ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusStage 1 Complete
Conga rats!

It is awesome to see so many NOA2's happening.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-09-01 15:59:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusNoA2 Today!!!!
Excellent news!
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-09-17 09:40:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusWaiting Sucks
QUOTE
Ehm.......Actually, I did read Elena Petrova's "How To Find And Marry A Girl Like Me". wink.gif


I haven't read her book, but I did use her webpage to find Katya. tongue.gif

Edited by Jonathan Matthies, 03 October 2009 - 12:29 PM.

Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-10-03 12:29:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusIs Elana's Model considered a Agency
I do not have an answer, i am just posting because I will be in the same situation soon. I met Katya through the very same website. On the I-129F form (Question 19) I did indicate that we met through such a service, and wrote down the phone # and address off of the website.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-10-06 14:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusNOA2 received!
QUOTE (Paul and Natalia @ Oct 9 2009, 06:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hello all!
We are new at this forum, despite both Paul and I used it a lot to prepare our case (filed for K1 on Aug 21).
I want to thank everyone who shares his/her experience in VJ!
Today Paul began our Skype session saying "Honey, I have great news!"
Then he forwarded me an email saying that our case was approved! Just 6 weeks!
Unbelievable, despite I know, there are other couples that got approvals in 4-6 weeks from VSC!

Good luck to everyone!

Natalya


Awesome news! Welcome to the club. I'm just barely a week into my post-NOA2 celebrations smile.gif
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-10-09 09:28:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusInterview date
That's awesome news!
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-10-14 10:56:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusAnother NOA2!
On Oct 15th, the NVC sent out a letter saying that they received the I-129F petition and that they will be forwarding the packet onto Moscow with a week. Sweet Jesus that was quick! I now have the NVC case # (MOS...); so we can hope to hear something from Moscow in a few weeks. So excited! tongue.gif
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-10-19 14:59:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusAnother NOA2!
I just received the NOA2 email from USCIS; 5 days before the 3 month mark. Now to await the actual paperwork and start preparing for the future. The time from NOA1 to NOA2 was a dead period for me. I had little motivation to do anything, since it could have been 5 months or more; I did not want to get my hopes up and start planning things with such an unknown variable.

But that's past now, and I'm freaking a beaker; so to speak. So many things to think about. So much Russian left to learn, money to save, rooms to clean. Egads.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-10-03 12:25:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusNOA2 Approval
conga rats! kicking.gif
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-10-20 18:03:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusInterview Experience
That is good to gear, I'm glad the experince was so smooth for your friends. Katya and I's paperwork should be in Mocsow by now; though we do not have an interview date yet. It is good to hear other people's recent experiences to calm one's nerves. I know Katya is already getting nervous about simply flying into Moscow (She's never left Vladivostok before); couple that with the unknown of the interview and the whole experience could be overwhelming. It's nice to know the interview should be a breeze, all things considered.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-10-28 11:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusUnbelievable!
QUOTE (mox @ Jul 24 2009, 10:52 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
You folks have obviously been exposed to the diarrhea that passes for country music these days. You need to pick yourself up some Johnny Cash, or some Dixie Chicks. You need to sit yourself down to some Hank Williams, Hank Williams Junior, Waylon Jennings, Ernest Tubb, Dolly Parton, and...yes...Elvis Presley.


My stepfather would blare some old country when we went road tripping in the summer. I could stomach most of it; it was reyy descent stuff. I am not generally a fan of country music; but I can be bothered to listen to some of the 'old' stuff every now and then.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-07-24 12:11:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusUnbelievable!
I love Ministry's early stuff. I stopped listening after Psalm 69; but I might pick up the later stuff just to see if I like it. With Sympathy (their very first album, Brit Synth Pop) was horrid. But Twitch, TLORAH, TMIATTTT, and Psalm 69 were all amazing. I'm still stuck in the 90s as far as music goes. Primus is also another group I love; but again I stopped listening after Pork Soda. Go figure. tongue.gif
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-07-24 11:41:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusAnd we have a Winner!!!!!!
Great news! Conga rats!
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-10-28 11:35:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusG-325A
http://www.uscis.gov...form/g-325a.pdf

appears to be the new form, it's 1 page (plus 1 instruction page).


As was mentioned earlier, when I filled out mine in May, it was 4 pages that were nearly identical. Plus Adobe would copy the information from the first page into the next 3. So it was simply a case of filling it out once, printing 4 pages, signing 4 pages for each of us . 8 pages total, 4 for me and 4 for her.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-02 12:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusputting packet together
I didn't bind anything together. I put everything in a 8.5" x 11" mailer and stuffed the mailer into a UPS Letter envelope and sent everything in unattached.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-02 21:55:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMoscow embassy K1 interview
They schedule it for you. A couple weeks after NOA2, email the Moscow consulate with the MOS case # in the header. I also provided Katya and I's full name and D.O.B. in the email. 3 days later they emailed me back with the interview date/time.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-02 21:57:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusJust received interview date
QUOTE (slim @ Oct 30 2009, 12:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Dec. 7th is a day that will live in infamy.


