Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	I-134 signature not current enough?	Mine was dated from July in anticipation for a September interview; that had to be rescheduled and was for November. I only sent newer pay stubs. All went OK. Thanks for the info Phil, that sounds pretty close to our situation. Only problem would be if there is some arbitrary '6-month' rule as somebody suggested elsewhere.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-04-28 19:37:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	I-134 signature not current enough?	i would not risk an old signature try to dhl another one over (could get there in a week) Probably what I will do! Only problem is no DHL office within hundreds of miles. UPS ships there but only to businesses and at a cost of around $150.00! Was hoping I would get some definitive information that it wasn't necessary.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-04-28 16:45:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	I-134 signature not current enough?	Olya has her interview in Moscow in 15 days. In looking through our papers she realized that the I-134 I sent her is dated October 2010. I sent her 2 weeks ago all my latest w-2's, 2010 tax return, current bank statements and pay stubs but forgot to send a new I-134 form along with them. Is the one I signed and took to her last October adequate or do I need to express mail her (for a small fortune!) a newly signed I-134? Thanks for any advice/experience you have with this!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-04-28 16:17:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Do we really need a lawyer?	benefit would be that an attorney would save you a quite a bit of time, because you do have to spend quite a bit of time researching. I have to disagree here. An attorney knows NOTHING about you, your fiancee, your finances, etc. He has to get all this information from you so where is the time saving? There is an abundance of very helpful advice on almost every topic here as well as all the forms you will need and examples on how to fill them out. But the very best thing is that if you have a problem you just go on here and post your question, at any hour of day or night. Very quickly you will have all the advice and more that you need. Only the most expensive of law firms could come close to this level of service!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-05-15 18:09:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Do we really need a lawyer?	SOME lawyers might actually be helpful. MOST lawyers will just get in your way and screw things up. Unless you have something that might need appeals and waivers you are definitely better off using the excellent advice you will get here. Even if the lawyer was free I would still recommend doing it yourself with this site to help you! There is nothing better than experience and here you have the collective experience of literally thousands of people that have done exactly what you are doing now. Most lawyers have little interest or experience with this.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-05-15 15:49:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	2 - 4 months for Divorce to be final	I'm sorry for adding this, but.... If he is currently married (legally he is mind you), is this going to be a red flag when he goes to file and shows he met someone within past 2 years and started a relation? In some states, even if you are legally separated, you can still be charged with adultery should your significant other wish to pursue.And this will be a sworn direct admission of engaging in a relationship with the intent to marry prior to being legally divorced.. ? I would get some really solid advice on this issue before proceeding with filing. And you have a little time before that can happen anyhow. Good Luck...... Are you kidding? The jails are nowhere near big enough if they wanted to prosecute this 'crime'!! I am not a lawyer but I am sure that there is no problem in his implied admission of violating someone's idea of what constitutes adultery.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-06-01 20:13:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	When will you marry?	We had picked a specific date, July 8, but when her daughter suddenly needed hospitalization and specialist consultations, MRI's, etc, we decided that it had to be immediate so we would have her covered under my insurance! Did a wedding right there at her daughter's bedside in the hospital after having the 3-day waiting period waived. After my experience I would encourage everyone to consider their need for health insurance coverage and how this might influence plans as to wedding dates, etc.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-06-09 00:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	fiancee in ukraine.. Plz Help!	she got denied due to a reason that she didnot show enough ties with ukraine and wat do you mean by overstay? It sounds like you would not have a difficult time doing this without the lawyer. It is really no more than knowing how to fill out the forms and where to send them. This site has all the information you need. If you have a question you just come on here and ask it and someone will answer. Why pay an attorney for service that is probably not as good? I think you already answered re the issue of 'overstay'. As long as she was never here after her visa was expired she did not overstay the visa. The only time an attorney is necessary is if you have serious legal problems requiring waivers, like if she had a visa 'overstay' or you had criminal convictions for domestic abuse, substance abuse, etc.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-08-03 22:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	fiancee in ukraine.. Plz Help!	