ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRUBbette Wives & Housework, si man

Russia is Cipro country...

Whenever I went to the FSU, I always got my Travel Doctor to give me a couple courses of Ciprofloxacin, a strong anti-bacterial drug....and I used it. I believe they use Cipro to treat Anthrax, so it's powerful.

Imodium is a joke trying to stand-up to Russian food bacteria, but Cipro won the Cold War in my stomach. The Russians are not high on the list of cleanliness...and I saw that first hand. My first Russian lady revealed why Russian men prefer wearing black...it helps hide the dirt and filth on their clothes. She was so anti-black pants she got angry when I wore a pair of CLEAN black jeans. But I digress...

My estranged wife ran a pretty greasy and funky kitchen like her fellow Soviet era sisters. The unnecessary overuse of oils and butter in frying foods used to make me crazy. I'd sit and listen to the sizzling oil firing-off grease bullets like an exploding ammo dump. I don't think they use the oven very often in Russia...all the serious food action takes place topside off the burners.

My kitchen was fully stocked with baggies, foil wrap, wax paper, plastic containers, etc., typical to the American home...but they all went pretty much unused. (Tupperware could never make it in the FSU). Cooked food sat on the stove-top or unwrapped inside the fridge. Towards the end, I ate only food I prepared with a few exceptions when I made a judgment the food was unlikely to give me food poisoning.

If you've ever had real food poisoning, you'll never forget it. The docs can trace the source to the exact food that nailed you. In my case it was rice...yes, rice. I ate at a friend's "favorite" Vietnamese restaurant. Vietnam! Not again! Wounded! This time the Purple Heart came from yesterday's rice being served today. Probably sat out all night and offered to lucky diners like me for lunch.

Now that I'm alone again, the kitchen is quiet and clean...well, at least I'm working to get it clean. My range hood and microwave were coated with grease. Man!

BTW, Cipro also knocked off a urinary infection I started to get when I went into the hot tub at the spa my wife took me to in her city. I had enough Cipro to fight the infection until I got stateside. I'm telling you, Cipro is a travel "must have."

My experience has been quite different. My trips to FSU actually revealed something about food here that I was intolerant of but didn't realize due to the omnipresent symptoms. It was not until I was in Ukraine and subsequently in Russia that I realized I did not have to have daily abdominal cramping and digestive issues. I know now to avoid certain things added to so much pre-packaged 'food' here in the US, particularly HFCS and soy protein additives. I was able to eat anything and everything over there and NOT have any digestive problems! Same here with my Olya's cooking! I did note that Ukrainian food in the restaurants was superior to Russian food, at least in the limited experience I had.

Home cleanliness was as variable there as here I think, on average they are better housekeepers than Americans but it was not universal. After seeing Kyiv, Poltava, and Kharkov I expected a similar degree of run-down 'housing project' appearance to Kazan and was astounded at what I found. While there were some typical soviet era apartment buildings, there were so many more beautiful new apartment complexes and new commercial buildings everywhere! People there seemed to take a lot more pride in the appearance of their community. I have not seen St Petersburg yet but it definitely out-does Moscow!

Olya keeps a clean kitchen and a tidy bathroom but is not excessive on the neat-freak scale. Food is never left out overnight and she likes using tupperware type containers and zip lock bags. She definitely recognizes a distinction between 'men's work' and 'women's work' but is not afraid to break out of those roles occasionally. She says that she always felt she was meant to be American and maybe she is right! I seem to have a greater appreciation of Russian culture and history than she does. She tells me I have a Russian Soul!

Cipro is a useful drug to have available when traveling. Many countries do not require a prescription, you just walk into the pharmacy (Apteka in FSU) and ask for what you want. I did this in Kazan when I got a sinus infection. I didn't speak enough Russian and they didn't speak English but when I asked for Azithromycin they replied "Azitromir?" and we were set!
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-12-04 21:16:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRUBbette Wives & Housework, si man

After reading some post on here I googled "tongue and groove engineered wood flooring" as I would like a "floating floor". Quick and easy and something in a knotty pine ...light and not too dark.

I helped a friend on a pour a few years back and he used Pex for his in floor heating in his shop he built. We just snaked it back and forth in big loops and then the Lennox guy hooked it up to a gas furnace after pumping glycol in it along with water and he says his heating bill is less than half of what it is in his house. We use the water + glycol here for our boilers...it doesn't freeze up that way.

