Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Philippines	December 2010 Manila Embassy Interview Thread	i know waiting is sheer hell. but you're already in the last few steps of the process. at least your file is already at the embassy. unlike the rest of us with the same visa types and waiting for NVC to schedule our interview, you can actually keep calling them and have a chance of getting an interview scheduled as opposed to us waiting for an agency to schedule it for us. konting tiis lang kapatid. Thank you.Have u heard about the transition?they will use a new scheduling system effective Dec 1st.Heres the link http://manila.usemba...tml#appointment good luck to all of us	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2010-11-18 10:22:00
Philippines	December 2010 Manila Embassy Interview Thread	so does USEM have a particular amount of interview slots each month for a particular type of visa? or is just a big bucket of interview slots regardless of any visa you're trying to interview for? im hoping for a december interview for the wife and kids. i'd even be happy if they can get scheduled for the latest in december...but it's already the middle of the week and still nothing. as i understand it...NVC will only be scheduling interviews up to the end of this week. Im not sure,its hard to say,my concern is,weve already been approved so why give us a hard time,i called yesterday and the lady said theyre undergoing transition so no open slots yet.(sigh) @Tahoma~Dex did get through Manong guard at St lukes,He'll have immunizations tom.yay.	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2010-11-17 09:35:00
Philippines	December 2010 Manila Embassy Interview Thread	Good luck to all of you who are wanting a December interview. I know that the waiting is pure h*ll. I wish a speedy visa for you so that you can be together with your sweethearts malapit na! @Chazzie...The NVC letter and the NOA2 should be enough to get past manong guard and inside St. Lukes for the medical. Thank u Tahoma Chinook.	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2010-11-16 16:31:00
Philippines	December 2010 Manila Embassy Interview Thread	hi there!Im a June filer too with recent approval.Im still contacting everyday our USEM manila consulate to sched my fiances interview but as of the moment they dont have any available slots available.Did ur fiance received his eligibilty letter that he can now call to sched?Good for u ,u can spend xmas together.As for me,it seems it will be another xmas without him...Oh well, im getting used to it. Anyway,Lets keep in touch.Did ur fiance had his medical already???Mine will try to go to St lukes tom by just showing NOA2 and NVC letter.We'll see. I hope everything goes well. good luck to us!	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2010-11-16 13:52:00
Philippines	PINK, WHITE, BLUE slips...	very true, travellingnomad!!!actual Visa received! yay! so allow about 3-5 days (weekends included) for 2GO to deliver the passport. good luck everyone!	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2010-12-15 20:56:00
Philippines	PINK, WHITE, BLUE slips...	i just spoke to somebody from the visa desk at this number (214) 571-1600 and she said that visas may be delayed because of the retrogression. but she also said that because of this, it may take 10 days for the delivery...and if not received by that 10 days, to call the embassy or the courier to check what's going on with the delivery. Hi!thanks for the info! and good luck on your fiancee's interview. keep us posted. I called 0116323012000x5184 and asked for my fiances visa status, Accdg to the nice lady she said it was printed out dec 10(friday) and should come in the mail within 7-10 days.Because of the new system they dont have a way to track visas yet.But she asked if my fiance gave his cellphone number to 2GO (which he did the day after interview) and she added 2Go will send him a text message on the day the visa will be delivered. and S0, another waiting game, which is not bad at all.	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2010-12-14 19:00:00
Philippines	PINK, WHITE, BLUE slips...	Hi everyone! is there anyone here who was interviewed Dec with the new system has received their visa?My fiance was interviewed Dec 1st and we still dont have actual visa on hand.	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2010-12-14 17:44:00
Philippines	Important Announcement for Manila k1 beneficiaries	Hi Chazzie... Welcome back to this monster thread you started. Congratz to you and Dex on your upcoming marriage. Thanks Tahoma! This is indeed a monster thread, looking back at the posts made me smile. Most of us are already here starting a new journey. Thanks to u Tahoma for keeping the scorecard up to date! Keep the faith everyone!	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2011-03-18 15:58:00
Philippines	Important Announcement for Manila k1 beneficiaries	Hi everyone! Hope all is well! I apologize for not visiting VJ like i used to.I miss u all. anyways just want to share my updates,Dex got his SS # 2 weeks after arrival ,We went to SSA office and the process was very smooth (aside from a letter fr. our bank that we didnt use any SS # when opening joint acct,w/c is not hard to get).We are having our civil wedding ceremony this coming 22nd! AOS will be the next step and i hope everyones journey is quick and painless. Regards to all.	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2011-02-14 17:47:00
