Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Did you consider living in Russia?	QUOTE (mox @ Jun 3 2009, 01:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (KoratGiGii @ Jun 2 2009, 07:10 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> f-off Mox. Oh dear dear dear. I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to call in a moderator for "personal attacks" and ask for the thread to be shut down. QUOTE You are so wishy washy, if someone says Russia is good, you point out how bad & evil it can be. Afterall you are the almighty expert. If they say how Russia is bad, you all of the sudden have a hundred arguments why its the best place on earth. Well christ, KoratGiGii. How else am I gonna stir the ####### around here? You think I'm gonna hook intellectual midget cross-dressers like yourself by being consistent? Hey someone grab the net and hold my beer, I've got a live one here! QUOTE Regardless if it covers 1/6th of the earth or not, Um...it does actually. Cover 1/6 of the earth's landmass, I mean. That point's not actually debatable. Read a book. QUOTE you aren't there, you dont live it, and you have no one from Russia to share a life with and compare the topics discussed here. So continue on in your fantasy, your doing swell. This carefully crafted bit of research would be based on what exactly? It is 1/8th of the Earth's land mass. I suppose 1/6th would have been the Soviet Union.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2009-06-06 04:16:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Did you consider living in Russia?	Russia is fine, but I am not Russian. There are too many obstacles for me, unless I was in a more 'cultural' center such as Moscow or St. Pete. That doesn't mean if given a choice I would live in a big city like that, its just the only choices for me as far as Russia is concerned. If I was smarter and saved money (I am dumb and waste money) I would love to retire somewhere more rural in Russia. But that just isn't gonna happen any time soon. It is a real personal decision, but I think if you step back and look at just facts, Russia, and Russians trying to get by, have more problems to overcome (instability, corruption, poverty, racism etc.). Mox, Americans have it better then I think you give us credit for (although we can whine pretty loud sometimes).	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2009-06-02 00:18:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Did you consider living in Russia?	I'd live in Moscow, but my company won't transfer me. There is nothing with my skillset there. Outside of Moscow and St. Pete, I wouldn't want to live in Russia. Actually, scratch that, I wouldn't want to live in Russia at all, but would make the sacrifice if it were those 2 places. I think perhaps, you romaticize about life in Russia too much. Then again, maybe not, to each thier own.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2009-05-30 13:59:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	name change - passport change?	Yep, that is exactly how it went. This is not something I am making up, or guessing at, this is what she actually did. She brought the marriage certificate as a backup, just in case, and as expected, it was not brought up or asked for.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2008-07-02 11:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	name change - passport change?	We just bought tickets in my wife's maiden name that matched her Russian passport. She brought an official copy of our marriage certificate if there were any problems stateside, but there was no problems.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2008-07-02 00:42:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	KIEV	Congrats!!!	CarolAnn&Eddy	Female	Canada	2012-06-06 20:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Just got this E-mail from USCIS	humm I am not sure either. Have you tried checking the USCIS website to see what it says?	CarolAnn&Eddy	Female	Canada	2012-08-14 16:56:00
Mexico, Latin & South America	Un-licensed Travel to Cuba	I'd read much about the risks/consequences of un-licensed travel to Cuba before my first visit, and found very few instances where people actually got fined, and that seems to be more of a thing of the past. I've never read of anyone having problems because they submitted un-licensed travel evidence as part of the sponsorship process. It seems immigration has a don't ask / don't tell policy in regard to how you went to Cuba...it doesn't, and shouldn't matter to them. Besides, I understand that the Treasury Dept. has no enforcement for fines if you were to get one, so if one requests a hearing...the fine is dropped. I'm not a legal advisor by any stretch, but just passing on what I've read from many sources...and no problems yet after 5 visits, and I-129F approval.	Beau & Digna	Male	Cuba	2011-03-09 01:47:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Been there, done that?	