I just use straight water. I have also used PEX in outside water lines that are shallow. They freeze in winter but don't break! If you want to heat a side-walk or driveway then you need anti-freeze.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-11-30 04:08:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRUBbette Wives & Housework, si man

Hardwood it is then. Now that I think about it my sisters house has a few "chips" in their Pergo entry way and it looks really bad. Like Sauder wood underneath...compressed wood shavings with glue or something. I'm going to price out the wood flooring boxes on Lowe's and Home Depot. The builder is getting it at contractor's price so that should help some. It's going over a cement slab...were doing a slab foundation with in floor heating.

I tried the laminate flooring and had that problem with chipping and particle board showing through. I have seen a new rubber or vinyl based laminate flooring that might be OK. Hardwood is probably best.

In-floor heating is DEFINITELY the way to go in a cold climate. I did that with the house I built in 97 and it is great! Plumbing contractors here were telling me it would be way too difficult to do, even they weren't doing them then. I did it DIY myself anyway, no problems, and it's worked perfectly ever since!
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-11-30 03:45:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRUBbette Wives & Housework, si man

Metal roofs are great, good choice. Especailly in snow areas and steep roofs are excellent also. Let the damn snow slide right off!

Only if it slides off where you won't be driving or walking! Here the building codes require a 70 lb/sq ft live load rating for roof systems so we don't shovel roofs even though we average 250+ inches of snow each winter! I still prefer shingles. The steel might last longer but I worry about the rubber washer on all those roof screws for the metal roofs. Unless you get one of the higher end 'concealed fastener' systems I am guessing that in 20-30 years a lot of people will be having problems with leaking from their metal roofs.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-11-30 03:37:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRUBbette Wives & Housework, si man

I think 2 months since she has been here the dishwasher has been used twice..
One appliance I know she loves besides the curling iron and hot rollers.. is the dryer for clothes...:dance: :dance: :dance:

I give Olya credit here, she was all for trying all the new appliances. She loves the dish-washer, the clothes dryer, the vacuum and the carpet shampooing machine! :) She had no use for the Kitchenaid mixer but once she tried the bread-maker she was sold.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-11-30 03:29:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRUBbette Wives & Housework, si man

I have talked about us getting a larger home so that more family can visit and our friends won't be on top of one another during parties. She complains about more to dust and wasted energy heating or cooling empty rooms. Once again the cultural differences show up. I'm not really complaining but it feels good to just get it off my chest once in a while. :hehe:

Same problem here! I already have that larger home. A few years ago I added on so that my son, daughter-in-law and their kids could have a place to live while he finished at the local university. We made the basement a 'walk-out' apartment and also gained a new master suite and large new living room upstairs. Now my son and his family have their own home. The old living room area was slated to become a new, larger kitchen but I waited on doing that anticipating re-marriage. So now guess where we are living? Yeah, it's the basement apartment. She insists we should save the money I was ready to spend on that new kitchen! She is slowly warming up to the idea of living in the main part of the house but it is a huge adjustment for her to make. Her apt in Russia was probably only 450 sq ft and now even the bsmt apt is twice that. I try to tell her that it is not the square footage but the amount of people/traffic/use that determines the difficulty in keeping it clean. I miss my 3rd floor master bdrm with its view and the big living room with its fireplace! Hopefully we will be using all of it by Christmas. Her mother, brother, and sister-in-law all got visas and will be here for Christmas so it looks like we will be finally needing to begin using the space.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-11-30 03:24:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusRussian wife visiting Russia with our daughter

I don't know about Ukraine, but Russia does in fact issue international passports to children if you want one.  My son has a Russian international passport (he is 3).  Basically, you can chose to have a separate passport issue for the child or you can have the child written into the parent's passport.  The separate passport has the advantage of individual travel.  The child in the parent's passport is cheaper in terms of issuing and renewing the passport.  

My experience is the same. Olya's two children both arrived here with their international russian passports. Lera was only 2 at the time. Soon they will all have their blue American passports but I am sure that they will someday be glad to have that red memento from their past.


james&olyaMaleRussia2014-01-13 23:10:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusShooting in Kiev?

Thoughts & prayers to everyone in Kiev.  James, great to see you back!


Thanks TBone. I have so much to do these days with new family but it is great to check in here now and then.

james&olyaMaleRussia2014-01-23 03:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusShooting in Kiev?

You need to start watching the nightly news.