Philippines	Important Announcement for Manila k1 beneficiaries	I thought she said she called the CGI number and the nice lady told her that info. Chazzie's petition was received at the Embassy around Nov. 15 or something like that. I am more interested in petitions that hit after the change over. I am more interested how the turn around times for case activation, appointment scheduling, interview, and Visa in hand are now that they have made the transition. For me Chazzie's petition was one that was caught in the middle of the transition. Those of us that got caught in the change over process are more examples of what happens when the system is NOT working right. If indeed the scheduling system is up and running correctly, as it appears to be. I want to know the time frames for petition processing now that they have made the transition. So I am tracking people whos petitions hit the embassy after December 1st. Also, does anyone know where in Pampanga Dex is from? I spent a lot of time working with families in San Isidro resetlelment camp. I am very sure it is going to take a little longer for 2GO to deliver up there, then to me here in QC. Actually I want to ask the CO about the possibility of picking it up ourselves. Dex asked during his interview (dec1st) if he can just pick up his visa but with the new system its not available yet.Dex is from San Fernando, Pampanga and compared to manila beneficiary with same interview sched as him,visa was also received same day when dex received his.After visa is printed, give about 3 days for 2GO to deliver the package.	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2010-12-15 20:41:00
Philippines	Important Announcement for Manila k1 beneficiaries	Is this correct? Your interview was December 9 Your Visa/Passport is being "printed out" to 2GO on December 10 So you will receive it in 7 - 10 days from the 10th my fiance's interview was dec 1st, then visa was printed out dec 10 then actual visa arrived dec 15.I found out visa was printed by calling 0116323012000x5184.good luck every1!	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2010-12-15 20:06:00
Philippines	Important Announcement for Manila k1 beneficiaries	Tahoma, I am confused, I was thinking the interview was the 1st also, then before my post I checked Chazzie's time line and it says the interview was on the 9th. So I changed my post, that is why I am asking if the information I posted was correct. Do you know for sure the date, I know you track this stuff? I am just trying to get an idea of the time frame from interview to visa in hand. Thanks Dex interview was Dec 1st,we received actual visa just last night my time,dec 15 his time.:)He'll be flying here on the 22nd!Hes on his way to manila now for the seminar/counselling. good luck everyone!	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2010-12-15 18:30:00
Philippines	Important Announcement for Manila k1 beneficiaries	:thumbs:Hi everyone!I called manila consulate 0116323012000x5184 and inquired about my fiance's visa.Accdg to the nice lady it has been printed out last friday (dec 10) and 2G0 will deliver the passport within 7-10 days.:)So any moment now.Accdg to her, they dont have a way to track the passports/visas yet because of the new system.We called 2GO the day after his interview and my fiance gave his cp number and 2GO will text him regarding status,I asked my fiance to call 2GO today and check status of his delivery.More waiting, but its not that bad.	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2010-12-14 19:08:00
Philippines	Important Announcement for Manila k1 beneficiaries	Mcdsnight- congratulations on your approval as well! I'm glad everything worked out with your I-134 snafu. Did you ever get the "white slip" on window Y? My fiancee was instructed to fill up the 2GO form and was handed back her interview confirmation letter (No "slips" of any kind). Just curious. My fiancee was told that she can go to the 2GO website and use her MNL case # to track the visa but so far all we've been getting is "invalid reference #". Is this what you were told as well? Everyone else- so far, Chazzie's been the only one that had her interview on 12/1. I wonder if her fiance has gotten hold of his visa. I'm not sure if he lives in Manila or somewhere far that requires additional time? I can't wait to find out how long this new 2GO service takes to deliver the visa. Thanks! hi everyone!still no actual visa.my fiance is from pampanga which is only 1 &1/2 hr away from manila. I tried calling embassy and they told me its still at the consular office.With the new system it will take 2 weeks to process and its not eligible for pick up...hmmmn im still hoping we could spend xmas together. its our 14th day of waiting tom.	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2010-12-14 01:50:00
Philippines	Important Announcement for Manila k1 beneficiaries	i cant edit what i posted anymore... But what i meant when i said/wrote " thats the only thing they need when u go for interview" is from their side, they need to have physical packet so they can look at your application.Without it,they dont have a case to look at.And on your side, You have to prepare needed docs like I134,DS forms,evidence,~all the works~. Edited by Chazzie, 08 December 2010 - 01:53 PM.	Chazzie	Female	Philippines	2010-12-08 13:52:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Prenups	QUOTE (slim @ Sep 18 2007, 11:43 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Why is divorce so expensive? Because it's worth it!	