Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	ADDITIONAL PROCESSING	Well, maybe, but we are supposed to have "due process" with the FBI and lawyers...even high level ones. And one judge can be overturned by several judges on up to nine. Down closer to ground, we find the real "under the radar" power. Fire Marshals. Immigration Officers, building inspectors...they make lawyers and judges look like weak by comparison. The very worst IMO, family law judges and their 'friend-of-the-court' associates!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-12-01 15:47:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	RUBbette Wives & Black Friday, did any of yours go?	Heard that before. I think my wife's clothing, cosmetics, jewelry, etc. is safely over the value of my guns and ammo. It makes sense. Those are her 'weapons' after all!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-11-30 07:50:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Visa delivery from Moscow Embassy	My fiancee has her interview coming up in a few weeks and we are confused about the delivery of her visa after her interview. The embassy has this on their website "It is necessary to submit the original DHL airway bill for express delivery of your visa after the interview." Do we have to arrange with a carrier the deliver of the visa prior to the interview? During the scheduling of the interview we were asked to confirm a delivery address. So we are confused as to what do here. Anybody who has gone through the interview recently and can give us some light will be helpful. Thanks in advance. Olya had her interview last May. She paid for the DHL airway bill at a place almost next-door to the embassy prior to her interview. They take your passport (assuming a successful interview) and have the visa affixed inside. It gets sent back by DHL to the address you choose. Hers arrived in less than a week.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-12-16 05:49:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Wear Your Lead Underwear On Your Next Trip to Russia	So I guess we should've gone to war with China when they captured the AWACS? The situation in Asia is extremely fragile and we have to watch our every step. I don't think diplomacy makes us weaker over there. Unnecessary wars do though. Those who advocate for war should answer whether we are stronger or weaker in the eyes of the world for what we have done in Iraq and Afghanistan. The American blood and treasure left over there is a very high price to pay for indulging the armchair warriors and chickenhawks desire for adventurism!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-12-20 21:54:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Wear Your Lead Underwear On Your Next Trip to Russia	What do we gain by going to war with North Korea? Going to war with those crazies then would have resulted in a huge death toll for the people of Seoul, as well as for our troops stationed there. Those who would go to war anyway are stupid beyond belief! Trying to prove their ####### is biggest (remember the stuffed crotch in his flight suit, posing under the mission accomplished banner), like GWB against Saddam H!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-12-20 14:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	How long b/w interview and receiving visa in Moscow?	It should be possible to pick up the visa in Moscow... It usually takes from 2-3 to 7 days anyway... You should always remember that buying tickets before the interview might result not in saving money, but in losing money. You never know the interview result - there might be some documents missing, or you can get stuck in AP. I always say that you only should make plans like that in advance if you're ready to spend MORE money, than you originally planned. It depends on how you look at it. In my case I wanted my fiancee and her kids here ASAP. The significantly lower ticket price by buying well in advance, divided by the risk of not getting the visa as soon as expected, still figured out to be a wise 'gamble' compared to paying a much higher price to get tickets once the visa was in hand. And, in my case at least, it all worked out great! She had the visa only 4 or 5 days after the interview and that was in a city hundreds of miles from Moscow.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-12-27 23:37:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Need some advice. Friend of mine met a Russian Lady	I will say this, he found her on match.com. So do these girls also look for men using this type of site? He never went on to find a lady from another country but she contacted him. I had a very similar thing happen to me, she used match.com to troll for suckers. I was blown away by her pictures but figured it was a scam from the start. This was soon confirmed when she requested money for a plane ticket that only SHE could pay for! I never sent a dime! I give her (or him!) credit though, for getting me interested in exploring international dating. It was when I was looking for 'her' home town on a map on the internet that I came across the dating sites (many scams there also). With my interest piqued I went on to find the legitimate sites and am now happily married to a beautiful Russian woman!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-12-16 05:19:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Belarus KGB gets new powers amid growing anger	Wow! That's a big dude! Medvedev makes anybody look big, even Putin!!