But it has moved to a new level when they start shooting and killing people. A big difference from just pushing and shoving and yelling.
james&olyaMaleRussia2014-01-22 11:41:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusShooting in Kiev?
I just heard from an acquaintance in Kiev that there is shooting going on! Anyone else know what is happening?
james&olyaMaleRussia2014-01-21 21:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusBest way to meet a Ukrainian/Russian (and cheapest)

Well, yes, I did have 3 choices with local Tampa Bay women:
1. Younger, in their mid to late 20s overweight (90 to a 120 kilos)end generally very unattractive.
2. Late 20s to 40 women, 4 to 6 on the scale of 1 to 10 in terms of looks and who had 2 to 4 children.
3. women in their late 40s and early 50s. Some are decent looking but too old to start a family and have children.

I was single and looking for 2 years when I was 42 and 43. 178cm, 80kg worked out every day and did sports, fairly attractive (maybe a 6 or a 7 in the US? But definitely an 8 in the FSU! :) 0 I had my own nice home (all paid for), nice car, so no bum by any means. Very social, fun person with a good sense of humor, educated, worldly, honest and genuine. I don't know how to describe to you my "dating experience" during those 2 years other then "horrific", "disillusioning", "disappointing", "frustrating". One's self esteem falls sharply when you go through this experience for months and then years. In addition my social network was sizable. When I had a birthday party or any kind of party 30 or 40 people would show up. Some of my friends did try to set me up with the single women they knew, but all those women would fit into the 3 categories above.
It is also worth mentioning that Tampa Bay can be more challenging in terms of demographics for a single guy in his late 30s early 40s, compared to other areas of the USA because there are lots of retired, older people here. I once placed a fake woman's ad on CL in my area just to see what kind of response would a nice looking woman in her late 20s would get. 30 minutes after I placed the ad I had 200 responses, and by the end of the day there was a 1000...
A week later there was 2000 responses. So one week after placing a personals ad on CL in my area a nice looking girl would have a choice of 2000 bachelors! No wonder nicer looking women are extremely picky here!
I had much better rate of response from women in other areas, like the Midwest, New York, Texas. But every one of the women had their career and weren't willing to move. I didn't want to move either...

When you come to Russia you feel like you are on a different planet when it comes to dating. I would catch younger, pretty women staring at me and openly flirting. Boy, what a difference! I could meet 3 or 4 a day there if I wanted and have a date with a different woman every day of the week. It was really drastically different. You go to clubs in Russia and it's usually about 4 women for every guy inside and the women generally are a lot better looking on average than here in the US. I'm not saying that there are no beautiful women here in the US, off course there are, but in Russia on average you see a lot more of them and another thing you do not see any terribly obese women like you see here in the US. Occasionally you will see a slightly overweight woman, but they are rare and 160-170 Lbs is considered overweight there. The first thing that strikes you as you land in the US after visiting Russia or Ukraine is how many horribly obese women are everywhere (men too, but not as many).

I know exactly what you mean! My experience has been very close to yours. Life becomes so much more interesting and rewarding when you expand your dating horizons to include the FSU!
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-05-13 19:30:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusBest way to meet a Ukrainian/Russian (and cheapest)
:thumbs:

Alla is welcome to come here as far as I am concerned. (she has and does read the forums sometimes)

For one thing she is clever enough to figure these things out for herself and wouldn't need a VJ forum to learn anything. But the main reason is that I try every day to be the best husband and father I can and like most women, Alla's children are at the top of the list and no one has ever been as good for them as I have. I score high on the list of important stuff in her book and I sincerely doubt she would ever find anyone better, overall speaking, and I am not saying that to brag. There are better ooking and more wealthy men out there, probably on our block, but which of them will devote themselves to her and the children like I do? I have been taking Pasha on "intensive driving lessons" the past two weeks. Cut work short, hurry home and spend hours practicing hill starts, hill parking, parallell parking, etc. he has his drivers license test next week and he is going to pass on the first try

Regardless which country she is from, be a good husband and your wife will never leave you. Sleep well.


james&olyaMaleRussia2011-04-10 00:45:00
Russia, Ukraine and BelarusBest way to meet a Ukrainian/Russian (and cheapest)

You don't have to wait that long. Get married. Come to America. (Order doesn't matter) Claim abuse. Get divorce. Force the guy to liquidate all his assets and take half. Get expedited green card. Buy a business. Wait five years. Get your own eye candy from the old country. Sounds like a plan to me.

