Discrepancy

[shikarnov 7]

Greetings All,

As I prepare to send Ira her docs for the the coming interview next month, I noticed something...

On her G-325A, she listed the address at which she'd been registered in her hometown of Kinishma, Ivanovo. However, her most recent job was in Ivanovo, Ivanovo. At the time we were filling out the docs, our attorney advised us only to list residences where she was registered (he was worried about problems with the Russian authorities)...

So, now I'm freaking out a bit. I can imagine the interviewer asking: "So you worked in Ivanovo, but lived in Kinishma. Commuting to work each day doesn't seem to be a staple of Russian life -- so how do you explain this?"

Do y'all think they're even likely to mention this? Any advice on how to explain it (without getting a big fat "denied" stamped on her application)? I don't want her to lie to the interviewer, but I also don't want to have them delay her entry over what amounts to a clerical mistake.

Any ideas at all?

Z

Edited February 21, 2008 by shikarnov

[eekee 182]

Greetings All,

As I prepare to send Ira her docs for the the coming interview next month, I noticed something...

On her G-325A, she listed the address at which she'd been registered in her hometown of Kinishma, Ivanovo. However, her most recent job was in Ivanovo, Ivanovo. At the time we were filling out the docs, our attorney advised us only to list residences where she was registered (he was worried about problems with the Russian authorities)...

So, now I'm freaking out a bit. I can imagine the interviewer asking: "So you worked in Ivanovo, but lived in Kinishma. Commuting to work each day doesn't seem to be a staple of Russian life -- so how do you explain this?"

Do y'all think they're even likely to mention this? Any advice on how to explain it (without getting a big fat "denied" stamped on her application)? I don't want her to lie to the interviewer, but I also don't want to have them delay her entry over what amounts to a clerical mistake.

Any ideas at all?

Z

Hmm, from what I've seen from the interview transcripts that people have posted, this doesn't seem like the kind of question they'd ask... i don't think they're concerned with the intricacies of Russian residency laws, I think they just want to know that she's not trying to scam her way into a green card.

Edited February 21, 2008 by eekee

[mox 298]

Yeah, from everything that's been reported here, even if they did ask the question (which seems unlikely) she should just tell them the truth. The consulate isn't interested in enforcing Russian law, and they know how things work in Russia, so it's really not a problem at all.

[Bobalouie 0]

Yeah, from everything that's been reported here, even if they did ask the question (which seems unlikely) she should just tell them the truth. The consulate isn't interested in enforcing Russian law, and they know how things work in Russia, so it's really not a problem at all.

She should answer that question if asked as "I didnt live there longer than 6 months."

[mox 298]

She should answer that question if asked as "I didnt live there longer than 6 months."

Only if that's a truthful answer. Again, the consulate isn't interested (or even qualified) in enforcing Russian residency laws. Lying to the consulate about residency would be a much bigger red flag than being truthful about living somewhere while not being registered.

[Blues Fairy 0]

Why not just explain, if asked, that she listed the official "registered" residence but really lived in Ivanovo which is an X hour drive from there?

BTW strange lawyer. If I followed an advice like that, I would have had to list my "residence" in Novosibirsk in parallel with several years of working in Moscow. Long commute eh?

[Bobalouie 0]

She should answer that question if asked as "I didnt live there longer than 6 months."

Only if that's a truthful answer. Again, the consulate isn't interested (or even qualified) in enforcing Russian residency laws. Lying to the consulate about residency would be a much bigger red flag than being truthful about living somewhere while not being registered.

I understand what you are saying, and like you believe that telling the truth is the right thing, but they also are not equipped to find out if she did in fact live there longer than 6 months. In the instructions for the G-325A and for the police certificate, it makes no distinction between registered and unregistered. The rules are the same for the police certificate and G-325A for all benificiaries from all countries. If you follow the letter of the law wrt the instructions, if she lives somewhere, registered or not, for longer than 6 months, she is required to get a certificate from that locale. They can not possibly find out if you lived somewhere other than where you are/were registered. You can only complicate the situation by saying "oh, I only got certificates from where I was registered, but I lived in this other place too". If you get a consular officer who is a stickler for detail, that is grounds for additional months of waiting for a new police report to be submitted. You are far better off not complicating the situation by just saying "I didnt live there for 6 months."