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-09-18 20:13:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Prenups	QUOTE (slim @ Sep 15 2007, 09:23 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> We got married for a green card, not for the prospect of a 50/50 split-up of nothing. Truth be told, I would never, ever, ever get married if my wife could live with me without being married. Same here. If we could be together without being married, the marriage wouldn't have happened.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-09-15 11:40:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Prenups	Prenups are for the rich people, not for us, paupers	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-09-12 20:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview a success :)	Great! Congrats!!!	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-09-29 16:35:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	To Russa's Ppl	QUOTE the thing i am worried about is the weather i see all the time in the TV lots of snow there and all the time. We also have bears walking on the streets and you abslolutely have to have a hunting rifle to scare them off, and you can't move around without a pair of skis, even in July. You also have to drink a lot of vodka all the time - at least five times a day. I'm sure that being from such a rich and highly developed country as Kuwait, you may find it strange that we still ride horses there and we don't have computers, cars, or television. Be prepared for a culture shock.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-10-10 22:38:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Setting up the household before she arrives	QUOTE (groovlstk @ Oct 15 2007, 10:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (slim @ Oct 15 2007, 10:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Me too! I've tried in vain to get my wife to post here but it's just not interesting for her. Plus, this is kind of "my" thing. In my experience, there is no greater friend to you during the time of your fiancee's initial transition than PATIENCE. Whenever you feel sorry for yourself after she inexplicably loses it and blames you for every calamity under the sun, every time she confesses that she wishes she were back home in Russia, ... remember the sacrifices she's made and the enormous stress she is feeling while living in a strange land. You seem very compassionate. Whenever I tell my husband something like that, we end up having a fight. Edited by Sid and Nancy, 15 October 2007 - 08:43 PM.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-10-15 20:41:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Setting up the household before she arrives	QUOTE (slim @ Oct 10 2007, 06:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> And Satellite, it kind of is like getting a new puppy or a kitty for most of us. We go through months and months (sometimes years) of waiting and then we jump in, head first, with someone from a completely different culture that speaks a completely different language. (Being from the FSU, you got the luxury of having less of a "culture shock" than most of us.) I think that Russians and Americans are very similar, no cultural differences to speak of, really. I mean, we don't bow to our bosses and we don't go around wearing kimonos, right? I certainly didn't feel like I was getting a new puppy when I moved in with husband, but I moved in from one apartment in California to another, so it was very different from what a lot of future spouses are going through here. What I asked him to do before I moved in was to find some space for my computer desk and free one book shelf for my books	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-10-10 22:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Setting up the household before she arrives	QUOTE (John & Alla @ Oct 7 2007, 06:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I have been think of other ways to make the house nice for her. I think I will install one of those removable showers that you can hand hold. All the showers I saw in Russia had them connected to the main faucet. I will get one that is long enough to use while taking a bath or a shower. Also good for giving the dog a bath. We just installed one in our bathroom... it took us two years to realize how convenient it is! Moxcamel, you live in Monterey - I can bet anything your fiancee is gonna love it. It's hard not to. The Aquarium is just awesome, and the Cannery Row... I gotta go there soon, been a while But it's also very far from... pretty much everything. If your fiancee is into the big city life it may take a little while for her to adjust. QUOTE Like a tea kettle and (black) tea, etc Tea kettle is definitely important. My husband had never owned one before he met me. He still boils his water in the microwave and calls my kettle "that funky thing". I don't get it - to me a kettle is a must. A lot depends on individual tastes too - no one knows your fiancee as well as you do, so there's only so much we can recommend. I'm trying to think what I would wanna see if I was moving into my boyfriend's place... Well, my own computer (if she's not bringing one with her), a bath robe, a hair dryer, a kettle... everything's already been mentioned. QUOTE The good news (for her) is that my selection of dishes, cookware, and furniture are modern bachelor, which is to say the furniture is from the curbside and dishes are from Goodwill, so I'm sure one of the first things we'll do is head out to let her pick out all new stuff. We used to have the same selection for quite a while It's not that long ago that we started to make more or less decent money, so now we're eventually buying new stuff - and we're both having a blast with it. Your fiancee will definitely enjoy shopping for furniture and cookware - it's always a lot of fun.