Fraud and profiting by planning to divorce even before you say 'I do' is not unique to any nationality. I have the 'ex-from-hell' to prove it. The statistics I have seen on international relationships are better than 'domestic' marriages. No guarantees with either! As with anything in life it is 'buyer beware'.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-04-10 00:41:00
Africa: Sub-Saharan28 DAYS OF AP IS OVER
What exactly is the connection to RUB?
james&olyaMaleRussia2012-02-04 10:07:00
National Visa Center (Dept of State)File Lawsuit Against NVC

A helpful and reasonable post. Thanks.

--------------------------------------------

I am surprised by the people who think it's OK for government agencies to manage cases at the pace they want. An advanced government would work towards efficiency not inefficiency. How hard is it to see the growing inefficiency in most government agencies today? It is very sad that America is going backwards instead of forwards.

I agree with people who state that filing a lawsuit against government agencies is costly, will take alot of time (like all other government processes) and might not work out in the end. But do not agree with 'Just Bob' that we should fear them. I do not agree with 'Just Bob' that we should be afraid of filing a suit; that because of our lawsuit, their attorney can request psychiatric evidence to prove that we are not mentally stable to be the parent of our children. And I do not agree with 'Just Bob' that we should fear that they will revoke our citizenship because of our lawsuit against them. His post was irrational and falsely attempted to instill fear. It is completely wrong to attempt to instill fear of government in people, the end result of citizens fearing their government is more corruption in government agencies. I should have known better than to post in a forum requesting for infromation, or maybe I posted in the wrong forum. I will continue with googling lawyers and calling a few of them to see how they can help me.

What can I say; good luck everyone, and enjoy the wait.

I don't completely understand your situation but I can relate to how you feel. I agree with you that USCIS is inefficient and arbitrary. Their processes are far too opaque and they do not have a customer service attitude in keeping with ordinary expectations in this country. They operate more like the governments of 3rd world countries in some ways. I would hope that they recognize these short-comings and work to improve on them. Perhaps a lawsuit would be a good motivator though I would be pessimistic about your chances of success. But you are absolutely right in wanting to do everything you can to get your family together! These years are SO important for the proper psychological and emotional maturation of your son! He needs to be here with you NOW! It does seem like this should be a 'no-brainer' for an expedite. I wish you the best of luck!
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-03-27 21:18:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionThe child is in the custody of fiance's mother.Will he be counted as part of the household size?
:thumbs:

For clarity, a partially dependent person counts as a whole person in household size. No matter whether the sponsor's child is listed as a dependent on a tax return or I-134, when a Consular officer is aware of a sponsor's child under the age of 21, they may well count them in their own calculation of household size while making the public charge determination. The reason is that at any moment, that child may well become a direct and full dependent of the sponsor.

If the sponsor does not have qualifying income and/or assets when counting the child in the household size, they would be wise to secure a cosponsor who DOES qualify.

I would agree with this! It is up to the CO to make the determination but do you want to take the chance? Seems like you run a pretty significant chance of having trouble here.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-01-06 18:44:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionDHL overnight visa delivery?
I am wondering if anybody knows whether there are any options when you buy the DHL waybill for the visa delivery service. I have heard that if you wait for delivery it sometimes will take up to two weeks after the interview but if you pick up the package at the DHL office in the originating location you can count on it being there in 2-3 days (assuming you don't get AP). Is it possible to pay extra to get a higher priority of quick delivery so that you can count on its arrival within one week?
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-03-27 21:36:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionMedical exam before NOA-2?

From what I've heard, the offices doing the medical need your embassy case number before they'll agree to schedule you. Since you are not at that stage yet, you wouldn't have that number. Best bet is to call the office and ask.

Thanks, I will try to call them. Anybody know the numbers?
james&olyaMaleRussia2010-12-13 00:46:00
US Embassy and Consulate DiscussionMedical exam before NOA-2?
I have a question for anyone with more experience here. My fiancee lives a long distance from the city she will need to go to for her interview and the medical exam (Moscow). While we are waiting for the NOA-2 I want to travel again to be with her and her children and we are planning to meet in Moscow then. Since she will be there is it possible to get the medical exams done then and not have to worry about that for the trip she will make for the interview? This would really help as she has two children and it would be easier on her if I could help with them on this trip. I want to go for the interview time in Moscow as well but may not be able to get the required visa for my visit to moscow in time or get the time off work then.
james&olyaMaleRussia2010-12-12 23:21:00
US Citizenship General Discussion3 year since becoming a PR....