I haven't seen St. Petersburg yet, so one possibility was to meet her in Moscow and stay there for a day or two, then travel up to that city, to visit and explore, but as I mentioned, this time of year could be cold, at the beginning of winter... Dan, I think your idea of spending some time with her in St. Petersburg is great. A large part of the tourist area there is centralized, allowing you more quality time and convenience. There are many apartments and B&B’s to choose from. And you can get a discounted rate for the time of year. It will be cold and windy, so prepare accordingly. Also, the drivers there are not as sophisticated as they are in Moscow, so always watch your step near the streets. You should make it a point to see Peterhof. It is very nice, even in November. And I know she will appreciate you for it. For traveling within Russia when you are on a time constraint, flying may be your best option. She should be able to get very reasonably priced airfare. Maybe you should have her check it out. You might be pleasantly surprised. Why not meet her in St. Petersburg rather than in Moscow? It will spare you time and convenience. However, if you meet in Moscow and later travel to St. Petersburg, then consider taking the Express (much faster) or go first class (a private cabin). Well I appreciate all the ideas... but she seems convinced that the Czech Republic is a good place for a first meeting. And I'm not so huge on spending a lot of extra money to meet her outside of Russia... for a FIRST meeting... She's not fond of "rented apartments" as she thinks hotels are safer. Even if I rented a two-bedroom apt. Mind you this IS our first meeting. And she thinks St. Petersburg would be much better in the summer than the winter. Which I agree, but the purpose was to ~meet~ over a short trip... And she thinks Muscovites are rude and doesn't want to spend time there... I'm getting more and more frustrated, she really doesn't seem too interested in listening to my ideas... so we will see what happens... Thanks for the suggestions though, everyone... -- Dan Do what you want to do... it is your vacation too. And you haven't even met this woman. If she can't deal with that... big red flag, don't you think? You should suggest that you both forget the idea of travelling and say that you are interested only in meeting in her hometown despite everything. See what kind of reaction you get. I also think it is a little 'dangarous' to meet someone you don't know in a place you do not know and being commited to staying together. You could meet at the airport and just not feel anything, then you are stuck for the entire vacation together. I think you should go back to the 'been there done that' place.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-10-08 21:11:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	confused where to start	If you mess up, can't you live in Russia together? Or she doesn't want you like that? Also, does she have other immigration issues that she wants a lawyer to look over? And, why does she have so little confindence in you doing it yourself? I don't understand this... how does one just "live in Russia"? Last I checked they aren't handing out citizenships. How do you find a job in one of the most Xenophobic states on earth? Is it really that easy? I am curious how you come to this conclusion.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-10-12 20:06:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	confused where to start	hello people....new to the board...really overwhelmed with all this information.... my story is met a girl from kazan, russia last summer..she went back to russia and came back this summer via work/study program....went back to russia to finish her school and will wait to file for k-1 visa and then live happily ever after ! really glad to find more people in a similar situation like me ! anyways...my question is i saw the timelines listed for the embassy in russia...if i read it right..it takes approximately 5-6 months from start to finish? i have hired a lawyer for this process but still want to know everything..would appreciate help on where to start reading specifically about russia thanks in advance My suggestion to you is to not make any plans based on how long it should take to process your visa. If you must think about the future, think about 1 year from beginning to end. It probably will not take that long, but there is a possibility it may take longer. But forgetting all that, it seems that Russian K-1's have been taking between 5-9 months. A few have gone into Adminstrative processing and taken 2 years, you just never know. It also depends on what service center your petition is sent to. If it is sent to VSC, you may save 2 months as opposed to if you had to send it to CSC. The USCIS adjutation is the biggest "UNKNOWN" in the process. Once you get past that point it the processing time becomes more predictable. Good Luck !!! and check out the guides section...	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-10-09 17:47:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	New girl	If you had a football pool at work, all the participants would be poolies.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-10-17 13:18:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Best Wishes to Slim!	I am happy for you both, Slim and mountainlover. I imagine we won't see either of you around here much for a while as I am sure you both have many loads of laundry to do.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-10-16 12:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Hi all... starting my journey	Oh man... there really is an aussiemen.com website...	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-09-29 00:47:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Hi all... starting my journey	Wow...only two K1's per lifetime now... if only it were easier for ya'll to use a fiance visa as a dating mechanism.... Do you really believe everyone in here is using a K1 as a 'dating mechanism' ?	