Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
IMBRA Special Topics	Lets collect some information about IMBRA effects	No one aside from people who were unfortunate enough to have their petitions recalled from the consulate have received any kind of official communication from USCIS indicating that we are affected by this. They seem to have taken the view from day one that not telling us anything is the way to go. I never received communication from USCIS or anybody. The Moscow Embassy called Diana in late May to tell her that her interview date had been cancelled, and that is the grand total of the official communications that have been received by both of us!!! Also, when checking my status online on the USCIS webpage it is still saying the same damned thing it was saying in late March: This case has been approved....	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-06-17 11:05:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Lets collect some information about IMBRA effects	Thank goodness they finally threw us a bone. They should have given us this notice a month ago. Yesterday afternoon I was feeling so peeved I was considering sending this email: Vermont Service Center USCIS Re: approved K1 Application, Receipt Number EAC ##-###-##### To whom it may concern: I am not a convicted criminal. I am not a sex offender. I have never bought or sold slaves. Sincerely Yours,	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-06-13 10:55:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Lets collect some information about IMBRA effects	I'm sure a lot of you have already seen this but there is a brand new thread titled "Visa Interview Cancelled at Last Minute". Billy posted this - an immigration lawyer named Cyrus Mehta had this to say: At the AILA-NY Chapter Meeting on June 5, 2006, Keith Canby, Adjudications Manager of the USCIS Vermont Service Center indicated that the VSC is currently holding all I-129F cases received on or after March 6, 2006. Mr. Canby indicated that these cases would be held until HQ issues guidance on how to proceed with respect to capturing information required by IMBRA. At last - (semi) official word! But I find it quite discouraging that he made this statement only one week ago...	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-06-12 18:07:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Lets collect some information about IMBRA effects	This would take much much longer and set every petitioner all the way back to the beginning. That would make no sense. It would be stressfull for petitioners and service centers. It would be ridiculous. ...which means that that is precisely what they will do. I called USCIS today about not receiving my NOA1 for an I-129F which arrived at the California Service Center in late April (an entirely different issue). I asked about the affects IMBRA had on my application and was told something along the lines of "there is no need for me to request a background check from the FBI on myself and that DHS will handle everything". I got the impression USCIS will not be sending additional packets or new I-129Fs to current applicants. Instead it sounds like they'll just get criminal histories from other government organizations... I hope this really is the case There are others on this forum who have a much better understanding of the law than I do, but my understanding is that this would result in illegal and probably unconstitutional disclosure of information to some foreign fiance(e)s which would set IMBRA up for numerous lawsuits in the future.	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-05-31 23:23:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Lets collect some information about IMBRA effects	[font=Courier New][size=1] Name............K1/K3...Country..........SC......NOA1......NOA2...Returned..Interview...Canceled?....rescheduled Wow great thread GaryC, I learned a lot from reading it. I think...? It is all so confusing! Please add me to the list: (What does "returned" mean? An RFE?) Teukros, K1, Russia, VSC. NOA1 "Received Date": 24 March 2006; NOA1 "Notice Date": 27 March 2006 NOA2 "Receipt Date": 27 March 2006; NOA2 "Notice Date": 11 April 2006 On May 16 Diana received her packet from the Embassy telling her that her interview was scheduled for June 29. On May 23 she received a phone call from the Embassy telling her that her interview had been cancelled. Rescheduled? NYET! Edited by teukros, 27 May 2006 - 10:12 PM.	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-05-27 22:08:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Bad news from Senator regarding NOA 2's from Vermont	Whoever is in charge of USCIS should be terminated with no pension for their lack of readiness. I hope they rot in hell, for the pain they are putting all of us through.. Well Chertoff is in charge of the Department of Homeland Security of which the USCIS is a part. My fiancee told me once that Chertoff sounds like a Russian name, and that "Chert-" means "devil". This could explain a lot. Edited by teukros, 01 July 2006 - 02:27 PM.	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-07-01 14:25:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Finally got the freakin' RFE...	....last night. The address at the bottom of each page says United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Vermont Service Center EH121 75 Lower Welden Street St. Albans, VT 05479 EH121?? "Eh" is right. What is this apocrypha? Should I include it in the address I write on the envelope? And I think I remember, a month or two ago, reading about how other people were filling out the IMBRA RFE - just mark the single "no" checkbox for the first question, and make no other marks on the pages except for the name, email, phone # and date at the very bottom. Please correct me if I am wrong. Edited by teukros, 08 August 2006 - 09:02 AM.	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-08-08 09:01:00