My brother was born on Dec 7th; I was born on Aug 6th. We fought a lot as kids (who didn't), but I was bigger and had a shorter temper; so he was always on the losing end of our battles. smile.gif

I had 2 snow days away from work after I heard the good news on the interview date. It was fun. Shoeveling a foot and a half of snow wasn't; but the days off to celebrate the impending interview was worth it. smile.gif
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-10-30 10:11:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusJust received interview date
I am numb. I have a foot of snow outside, so I can't go anywhere. After my morning coffee, I will literally be bouncing around the house with excitement all day. I honestly did not expect such an early interview date.

Oh hell, i just realized it's before both of their birthday's as well (Denis' is the 11th, Katya is the 16th). What a great birthday present for both of them. tongue.gif
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-10-29 08:51:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusVisa ETA after interview @ Moscow
We are planning on doing the fly to Moscow and pickup the VISAs in Moscow bit. But the unknown time frame for pickup after the interview is the only thing that truly worries me. I'd love to just buy a ticket for the 12th, with the hopes that she can pick up the VISA on the 11th (4 days after the interview).

The other concern I have is it will be the middle of December, hopefully the 12th, when she is ready to fly. If we wait to buy tickets, they could be double what they are now; with it being Christmas time and all. It's such a complete unknown, I hate not being "prepared".

Katya and Denis are staying with some childhood friends in Moscow; and neither of us want her to be stuck there for over a week waiting for the VISAs; all the while being an inconvenience for her friend. It's better than having to buy a hotel room for the duration of the stay though. And if it drags on too long, over a week; perhaps I end up getting her a room for those few 'extra' days.

With all that complaining, the alternative is she flies back to Vladivostok for a few days/weeks; and neither of us want that. So I will just have to learn to love the idea of a 'last minute' plane ticket and look forward to seeing her on the 13th or 14th of December.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-06 15:06:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusinterview was a success...'she shoots 'she scores
Cripes, all sorts of good news coming this week. I, too, would love to know how the interview went.

Conga rats!
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-10-28 11:38:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusWaiting for Interview
Yes, waiting for this last part of the process really does suck. BUT, it is better than the wait for NOA2. That could have been 3 months or 3 years (not really). Knowing NOA2 was impending, but not knowing if it would be October or January (or longer) was dreadful. I was really in a funk. But as more and more fellow VJers started getting their interview date in @3 months instead of the official 5 months that was posted on the USCIS website; my attitude changed. And then I got my NOA2 in a little under 3 months.

Everything I had seen showed that after NOA2, it's basically 3 months guaranteed from NVC->Moscow->Interview date. Which I thought would make things easier. It hasn't. I'm really damn tired of waiting. It's killing me to say "Her interview is in 32 days". I want the waiting to be over, damnit. tongue.gif
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-05 14:10:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusFinally!
yay! congrats. now enjoy the wait. tongue.gif
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-14 18:58:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusDS156 and DS230 questions
QUOTE (TomT2566 @ Nov 13 2009, 11:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Perhaps I should rephrase my comment...

The Almaty Embassy did not advise a K-1 beneficiary that a DS-156 was required.


Ah, I'm dense. I just mailed off my final K-1 packet to Katya; so my mind is muddled. Sorry. tongue.gif

I had so much paperwork between the DS230, 156, 134, and proof of evidence that the UPS mailer was quite full. So much paperwork! I was going to include a copy of the I1-29F packet, just so she could see; but the packet wouldn't fit.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-14 19:01:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusDS156 and DS230 questions
QUOTE (TomT2566 @ Nov 13 2009, 08:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Curiously, the Almaty, Kazakhstan embassy sent DS-156K and DS-230 but no DS-156. I wonder if this was an oversight or a change in policy.


The DS-156 is created from inside a web page, then a PDF is generated. There is no direct PDF to fill out. The web page creates a bar code that contains 2 pages of data within the code. I assume that is why you must use the web page. I guess they scan this barcode and poof - 2 pages of data are automatically filled in.


Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-13 23:29:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusMedical Exam
QUOTE (sculpto @ Nov 19 2009, 08:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (baron555 @ Nov 17 2009, 01:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (sculpto @ Nov 17 2009, 02:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hi Bobb.. hope you don't mind if I hijack your thread.. wink.gif

My girl just had her med exam in Moscow yesterday. I am not sure which clinic she went to, but, she is very upset about the experience. She was required to meet with a psychiatrist for 2 HOURS! They repeatedly asked her if she is using and narcotics (she never has) and made her pee in the cup for drug testing. She was at the clinic a total of 9 hours. They did not give her the results and she will have to go back to get them.