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-08 11:01:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Getting married In Belarus	Evil exists in the world. Like in Cho, the VA Tech shooter. Or home invaders who rape, torture and murder for the pure joy of it. We live among mad dogs. This is evil. I've never personally known an evil woman...Russian or otherwise. The choice of the word "evil" is not mine, and those who use it do so cavalierly and in poor form, in my judgment. My critical references are to the qualities of being a wife, not to being a human being. Some people are not cut out for marriage, yet probably are very good people in many other ways. For men, the single rational I can think of for getting into a monogamous relationship is having a steady, predictable sex partner. Any other benefits are all obtainable without a 24/7/365 deal. Want a fresh baked cake? Go to the German bakery. Need your place cleaned...call in the Latina Maids. Need your shirts ironed? Go to the Korean Dry Cleaners. Dirty dishes? Let Kenmore help you. Oh wait...there's "love." Best way to kill it...get married. Sooner or later, you'll stop sending her flowers...and she'll stop shopping at Victoria's Secret. I felt real "love" when I was young. I did. That's the time of a young man's fancy for the ladies. I went crazy in love and, frankly, love can be painful...even physically. "Love sick" is a real malady. But when the white hair starts to show up, love is quite different...more rational and controlled and less wild in it's effects. As to fault and the blame game..I will own the break-up of my first marriage was more to do with me and untreated PTSD, then my wife. Yet I made it 22 years before falling. Better than the average. For those singing their happy songs about their wonderful marriage...let's wait and see. Can you make it 22 years? If you can, then start bragging. A few years with the wife any man can do standing up. Heck, forget 22 years...I'll applaud 10 years with the same lady. VV, you certainly do deserve credit for making your first marriage last 22 years, especially if you have had to deal with PTSD! But I hope, for your sake, that you can see another rationale for marriage you didn't mention. Whether you call it friendship, love, maybe even companionship, we all need it. It is not as intense as the infatuation type of love but it can be far deeper and stronger! I get the sense that RUB women place a higher value proprtionately on this type of 'love' than on the puppy-dog, infatuation kind of 'love' that is so glorified by Hollywood here. Rather than wearing out over time, this kind of love, if nurtured, can continue growing. Will we make our marriage work for 10 or more years? I don't know for a certainty but I have never felt so optimistic before! I hope you can find a way to regain your own optimism for your personal future!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-06 01:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Permission from biological father needed to enter USA?	?????????????? ??????? ?????? ????? ?? ??????? ? ?????? ? ??????????? ??????????? ???????????? ??????????? ??????? ?????????? ????????? ?? 15 ??????? 1996 ?. N 114-?? "? ??????? ?????? ?? ?????????? ????????? ? ?????? ? ?????????? ?????????" ? ???????? ?????, ???? ???? ???? ???????? ?????????????? ??? ? ????? ?? ?????????. ?????? ????? ?? ??????? ????????? ?????? 20, ?????? 21 ?????? "? ??????? ?????? ?? ?????????? ????????? ? ?????? ? ?????????? ?????????: ?????? 20. ?????????????????? ????????? ?????????? ?????????, ??? ???????, ???????? ?? ?????????? ????????? ????????? ???? ?? ? ????? ?? ?????????, ????????????, ???????? ??? ???????????. ? ??????, ???? ?????????????????? ????????? ?????????? ????????? ???????? ?? ?????????? ????????? ??? ?????????????, ?? ?????? ????? ??? ???? ????? ???????? ??????????? ??????????? ???????? ????????? ??? ?? ????? ??????????????????? ?????????? ?????????? ????????? ? ????????? ????? ?????? ? ??????????? (??????????), ??????? (???????) ?? ??????? ????????. ?????? 21. ? ??????, ???? ???? ?? ?????????, ????????????, ???????? ??? ??????????? ?????? ? ????? ?????????? ?? ????? ?? ?????????? ????????? ??????????????????? ?????????? ?????????? ?????????, ?????? ? ??????????? ??? ?????? ?? ?????????? ????????? ??????????? ? ???????? ???????. ??????? ?????? ????????? ? ?????????? ?? ????? ?? ?????????? ????????? ??????????????????? ?????????? ?????????? ????????? ??????????????? ?????????????? ?????????? ?????????. Basically, as long as one parent is with the child, no permission is required from the other parent. However, either parent can file with the government to prevent the other parent from removing the child from the country. In this case, the disagreement may go to court to determine whether or not the child can be removed. In short, you don't need his permission as long as he doesn't give his anti-permission to the government. This is the law. That doesn't mean it is exactly what will happen on the border. Does the child have his own international passport or is he written into the mother's passport? If he is written into the mother's passport, I strongly doubt you will have an issue. Even otherwise, I wouldn't be too worried. Bring evidence that the mother is in fact the mother (birth certificate, etc.). Print out a copy of the law, just in case. It's implied, of course, that he doesn't understand that he would actually need to place a hold on the child's departure for his dispute to mean anything. Just not giving permission is insufficient. Very helpful information here! When we were at that stage of the process we could not find such a definitive answer and so we got a letter from my step-son's biologic father. Now I realize we didn't need it. It would be nice if this information was posted in a prominenet place in the guides for all of us that have had this question. Thank you SMR!