IMHO

[Kazan' Tiger 1]

I'm with Kirk. The Embassy is only concerned about the impact situations bear on immigration to the U.S. They have no interest in Russian legalities that do not affect the visa process.

[Chris Parker 11]

On her G-325A, she listed the address at which she'd been registered in her hometown of Kinishma, Ivanovo. However, her most recent job was in Ivanovo, Ivanovo. At the time we were filling out the docs, our attorney advised us only to list residences where she was registered (he was worried about problems with the Russian authorities)...

You are supposed to answer the question based on where you actually lived.

You have to get proper police certificates covering where she actually lived, ignoring the Russian registration system (which was ruled unconstitutional in 1991-92 but continues nevertheless).

At the interview, if asked about residences, she can tell them where she actually lived. The application can be corrected at that point.

The lawyer might have told you do otherwise presuming you won't be able to get police certificates from other than where she was registered. That might be good advice if it turns out to be true, but you still could explain instead why the police certificate is unobtainable and get it waived. The rule is not to "willfully misrepresent a material fact."

Edited February 21, 2008 by Chris Parker

[slim 1,514]

This is why I always say, "Fire your lawyer."

VJ will get the job done!

And she should be truthful. They don't care either way. Have her go in with the knowledge of what she listed and where she actually lived and why she did what she did but from what you're posting above, it doesn't sound like anything's wrong anyway. So she lived in one place and was registered another? So what.

[Satellite 1]

I think the problem most people are having in this issue is boils down to this:

1. Do I mentioned every place I lived in Russia even if I was registered there to the US folks?

2. Will the Russian folks withhold or even issue my police certificate and/or fine me for requesting a police certificate for places I have lived where I was never registered?

By answering truthfully to (1) as you should (US folks have no interest in upholding Russian laws); you open the great unknown which is (2). I have no answer or comment as to (2),

[Blues Fairy 0]

2. Will the Russian folks withhold or even issue my police certificate and/or fine me for requesting a police certificate for places I have lived where I was never registered?

The police certificate is issued by a govt structure that has not seen your G-325A information. They issue a clearance based on the registered addresses you provide directly to them, and the certificate states that the records were obtained for the entire territory of Russia, without listing specific towns or addresses. The Embassy accepts this formula no problem.

Therefore, one should list actual residences on G-325A and provide "registered" addresses to the ИЦ ГУВД and have no worries about the discrepancy.

[ben2 0]

Greetings All,

As I prepare to send Ira her docs for the the coming interview next month, I noticed something...

On her G-325A, she listed the address at which she'd been registered in her hometown of Kinishma, Ivanovo. However, her most recent job was in Ivanovo, Ivanovo. At the time we were filling out the docs, our attorney advised us only to list residences where she was registered (he was worried about problems with the Russian authorities)...

So, now I'm freaking out a bit. I can imagine the interviewer asking: "So you worked in Ivanovo, but lived in Kinishma. Commuting to work each day doesn't seem to be a staple of Russian life -- so how do you explain this?"

Do y'all think they're even likely to mention this? Any advice on how to explain it (without getting a big fat "denied" stamped on her application)? I don't want her to lie to the interviewer, but I also don't want to have them delay her entry over what amounts to a clerical mistake.

Any ideas at all?

Z

Don't worry about it, my fiancee had listed Ivanovo as the city she lived at till 2004 and listed Fryazino as the city she worked at since 2001 (She copied the info from her internal passport as well). At the interview they didn't ask anything about this and gave her the visa no prob. In the unlikely event they do ask about it, I would say the truth as to why it was written that way.

(I will update my timeline as well as write an interview review in a few days, have been really busy preparing for her arrival:)

[Jason-Sasha 1]

I've gotta agree with my boys here in the Russia forum. Its probably not a big deal at all. And it can be easily explained at the interview if the question comes up. be honest, and at worst they might delay the actual issuance of the visa until the receive the needed documents. Don't stress about this.

[mox 298]

I've gotta agree with my boys here in the Russia forum. Its probably not a big deal at all. And it can be easily explained at the interview if the question comes up. be honest, and at worst they might delay the actual issuance of the visa until the receive the needed documents. Don't stress about this.

Now dangit, is this Jason or Sasha?