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-09-27 18:10:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Hi all... starting my journey	In other words, the second-most northern state. I hate these kinds of questions that use most whatever, and then qualify with "lower 48", or "except Alaska and Hawaii". They should just say second-most whatever fact they are interested in. Cheers! AKDiver Well, thats why it is called trivia. It is trivial knowledge that means jack. Its impractical as hell. Much like calling Alaska the 'eastern most' state. Yes, based on longitude it is, but direction is purely relative to where you are, no matter what old mariners decided 100's of years ago when they placed Grenich as the 'center of the world'. It was given as a reference point, not meant to be relative. You aren't going to tell me you are going to travel east to the Rat islands from Anchorage? Most people do not know that Minnesota extends north of the 49th parallel. Just a brain teaser.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-09-25 05:09:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Hi all... starting my journey	What is the northern most state in the lower 48?	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-09-17 08:29:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Hi all... starting my journey	Heard it all before... but we do not count ICE as land down here Only because you don't have any. Now, the trivia that some get.. but most miss... What are the states that are the farthest North, fartherst South, farthest West and finally, farthest East??? Well, Alaska is the furthest north, east, and west. Hawaii is the obvious choice for furthest south. Cheers! AKDiver Humm... good trivia question, but I don't quite understand how Alaska is farthest east, how is that determined? The international date line?	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-09-15 00:31:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Lets direct our anger at another "Mail Order Bride" article	No, they're not very nice. Your attempt to "teach" me a lesson didn't work, sowy. I'm not surprised. Some people really like their stereotypes. Cheers! AKDiver Interesting... so why do you like them so much then? Can you please take this to off-topic or something? This forum is for discussion about Russian immigration and "Topics of discussion may include travel, moving, what to eat and any other experience you may wish to share or inquire about". Please also see the VJ terms and conditions please. Baiting and trolling is not welcome here, or in the ME/NA forums.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-10-25 15:36:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	problems with aeroflot.ru ordering with credit card	I used the aeroflot website about a month ago. They charged my cc and it has already showed up on my bill. If it has changed, it is a recent change.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-11-03 20:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Crate recieved from Russia safe and sound!	I am still around for the AOS process. Of course, I don't feel so drawn to visiting this site anymore that she is here. So busy !!! I am having a great time and we are all happy together . 2 weeks down and 60+ years to go !! Wish us luck !!	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-11-14 14:23:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Crate recieved from Russia safe and sound!	My wife finally came in the mail on Saturday !! A little bruised and starved for oxygen, but otherwise in servicable condition !! Just kidding of course. My wonderful fiancee Olga and her wonderful daughter Anya arrived in Los Angles on Saturday. Besides a mixup with which line they had to go through for customs, it went smoothly. Everything at home is great, and I am of course very happy she is here. Thanks to everyone who helped here in this forum with their no-nonsense advice. You guys are cooool	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-11-06 11:50:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Any recent interviews in Moscow ?	Congrats to everyone on this thread... You all deserve it!	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-11-03 20:18:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Any recent interviews in Moscow ?	I know a RW who got a hotel room for about $75 a night. But it is 7 miles from the center. Anyway different people want different things.... Are you kidding, I wanted the exact same apartment you are paying for! But I could never afford it and still can't. In my day, we stayed two nights at a horrible Moscow hostel for $50 a night. And the rest of the time for free in a suburb of Moscow that was about 25 miles away at her uncles flat. But public transportation is awesome in Moscow. Even from our distant spot we could make it to anywhere in Moscow in about 1 hour. Train ride from Korelov to Moscow was 9 rubles one way at the student rate. Interview in Moscow October 5 2006Interviewer Male. 8 women interviewed 8 visas issued One asked for phone records did not have but was issued visa anyway Questions How did you meet Are you ok with Previous marriages What is his daughters name When were you last together They did not even look at : Items attached: Documents confirming relationship Affidavit Regarding Marriage notarized – Original Phone card purchase invoices January, 2006 to August, 2006 Used mostly for daily calls to Anna from work. Home phone long distance charges May 10, 2006 to August 10, 2006 Used mostly