 2nd K-1
Something I just thought of Brian. Technically you don't need the waver. The IMBRA law reads 2 K-1's for different fiancees within a 2 year period but the last I heard they were sending RFE's for the waver letter for those applying for the same fiancee even though according to the exact wording it should not be required.

Write the letter but don't loose any sleep over this. You will get approved.
TurboguyMaleRussia2008-07-04 05:37:00
IMBRA Special Topicsimbra waiver question for filing 2nd K-1
Brian, what you experienced is more common than you realize. Lots and lots of people do that and they are very lenient on someone applying for a K-1 waver for the same fiancee. I doubt they spend 10 seconds before they approve it.

Actually if my full timeline was disclosed I applied for one K-1 for fiancee number 1, got the visa, she came here. She went home in 89 days. I applied for a second K-1 for her 3 weeks after she went back. Cancelled in 10 days later. Applied for a K-1 for a second fiancee about 16 months later and had that approved.

Filling in a few gaps in what I just said. After fiancee # 1 went back she told me her keyboard was covered with tears because she realized she had made the biggest mistake of her life when she left, so new K-1. I found some things shortly thereafter that were totally unacceptable i.e. plans to spend a few weeks with another guy she was romantically interested in while she was my fiancee, not my idea of acceptable behavoir for a fiancee.

Anyway Brian, you will be fine. Don't waste the money on a lawyer. I mentioned in my pm I know one guy whose waver was just approved on his 5th K-1. I think they are being pretty lenient so far.
TurboguyMaleRussia2008-07-04 05:32:00
IMBRA Special TopicsTHIS IS MY SECOND TIME TO BE BENIFICIARY OF K-1 VISA
I agree it will not be a problem. My K-1 was the second for both me and my fiancee. The only time it came up was during our interview for AOS when they asked about it but otherwise no mention of it at all.
TurboguyMaleRussia2008-07-27 05:04:00
IMBRA Special TopicsDo I tell the truth or not?

Can someone pls give more info on IMBRA ?

thanks ,


There are a couple of sticky posts at the top with a lot of info on IMBRA and i think the text of the law.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-04-10 22:34:00
IMBRA Special TopicsDo I tell the truth or not?
I would just leave it go now. I think if you call and ask you will only make problems for yourself. They won't check if you were a paid member or not.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-04-10 06:56:00
IMBRA Special TopicsDo I tell the truth or not?

But the purpose of the law is to bring the marriage brokers into compliance and to inform the foreign fiancée that her American lover has a history of domestic violence or drinking... it doesn't mean that she's denied a visa, just that she knows what she's getting into.


When it requires a criminal background check before you can even say hello seems to adverise everyone looking for a bride overseas as abusers and users to me.

Here's one of my other gripes. Under IMBRA the agency needs to do a criminal background check before you can even say hello to a lady. So if someone uses 3 or 4 or even 10 agencies to look for a wife then that is 3 or 4 or 10 agencies that have to do criminal background checks that you may have to pay $ 50 or more for. Then when it is all done USCIS does another.

I can think of a dozen ways to accomplish the same or more with less hastle, couldn't they even think of one?
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-04-09 14:10:00
IMBRA Special TopicsDo I tell the truth or not?
At this point in time I think everyone is worrying about IMBRA unnecessarily. They are not paying much attention to that question. I have heard of no denials over it or even anyone being asked about it. I would not be surprised if in the future it will be a bigger issue. I think everyone is feeling their way through compliance right now and IMBRA had faced court challenges which unfortunately for the time being were decided a couple of weeks ago in favor of the government.

The following are some of the things that make it NOT an IMBRA qualified MOB site.

If the US citizen did not pay a fee
If the agency does 50%+ of their business connecting US residents with US residents.
If the agency is religious based.

Since the ruling challenging IMBRA by European Connectins was decided a few weeks ago I see a lot of the agencies searching for infomation about complying and how to obtain criminal background checks. I think any serious enforcement is a while off and the only way they can enforce it with an offshore business is to come down on us by refusing visas to those who met through an agency that did not comply. If that day ever really does come it is going to be a real fiasco for us.

The part that really stinks is the intent of the law is to protect uninformed female K-1 immigrants against domestic abuse which is good in theory. In practice there has only been one good study done on Domestic abuse among MOB's That was by the US government in 1999. They found that the rate of domestic abuse in these marriages were 1/7th the rate of marriages between american men and american women. So all this is to fix a problem that doesn't exist all because the few times it did happen they were high profile cases that caught the attention of the news media.

At this point it is better to be honest. No one is getting denied or questioned over it anyway. Perhaps in the future the government will succeed in turning us all into liars and cheats because we must. I hope not.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-04-09 06:58:00
IMBRA Special TopicsDo I tell the truth or not?
Many of us met on through an IMB. No one is being denied yet.

If you are the US Citizen and you did not pay a fee it does not qualify as an IMB. You can answer no to that question and be honest.

It never pays to lie. That is the biggest mistake you can make.

The details of the law are posted here in many places. If you did not pay a fee it is not an IMB. If it i a religious based orgainization it does not fall under IMBRA. The later does not apply to you but the former gives you clear sailing.

Just answer no and don't sweat it.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-04-08 23:33:00
IMBRA Special TopicsINTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE BROKER?
I agree there are other exemptions such as you mentioned.

The bad part about IMBRA is not the way it is being enforced now but the potential for the future. The teeth are in the law, they are just not biting yet.

Under IMBRA any MOB agencies are required to obtain a criminal background check on you before you are allowed to contact anyone. Right now very few agencies are doing that. The potential is there to levy big fines to them and to deny a visa to you under those regualations.

Someday we may look back on this as the good olde days.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-03-22 16:24:00
IMBRA Special TopicsINTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE BROKER?
I hope you have a good trip and that it turns out the way you hope. I have been to Ukraine myself perhaps 12-15 times. It is a great country and I really enjoy it there.

I was in about the same situation that you are. I met my fiancee through Elena's models which is similar to the service you used. I answered yes on my petition and gave the name and address for Elena's. The odds are that it will never come up in the interview or create any problems for you.
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-01-26 22:58:00
IMBRA Special TopicsINTERNATIONAL MARRIAGE BROKER?
I can say for sure and it is. If you paid for addresess or the ability to contact people and it is not a religious based organization then it is considered to be an International Marriage Broker. If you contact her from a free site it is not or if it is one primarily operated for US citizens it is not. If you look around this section you will find the legal definion but it really boils down to if you paid for anything, it is an IMB
TurboguyMaleRussia2007-01-25 23:33:00
IMBRA Special TopicsFiled for K1 with IMBRA waiver request
Thank you for posting that and congratualions on the approval. That was really helpful to me. I will begin working on the wording for my waver request in about a week and it is the first sample waver request I have seen. It is a big help. Good luck with the rest of the process and with your life.
TurboguyMaleRussia2006-11-15 00:14:00
IMBRA Special TopicsIMBRA Article in NY Times
One of the things I have noticed about the media is when they do a story they don't care about presenting something honestly. They start of to do a story with a certain bent and then look for things that give credence to the story they want to write. They don't want to hear the other side. They want to sell papers or attract viewers.

Someone said something upthread about IMBRA possibly spreading to other areas of life in America. It is the best thing that could happen. Right now there are too few of us to raise a fuss that anyone will listen too and once you get through the K-1 hurdle you have a lot less interest in how unfair IMBRA is.

JS, you are right, it could have been worse. Search hard enough and you can find extreame examples anywhere. Still a lot of cases that some might consider extreame may have good intentions and be quite legit.
TurboguyMaleRussia2006-11-12 01:01:00