We are both concerned about the reason for and what will be reported by the psyche. It doesn't make alot of sense to me, unless they were trying to pull some BS on her. She said she did have to pay something extra.

Sucks!



There is a nice writeup about a recent medical experience on the Nov 13 interview thread.


link please.. I couldn't find it..


http://www.visajourn...p;#entry3495585

Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-19 23:30:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusInterview Nov 13 Tomorrow!
I love hearing good news like this; especially with Katya flying to Moscow in under 3 weeks. I'm freaking a beaker, but hearing about one smooth interview after another helps calm the nerves... a little. smile.gif
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-13 14:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarusmoscow embassy feelin lazy?
QUOTE (CountingDays @ Nov 22 2009, 08:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Jeff and Tatiana @ Nov 22 2009, 06:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (CountingDays @ Nov 22 2009, 01:38 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
i guess this will be a dumb question but how dare they not update the darn interview schedule list at the moscow embassy website headbonk.gif



Yes I noticed this too. They have not updated it in a very very long time. Hmm, then with the recient rash of "Administrative Reviews and Processings". I am beginning to think that they are short handed or just don't want to work or something.

Very frustrating time right now with the US Embassy in Moscow.

-Jeff



thinking this way makes me very very scared right now


Yeah most (if not all) of us with interview date's coming up are a bit worried about what may be coming. Katya is planning on waiting for her VISA in Moscow, she does not want to fly back to Vlad. But if we get put on a 2 week review, it might be cheaper to fly back. But then we have to change the DHL airbill to point back to Vlad instead of Moscow. I don't know if she needs to buy 2 airbills, one for Moscow, one for Vlad; or if that's too pessimistic. smile.gif
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-23 11:06:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusThe Interview
Nice to see some good news sprinkled in with some of the not so good news this week.

Congrats! kicking.gif
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-21 13:52:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusEmail from Embassy
That's excellent news indeed! kicking.gif blink.gif
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-24 13:46:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusBeware of the smiling lady
QUOTE (AKguy @ Nov 25 2009, 01:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
And I thought it was a forum about camaraderie.


I thought that said Canadian and i was very confused. I read it twice even! I need to stop reading the forums before the coffee kicks in.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-25 11:15:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusBeware of the smiling lady
Too many administrative reviews for my liking. It sounds like the Consulate has a bug up their rump. I hope all of these requests are settled soon, and with a positive outcome.

I did not send Katya any of our Skype transcripts; but these recent threads made me reconsider. I copied our entire Skype history into Word 2007 and saved it as a PDF; all 686 pages of it. I emailed this file to Katya last night, but I hope she does not have to use it. Maybe she can pick and choose except pages and print them out before hand. But if they give us an admin review, I'll pay her to take it to a Kinkos (if Moscow has one); print out the entire novel and shove it in their review box.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-21 13:50:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusUPS may be in the process of losing my final K-1 packet to Katya
UPS tried their damnedest to prevent the paperwork from reaching Katya. They had 11 business days to deliver it, and they took 9. 2 more days and she's flying to Moscow. But it made it there on time and that's all that matters. Moscow also emailed me and said I can email them the I-134 financial stuff if I wanted to.

Now the real waiting begins!

Attached Files


Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-25 11:18:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusUPS may be in the process of losing my final K-1 packet to Katya
QUOTE (Gary and Alla @ Nov 22 2009, 10:02 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (Jonathan Matthies @ Nov 20 2009, 11:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>


Question 40 of the DS-156 (not DS-156k - she better fill that out herself since it's in Russian!) is "Application prepared by:" Which is technically me, since I filled out the web page and generated the PDF file for her. I know the consulate website has instructions written in Russian on how to fill out the form; so if worse comes to worse she can just do it all herself.

If I can email the I-134, 156 and/or 230 to the consulate; that would be a big bonus. I don't know what else they would accept via email; but all of our 'evidence of meeting' information is electronic except for the boarding pass and museum ticket stub - and those are lost for now. Emails, skype chat, purchase receipts from Russianservice.com - all stuff I can email to Moscow.


when they ask if it was prepared by someone else, they are referring to professionals, visa services or attroneys. You can fill it out for her. You can put your name on it if you like, you do not have to. makes no difference.