IMBRA Special Topics	Compiled NOA2 RFE info- Add yours!	NOA1: 3/27 NOA2: 4/11 reop'd: never RFE ud: never RFE m: nope RFE b: none RFE a: nada MB: heck no S/C: VSC F/C: Russia	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-07-18 02:43:00
IMBRA Special Topics	RECALLED PETITION - UPDATE	No lawyer, no RFE, no change in my online status since April 11.... mmmmm tequila (it seems to be catching on in Moscow). Then scotch, and today how about Bourbon? At least I have some of that. Last time I went to Russia I took two fifths of Basil Hayden's, a fifth of Booker's, a fifth of Baker's, and a 1.75 liter bottle of Knob Creek. It has all been consumed and enjoyed now by a number of Russians...	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-07-05 14:41:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	G-325 dillema	teukros, I checked out that link you had on the other thread from your trip. Awesome stuff! Looks like you still have the IT touch too! Good luck to you on your visa journey. Thanks!	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-03-10 22:09:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	G-325 dillema	Answer their questions, and ONLY their questions. Don't offer more than they need to know. Heh. That's what we both thought. Thanks for the answers and advice!	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-03-06 14:06:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	G-325 dillema	I tried posting this question on the K1 Forum but that forum gets dozens of new topics a day so mine sank without a trace. So I will try to re-post it here: My fiancee (in Russia) has been doing some off thebooks work for the last couple of years for a company headquartered in a third country. This work is not reflected in her Work Book (official record of employment) and we were wondering if she should put her complete work history into her G-325A. Of course if she did this would contradict her official record...	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-03-06 10:55:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Silly I-129F question	Don't forget they will use the address you give for her to send her packet 3. It is better to get it as close as you can. I think some of those formats could confuse them. I would put the Ulitsa part on but it would probably get there anyway. the correct format is ??. ?????????, 20-18 That is the street, the building, the apartment. You might confuse them with anything else. That's the format I used. Everything finally dropped in the mail Thursday morning. Fingers crossed!	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-03-25 07:24:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Silly I-129F question	Writing my Fiancee's name and address in her native alphabet... For her "number and street", should I write ??. ?????????, 20-18 or ?????????, 20-18 or 20 ????????? ??. #18 or something silly like that..... and for "Town or City" should it be ?. ??????????? or ??????????? ?	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-03-21 10:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Police Documents: one, or one or more?	Thanks for your replies. Diana is still a little unsure of how to proceed though: Diana says: i have no idea where to apply for the police record in Ufa - besides, i was told in kazan they do send requests themselves but i am not sure how they mention it in their document i know i should better have it - i just don't know if it should be a separate document	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-04-13 10:41:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Police Documents: one, or one or more?	So the police certification is only for the last five years and not for the entire lifetime? According to the official instructions, a police certificate is required for every place of abode over 6 months since the age of 16. You should not confuse that with the G-325A, which asks you to list all your residences in the last 5 years. I tend to agree with Slim that the US embassy is unlikely to figure out where one lived since the age of 16 unless the person tells them either through paper work or through the interview. The CO is only getting the external passport, and it is the internal Russian passport that contains the propiska stamps of all the places the Russian citizen has resided in. Hmm. Well she certainly has nothing to hide and she is not wondering, what can she get away with, but only, what should she do? I apologise for being so thick...	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-04-12 09:57:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Police Documents: one, or one or more?	