Why do you need a lawyer? If you don't have any significant legal problems such as visa overstays on her part or domestic violence convictions on your part you can probably do better without one! Tell us more about your situation and we can advise you better. Why was her visa application denied?	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-08-03 20:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Fiance backed out from interview	anyone that stupid should probably just give the money away anyway, it is bound to happen, maybe the girl will make better use if it. Better, from the standpoint of the one paying, is to know they immediately squandered the money and end up broke! At least that is the way I felt about the money I was forced to give my ex by the judge!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-11-03 23:34:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Other kid	Hi VJERs i have a situation i have 2 kids written for my dependent on my application during the K1 process before i got here in th US , which is that they are meant for the follow to join benefits .... but we didnt put our third son becuase we thought its going to be a red flag for our k1 visa coz of the income status of my husband we would like to ask if we can file a petition for him separate from the follow to join benefit that we files for two of my son You may be in for some serious trouble if that is caught and deemed a substantial and willful misrepresentation! You might want to consider a good immigration lawyer!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-12-20 21:44:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Statement of how you met	i wrote a page but a lot of people managed to fit theirs in to the box provided and had no problems I did the same, wrote only 2 or 3 sentences. We had no problems. Edited by james&olya, 27 December 2011 - 11:28 PM.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-12-27 23:27:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	K1 and health insurance	I will not be changing my name. Not yet that is. So if it's only for the name it doesn't matter, does it? What will I gain if I get a SSN right now? Would I be able to get a job? I will still be practically no one until I get my permanent residency and work permit. You need that SSN once you are married so that you can be claimed as an exemption to lower your spouses tax liability.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2011-12-27 22:14:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	PLEASE HELP I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT	TROLL ALERT!!!!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-05-02 19:20:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	Worried about "proof of ongoing relationship"	A boarding pass is not all that good a 'proof' of your having gone there. Much better is the stamp in your passport and I am sure you must still have that! That combined with a few photos showing you together will do it. Good luck!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2013-02-24 20:32:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Who DIDN'T meet online??	Mr VJ Superperson, who can not even fill out a timeline and not even provide the minimum of a profile should just be quiet and hope that your relationship....or relationship that you hope will come to pass, will do just that and come one iota close to what you read. Gary is very proud of his wife and his family and he ought to be since my wife has met his wife and everything he speaks of is true. If his detailed descriptions of his relationship with his wife bothers you.....then you ought to self-reflect and take that to yourself. We here on the RUB understand and experience the same with our spouses....maybe not as verbose, but we do for sure. They, and many of us, are not hindered or bothered by what others consider to be the norm by which we should live our lives......we are not part of that party that must and should and will conform to the party line. Maybe you are and do and your president thanks you for your conformity. Please go away and leave us to our happiness. Many of us also express our thanks for our relationships....I have just as Gary has but I use a different tact. Kip uses another and Slim and Brad and Oliver and many others do differently. WE all understand each other and you do not. Time to go; must get the little one to bed for school tomorrow and then shower and bed for us. Yes we are mostly naked next to each other, every night, and none of our daily issues are brought into the bedroom...that is sacred ground. Use your imagination?! I too, am the luckiest guy in the world... and my wife considers herself to be the luckiest gal in the world... and little Leonid only cares about playing with his friends. Put it all into proper perspective. Amen! +100	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-09-27 01:17:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Who DIDN'T meet online??	There is no accounting for idiots, Brad. Some people actually do get up from their computers and GO PLACES which often entails meeting people. At any rate, who gives a rat's @ss what they think? As far as time spent together, I think it has some value in possibly eliminating surprises down the road that could be "deal breakers"if you think minor character flaws are deal breakers then it is best to spend a lot of time together. The flawed part about that is the time spent is usually like a vacation...or IS a vacation... for one or both of you. Absent the stresses of life, having to pay for things, working together on life's problems and challenges...the time together amounts to sex an sight-seeing. Not difficult to take. She arrives and the next day it is getting children enrolled in school, SS cards, assessment tests, wedding arrangements, replacing all the stuff they left behind, redecorating the house, health insurance, bank accounts, yada yada and some of the glow fades. Do you put your heads together and say "we did this, now let's