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-10 16:57:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Permission from biological father needed to enter USA?	My son doesn't have a father and so no letter required. He does now, right?!!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-10 15:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Need some Assistance	It is not an issue if anyone "on here" would turn in their guns. Some would, we already saw that in New Orleans. The NRA subsequently sued the city, won and got the victims of this abuse compensated and ther guns returned and laws passed to prevent this in the future. what VV means that absent the NRA we WOULD have severe restrictions on our rights, instead of 49 states allowing concealed carry, the Heller and McDonald decisions. James it is kind of silly you say something like this. Does banning Gay marriage end Gay activity? Does banning abortion end abortion? So why not? What about racial discrimnation? Is it OK because no one would pay attention to it? The contribution of the NRA cannot be disbuted and is not disbuted among those who know what they can do. The "Assault Weapons Ban" was the LAST federal anti-gun legislation. (nearly 20 years ago now) There will be no more, the NRA is why. You really give the NRA that much credit? They are a factor, to be sure, but I think they exist because of pro-gun attitudes in the US, rather than the other way around. Do you really think that if an anti-gun organization were to have tried to do the opposite what the NRA has done they would have succeeded? And if the NRA had not sued in NO that everyone would have meekly gone along?!!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-10 22:14:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Need some Assistance	Any gun owner who doesn't join the NRA is crazy...or ready to turn over their guns to Uncle Stalin. Are you serious?! Just out of curiosity, are there ANY gun-owners on here that would turn over their weapons voluntarily if the government actually passed a law demanding it? The NRA may be a place for gun-owners to share their opinions but if it ceased to exist I really don't think gun-owners would be any more ready to disarm.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-10 15:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Need some Assistance	Like all other violence, if you eliminate the underlying causes, you can eliminate the crimes. For some reason there are people in this country who feel they can stop gun violence by getting rid of guns. You'd see an increase in stabbings if you did. There really is a difference in risk though. I actually have an ex that is so narcissistic, greedy, and vengeful that I do worry a little about being a target of gun violence. I would not be worried about being a target of a knife attack, I am quite confident I could effectively defend myself. Guns, for better or worse, really are an equalizer!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-08 10:54:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Need some Assistance	Yes I see problems in the logic. 1. The horse at large is causing what problem for anyone? 2. In other areas that do not close barn doors, they have less problems with wild horses than the areas that require barn doors to be closed You can review the crime stats in MY state, the lowest in the country, continent and western hemisphere for any political jurisdiction larger than a zip code...but better yet, maybe even in your home state. The laws are the same for firearms use and ownership in the UP as they are in Detroit. Is there a difference in crime rates between the UP and Detroit? What causes the difference? What does a gun law do to address those differences? One can list the social ills that cause crime ad infinitum but none of them are addressed by gun control. Gun control, thoughout its history has largely been a matter of race control in its earlier years (not sure how far the OP wishes to go back in time but the first gun laws were clearly racist) and eventually ended up being nothing but a cheap excuse for politicians to LOOK like they were doing something at the expense of a relative few people. The last major gun control measure, the Assault Weapons Ban, was the pinnacle of that brilliance. The "Assault Weapons Ban" actually "banned" nothing (think of a ban on horses that did not round up the wild horses) and actually put a moratorium on the manufacture of bayonet lugs. There were -0- functional differences between a "pre-ban" and a "post-ban" rifle. The AWB could not possibly have reduced ANY crime. Yet it was hailed as some sort of miracle cure. It failed, was not renewed and rsulted in the Democrats losing control of Congress for the first time in nearly 50 years, so all in all, not a bad deal. The most ironic thing was that Clinton goaded congress into passing the bill before their summer recess because "criminals do not