I heard about a woman being denied her visa for not having a police check from the city where she attended University. I think it was an old post on this forum somewhere, one of the guys who's girl did get her visa said a woman who was there at the same time was denied because she didn't have the police check from the city where she attended Uni, but had listed it on the 325. I'm assuming though that in that case it was within the last 5 years as it was listed. If your sweetie isn't listing it on the 325, I don't think they'd even have a clue that she ever went there, thus rendering a police check unnecessary. So the police certification is only for the last five years and not for the entire lifetime?	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-04-12 09:31:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Police Documents: one, or one or more?	She will require a militsia report for each place/city that she states that she has lived at on the G325 biographical data. The embassy will also most likely check this against her passport. When she requests the report from Ufa, make sure she checks it carefully. They did not do my fiancee's report correctly and she had to request they correct the original. I know of only 2 Universities in Ufa. Is she a doctor or in Aerospace tech ? ( just curious my Fiancee lives in Ufa) Her Degree was in Romance and Germanic Philology although it was more than five years ago so she did not list it on her G-325A. Does this mean she needs no police report for Ufa? Does she need only police certification for the last five years?	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-04-11 13:24:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Police Documents: one, or one or more?	Hello again. My fiancee lives in Almetyevsk (Tatarstan) but a number of years ago she lived in Ufa (Bashkortostan) for a short period of time while she attended the University there. She plans to travel to Kazan (also in Tatarstan) to use the services of a company there through which she will get her police document. There were a couple of things which were not clear to her. Earlier today she said to me that she had read that if another town is not mentioned in your passport, you don't need anything else about that town - and her passport only says Almetyevsk. Now obviously her time in Ufa cannot be ommitted so she was wondering if she will need a separate document from Bashkortostan, or will Ufa be mentioned in the same document.	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-04-10 20:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview CANCELLED!	A few days ago Diana and I were talking about our pal, Michael Chertoff. She said that it sounds like a Russian name and that Chert- means "devil." That could explain a lot....	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-06-17 20:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview CANCELLED!	Should I waste my time calling the USCIS again? Should I call the Vermont Service Center? Does the NVC even HAVE a phone number? or a website? Sorry for ranting and raving; I just finished reading the "Lets collect some information about IMBRA effects" thread. Only 416 replies. I learned from this thread that calling the USCIS is a waste of time because I will just speak to some dweeb who will read me the same canned answers off of a teleprompter, calling the Vermont service center is impossible because they do not have a public phone number, and calling the NVC is a waste of time because they really have nothing to do with this insanity.	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-05-27 21:51:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview CANCELLED!	Whooops in my haste and quoting from (a very poor) memory I made an error (my timeline should be correct though): NOA1 "Received Date": 24 March 2006 NOA1 "Notice Date": 27 March 2006 NOA2 "Receipt Date": 27 March 2006 NOA2 "Notice Date": 11 April 2006 Not that it matters... Hey you know I'm going to be FedExing Senators Schumer and Clinton and Representative Rangel on Monday. Does anyone know the official name of this piece of excrement? House Bill blah blah and so forth or whatever... Should I waste my time calling the USCIS again? Should I call the Vermont Service Center? Does the NVC even HAVE a phone number? or a website? There was one thing that was a little bit funny. I was calling the State Department the other day (Diana had said to me, "say hi to Condoleeza Rice") and just after I placed my call the movie "The Hunt for Red October" started on TV! So Soviet military music was playing in the background while I was on hold with the State Department... Edited by teukros, 27 May 2006 - 06:30 PM.	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-05-27 18:28:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview CANCELLED!	The topics posted lately including the link in a post I make in the general K-1 which links to the DOS NVC site has the official DOS/NVC statement of 1100 petitions being sent forward in error to embassies worldwide and they are being returned. Unbelievable and unforgivable. This reminds me of Hurricane Katrina. Not the frightful consequences of the hurricane itself of course, but the incompetence and stupidity of our government.	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-05-26 22:30:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview CANCELLED!	Sorry to hear that tuekros. The new rumor is that it's adding three to six months on to the interview date. I read that somewhere, maybe the K-1 forum. Don't remember exactly where. It wasn't a long, long, time, but another inconvenience. Good luck with your case, and hope to hear some good news soon! Is there any way she can enter this country and live with me while this mess is being untangled? Just thought I'd ask...	