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-10-07 22:40:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Setting up the household before she arrives	It's so funny to read all that - it looks like a lot of you guys are married to very traditional homemaker-type women I thought they were all extinct nowadays.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-10-04 18:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Medical Update	I had to get all the shots when I was doing AOS, because I didn't have any vaccination record with me in the U.S.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-10-18 22:43:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	social security number for fiancee	QUOTE (Satellite @ Oct 18 2007, 08:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> 1. Get Certified Copy of Marriage Certificate. 2. Get it apostilled. 3. Get both documents translated (properly) 4. Get all three documents certified by the Russian consulate. 5. Take these documents to Russia. 6. Go to the ZAGS and register those documents. 7. Wait many for the ministry of internal affairs to issue wife a new Internal Passport. 8. Get a local propiska in the New Internal Russian passport. 9. Take internal passport to passport authority to make a new Internal Passport showing married name. I'm printing that out and showing it to my husband who is wondering why my passport is still in my maiden name	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-10-18 22:47:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Graduate School	I'm interested in law too, and was considering getting a paralegal certificate. I'm not sure about the job market for paralegals in the Bay Area though, and we were thinking of moving out of here in a few years, so I may as well go for the M.A., since it's not very job-specific Job market is pretty good for paralegals in the Bay Area. Considering that so many firms would rather get a paralegal (cheaper) who pretty much does attorney work and who they do not ever have to make partner. That said, they probably prefer to hire a law school graduate who can't pass the bar or can't find a job as an attorney. I know a few of them. Well, going to law school and working as a paralegal afterwards kinda sucks. I may stick with Public Administration after all.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-07-12 18:15:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Graduate School	I bet its up to school what they will accept! Good luck to you! What do you study? Thanks! I was going to get an M.A. in Public Administration, since I work in the public sector, but I still have to make up my mind - I'm interested in law too, and was considering getting a paralegal certificate. I'm not sure about the job market for paralegals in the Bay Area though, and we were thinking of moving out of here in a few years, so I may as well go for the M.A., since it's not very job-specific	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-07-11 23:27:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Graduate School	Thank you, guys. I'll bug these schools some more, I'm sure I can work it all out.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-06-08 17:29:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Graduate School	Hi I'm going to start working on my Master's degree next year, and I need some help There should be members here who hold a Russian degree and who went to grad school in the U.S. (Blues Fairy, you may be one of them!). What did you guys do with the transcripts? The Universities I will be applying to want the transcripts - with translations! - to be sent directly from my school, and although I know I can arrange that, it's gonna be a major hassle. Does anyone know if it's okay to just bring the degree and the original mark sheet with translations to the admissions office, and have them make copies and do whatever they want with them? I contacted schools and asked about it, apparently they had no clue. Maybe I should have gone to international admissions, they seem to be more versed in foreign credentials requirements... Anyways, if anyone has ever done that and can share experience, thanks heaps! Edited by Jewel12, 07 June 2007 - 09:15 PM.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-06-07 21:15:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Aleksandr has arrived	Congrats!!!	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-09-02 22:51:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	How to save money on food?	QUOTE (Satellite @ Oct 9 2007, 07:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Just cook traditional Russian meals. Lots of bread and potatoes. Those things are pretty cheap no matter where you buy them. The more you cook from scratch the more you will save. Avoid buying food that is out of season. Stick to chicken and rice over expensive seafood and fine cuts of meat and you'll do just fine. We spend under $400 a month on food for the two of us. We buy cheap stuff - mostly chicken, rice, yogurts, frozen food, noodles and tuna, sometimes (not too often) fruits and veggies. We live in an area where everything costs a lot, so it doesn't matter how hard we try to save. At one time (when I was in school and he was making little money), we lived off hamburger helper and MacCheese. Those days are gone now, but now that I look back at it, it wasn't too bad after all	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-10-10 22:16:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Job Interview in the US	QUOTE (Satellite @ Oct 27 2007, 03:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Does she already have a US B1 visa to come to the interview for Johnson and Johnson? If I was you here is what I would do if the answer is yes to the following: 1. Forget she is your fiancée and call her your girl friend instead. 