Ok I understand but frankly not backdating the time for K1's who then get vetted again through the Adjustment of status process and are found to be "oh my! exactly what they said they were" is a nothing but a bureaucratic step that makes no policy sense. Of course I understand the process of double checking to make sure K1's actually did marry and it was not a fraud but once the conclusion is "gee you really are married and great welcome to the USA" what exactly is the policy reason for then saying "well gee you have been here for a year already but sorry we are going to start the naturalization clock running today ...that is the day we the bureaucrats finally got around to acknowledging that you did everything by the book, not the day you actually started legally living in the USA.

As for T&V 's comments I never expected flaming on visajourney and particularly not flaming that is irrational at its core. Just because it's bureaucratic does not make it "oh well" and I know it is certainly bureaucratically possible to distinguish between those people who in fact followed all protocol properly and should therefore deserve some minor consideration ...like back dating the naturalization time to when then got married, and those people who are the reason for the Adjustment of status procedure (to make sure it is on the up and up). Nobody, certainly not me ever suggested that simply applying should be good enough rather that once a decision has been handed down the time the process took to get there should not count against a legitimate petitioners path to naturalization. That is a very legitimate argument one that frankly should be injected into the coming reform of the immigration law.

Your argument certainly has merit. Unfortunately the opposing point of view also has a certain logic behind it. I would agree with you in advocating for the changes you propose. Unfortunately, it will come too late to make any difference for you and I.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-10-11 14:40:00
CanadaMarriage , no divorce.

They are requesting a copy of your divorce decree from previous marriages. Apparently they think you got divorced or something to that effect.


Time to call USCIS and try to get it sorted out!

Maybe now would be the time to get your husband to call his congressman or senators for some help there. Good luck!
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-02-05 15:46:00
CanadaCandian legal terms...
The first is easy. The'Crown' refers to the government on behalf of the people. It is represented by the prosecutor. Don't have definite answers on the others.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-03-31 12:42:00
Removing Conditions on Residency General DiscussionDo children (K-2) have to wait till 90 days before 2 year anniv?

I have a question concerning timing of the filing to remove conditions. For some reason the effective dates for issuance of the provisional green cards was different for my wife and each of her children. We are now within her 90 day window to apply but my daughter will not be within hers till mid December. Since their status derives from hers does their date actually matter and must I wait till mid December and file within that much more constricted window? I am guessing that is what I must do but it would be nice to be able to get it all in the mail now. I appreciate any helpful words of advice from anybody who has been through this. Thanks.


james&olyaMaleRussia2013-10-29 20:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsName translation errors
I have a technical question. My fiancee just got her 19m/o daughter's passport back and the translation of her first name from the original Russian spelling to English is different than on the birth certificate translation. I used the latter on the I-129F. Now she is very worried that the difference in spelling (Valeria vs Valeriia) will cause problems. Any advice on how this can be handled would be appreciated. We just sent our I-129F a week ago.
james&olyaMaleRussia2010-10-08 00:19:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsI-129F, Legal documents in Russian and Ukrainian language
This is great, it answers the question I had posted earlier about exactly this issue. My fiancee's daughter has a different spelling in her passport than the translation of her birth certificate. The birth certificate says Valeria but the passport (which did not arrive till after we sent the I-129F) spelled it Valeriia. My fiancee has been stressing a bit about this and now I can reassure her!
I only found this tonight when I decided to surf the past forum topics for things of interest, especially anything that will give me any positive feedback that gives hope for a speedy and uncomplicated approval! I want to thank you very much Gary and Alla for all the excellent advice you have given on this site to so many people and now also to me!
james&olyaMaleRussia2010-10-17 21:01:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress Reportsany updates on CSC?
I had someone tell me that there was some kind of allocation of visas for certain types for the fiscal year. Could it be that they ran out of visas allocated and it is only now that a new fiscal year has begun that they will start approving K-1's again? I sent my I-129f on Oct 1 (not planned, it just happened that way. I am looking for some ray of hope that the process may speed up considerably.
james&olyaMaleRussia2010-10-09 02:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsLosing faith

for some reason, in the area i live in there are a lot of rich yuppie jerks who basically buy foreign wives. i watch them go through the process practically seamlessly, and seeing as there is no real love there, they are basically without stress as well. it just makes me wish they weren't clogging up the system for the ppl that are suffering without their loved ones by their sides