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-05-26 13:27:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview CANCELLED!	Howdy all, I got back from Russia (second time) last Thursday. Great time all around. This is our story as of February. As you can see, IMBRA does not (at least, it should not) apply to us. Before anyone asks, no I do not have a criminal record and I have never been married. NOA1: March 26 NOA2: March 29 after that, silence... no mail, no phone call, no email... until May 16, when Diana received her packet from the Embassy, telling her that her interview was scheduled for June 29. And there was much rejoicing. But then on Tuesday (um, seven days later) she got a phone call from the Embassy from a woman who told her that her interview had been cancelled because of administrative delays, telling her nothing else, except that I should call the embassy, which I did at the rate of $1.75 per minute. She told me that there had been an error in approving petitions and that because of this everything approved after March 6 had been returned to the NVC. I pestered her with lots of questions but that was all she said, except for giving me the USCIS number (800-375-5283) and suggesting I call them. I called the USCIS number that afternoon and spoke to someone who had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. He gave me the State Department number (202-663-1225) and suggested I call them. I called the State Department this morning and spoke to a woman who had actually heard of the IMBRA (she referred to it as the Marriage Broker Act). She didn't know more than that though and gave me another State Department number (800-375-5283). She said I would have to fill out additional paperwork and that I would find out what I needed to do by calling that number. Sooooo I called that number and I spoke to someone who also didn't know much (can someone answer this: have all cases been sent back to the NVC or just some of them?) This person said that cases are being reviewed on a case by case basis, I'll be notified by mail, there is no timeframe for any of this, and if I wanted to know more I should call the USCIS (800-375-5283) where everyone knows nothing. Needless to say.... I'm not happy Can anyone guess when her new interview date might be? Or read tea leaves? Anything?	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-05-26 09:20:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	missing some food ..	hee hee hee Diana lives in Tatarstan and the last time I visited her I took a couple cans of chipotles and a bottle of habanero salsa for her to try. She loved it! In light of the IMBRA insanity we have started to talk about my making a possible third trip. Today she said "Bring me chipotles"	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-06-03 21:57:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	missing some food ..	I'm a vegetarian. I don't eat meat anymore... I'm not PETA, but I am also a vegetarian. For almost 20 years now...	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-05-27 08:58:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Russian/American vacation spot	Unfortunately Dominica is off the table because it would be much too expensive for Diana. So now we are considering Barcelona. I hope you have a great time in Croatia zhenik !! We almost chose that country to meet and I think it would have been a solid choice. We decided on Spain near Barcelona. I thank everyone again for their suggestions in this thread. Chuckles, how did you arrange your flight? Through a travel agency as part of a package deal or through Orbitz or something like that? The round trip flights I am looking at cost something like 1300 dollars. You say you were near Barcelona... do you mean the Costa Brava resorts?	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-06-30 14:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Russian/American vacation spot	I was just wondering about Spirit Airlines, Diana will be arriving via Paris or Frankfurt or someplace like that.	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-06-29 22:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Russian/American vacation spot	Today, my sweetie and I were talking about spending some time together in Punta Cana, Dominican Rupublic. She told me that this is the major D. R. destination for Russian tourists. What are the requirements for Russians and Americans to enter the country? I was doing a quick search and I found a Spirit Airlines flight leaving out of La Guardia and connecting through Fort Lauderdale. Is Spirit Airlines a good and comfortable airline (compared to, say, United). Are there super-cheap flight options, charter or otherwise, that I need to be aware of? I'd rather be comfortable but if I can save two hundred dollars.....	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-06-28 22:08:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Re-visiting Russia	Any fees for that, or did they just do it as part of your stay? I don't think there were any additional fees - Diana paid for the hotels and I paid for the restaurants	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-05-26 12:34:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Re-visiting Russia	Welcome back tuekros. Glad to hear everything went well on your trip. Did you even register your visa at all? Each hotel maybe? Or, did you just say "forget it" and passport control went ahead and waved you through? Oh no, I registered at each hotel (Izmailovo Delta in Moscow, Shalyapin in Kazan) and did everything legally.	