Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	ukraine customs declaration	Dude! You need to shop at TJ Maxx! She will. I wish we HAD a TJ Max...... I had to drive 2 hours to find a decent jeweler to buy her ring from.. Just FYI, Victorias Secret is already her favorite American shop (I have no objections either!!!!!).	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-05 14:13:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	ukraine customs declaration	Yeah... Green line.... I had almost $7000 worth of gifts (including Sveta's engagement ring) and I was certainly not going to declare all of that!!!!! But, this was Moscow, not Kiev... GREEN LINE!!! ??	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-04 07:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview Success	Congratulations again, and thanks for the awesome review!!! ??	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-16 18:39:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview Success	Woohoo!!!!! Congratulations!!!! Hopefully my fiancé will be interviewing there in a couple of months!!!! I need all of the information that I can get about it!!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-15 08:31:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	what is the best handgun and shotgun in america?	Got my bayonet in the mail. I now have a bayonet on my 12 gauge. Pics this weekend. Sweet!!!!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-23 21:41:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	what is the best handgun and shotgun in america?	Yeah, I keep my 916 Eastfield stocked with sport loads. At 20-30 feet (typical in home engagement distances) they are effective enough. If I need more umph my 1911 (loaded with Glaser Safety Slugs) is always very close to my heart and my hand.	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-07 04:44:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	what is the best handgun and shotgun in america?	something i recently ran across, thought some in this forum might be interested in it: Brown's .30 Cal. Muzzle Gauge is a precision tool for checking muzzle wear. It was specifically developed for the M1 Garand and M14 rifle, but can be used in any .30 caliber firearm. This is a precision gauge, not one of those simulated "bullet test" types being offered by others. It is made from hardened tool steel right here in the USA! site specializes in us military semi auto rifles, custom national match, tactical and standard service rifles. link That's pretty sweet...	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-04 19:54:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	what is the best handgun and shotgun in america?	You Guys and your cute powder burning devices. How about knives? What happened to looking your would be accoster apologetically in the eye as you carve him/her? Well, yeah, there is that too..... ??	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-04 19:10:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	what is the best handgun and shotgun in america?	What about the Smith & Wesson Model 500? It was entertaining watching a petite woman (the instructor picked her) fire this gun during my handgun safety class. You know, the 500 has a lot of thump, but to me it felt more like a single action .41 mag. It wasn't as bad as I anticipated. The .460 is (to me) a bit worse then the 500. BFR makes a single action .444 Marlin pistol that I'd like to wrap my paws around. Then again, I am not petite... 6'4" 329lbs........ I have seen a few forehead scars from the 500. ?? Edited by Jamie and Sveta, 04 May 2012 - 07:09 PM.	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-04 19:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	what is the best handgun and shotgun in america?	That's like taking a porn star to prom. Yeah, I'm a very seasoned shooter and my Ruger Alaskan has been fired 2 times. Just enough to know that I can hit a bear sized target at 20 yards...... IMO a porn star would be a great prom date...... no guesswork. ??	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-04 19:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	what is the best handgun and shotgun in america?	If you've NEVER owned a firearm... IMO, a .454 Casull is PERFECT for you............... ??	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-04 17:35:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	what is the best handgun and shotgun in america?	At our bedside is the following: Belgian Sheepdog, 60 lbs, all black, large white teeth, lean fighting shape and deep, loud bark! Rock Island 1911 .45 with night sights and laser grips and Black Talon HPs. Remington 870 pump action 12 GA with extended magazine and night sights, first two rounds birdshot, next two rounds slugs, final rounds #4 Buck. Also with sling with attached additional rounds loops. For the lady: .38 Colt Detective Special After all this you'd have a variety of other arms and caliber to withstand!! Please call first! Yes, I think calling first would be appropriate!!!! Lol.	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-04-12 19:40:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	what is the best handgun and shotgun in america?	For self defense handguns it is hard to beat a good quality M1911 .45 There are a numnber of manufacturers that would fall into the "good quality" description. For a shotggun any good quality pump or semi-auto 12ga. Remington M870 express is a good one. I love the 1911.... Simply and very effective. My daily carry piece is a Taurus PT1911, my show piece is an STI Grand Master, and my backup (in home) is a Smith and Wesson 916 Eastfield riot gun. Outdoors, a Les Baer A-4 with acog. Those are my protection!!