I know that there are people applying for fiancee visas that are in it for reasons you and I might consider shallow. But this is undoubtedly true for both genders and all age groups. Blanket statements run the risk of crossing the line into prejudice (pre-judging, in this case based on age). Please don't consider all of us 50+ year-old males so inherently distasteful! This should be a place to bring support to others, not tear others down. Unless you really know someones situation well you run the risk of seriously missing the mark in your criticism. But I also sense that your point does have some basis in reality, though perhaps poorly aimed.
james&olyaMaleRussia2010-12-07 22:21:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsLosing faith

that is a great attitude. i watch my friends and employees month in and month out, dating, trolling bars, going out to find what i already have. i spent 12 years in an AWFUL marriage. now i have a man that is my perfect match in every way, and having to spend most of a year apart is a small price to pay in exchange for the rest of our lives together. and if we can make it through a year of long distance, what can't we make it through?

On this I am in complete agreement with you! Just when I am about to write you off you say something so totally true and up-beat! Go figure. :)
james&olyaMaleRussia2010-12-07 21:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsLosing faith

there is no way to make anything fair in life, especially where money or government is involved. if it was fair then maybe they'd have a way to focus on couples that are actually in love and not waste time on mail order brides for 50 something year old guys who can't find anyone in this country because they are so distateful as human beings, and yet you meet those couples all the time in real life, online, heck on the arms of government officals sometimes, lol.

if it was fair then the centers would co-ordinate their efforts to make sure that it's actually processed in order instead of having one be up to two months ahead of another.

if it was fair then the citizens of this country would be given precedence over helping out other countries (sorry, just saying)

life isn't fair, and that sucks, but they do say 5 months, and it's been over that for her, so she has a right to complain about it.

at least she's not one that is spazzing out and harassing her governor after 3 months of waiting, she has a legitimate right to be upset.




just curious as to why you think we are entitled to them within 60 days?

I find your comment about 50 something year old guys beyond distasteful, it is appallingly offensive!
james&olyaMaleRussia2010-12-07 21:50:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsUSCIS HAITIAN TPS huge numbers may be a hoax!!!

Who plus 2ed this rant? Hell your rant is WRONG. As the TPS's were given to ILLEGAL HATIANS already here. Look it up, it was published in the NY Times and many other news organizations.

Last time I checked illegals DONT pay taxes.

While I understand the thrust of your argument, you are wrong on the detail about undocumented workers not paying taxes. Everything they buy has the same sales tax as everyone else pays. There are taxes paid with utilities, property taxes factored into their rent payments, even social security taxes for many of them who, because of using fake SS numbers, will never recover any of it. Yes, (gasp!), they may be paying in to prop up the system for the rest of us! I still don't like being pushed aside when I want to bring my fiancee here, but I am thankful I don't face the problems that the Haitians are dealing with!
james&olyaMaleRussia2010-12-21 03:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsCant Wait Any More
Something I noticed when looking at timelines, the time between noa-1 and noa-2 varies a lot more than the noa-1 to interview times. Does this imply that there is some sort of policy in place to give everybody a 5-8 month wait in the overall process? Maybe they want to avoid giving 'fiancee or bride' visas too quickly to give applicants time to back out if they are acting too hastily? Just wondering.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-01-09 18:07:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsHow can I let the USCIS know what I think of them
:help:

I was drawn to her and to everything about her. And when we met, I knew this was the woman who would be my wife. I courted her, we fell in love, and then I proposed marriage.

But wait a moment, said the State. We need to check this person out. Before we let you marry her, we need to find some things out. We need to know if she is an enemy of the State. We need to know if she might become an enemy of the State. We need to know if she is healthy and fit enough to contribute to the State. And we need to know if her morals meet the standards set by the State. Until we know these things, we will not let you marry her.

Knowing that there is no way around the power of the State and the stranglehold that the State has on people’s lives, I begrudgingly filled out the mountains of forms the State wants me to complete. Among other things, I had to tell the State about her lineage and the birthplace of her parents, as well as whether she was married in the past and to whom.

When I finally filled out the mountains of the State’s forms, I submitted them to the State along with the huge amount of money the State demanded to provide me with this “service”.

At first, the State acknowledged receiving the forms, but then months and months went by, and I heard nothing. While the State remained silent, my future wife was stranded in the foreign land I found her in, far outside of the lands of the State, as they would not admit her into the State’s lands until she passed their muster.