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-05-26 12:13:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Re-visiting Russia	Hi again, I got back last Thursday, I stayed in hotels the whole time except for a three day period (Saturday night through Monday night), which included Sunday. At passport control they seemed to be debating whether to hassle me or not but eventually waved me through without any questions. Getting this big honkin' framed crossstich picture back to the United States (a gift from Diana's aunt, so that when I looked at it I would remember Russia) was a bit of an adventure though... but that is a story for another time.	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-05-26 09:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Re-visiting Russia	The company I use: http://www.visatorussia.com I used this company for my first tourist visa and will probably use them again. They seemed pretty good. I'll be there for a little over a week, maybe a week and a half... A one stop flight from JFK to Kazan. We'll stay in a Kazan hotel on the first and last nights and I was considering registering at the cheapest, seediest hotel in Almetyevsk for a day or three in the middle of that period (the hotels in Almetyevsk are either very bad and full of prostitutes, or very expensive and full of oilmen).	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-03-12 19:29:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Re-visiting Russia	sent to the gulag. I sure worry about not registering and thinking you will just "pay the fine" and everything will be OK. That puts you at their mercy and you never know... I seem to recall one guy telling me it cost him $100. I have not had a problem registering my visa at the OVIR, but we did check in advance and made a contact at the office so we had a persons name and they were expecting us. Payed the small fee at the bank and brought the receipt and were in and out in less than half an hour. Not sure what one would expect if they just showed up at the OVIR. Hmm, well if a 100 dollar fine is the worst thing that can happen that is still less than the cost of staying in a Kazan hotel for two or more nights... way less than staying for five nights or so. What is the bank fee you mention? I'll ask Diana if she knows anyone who knows anyone in the OVIR to see if she can arrange something ahead of time.	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-03-11 23:24:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Re-visiting Russia	Holy Smoke! I'm glad I didn't try to get a homestay visa last fall when I was planning my first trip! I had been thinking I would just go back on a tourist visa and stay with my fiancee for about 8 days (not at a hotel), and if a 1000 ruble fine is the worst that can happen, well that is less than one night in a hotel. But reading this thread just now I was reminded about having to go through passport control in Moscow so now I am wondering if I should take the time to (try to) register at the Almetyevsk OVIR (on my tourist visa).	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-03-10 22:02:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Re-visiting Russia	Also most OVIRs won't register a tourist visa anyway. Does this mean I should NOT get a tourist visa? Will I need her to send me a letter of invitation?	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-03-06 22:40:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Re-visiting Russia	I was little confused by your original post. Do you plan on staying in Russia around 90 days? No, I'll be there for about a week. But you touch on something I wanted to bring up anyway: For my second trip we are planning on spending minimal time in hotels, maybe just the first night, and the rest of the time (excepting travel) will be at her parent's place in Almetyevsk. Will this be okay? Or will I have to ask her to send me a letter of invitation? Will I have to register in Almetyevsk as soon as I arrive? (she was warning me today about the long lines of foreigners who want to work in the oil industry, which I would have to stand in in order to register my presence for a four day stay ).	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-03-06 19:36:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Re-visiting Russia	Yes, this should be mostly strait forward, just apply and register the same as you did before. Should I just put down that the purpose of the trip is "tourism" like I did before? Mind you, I would like to see the interior of the Cathedral On the Blood...	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-03-06 15:31:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Re-visiting Russia	My first trip to Russia was from Jan 19 to Feb 7 of this year on a single entry tourist visa. Now I would like to plan a second trip in mid-May, largely for the purpose of having a non-legal ceremony at a church in my fiancee's home town so we can involve her family and friends. This should be 90 days (but just barely) if that matters. Should I just apply for a second tourist visa the same way I applied for the first one? Is there anything I need to know? Am I worrying for nothing?	teukros	Not Telling	Russia	2006-03-06 15:12:00