That's good to know. I may have to go with her printing the docs and maybe emailing them to the Embassy. The package was NOT stuck in customs before; because NOW it is stuck in customs. UPS gave the following message:

"THIS SHIPMENT IS WAREHOUSED UNTIL IT IS RELEASED BY CLEARING AGENCY"

So #### UPS. So annoying. I'll use FedEx from now on.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-23 11:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusUPS may be in the process of losing my final K-1 packet to Katya
Well UPS sent it through to Russia. It's in a city 500m north of Vladivostok currently; but at least it's in the country. Now to hope I filled out all the forms properly. Though if Moscow allows me to email them electronic files, any mistakes I may have made won't be a problem.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-21 13:45:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusUPS may be in the process of losing my final K-1 packet to Katya
After a 3rd call to UPS today they said that it was 'stuck in customs'; which could just be code for 'go the #### away and stop bothering us'. But it's better than "we dunno where ur package is. duh hur!". I've already emailed the consulate, so we'll just wait and see what happens.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-20 19:41:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusUPS may be in the process of losing my final K-1 packet to Katya
QUOTE (clueless_in_usa @ Nov 20 2009, 09:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Write an email to the consulate explaining the situation and send ALL documents via email. They will understand and doing so may even help you.

There were documents I sent to the consulate that my fiancee did not have. They actually thanked me!

Why do you have to sign the DS-156? It is her form, not yours. And you can send a signed copy of the I-134 (not always necessary) via email. In fact, the information that supports the I-134 (pay stubs, tax transcripts, etc) is actually more important than the I-134 itself.

Try it! I did not spend a dime on mail.


Question 40 of the DS-156 (not DS-156k - she better fill that out herself since it's in Russian!) is "Application prepared by:" Which is technically me, since I filled out the web page and generated the PDF file for her. I know the consulate website has instructions written in Russian on how to fill out the form; so if worse comes to worse she can just do it all herself.

If I can email the I-134, 156 and/or 230 to the consulate; that would be a big bonus. I don't know what else they would accept via email; but all of our 'evidence of meeting' information is electronic except for the boarding pass and museum ticket stub - and those are lost for now. Emails, skype chat, purchase receipts from Russianservice.com - all stuff I can email to Moscow.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-20 11:58:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusUPS may be in the process of losing my final K-1 packet to Katya
My turn to ###### and complain. Katya leaves for Moscow from Vladivostok on the 30th. I sent a UPS letter envelope containing paperwork for her interview on the 13th. This included my original boarding passes and some dated ticket stubs from a museum in her city. I think those 2 items are the only two "original" peices of evidence that I will loose. The package hit South Korea on Wednesday night and hasn't moved since. UPS will not put a trace on the package until after business today; which may mean I can't call until Monday morning.

I can reprint all of the forms, make additional photocopies of the NOA1/2 and re-print the digital photos; but now time is a factor. I am going to have to find a FedEx International "Overnight" service and pay out the freaking nose to attempt to send these documents to her. Perhaps i can send them to her friend's address in Moscow; but it will still have to be a more expedited service - and I will loose the 2 pieces of 'original evidence' that I had wanted to keep!

Anyone have any advice? With Thanksgiving coming up, I'm quickly running out of valid business days to get the paperwork to her. To save money, I imagine that she can print the DS-230, any email/skype logs, and hopefully find a shop to print out digital photos; but I have to sign and print the DS-156 and my I-134 and still find a way to get that to her before Dec 7.

Edited by Jonathan Matthies, 20 November 2009 - 10:12 AM.

Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-20 10:10:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusI'm getting scammed
I just tested this with my own hosting instead of using photobutcket, but the concept is the same.

1) click on My Controls and then Edit Signature
2) At the bottom of the editbox, where you currently have the <a href=....> and other similar links; make it look like the image below:


I was able to generate the highlighted line (between the {img} and {/img}) by clicking on the 7th button over on the line that starts with the bold, itallics, underline, etc:

After clicking that image button, a popup box comes up that asks for the URL of the image. I copy/pasted "http://www.notvandnobeermakehomersomethingsomething.com/vj/IMG_0866.JPG" into the box and it generated the highlighted line mentioned above.

You would copy/paste: http://s894.photobuc...ta20kazan11.jpg into the box.

Repeat that process of clicking the button for every pic you want in your signature:

http://i894.photobuc...ta20kazan11.jpg
http://i894.photobuc...773_596_WSN.jpg
etc.



3) Once I clicked "update my signature", my sig now looks like:


Hope that helps. If not, feel free to ignore me. I'm avoid work today because I'm extra tired.


Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-11-17 11:50:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusAfter interview.
Awesome news. We're less than 1 week from the interview ourselves. I on'tkno why I say "We"; since I'm just sitting here cleaning my house while Katya does all the hard work in Moscow.
Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-12-01 00:11:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusGetting her out of vacation mode
I've only been casually reading this thread, but I think some people are misinterpreting sarcasm. Or my sarcasm detector is on the fritz again.


Edited by Jonathan Matthies, 30 October 2009 - 12:06 PM.

Jonathan MatthiesMaleRussia2009-10-30 12:04:00