take a vacation" and then he himself went on vacation and did not sign the bill until September 14. Funny, right? Wrong. The magazine manufacturers shifted into high gear, turned on their stamping and injection molding machines and did not turn them off for two months. They made enough high capacity magazines "under the wire" to provide an uninterrupted supply during the 10 years of the "ban" The pricves of high capacity magazines did not even increase very much over that period, such was the glut of them due to Clinton's vacation. Now you may say the reason it did not work is because the horse was out of the barn, but when the law, at best, did not ban horses, did not round up horses but only said "no more breeding of horses with long tails" you see that there really never was any chance of fixing the "horse problem" Gun laws cannot work, they do not work and there is never any intent for them to work. The intent is symbolism over substance, smoke and mirrors. Comparing the crime results of other countries and ignoring the cultural differences of countries is ridiculous. "Canada has less crime than the US" So what? They have less jaywalkers also. But Canada does not have less crime that Vermont. Holy smokes! How did that happen? Vermont has plenty of jaywalkers though, mostly UVM undergrads. The causes of crime exceed the prevelence of guns and laws aimed at guns cannot address the cuses of crime. It is like a "war on poverty" that only feeds poor people and does nothing to prevent poor people needing food. Nothing to eliminate the cause of poverty. It is treating a symtom and not the disease. The result is every bit as successful. Your scenario can better be described as 1. Problem: the roof is leaking 2. Result: the floor is wet 3. The fix...put a bucket under it. THAT is gun control. The greatest fallacy in the arguments about gun control have to do with the premise that the gun control laws themselves could have any correlation with violent crime statistics. It is the actual presence within the population of firearms, not the laws regarding them, that might have correlation. My point is that, regardless of your point of view of the desirability of guns being so numerous, there is no possibility within our society of ever getting that number reduced to where it would possibly make any difference. There is simply such an overwhelming number of guns in existence! Living in a jurisdiction that has tough gun control regulations will have zero effect as long as guns can be easily purchased outside that jurisdiction and transported in. And once they are in how could you ever get them out without sacrificing some of our most basic and precious rights? Why isn't this obvious?!! So everyone had better just learn to live with it and try to find the upsides to the situation. That teenaged mom in Oklahoma was a great example.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-06 23:56:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Need some Assistance	And lets not forget the biggest lie....That Gun Control Laws have reduced violent crime in the United States. OK, lets look at a hypothetical situation that may help you understand why gun-control laws don't show any results on violent crime. Let's imagine a corporation owns a horse and keeps it in the corporate barn. The door is left open and the horse leaves the barn and cannot be located. The corporation board, in a split decision, decide to issue a new policy on keeping that barn door closed to prevent the horse leaving. The horse, nonetheless, remains at large. The critics of the policy point to this as proof of the fallacy of having a policy requiring the barn door be kept closed! Do you see any problem in their logic (or lack of it)? And do you see any analogy in the fallacy of concluding that gun control laws cannot help reduce violent crime by using the example of the experience of certain jurisdictions that have passed such laws here in the US? Lets face reality, the vast numbers of guns throughout our society make it next to impossible to see significant reductions in gun violence for a very long time even if gun control was universally the law of the land here. That doesn't make gun control a bad idea in theory but it does make it impossible to work very well as a practical idea in our society. Over a very long period of time it might eventually work but I don't think the political will is ever going to be there for that to happen.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-06 00:23:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Russian Addresses	Yea, I think it's better. Unfortunately, many of the boxes in other parts of the form do not have adequate room to write "The Republic of Khakassia". In that case, what is suggested? Just use "Khakassia"! Also, you don't need to say "Russian Federation", Just use "Russia". Everyone knows what you refer to. We did and had no problems at all.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-09 03:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Russian Addresses	When filling in the addresses for the G-325A, how should the Russian addresses be formatted? Take the example Russian address: 655017 ??????, ?????????? ???????, ?. ??????, ??. ??????, 67 It translates in Google Translate to: 655017 Russia, Khakassia, Abakan, Lenin Avenue, 67 Reformatting into American style would be: 67 Lenin Ave Abakan, Khakassia Russia 655017 Would this be correct? Please advise Correct!