DO IT!" or do you say "Wait this is not like the 6 days in Kiev at all!" and run away? When she cries in the middle of the night because she is homesick, what do you do? When she is frustrated by not being able to get places or do things as quickly as others because as much as she thought she knew the language, this is actually harder than she thought. When she is the last one to finish the exams and not the first and she always was...what do you do? When the children and she all need you at once, when the papers oile up and they all need to be done by tomorrow...what do you do? Do you say, "this is my family, I will work for them 23 hours a day" or do you say "#######! I did not sign up for THIS" ??? Therein lies the difference. One man will be considered GOLD, the other is just the same sort of trash available everywhere in Ukraine. I will only say that my life with Alla and my family has been wonderful and difficult. Greatly challenging and greatly rewarding. Not easy, but SO worth it. And now I just smile at the people who think the visa process is difficult. Seriously, it barely rises to the level of a nuisance. A trivial "thing". Of all the 1 million things, tiny things, that could have prevented me from being at that place at that time to literally be in line for bus tickets behind Alla in Prague CZ...can you imagine the odds of that? And then I said, "Let me take your bags...follow me" when it was clear she was not understandinmg the clerk and I understood, "hey, this hottie is staying at the same hotel I am" And our lives and that of our children's were changed forever. The quantum physics of it alone scares the bejeezus out of me! The movie "The Butterfly effect" comes to mind often. That moment meant Sergey got a paid tuition to Rice University for a Doctoral Degree, Alla got a Masters from St Micheals in Vermont, Pasha is attending classes at UVM while still in high school! Alla and Pasha are citizens now and Alla will vote in November in a US election. Pasha has a Burton snowboard in his room because I took Alla's bag and said "follow me". She did. Never forget that. Never forget that these people followed you and expect you to lead. Never forget what you did to be together. Well said!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-09-27 01:07:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Kasha birthday...	Olya has commented on our new pup having birthdays at 2 months and 3 months of age! Didn't realize it might be part of a bigger cultural thing.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-10-02 23:45:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Medical	Alla and I are 17 years apart and I am in my mid 50's. The age difference is not an issue and never has been. Our collective first priority is Leonid who is now 5.5 yrs and is in Kindergarten. We all are very happy with our lives and devote everything to the family and to our collective happiness. I am the only Papa that he has known and Mama is the only one he has known even though she adopted him before she left Russia (think about that carefully, a single Russian woman adopting a small child within the Russian internal adoption system....think about all the tests and hoops they had to go through......this USCIS visa stuff pales in comparison). It is very amusing to me to hear Alla instructing Leonid, during one of her "Mama's School" sessions, how to talk in English while conducting it in Russian. He can freely switch between languages! My step-daughter Valeriia was only 17 months old when I met her. She has been here since she was 26 months old and now speaks both English and Russian. At 3 and 1/2 y/o her English is sometimes better than her mother's! She occasionally combines them but she knows the difference and will translate when asked. Her mother only speaks in Russian with her so her Russian is more fluent. When she starts regular school that will probably change. Roma was 13 when he arrived. He jumped from being in 7th grade in Russia to 9th grade here. English was a challenge the first few weeks but it has been a long time since he needed any help with language issues. He got straight A's in 9th grade, even though he was in the regular English class, no ESL available here. Now, as a 10th grader, he is taking 12th grade math, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. He will need to take classes at the University next school year to get anything more in math or science. He will probably be able to graduate in 3 years if he wants though his goal is Harvard so he will do whatever boosts his chances there. I am sure that not all Russians and Ukrainians are as smart as some of our step-kids are but it does make me wonder how they might kick our a$$ geo-politically if they ever got an honest and competent government system! Edited by james&olya, 31 October 2012 - 10:05 PM.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-10-31 22:04:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	small parcels to Ukraine	I tried to send a package with a small piece of jewelry along with some other items, books, CD's, toys. The UPS people accepted it here and sent it to Russia but it was held up in customs there. It eventually got sent back to me months later, never having been delivered, apparently because of that small jewelry item. If you cannot take it there personally it might make more sense to just send money by money-gram. To us it is cold and impersonal but they don't seem to look at it that way.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-10-31 22:15:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	If approved where does the passport go?	what does PE stand for? Pony Express	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-11-15 21:03:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Driving Russian Style	My first trip to FSU was to Kyiv. I rented a car thinking 'why not?'