Here we go!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Sergey's girl, Dasha, has a visa interview for a visitor visa on November 23, 2011 in Yekaterinaburg (closer to her home address and she has heard they are "easier" than Moscow on issuing visas) Who knows? I do not imagine they are though.

we are hoping an invitation letter, and documentation that she has a full scholarship for a masters degree and is a student will help. They plan to come for 3 weeks in January. Her parents are failry well off but I do not know if any info about that would help, they aren't applying for the visa, she is.

Any tips I can give her will be appreciated.

[Inna & Brian 11]

You are asking for tips?!? You are the VJ guru!

Good luck to your son and his girl. I hope she gets the visa.

[ONA 133]

I don't know what to say... It's always 50/50 - she either has her visa approved or not...

It's a little harder to get a visitor visa for a young girl than it is for anybody else, but there always is a chance.

BTW, I also heard that Ekaterinburg Consulate is easier, while the one in Saint-Petersburg is the toughest.

[Misha & Ira 113]

It seems to me that over the summer Clinton visited Russia and the fall out was that the former tightness in Russians being obtain a visitor visa was loosened significantly.

All the same, our prayers are with you that she be granted a visa.

Edited October 28, 2011 by Misha & Ira

[Misha & Ira 113]

Here are a couple links....

http://www.migrationexpert.com/visa/us_immigration_news/2011/jul/0/364/the_united_states_and_russia_agreed_to_ease_visa_rules_by_this_year

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110330/163276647.html

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

You are asking for tips?!? You are the VJ guru!

Good luck to your son and his girl. I hope she gets the visa.

have -0- experience with visitor visas in Russia. If there is any other documentation she can bring that would be great

She was denied for a visitor visa in June 2010 for not enough evidence or some such.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I don't know what to say... It's always 50/50 - she either has her visa approved or not...

It's a little harder to get a visitor visa for a young girl than it is for anybody else, but there always is a chance.

BTW, I also heard that Ekaterinburg Consulate is easier, while the one in Saint-Petersburg is the toughest.

I think you are probably right. I would like for her to come but I am not holding my breath. I am sure Sergey would really like for her to come. Alla is like "meh, so what?"

The new online system too some figuring out, but we finally got it.

[SMR 368]

The one thing I have always seen as helpful is past international travel. Obviously that's something that you have or you don't. But if she has traveled and fulfilled the conditions of other visas (UK or Schengen are good), then bringing evidence of that would help.

[slim 1,514]

You are asking for tips?!? You are the VJ guru!

Yeah, what's going on here?

The only tip I would give her is for her during the interview to make it sound like, "ah, whatever. My boyfriend wants me to go with him to meet his mom and stepdad and I'm all like, whatever, if you want me to go, I'll go. But, we have to get back here quickly because I have to get back to school. And all my friends are here too but he's all like, come on babe, go with me, so, they live in this little town, and, whatever. I'll go for two weeks. It can't be that bad. But then I've gotta be back here because I've got stuff to do."

Interested, but not too interested. She needs a reason to go back and no permanent attachment to being here. Maybe even something like, "ha! The last thing I wanna do is go there to spend time with his mom!"

If she gets interviewed by a chick, she'll get the visa for sure. "Girl, I know that's right. My man's momma is a biaatch." If it's a guy, she'll probably get it too. "I can't believe she's so indifferent about all this but boy is she hot!"

Done.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Yeah, what's going on here?

The only tip I would give her is for her during the interview to make it sound like, "ah, whatever. My boyfriend wants me to go with him to meet his mom and stepdad and I'm all like, whatever, if you want me to go, I'll go. But, we have to get back here quickly because I have to get back to school. And all my friends are here too but he's all like, come on babe, go with me, so, they live in this little town, and, whatever. I'll go for two weeks. It can't be that bad. But then I've gotta be back here because I've got stuff to do."

Interested, but not too interested. She needs a reason to go back and no permanent attachment to being here. Maybe even something like, "ha! The last thing I wanna do is go there to spend time with his mom!"

If she gets interviewed by a chick, she'll get the visa for sure. "Girl, I know that's right. My man's momma is a biaatch." If it's a guy, she'll probably get it too. "I can't believe she's so indifferent about all this but boy is she hot!"

Done.

I will cut and paste this to Sergey. And I think she is pretty good looking but Alla is like "Yeah, whatever"

[Brad and Vika 129]

I'm all like wishing her luck

[sachinky 464]

One past B2 denial, young unmarried girl, boyfriend in the US. Slim chances of a tourist visa, honestly, but she won't know till she gives it a shot. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I'd go with Slim's advice. A perceived air of nonchalance would be my advice.

Good luck!

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

One past B2 denial, young unmarried girl, boyfriend in the US. Slim chances of a tourist visa, honestly, but she won't know till she gives it a shot. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I'd go with Slim's advice. A perceived air of nonchalance would be my advice.

Good luck!

Except her boyfriend is not "in the US", he is a student with her at MIPT. The consulate will know what MIPT is (MIT is the MIPT of the US) and they both have full paid scholarships for Master's degrees. We are hoping that will be the "compelling reason" to return.

She was not his girlfriend when she was denied before and did not have a full scholarship at the time. She also did not bring ANY information with her to the interview other than "I would like to visit the US this summer!" Past visitor denials are not necessarily a problem, we have seen many here...denied, denied, denied, approved.

But we will see.

[Girl from Celebes 588]

Sergey's girl, Dasha, has a visa interview for a visitor visa on November 23, 2011 in Yekaterinaburg (closer to her home address and she has heard they are "easier" than Moscow on issuing visas) Who knows? I do not imagine they are though.

we are hoping an invitation letter, and documentation that she has a full scholarship for a masters degree and is a student will help. They plan to come for 3 weeks in January. Her parents are failry well off but I do not know if any info about that would help, they aren't applying for the visa, she is.

Any tips I can give her will be appreciated.

I hope her visa would been approved. I was going to visit my bf at that time (my fiance now) and I brought many documents, including letter from my employer that I would back for work commitment, bank accounts, credit cards billing statements, my insurance. I just did not bring invitation letter from my boyfriend. ( I think I already wrote about this many times on VJ )

When The CO lady asked me with whom I will stay during vacation I said my boyfriend and she starred at me and said," sorry we are really strict about issuing visa.". Oops, don't tell CO that she wants to visit her boyfriend because maybe they would think she'll going to marry her bf, doing AOS, and etc..etc. Even I showed her that I work at reputable company in my country and I would not just giving away my job without any logical reason, she still pending my visa and put note that I need to apply K-1 visa.

Edited October 29, 2011 by Girl from Celebes

[Girl from Celebes 588]

One past B2 denial, young unmarried girl, boyfriend in the US. Slim chances of a tourist visa, honestly, but she won't know till she gives it a shot. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I'd go with Slim's advice. A perceived air of nonchalance would be my advice.

Good luck!

Yes it is true. They put on hold my tourits visa and gave me green ticket with note that I need to apply K-1 visa. I was even brought too many documents to proved it that I would going back to my country and not stay there FOREVER. My guess, CO's always thinking that people outside of US put their mind that The grass is greener on the other side.