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-08 23:15:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Russians not welcome in Copenhagen?	Wikipedia has written it up nicely for you ... here! Nothing in that article gives a reason for Copenhagen to treat Russians differently than Stockholm!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-22 21:52:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Russians not welcome in Copenhagen?	would be the same for a layover in the US (it's called C visa). Certain countries require a visa even though you don't exit the airport. Apparently the EU has such requirement for Russian citizens. it's not a matter of hate, it may be reciprocity (i.e., EU citizens having to get a visa for Russia). Not the EU though, Warsaw and Stockholm have no such restriction.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-22 21:44:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Russians not welcome in Copenhagen?	My in-laws just had an unpleasant surprise when they went to check in for their return flight from to Chicago to Moscow. They had come here through Warsaw but their return was booked through Copenhagen. The airline ticket counter clerk told them they could not fly through Copenhagen with their Russian passports unless they had schengen visas! Not even allowed to make connections there! They had to be re-booked through Stockholm for the following day! Anybody hear of this before? The Danes hate Russians?!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-22 21:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interviewing in Winter	We went CR-1 so I better avoid the paperwork/interview advice. But I can tell you our little horror story. The short version is my wife scheduled her medical the day before her interview which is pretty common. Anyway, for some unknown reason the Doc made her go get more blood work. This required her to run all over Moscow to get everything required. She was told to come back to the clinic first thing in the morning with the results. When she showed, knowing she needed to be at the interview at 8 am, they made her wait. Well, time marched on and she knew she had to take action, so she went into the doctor's office and begged him to finish her paperwork. At first he said no, she had to wait. Well, she went into a big crying scene and it worked...the doctor took care of the paperwork. By the time she got to the Embassy, it was close to 11 am. They let her in and she was the last interviewee to be seen. That was close! I don't advise going at 11 am but I think if you come later, you can still be seen...at least when my wife went through which was 2008. Who knows now? My wife's medical experience was uncommon it seems, but you can never be sure with Russians. If possible, I'd play it safe and schedule the medical at least 2 days out. That may be difficult and probably unnecessary, but if you have the situation to go early, I'd do it. I'll add one more thing...CR-1 medicals are more involved than the more common K-1 medical. With us doing the CR-1 route, the good thing was there was no seeing a civil surgeon when we did the AOS thing. The medical can be done much earlier if you want. The only drawback is that it may need to be repeated if you don't get your AOS appt finished within 1 year of the medical. In my case we were planning on meeting and sightseeing in Moscow in Jan/Feb of 2011 while still waiting for the NOA-2. We did the medicals then since Olya didn't want to be alone with 2 kids, one under 2 y/o, getting all of it completed. We have our AOS this week, just under 1 year, so we barely missed having to repeat the medical exams!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-01-22 11:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Is being 'hard headed' a RUB chick trait ?	You will always be second fiddle to a woman's children, whether or not you are the fater of them and you should be proud to be number 2. This is a case of unrealistic expectations causing disappontment. Adults are number 2. Children come first. Get enjoyment from that and you will always be happy, it is right there for the taking. If you see them as competitors for money affection, care, concern...you will lose. In my experience living there, Ukrainian children were the best behaved I have ever seen, and they seem to respect elders even in public. I am sure there are some bad ones. Alla definitely does NOT spoil the children and even thinks I do more than her. She is very strict with them and expects nothing but the best performance from them. If there GPA is 3.95, then why is it not a 4.0? They never give us any backtalk or "lip" they just do what they are told. The father is important in RUB families but often abdicates his responsibility and power to the bottle and then dies young or runs around with younger women. But, hey, Alla's ex drank and beat her right into a divorce so she was available for ME. One day I am going to shake his hand for that. He ignores his wonderful sons so I get to have all the fun with them, and caring for the children is the best way to keep Alla and I together. Win, Win, Win! Nothing like competing against a dumb@ss. Very well said!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-12-26 01:08:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Is being 'hard headed' a RUB chick trait ?	