for weekend call to Anna from home. SMS messages TO and From Anna nearly 2500 from March Russian Visas’ Single entry December, Single entry January, Multi entry good for 1 year Passport stamps Tickets / boarding passes 2 pictures from visit to St Petersburg, Russia December 2005 2 pictures from visit to St Petersburg, Russia January 2006 2 pictures from visit to Paris, France April 2006 3 pictures from visits to St Petersburg, Russia May 2006 2 pictures from visit to St Petersburg, Russia, June 2006 2 pictures from visit to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic July 2006 Woo hoo !! Congrats !!! B)	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-10-05 03:20:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Alaska, Texas, California	The conclusion that I got from this thread and the other ones is that AKDiver is basically saying: "Texas and California SUCK!!! Alaska ROCKS!!!! And if you don't like that, GOOD! Stay in Texas and California!" Not necessarily. If you look at the list it includes three states with one the highest populations in the US: California, Texas, and Florida. These states by their sheer number of people are likely to produce a lot of migration to other states by the normal movement of people. So it would be interesting to see as a whole, what percentage of the total population of all the states listed on that list moved specifically to Alaska. The numbers could easily prove that a very small percentage of all the people that moved from those six states in the last 10 years, moved to Alaska! Thus, one could conclude that of all the states to move to, Alaska is the least desirable. Believe me, I'd love to jump on the California and Texas bashing bandwagon , but Sattelite is right, the numbers are likely do to the large overall populations in Cali and Texas to begin with.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-11-14 14:19:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Inconsiderate update!!	My point is that it's not above SOME people from this culture to do such things. I don't give a bowl-of-borscht whether anyone believes my personal story or not, the point was they are aware such things can be done, and can be done to their benefit. I know of other guys this has happened to as well, but I prefer to speak from personal experience, not hearsay of a 3rd party. -- Dan The sad truth is that this can be a very dirty business. Before I met my fiancee, I was dating female Russian expats living in the US through this website. Outside of one girl who won the visa lottery, every single girl I met married US men and then divorced a year or more later. Almost all had spent only a single week with their man before he proposed and she accepted. One girl I met was a bit secretive about her living situation, finally at the end of our date she told me that she was engaged to a guy on Long Island and that she didn't love him. She wasn't even married yet and she was looking for a lover. I'm sure most of these women sincerely wanted their marriages to work, but the bottom line is that there are a lot of FSU women who will roll the dice with a guy they trust and hope that love will eventually bloom. Bottom line: know your girl very, very well before you commit to something as serious as marriage. Well... it does make logical sense that you would find more divorced ex-pats of Russia then married ones on a dating site, don't you think? I'm not saying that it is not a problem, far from it, I am well aware of this issue. But don't you think that your logic is skewed a bit?	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-11-14 17:37:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	MOscow Hotel	Moscow is even more expensive this time of year... and harder to book hotels or apartments, I know this	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-12-15 02:50:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	The definition of Frustration....	I want to add my voice to those who are saying to continue the process as if this never happened. Look into it of course, but don't make too many waves as it is harder for them to take away the visa once issued.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-12-15 02:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	New ideas on a place to stay for the interview?	This isn't a new idea, but we were very happy with the apartment we rented from gotorussia.com near the embassy. In fact, it is called the Embassy apartment if you look it up. We had no hassles, and everything went smoothly. I have heard a few bad stories, but we had no issues. The nice thing is you can deal with them here in the USA as they are in Atlanta as far as setting up the transaction. Other then that, I hear lots of people say it is best to have your Russian better half book an apartment as she has access to the 'non' tourist prices. Anyway, good luck with whatever you do.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-12-15 02:47:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	That one-way ticket to the US	Travelocity books flights out of Moscow, and it looks like a one-way ticket costs from 600-2000 dollars to JFK.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-06-27 15:57:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Happy New Year!	HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!! I hope all is well with you tonight, and those who cannot be with their loved one today, I hope it happens for you soon! I know we are very very happy together (finally) and wish you all the same happiness for the new year !!	