I tried finding out where the State stood on whether my future wife was good enough for them or not, but the State gave me nothing but silence. So I called on some powerful State officials who inquired for me, only to be told by the State that they will get to it when they get to it, maybe in five months and maybe longer. Between now and the time that the State decides to get to it, my future wife can remain in the foreign land I found her in, we can stay separated, and the State simply does not care. Besides, says the State, I should be grateful that the State is spending 15 minutes of their valuable time on a puny being like me to save me from my own choice of lifetime mates, and I should consider myself lucky if they find those 15 minutes in 5 months and not many months later.

So here I wait, with my life on hold and my future wife uncertain about where she will live and when she will get there. And I wait, and wait, and wait.

Where is this story from?
1. A page from a script of George Orwell’s 1984.
2. A secret diary written in Nazi Germany in 1939.
3. An underground web page from present day North Korea.
4. A private blog from a Saudi prince wanting to marry a commoner.
5. A citizen of the United States of America wanting to marry another consenting adult in his own country.

We all know the correct answer. But how many people not married to or looking for a foreign bride could ever imagine something like this happening in the land of the free?

Why does it take the USCIS five months to do fifteen minutes of work? What business that charges you $455.00 to perform fifteen minutes of work, makes you wait five months for that work to be done, and gives you zero feedback on how that work is progressing would stay in business? Why does a government that is supposed to be the best one in the world work this badly?

And while we are at it, who the hell is the government to stand in judgment over my choice of wife anyway?

:wow:
I don't like the waiting or uncertainty any more than everybody else here. But seriously, so many here rant both about the need to keep illegals out and then also rant that the 'government' has no right to try to have any control over this process. How can you have it both ways? I agree that it might be possible to improve the service but then you realize that those improvements may cost real money. I would be willing to pay more for better service and I personally wonder if maybe there should be an option to pay more and get expedited processing. Everyone hates bureaucracy but they are a necessary 'evil' in the process. And I am sure the majority of employees are as decent as anybody working anywhere. But if it helps ease your stress to blow off a bit of steam maybe the rants serve a purpose. Just please don't anyone start taking some of the over-the-top rhetoric too seriously.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-01-03 19:02:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsIs 5 month wait new USCIS policy?
Is it possible that the real reason it is now taking so much longer at both CSC and VSC is that there is a new policy in force aimed at slowing approvals of fiancee and spouse visas and discouraging applications as an attempt to generally slow immigration? I cannot help but wonder about this as both service centers seem to be leveling out at the 5-6 month level! I have no direct evidence to offer other than the pervasive anti-immigrant attitudes in this country and the lack of other compelling reasons for this pattern.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-01-30 15:12:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsChanging interview date--argh!!!

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to say that this forum has been a godsend on our visa journey! My fiancé and I keep running into little road blocks and it is hard to know what to do. Here’s our latest dilemma.

We just received the date for our interview for March 15th.. This date was much sooner than we expected, despite our having made preparations well in advance.

The problem with this date is that here in Brazil it coincides with Carnival, the biggest street party in the world and the most expensive holiday. This presents a number of complications. We live in another city entirely, and need to fly to Rio de Janeiro for the medical examinations and interview. Not only are flights and hotels10-15 times more expensive, but it will be much more difficult to set up an appointment for the exams.

For this reason, we were thinking of changing the dates. But yesterday, as I was working on the I-134 forms, I noticed at the top of the form that it expires at the end of March. Other forms have a similar date. Considering I had my cosponsor sign and bring it from the US, there would be no way for me to get another set of forms sent in time for the interview, if it was scheduled soon after.

Does the documents still “count” if they are signed before the expiration date, but submitted after they expire?

Any advice on calling up the consulate and explaining the situation?

Thanks guys. We are on the last big hurdle and your help would be much appreciated!

Leonidus

You might be allowed to get the medical done earlier if that would help. I don't know about the document expiration date issue.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-02-13 18:10:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsWTF Igor?
Igor's list is not official. It represents only a fraction of the total out there. The reason your number goes up has to do with the many late joiners here on VJ. These people (and many others) are already on the USCIS list but you don't get to see that. Your number there goes down daily, assuming they do their job. People will still be joining VJ right up to and even after they get their NOA2. Don't worry about that.

The thing that bothers me is seeing that they are giving many more approvals to Jan and Feb filers than Oct, Nov, and Dec!! This is WRONG! I am sure the people getting NOA2 in less than 30 days are delighted but it is cruel and unfair to those of us that filed 5 months ago to watch this! Monday I begin the calling to USCIS as well as my congress-man and they will continue hearing from me daily till I get my approval! I hope many others do the same. They say that the squeaky wheel gets the grease and this does seem to be true with government agencies in particular.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-03-05 22:52:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsWorried?!?!