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-04-12 19:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Another interview experience	Very good news Amy!!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-06-18 04:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	New Moscow rules?	Is only the petitioner allowed into the interview ?? The reason I ask.... My fiance will also bring her 14 year old daughter for the interview. I am planning to travel to Moscow to attend the interview. So I was thinking to bring my 15 year old son so he can meet her daughter and we can make a little vacation out of it. My question.. what to do with my son during the interview.??? I know he can not be in the interview, but does anyone know if there is a front lobby in the US Embassy, where he can sit and wait? He is a USC... From what I understand any USC is allowed into the Embassy itself... However, it would be a very good idea to email the Embassy directly and ask them. ConsulMo@state.gov Hope this helps!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-06-23 11:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	New Moscow rules?	Yes from what i read you do not have to be there but it is better for stress of your fiancee and appearance of legitimacy ....im going to be there for my fiancee because i promised to she needs me...and we will fly to usa together after visa is sent in the mail to her home...bottom line....its not needed but it looks better....kind of like taking your car or a driving school car to a road test....if your gonna pass your gonna pass but one looks better that's it Yeah, I agree, but for me time off will be a major issue. And, Sveta wants me to take a week away from work when she comes here. I wish I could go, but it's just not feasible.	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-15 11:49:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	New Moscow rules?	Hey... I just wanted to post the reply that I received from liaison officer at the embassy..... Dear Mr. Neal, Fiancée interviews are conducted at 8.00AM. The petitioner's presence at the interview is not imperative. Once approved, visas are normally issued that same or the following day, and sent to Pony Express to be delivered to the applicant. We do not deliver visas at the Embassy. Sincerely, Public Liaison Unit Consular Section U. S. Embassy, Moscow http://moscow.usembassy.gov/	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-11 15:39:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	New Moscow rules?	I am trying to understand. I am sorry for language. Thank you very much for the phone conversation. I enjoyed it thoroughly!!!! My Alla would have desired me to be with her just to watch over the two year old monster she had to tow...... but then again would have wanted me to save my vacation time for when she came here to do more camping programs!! Yeah... Lol, monster!!!! Very funny!!!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-08 22:34:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	New Moscow rules?	Your choice. Alla preferred I was at the interview as it is a non-stop flight to New York from Kiev. What can go wrong? To each their own. Good luck. I agree... But, she wants me to be at the POE with her and I can see where it would be intimidating. So I'll fly, spend the night in Moscow, and fly back home with my lovely fiancé.	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-08 21:19:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	New Moscow rules?	It is important to note, that if a US employee gets a complaint it becomes a formal document that must be adequately answered. They are just tryiing to do there job. Yeah, I know. I only want to do what is best for she and I. Before I knew of the changes I decided to go spend two weeks with her and the second week we are flying to Cyprus together for a break. It will help relieve our stress tremendously. I haven't seem her since Jan 1. But if I had known prior to booking our flights I would have waited and went when she would have her interview. Financially I would be hard pressed (now) to make it there too. So.... ??	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-08 21:16:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	New Moscow rules?	I can say with pretty good certainty that it is not a mark against you in Kiev. I think the advantage of going was for Alla, not for the consulate. If you do it, do it for your fiancee. Thank you Gary. As always your input is welcomed and well received. Sveta would rather me come to Russia to meet her and travel to our POE with her then to be at the interview, so I suppose that is what I will do. And, as I said, my boss would have a stroke if I requested a fourth week off this year!!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-08 21:01:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	New Moscow rules?	I struggled with this question to attend the interview. All US Embassies have about the same policies. Yes, it is better to go for the interview. In my case I could not because of finances and time off. I think the question is what the councilor is really looking for. I was trying to find the web link for you that describes a US Embassy Counselors Training. For some reason I cannot find it on Google this evening. The councilor is looking for 4 things in the interview. 1. Fraud 2. Legitimacy of the relationship. 3. Petitioner’s ability to support. 4. Proper Documentation. If you are not going to be at the interview, please prepare documents from the Councilor point of view. I am confident that your fiancée will do well. My fiancées interview only lasted a little over 5 minutes. Wow, I still cannot believe it, she will be next week!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for the confident words!!! I hope they will not deny me the love of my life simply because I have to have a job to support her!! ??	