The strong family view of Russians is a myth. That is to say, if you factor men into "family," you see an absence of healthy male involvement chronically...so where is this great "family?" Who among us has not heard about the drunken and abusive husband/father/boyfriend milieu in the FSU? And there may be a "family unit," but often without official marriage, as couples shack-up for awhile, then split. What is true, I think, is that women band together to survive and lean on mother and, if he's not too drunk, father for help. So, the women take care of mom and their children...often spoiling the ####### out of their kids...especially the sons. I saw this with my wife and her son. And I learned that between me and her son, I was always second fiddle. The interesting thing about Russian women is, though they seem to love their kids (or struggle with guilt and overcompensate), they will have an abortion without hesitation. No problems with that procedure at all in Russia. Rather than seeing a strong family, I see a dysfunctional society that hasn't gotten away from drunken and abusive men/husbands and confused and misguided women/wives...both genders too often showing poor judgment and weak character. I understand what you are saying but I think that it is possible for a society to place a high value on 'family' while at the same time other factors promote dysfunctional behaviors, such as alcoholism. For myself, and I suspect many others who post here, it would be very demoralizing to be raised and have to try to cope in a society where it was very difficult for a man to earn a decent living wage to support your wife and children. It can be psychologically castrating for many. This, in turn, can make those men who are financially successful and who don't abuse alcohol or their wives and children, 'gold' in the eyes of marriage minded women. Many of us have personally benefitted from exactly this phenomenon.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-12-26 01:05:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Is being 'hard headed' a RUB chick trait ?	I don't understand the thing they have with family. I like my family and all but it's not like they are god or something. With the wife it's like her family walks on water. I'm sure there's a simple explanation for it, but I never looked into it. Iv'e laid it out to her a few times though that this family in this house comes first, and then whatever comes second. She has her pecking order, and Iv'e got mine and mine seems to trump hers when it comes down to money and brass tacks. It would seem logical that family connections increase in importance when you grow up in a country where you cannot trust the government, police, courts, etc. Everybody needs to belong and have a place to feel secure. Many people in our society get that from places other than family but my sense is that RUB people have found they have to stick together more with family and their close friends as they cannot always count on other societal structures to take care of them.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-12-25 00:28:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	My Medical at IOM	Did you have to show the interview letter?Just wondering if I can get the medical done before the interview date is set... We did exactly that and it was no problem at all. The one possible downside is that if your AOS interview does not get scheduled within 1 year of the date of your exam you will need to repeat it here. We were lucky in getting our AOS interview on Jan 25, the exams were done the year before on Feb 1!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-04 11:20:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	nat geo	I don't think that Mrs. Brock was trying to say that it's OK, when a women gets treated like that over a green card. I think she was trying to say that some men think that if they "saved" a woman from one of "poor" countries, they have a right to treat her in any way they want or "send her back" if they don't like something. It's not OK, when a woman left her job, her family and friends to be with her man and maybe just adjusted to the new way of life. But it happens sometimes, unfortunately. And this is the part of her post that I agree with. The rest of it was, at best, poorly thought through! I hope she does not have to become the recipient of the same unthinking kind of prejudice she demonstrates herself to understand what is wrong with her statements!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-06 05:40:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	nat geo	anyways.. all i wanted to say is that it irks me that some men SPECIFICALLY go on a hunt for an international wife.. this is really what this whole topic has been about for me.. they couldn't find anyone around, so they go and look for a wife in another country. there is nothing wrong with it, i don't guess, to each their own, but marriage as a business transaction is just mind-boggling to me. i feel awful criticizing people for their choices, but look how many cases are out there when a poor little woman from a thrird world country comes here and it turns out that her husband is holding the green card over her head and treating her like a slave.. far more then there should be. frankly, i think that it is one of the main reasons American men go out of country to find a wife. and men are not the only ones that are doing it, sometimes women are at fault and end up using unsuspecting americans.. of course there are 2 sides to a coin. and