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2006-12-31 21:14:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Police Report	My wife recieved her police reports from Yoshkar-Ola. If you need any more specific info about this, I will give you her email in private.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2007-01-04 00:36:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Looking for approved AOS applicants from Russia	My wife got a state ID card and driver's license when she first got here. Both expire in somethng like 2010 or so. I dunno why your wife's expires so early. Anyway - ID was not a problem for her. Also, her passport is still good, even if the visa expired. It can be used to prove identity. What does she need an ID for if she is not driving anyway? Cheers! AKDiver I want to get a state ID card for my wife so she doesn't have to carry around her passport for ID, because I consider the passport a much more important document, that would be a PITA to lose.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2007-01-01 06:52:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	interview on 11th	Best of luck, if you are prepared it should be a breeze.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2007-01-07 05:20:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Hello	Good Luck!	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2007-01-13 08:19:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Need opinions on African-American staying in Moscow	Skinheads in Moscow are more interested in you if you are jewish. Also, you have more to fear from being "American" then from being "African". Just my opinion. If you talk to other African Americans who have visited, I think you will hear the same thing. As far as a bodygaurd, if you can afford a 5-star hotel in Moscow (500 a night min) then you might as well get the bodygaurd!	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2007-01-13 08:19:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Need opinions on African-American staying in Moscow	*shrug* This is all common knowledge for people who visit Moscow. I can find lots of stories about Baltimore, New York, San Francisco, Los Angles, Chicago, Peroria, Timbucktu, Bumfuct Egypt, or anywhere. Just watch your a$$ like anywhere else. MOSCOW. Jan 9 (Interfax) - Last year saw over 500 ethnic hate crimes in Russia, deputy director of Sova analytical center Galina Kozhevnikova told Interfax on Tuesday. "According to our files, 53 people died and 460 were wounded in racist attacks in Russia in 2006," she said. Ethnic hate crimes, in most cases involving skinheads, were registered in 40 Russian regions, with Moscow and St. Petersburg witnessing the greatest number of attacks, she said. Kozhevnikova quoted estimates suggesting that there are over 60,000 skinheads in Russia. The main targets of their attacks are people originating from the Caucasus, Central and Southeast Asia, and members of youth subcultures and sexual minorities. In 2006, courts became more resolute in issuing verdicts for ethnic hate crimes, Kozhevnikova said. http://www.interfax...._issue=11656992 Russia has seen a wave of attacks on non-whites in recent years, including an explosion at the Cherkizovsky market in northeastern Moscow August 21, which killed 11 people and injured at least 49. St. Petersburg has also been a focus for race-hate attacks. In September, an Indian student was stabbed to death in the city and a Sudanese national attacked. http://en.rian.ru/ru...9/57199272.html Non-white foreign nationals from Africa, Asia and Latin America are being regularly attacked by aggressive nationalists in Russia as well as migrants from former Soviet republics of the Caucasus and Central Asia. Earlier this month, four men were arrested on suspicion of killing a 15-year-old Armenian boy on a commuter train near Moscow, and a three-and-a-half-year jail term was handed down for the leader of an extremist gang found guilty of several crimes against non-whites, including the murder of a Senegalese student in April, RIA-Novosti reported. http://mosnews.com/n...adsjailed.shtml	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2007-01-11 22:55:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Need opinions on African-American staying in Moscow	Personally, I wouldn't worry any more in Moscow then I would in any other unfamilar large American city. You may get a few more stares of curiousity, but it will all be innocent, for the most part. Stay in popular places and don't go to back allies or the bad neighborhoods, like any other city!	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2007-01-11 21:55:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Moscow Rick Services / Apartments	Three times, I've used Go to Russia based in Atlanta with an office in San Francisco. That's been over an a period of about 18 months. They have an office in Moscow. The apartment I got us for Maria's interview was about a five minute walk from the Embassy on Novi Arbat and a great location. I'll keep using them: "your mileage may vary." I used go to russia as well, and probably rented the same apartment that you did. It was a good experience without any hitches or glitches.	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2007-01-23 15:15:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Come late January I am off...	I am sure everything will be fine, good luck!	Chuckles	Male	Russia	2007-01-07 05:21:00