. Craziest driving I have ever seen! They are the most aggressive drivers you could ever imagine. Russian drivers are sedate compared to Ukrainians. I watched drivers in Ferraris and other sports cars doing at least 100mph on downtown boulevards at night from my apartment balcony on Kreshchatyk street. 3 marked lanes means 5 actual lanes of cars. Cutting other drivers off during rush hour is routine and expected. If you don't drive aggressively you will go nowhere. It was hair raising but fun! I would not recommend it for the faint of heart!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-11-17 09:11:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	1st rule: You do not talk about baby (until born).	Congratulations!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-11-17 09:14:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Thanksgiving	Tragic stories! I learned long ago that there is no justice in this world. Be thankful every day for what you do have. It may not be there tomorrow!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-11-28 02:21:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview in Kiev	Worst case yes. However, if she did not get the tourist visa OR she did get it and returned as promised, then she really did no harm. I am not saying it is right, just that it did no harm because the claim to be married, itself, is not material to a tourist visa application EXCEPT as evidence that she will not immigrate illegally...she did not. The relevance of this to the tourist visa is obviously that a married woman is at least theoretically less likely to be looking to get married to an american guy as a direct result of her 'tourist' visit. We all know how difficult it can be for young, single FSU women to get tourist visas here. Assuming Phil knows her well and is satisfied she is being entirely honest with him then they just need to hope that the CO is not having a bad day when the final decision gets made. It sounds like it could go either way!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-11-28 02:36:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview in Kiev	The worst part of all this is that it establishes that she was willing to try and 'game' the system using falsehoods to get her desired result. This obviously can be considered an intentional fraudulent misrepresentation! Hopefully she won them over with her sweet disposition and her explanation and apology for why she did what she did earlier. For your sake, have you given careful consideration to this? This could be considered a 'red flag'!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-11-27 16:15:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview in Kiev	Not good news. My wife had applied last year for a tourist visa and on the application stated she was married to her son's father. She was never married to him. They asked her about this and said they will give her a answer in ten days. We will have to wait and see. Ouch!! Even an 'easy' consulate like Kiev is not going to like seeing bold evidence of any attempt at misrepresentation! They must have liked everything else on your app to have been able to not get an outright rejection. I hope for your sake that she is for real and that the embassy will look past this 'transgression'!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-11-27 05:33:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Interview in Kiev	And right about now or in the next hour or two you should be one happy man!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-11-27 01:00:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	American boy loves Ukrainian girl..looking for advice	Gary, My wife has changed her name when we applied for the AOS. Yes, she never had any issues at the US border coming back, however, two years ago she ran into some stupid stupid lady at the check-in counter at Boryspil and she gave my wife a lot of grief in regards to: "I don't know any of the documents you are showing me". It was all resolved by talking to a supervisor, but so far, no mess or "nightmare" with a married name on GC and maiden name in the passport. Maybe she was looking for a document that had a picture of a president on it!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-12-06 05:22:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Name change after wedding	Ah, I understand the question now.. she already has the B1/B2, it's a 2-year multi-entry, and she has already been here before using it.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-09-15 23:39:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Name change after wedding	Eh, not our option. Fraud is the main issue that I'd like to stay clear of (even if 'people' have done it before), and her having a good job v Moskve that she doesn't want to quit until she's got the CR-1 is another. Otherwise, we'd just go the fiance route, but she doesn't want to be sitting in America and not working. Thinks she'll degrade if she's not working, earning money, contributing.. who am I to argue? I am not so sure that it is any more fraud to marry and stay on a B1/B2 visa as opposed to coming here intending to marry and then returning to Russia. If you are honest with the consulate in Moscow about wanting to come here for marriage you are quite unlikely to get the B1/B2!