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-08 20:58:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	New Moscow rules?	This is what I suspected and it is how Kiev handles it. It sounds like it would be a mark against you, but not a strike out. That's a relief because I'm not sure I can take off from work without severe consequences.	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-08 17:41:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	New Moscow rules?	I emailed the Embassy too. We'll see what kind of response we get. But I'm more interested to hear from people who are having their interviews. A lot of Embassies say the petitioner is welcome not but needed, when really it means they better be there or else. Moscow has historically been a very easy Embassy, I just hope this isn't changing the tides. Yeah, I am really glad that it is now an option, but at the same time I view this change with great curiosity and a little bit of concern too!!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-06 21:46:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	New Moscow rules?	DCF requires that the petitioner be living in Russia so it is logical they would require you to appear. Why they never did before makes no sense. DCF also is an extra special benefit. I have found that the more benefit you are receiving (less wait time in your case) the more they scrutinize it. Example...how they handle the 3 year spousal citizenship vs. the 5 year resident citizenship. Alla was grilled about our relationship for the longest of any interview in the process, more than all others combined, despite the fact that she is KNOWN to people at that office. I have heard this is fairly common for the 3 year citizenship. Nothing a legitimate relationship cannot hanlde, but they are going to make sure. At any rate it is too soon to tell how Moscow handles this change. In some consulates, the "suggestion" for the fiancee to be there is a de facto requirement. Guyaquil in Ecuador being an example of this. At least one petitioner here has been asked by Moscow if he could return for another interview in the past week, though he was not allowed in the first one. I think he was caught in the transition. I do not know yet where that will go. Kiev has always allowed the US citizen to be present but has never required it and I have never heard of it being a factor, at least not that anyone can say with accuracy. As always I would encourage the petitioner to be present for the benefit of your fiancee. I went to the interview and was very glad I did, though I doubt it had any affect on the result. I think Alla would have melted like the wicked witch before she got in the door. She was THAT worried. Yeah, I just informed Sveta yesterday that I would be attending her interview with her. I wish we had known it was going to happen because I fly in 7 weeks to see her and then after I am there for 1 week we are flying to Cyprus for a week of alone time...... My boss will die when I request another week off circa Septemberish......As I told her though, whatever we need to do is exactly what we will do. I think it's a small inconvenience but compared to living life without her, it's easy. Just have to work nights in the truck stop parking lots.....	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-05-06 12:45:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview Prep for Moscow	If you have a real relationship and front-loaded the petition you will probably not even get to show any of your stack of additional evidence. They will exchange some pleasantries, ask a couple of softball questions and tell you you are approved! Stop worrying and best of luck on your future lives together! Thank you!!! I hope it goes so smoothly!!!! I am ready to have my fiancé here and ready for us to begin our life together!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-07-30 05:08:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview Prep for Moscow	I actually have my interview on August 8th.. in fact I am flying to Moscow next week!! I am very excited and nervous...for the evidence I doubt I will bring anything like that, probably some screenshots of skype with the skype log, a bunch of photos, engagement ring, and maybe some VK stuff... I wish the best of luck to you!!!! I will be wanting to talk to you as soon as possible to hear how the interview went!!! :-)	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-07-30 02:12:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview Prep for Moscow	Your list of evidence sounds fine. The best advice anyone can give, is for her not to try to be clever, not to try to outsmart the interviewer. You have a real relationship, you don't intend to commit fraud, so make sure she knows to just simply tell the truth. There is sometimes a tendency to tell the interviewer what you think he or she wants to hear. Tell your fiancee to avoid that. She should tell the truth, nothing more or less. The last thing she wants to do is get caught up in an exaggeration--that thread quickly unravels, and makes the situation a lot more complicated. Best of luck to you both! Thank you Mox!! She is very straightforward, polite, but honest to the letter!!! I am a bit nervous, but I feel like everything will be just fine!!!! I certainly appreciate the advice!!!!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-07-29 09:16:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview Prep for Moscow	you should be ok......good luck and all the best Thank you djricky4, heaven knows I need all of the encouragement I can find!!!! Best wishes to you too!