listen, if they met online on their own or whatever, that's a different story, but i'm specifically talking about the ones that pay agencies to find them a wife and in most cases, they don't even communicate without a chaperone. to me, it's demeaning to a marriage, because had i been one of those mail-orded brides, i would always know that my husband paid someone money for me and that would just be awful. Hold on there a minute! While I and many others on here might agree with you on some of what you say I think you may be a bit off base to make some of the assumptions you do! I used an international dating site to find my wife. I made several trips over there to meet people. But the reasons I was looking there are way more involved than what you generalize about and I suspect the same is true for the majority of men and women who have done this! In my case it was difficult to find someone in my area that appreciated a hard-working, non-drinking, physically fit and active homebody type of male that also fit those categories and who was interested in living in a far northern, high snowfall Michigan town far from big cities! And I have been amazed at how much richer my life has become by being involved with a Russian! So call my wife a MOB if you want but I personally find that sort of label ridiculous! It is a fact of life that the internet is playing a larger and larger role in dating for the majority of people out there. What makes it so different just because you expand your dating horizons to another country? Be careful about using stereotypes to judge situations! When you do this you are 'pre-judging' which is... PREJUDICE!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-06 01:05:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	nat geo	The truth is there's no more sincere love than that from the damsel who was been rescued from her distress. There's also no better sex than that. This is Romance Novel sex. That love will furthermore branch out through her whole extended family. Millions of years' evolution dictate that the woman finds love in security for child-rearing. Some western women try to pretend they do not operate on that basis when they are already secure in it - so they are nothing more than hypocrites if they attack another woman on that basis. The only thing to "own up to" for a man is that he is not an idiot who feels obligated to marry a fat old ungrateful hag in order to please people who suffer from jealousy and envy. Talk about stupid. What is to be ashamed of in bringing home a hot young babe that blows the doors off every other chick in the county - and treats you like the King of the Realm? Well said!! (politically incorrect according to some! Wondering if we are going to have to hear from some of them. I can think of a few that I hope stay put in their own forums!)	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-04 16:30:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Moscow just came unglued	Our system is very inclusive,,,even the dead get to vote. Seems only fair if they have to pay taxes!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-07 16:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	End of the Journey	Congratulations Gary and Alla! One journey ended, a new one beginning! We wish you the very best!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-04 15:50:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Transit Visa in Amsterdam?	Did you confirm that was the case James and not an error on the airlines part? FYI if changing airports in the UK AND you have a US Green Card AND a ticket booked through to another country, you do not need a visa to change airports or stay up to 24 hours. This would not apply to your MIL but to your wife. We got some super prices requiring an airport change in London the summer before last (Heathrow to Gatwick) and had no problem to go between the airports by bus. No, I am still wondering about the whole deal! I was hoping to find out more here from others that may have had similar experiences. And thanks for the info about transiting in the UK, it may come in handy in the future.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-15 02:48:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Transit Visa in Amsterdam?	I have never heard that, and thought that transit through any airport was ok without a visa. The only problem I have ever read about is transit in a country that requires moving from one airport to another in the country of transit. It certainly took all of us by surprise! We had assumed the same. Is it something about the layout/security in Copenhagen?	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-12 06:28:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Transit Visa in Amsterdam?	No you don't need visa in Amsterdam or any other connecting city within Europe as you are just a transit passanger and never leave the terminal. Do NOT try to make a connection in Copenhagen with only a Russian (? also Ukrainian) passport unless you also have the Schengen visa. You will not be allowed to transit through Copenhagen even if you don't plan on leaving the terminal. My BIL and his wife had to re-book their return flights on SAS because they were refused connecting in Copenhagen.