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-09-12 23:19:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Moving to the US	This conversation sure is entertaining. My fiance is a petite woman. As most of you have noted, Russian woman do want to dress sexy but not slutty. I do agree that you can find good quality of clothing here but you pay for what you get. In russia some of the clothes were not of great quality but were on the more expensive side of things. I do wish we had access to more european styles of clothing. I agree that Bebe and express will be great places for her to shop. I have sent her some clothes from here and she did like them and they fit her frame just fine. Not sure how my question of how to ship turned into where to shop lol. Obviously we are not going to ship anything but clothes and shoes. Yes she loves shoes. I do believe she will enjoy her time in Nordstroms for shoes. The only issue we have had with Russian post is when I sent her stuff. At times there seems to be longer delays when she ships something to me. One of the great things about Russian woman is their constant desire to look great. I am confident she can do this in America as well. We certainly will not be shopping at target or Walmart to achieve it. Nothing against those stores, but I will not have my lady shopping for her wardrobe there. Since we are talking about shopping for clothes I would add to the conversation that most Russians also love finding bargains. Even the regular prices on clothes here are great compared to prices there but my wife discovered some second-hand shops nearby and loves looking for bargains there. I was skeptical but she has found some really great stuff there! And it is great filling her closet with high quality stuff that costs barely more than pocket change. For christmas she wanted a fur coat. She is getting two, both terrific bargains from ebay! (my wife informs me that 'ebay' is a very vile swear word in Russian! ) A Russian friend here is keeping a relative in Russia in business reselling clothes she buys here on clearance and in second hand shops and ships to her over there! I understand she is doing quite well with it!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-12-19 00:36:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Sochi 2014, anyone?	. . . I guess nobody else is thinking of going. I am thinking but a bit worried about cost. If my wife will learn to ski or snowboard this winter it might be more likely to happen. More likely is watching on TV here and then making a trip there when prices are better and it is not so crowded.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-12-05 03:10:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Getting the future MIL to the states	I would guess she will easily get a visa to visit! My MIL got a visa on the first try. She had never traveled anywhere outside Russia except one trip to Egypt. She was single and 60 years old. They have seemed to be easing the issuing of visas since then. Just stress that she has connections to home and only wants to visit here!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-12-27 01:18:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Prayers - Lena in hospital	Very glad to hear it is treatable. Wonderful news. Do not let her see the statement from the hospital before explaining it is all covered...could bring back the tachycardia! Seriously, one thing I will never forget is that Alla never left me alone in the hospital when I was there for my bypass surgery, I had to tell her in no uncertain terms to accept the hospitals offer of letting her us a shower room! I assured her I would be OK if she just went to take a shower and came back. Best to Lena! I will second all the positive thoughts on here for Lena's rapid return to full health. Nothing is more important than the good health of your family!! After hearing about the care in the hospitals there in Russia (Olya got forgotten and left to care for herself overnight, no one around to respond!) I understand why Alla would be afraid to leave your side!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-12-26 23:42:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	fiancee moving to different city	my fiancee lives in ussuriysk, and plans to move to moscow... is it true she will not be allowed to see a doctor in moscow unless she is registered as a resident or something in moscow?? will this affect the medical exam portion of the K-1 process? Not at all. The medical exams are not part of the government-provided health-care system. They are private and you must pay for this service. The majority of the people there in Moscow the day we did our exams were all doing it as part of the visa process for the US.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2013-01-04 23:18:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	divorce in Ukraine	In addition, she has applied for citizenship alone, without applying for her child too. As a result she may end up being naturalized and her child still have a green card. Those documents state if she is married she needs proof that her husband is a citizen for the last three years. That she does not have. perhaps in order to do this she may sign in exchange for the birth certificate. Dont know The child, if underage, becomes a citizen automatically when the parent does.	james&olya	Male	Russia	2013-01-06 23:12:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Orthodox Christmas	Just a reminder that tomorrow Jan. 7th is the Orthodox Christmas day for MOST RUB families. Olya reminded me today. She thinks I should give her gifts tomorrow also since she is Russian. Since I am not she doesn't think I need to get any. I reminded her that it is supposed to be about giving rather than receiving and therefore I should be the one getting the gifts! Don't think I convinced her though!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2013-01-06 23:09:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Russian Int'l Driver's License	Too bad you won't be in Michigan! Here we were told that she could get away with driving on her Russian license until it expires! And our insurance lists her as well! She wants to study up and take the test next summer. That will be 2 years on the Russian license!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2012-11-27 00:57:00
Russia, Ukraine and Belarus	Americans to lose right to adopt in Russia	I see on the news now that tens of thousands of Russians held a rally and marched protesting this stupid law! Awesome!	james&olya	Male	Russia	2013-01-13 21:56:00