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-07-27 22:53:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview Prep for Moscow	I've heard and read that evidence is not something they really even look at. My fiancee is taking all our pictures together and that's all. Yeah, I heard that they just glance at it if at all, but I've always lived my the motto "better to have and not need, than to need and not have". ???	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-07-27 14:44:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview Prep for Moscow	Wow, it sure looks like you are prepared. It sounds like you will need a forklift to deliver everything. Now, start preparing for a really great autumn with your sweetie. Thanks, I've got everything planned already!!!!! Our first week is exactly to the hour!!! (I'm terrible)	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-07-27 11:42:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview Prep for Moscow	Thank You Very Much for all the information... Very kind of you to share... I sincerely wish you both all the best in this and your future together!!! Thank you Tom!!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-07-27 11:38:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview Prep for Moscow	Hey Jamie, I have been watching your progress for a while. Glad to see you are getting an interview. We obviously haven't scheduled anything yet, but I am curious about the process and interview times. Can you tell me if the date you chose was first available or if you were working with another schedule? Sveta's interview is just under 80 days from your NOA2, so I was wondering if this is typical for interview wait times right now in Moscow. As usual, we are trying to speculate as to when we will be together and also schedule future work things for both of us. The way things are with VSC, who knows when it will be and we keep pushing things back as the weeks go by... Thanks for any information you can provide. I really appreciate it. Sure, not a problem. There were even a couple of dates open next week, according to Sveta, but we needed to time to prepare. Our papers were only at NVC for a few days (on my timeline it may not be exact). All I remember exactly was calling them and getting my MOS### then a few days later received an email from the embassy stating that it was time to schedule her appointment. I know some have said that it was difficult to do, but I went to my bank (used my debit card to pay for her visa) to open my account for Russia, waited 24 hours after (it takes time for them to process payment) and had absolutely no problems scheduling.	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-07-27 10:12:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview Prep for Moscow	Sounds good , make sure she knows all about you and your "sordid" background.....and to just be prepared to get asked some purposefully false questions just to gauge her response. Also maybe include a letter describing your relationship timeline and how you met then met in person and how the relationship blossomed, referencing the evidence as proof. Ok, thanks Baron... very good advise. I actually forgot that I had included a letter (very neatly typed) describing (in one page) our relationship from first conversation through our filing at USCIS. Maybe I should update? That should be plenty, they only looked at a few pictures of Ruzana's and no chat logs Thanks Ken!! That should be plenty, they only looked at a few pictures of Ruzana's and no chat logs Thanks Ken!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-07-27 09:57:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview Prep for Moscow	That's a lot more than we had. You will be fine. VERY rare to have an AP or denial. Thanks Neonred!!! I am a bit of a chronic worrier!!!! :-) This is a great evidence packet. You covered everything, so don't worry you will be fine. Thanks Oxsana and Max, I appreciate the confidence!!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-07-27 06:50:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview Prep for Moscow	Hello all!!! My fiancé (Sveta) will have her interview in Moscow August 29. As far as my financial documents, everything is very well prepared. My only question is about our evidence... Here is what we have... About 25 emails dated for various dates. Skype Logs showing all calls and some messaging. 80 pictures Scans of our passports showing a vacation in Cyprus. Hotel receipts (Moscow and Cyprus) A printed page (from her email) showing all poems and dates that I wrote them. Calling card receipts and records. Flight receipts from our trip to Cyprus. Several cards that I sent to her. All of her required papers. Her engagement ring and receipt. Not to mention email copies of floral receipts and we "front loaded" out initial petition. Does it seem like enough???? Thanks in advance!!! Edited by Jamie and Sveta, 27 July 2012 - 06:19 AM.	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-07-27 06:15:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	IV Delivery Confirmation??	I think you need to save it as a PDF then print that. Lol, I'm not even sure what it is. I've gone to work and will be back Friday night so I'll try to figure it out then. Thanks David and congratulations again!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-08-08 18:14:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	IV Delivery Confirmation??	Bump	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-08-08 13:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	IV Delivery Confirmation??	Can anyone please tell me where to print the Delivery Confirmation? I cannot seem to find it anywhere!!! Thanks on advance!!! PS: I looked at ustraveldocs.com and didn't see it???	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-08-08 03:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Successful interview!!!	Warmest congratulations!!!!!!!!!!	Jamie and Sveta	Male	Russia	2012-08-07 08:36:00