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-09 20:37:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	LOC approved	Will do. I think the process for MIL is easier now than it was a year ago. We used to hear stories about multiple B-2 applications turned down. I just talked to a guy the other day who has been married for three years to a Ukrainian, and has 2 kids (well, one on the way). He brought both of her parents here for a month and a half, at the same time. Neither in-law had ever traveled out of Ukraine, and both travel passports were new, with no other visas. We have had my MIL here twice already and my BIL and his wife once. None of them had been anywhere outside FSU except to Turkey before. They had no problem getting tourist visas. Good luck!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-07 14:32:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	How long from interview to the visa arriving?	Olya had her visa in hand 6 days after the interview. We had made airline reservations for 11 days after, everything worked out well! They have only ever asked for passport numbers for us, never wanted visa numbers for the reservations.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-04 15:54:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	B-2 Visa documentation	I don't know how much it helped but we sent a letter of invitation for my MIL as well as an e-mail to the embassy telling them that we were inviting her and would take care of all her expenses. We told them we would be picking her up at the airport and returning her there for her return flight. She got her visa on the first try in spite of no prior travel to the US or western Europe. My wife's brother and sister-in-law also got visas without difficulty the same way. Good luck!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-21 15:06:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Happy Russian Fighter's Day!	I'll tell you Red Army saluters to say what you want here...but you aren't being sensitive to the fact a lot of Americans suffered and died from the actions of the Soviet Union. It's one thing to salute Russian VE Day (although I choose not to) but to honor, even casually, the Red Army is disgraceful IMO. BTW, for the fuss budgets, whiners, teachers pets, and trouble-makers, this is not off topic...this is a direct response to to topic. And since when did topics on RUB not go off topic? "He who is without sin, cast the first stone." The bad decisions of the leaders of the FSU do not diminish the nobility of service of those individual men who made up their military forces. As a Vietnam vet you, of all people, should understand the difference between the mistakes, lies, and deceptions used by the leaders to get us into war (Vietnam, Iraq, etc) and the nobility of service of those who gave their time, their blood, and sometimes their lives in service for their country! This is something that I think most of us can appreciate even in the face of those who we were told were our enemies. I, for one, consider the service of those who served in the red army to have been an honorable thing. And I certainly consider myself a patriot as well!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-26 12:50:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Happy Russian Fighter's Day!	It's not simply celebrating Russian holidays, it's what certain holidays represent to Cold WAr Americans. As I said, you can't make something nice from evil. There's nothing cute about Soviet communism. I understand you are bitter for whatever reasons. But you are not the only 'cold war veteran' on here. I was a major in the USAF. There are many of us and we don't all hold on to the degree of hatred and hostility that your posts suggest you do. The majority of Soviet-era Russians held no deep-seated animosity to Americans despite the position of their government. And they have repudiated that government now! The Soviet Union no longer exists. They no longer fly the old 'hammer and sickle'. Their flag now is the white/blue/red associated with pre communist Russia. Same colors as ours! We never directly fought the FSU. In the biggest war of the last century we were actually allies! Maybe it is time to let go of a little of the animosity.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-02-24 22:48:00
Waivers (I-601 and I-212) and Administrative Processes (221g)	DNA NIghtmare!!	Yes, we think you are right. An expert is needed here because we have read and re-read and now we are confused based on all the different information we are getting. We are so grateful for all the responses. Thanks. Exactly your bold makes our point. It clearly states if the marriage is or was, meaning existing or not. Stepfather married mother before child turned 18 years. The other section about divorce means that proof must exist to show relationship never ended after marriage to natural parent. Seems pretty clear to me. You get potential immigrant status if your step-parent is a USC or LPR. Even separated if there is an ongoing relationship. But NOWHERE do I see where having been in the past a step-child to a USC or LPR continues to confer any immigrant status after the relationship has ended, which divorce does in a legal sense. It is great if you continue a relationship otherwise but that relationship is not recognized under the law. Seems a waste of money to hire a lawyer but I have no doubt you can find one to take your money. Sorry to say this but I don't see any hope here for you. If you want to be USC you will need to look at other options! Good luck!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-01-06 18:36:00