2. Don't submit an I-129F. 3. When she gets here, you think it over and decide once again that she is your fiancée, get married and file for AOS! And that is it. Process is over! Life is so simple. Once again this is only legal if she is not your fiancée at the time of entry. It's all subjective and you have not submit anything in the contrary as of yet. Wouldn't the fact they they had known each other prior to her coming to the US be some sort of a red flag?	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-10-28 16:34:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	K1 approved!	Congrats!	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-10-28 16:36:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Need help with a other Russian word	QUOTE (CityCat @ Aug 17 2007, 04:42 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Great word! I have a good combination too: ?????????????? ? ??????????????. Variants, anybody? What in the world does it mean?? I've never heard anything like it.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-08-18 10:59:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Need help with a other Russian word	You can guess some of the meaning of ???????????? ? - prefix, often meaning away, or an aspect variation ?????? - glass ??? - past tense, plural ?? - reflexive (acting on itself) Looking at the word without knowing its meaning, you can say "The glass has taken away itself' The "y" prefix doesn't have an "away" meaning here (that happens with motion verbs, or the genative case), and you can't guess how a prefix changes a word exactly. Wow! I never analyzed words this way.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-08-16 16:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	What Are Your Experiences With Language Issues	QUOTE (Satellite @ Sep 6 2007, 04:33 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> QUOTE (Sid and Nancy @ Sep 6 2007, 03:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'm sure you know that Russian-fiancée.com (or whatever) forum - lots of ladies there seem to be content with their husbands. Actually I didn't know. I am not that crazy about the subject. Nor do I visit every single website associated with fiancées, Russians, women, immigration, etc... I hardly have time to keep with the Russian forum here on VJ. You don't really strike me as a person who's crazy about the subject.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-09-06 19:05:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	What Are Your Experiences With Language Issues	QUOTE (Satellite @ Sep 6 2007, 08:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Do I need to say more? I am standing with my position that (1) the desire for a green card will allow a woman to be "less" selective and overlook a bunch bad attributes that a Russian woman already here or any woman without immigration issues would not and (2) Of course they will not leave and be loyal because that hinders the goal and reason of coming to the states (green card and all the benefits associated with that). I think if that guy is really good, she may stick with him even when she's done with immigration. I'm sure you know that russian-fiancee.com (or whatever) forum - lots of ladies there seem to be content with their husbands. So, even if their main reason for marrying an American was immigration, they don't have a desire to divorce just because they already have citizenship.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-09-06 17:52:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	What Are Your Experiences With Language Issues	QUOTE (Habnar @ Sep 5 2007, 12:38 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> And of course, Russian women are younger and prettier than any woman I have met or I am likely to meet here. Why not marry another Russian? There are older Russian women too; I take it, you're not interested in them?	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-09-05 22:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	What Are Your Experiences With Language Issues	Being with someone who speaks a language you can't understand is frustrating and boring. It applies to all relationships - not just romantic. And it's also my personal opinion - I can understand there may be people who feel differently about it, and I don't expect these people to agree with me. I can't imagine myself falling in love with a Spanish-speaking person, no matter how "hot" he is. I don't speak a word of Spanish, how will I ever figure out what this guy's ideas, beliefs and goals are? And to me, ideas, beliefs and goals constitute a personality, and it's the personality I care about, not the looks. I don't think you can learn these things about the other person without sharing a common language. I don't think I can even like somebody who speaks a language I don't know. If someone's speech sounds like meaningless noise to me, I may feel intimidation, isolation, frustarion and even fear. Certainly not affection. Edited by Sid and Nancy, 05 September 2007 - 05:06 PM.	Sid and Nancy	Female	Russia	2007-09-05 17:02:00