Thanks so much guys!!! I've stressed all day about it! I think we've decided to move the date till January. That's 10 months. I'm not from Russia or the Philippines or a mail order bride... Just a little scouser who fell in love!! So I honestly can't see why it should take any longer than 10 months.
We have every single thing they are requiring so i think we'll be fine
Thanks again for all your help!!
Emma :) xx

And what exactly makes your situation better that you are not from Russia or the Philippines?? :wow:
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-03-12 00:35:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsOMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG!
Congratulations!! :dance: :dance:

Same story here except that I only just today called my congressman, didn't yet send in the forms.
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-03-07 23:30:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsSeriously starting to lose hope now....

You guys, this process is driving me crazy. The past couple weeks have really gotten to me. As we have surpassed five months and inched closer to six, it really feels like there is NO end in sight.

When I filed back in October, approvals were coming after about 2-3 months. That didn't seem too long to me. As the months passed, I noticed other filers were being approved in four months! Some even as long as five - five being the absolute MAX. Now, as people's timelines inch closer to six and seven months, I never know when it is going to end. When is it going to be my turn? There are easily still a hundred before me on VJ alone. VSC appears to only be approving 1-2 VJ'ers on any given day - I know that is a small percentage of totals, but at that rate, it will be another two months before I seee any action.

I've called my Senator. The aide has tried contacting VSC. They finally got a response stating that if my case isn't approved by April 5, they will put in an expedition request. But then what? Another thirty days after that?

I called NCSC and put in a service request. When I e-mail customer service to ask about the status of it, they tell me the same thing - wait until April 5. Then you will be REALLY considered outside normal processing time (at six months!) and we can start to think about processing you.

I used to excitedly log on to the USCIS website every day to check my status, multiple times. Now, I rarely go on - it's such a disappointment to see that nothing has changed.

I never, ever thought it would take this long. I thought maybe I would even be a lucky one who got approved in four months! But as the processing times continue to expand and nothing continues to be done about it, my hope is all but gone. I'm depressed, sad. When people ask me when my fiance is coming, all I can do is sigh and say I don't know. All the happiness has been sucked out of my engagement. Isn't engagement supposed to be a happy time? Shopping for china patterns, celebrating this happy time with family and friends. It is not supposed to be a time for sadness, stress, depression, and being thousands of miles apart.

I know many of us are in this same situation. I just had to vent. I am sick of feeling so powerless and hopeless.

Best wishes to all.

I really feel for you! I was wishing back in October when I filed that my petition could have gone to Vermont as Cali was moving a lot slower then. It was just over 5 months when I got that text message and so quickly everything changes! Hang in there, yours will come soon. But when we get beyond the potential vindictive reaches of certain people and agencies I hope we will remember the needlessly excessive stress the lack of equity and transparency of this process causes so many vulnerable people here. Things can and should be changed. These are real people's lives that are being toyed with here.

I agree with Kevin. Just be more patient. It is really frustrating. Be strong.

Check this link:
http://www.visajourn...after-9-months/

They actually waited for nine months. It is a freaking long wait.

Not what I think the OP needs right now!
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-03-23 21:57:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsLosing my Patients with the USCIS

I understand that English is not your mother tongue, so here's a hint: a doctor has patients. If you can't stand waiting any longer at the doctor's office, you lose your patience.
:dance:

Maybe the OP now works in health-care! :o :P
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-04-30 06:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Case Filing and Progress ReportsOctober 2010 CSC filers!

Thanks for those nice words! They are appreciated! She got results from her 3 days of Sputum today and they were all negative for the acid, so that's some good new anyway. And that CSC seems to be moving again!

Congrats to all Filers who were approved yesterday!

Having a positive skin test for TB only means your immune system has had exposure to the antigen sometime in the past. Most people who are skin test positive will never actually get TB. The sputum is to look for the bacteria. They identify the bacteria using a series of chemical treatments to the specimen. One of the treatments uses acid and if the bacteria remain after this they are deemed to be 'acid-fast' bacteria. I think this is what your fiancee was referring to. The chest x-ray is very important also in this to look for evidence of actual TB disease. Hope all is well for her!

And thanks for the congratulations, it is so good to have this behind us now!
james&olyaMaleRussia2011-03-08 14:10:00