I very happy..

[ndalessandro 0]

I seriously do not anticipate any problems.

You said that her having a visa in hand, does little more than just give her the chance to stand in front of an immigration officer at the airport is not true.

A visa is access into a country, unless there is some outstanding circumstance not known at the time that would prevent someone access at the POE.

For every story of someone being denied at the POE, there are 10 stories of someone walking through with very little problems. If you read why someone was denied at the POE, most of the time, if not all the time it comes down to these reasons:

1. They violated a previous visa, either knowingly or unknowingly, by staying after it expired.

2. They have visited too often in a short frame of time. How does Customs determine what is too often, or too short a time frame... I do not know.

3. They have had criminal activity previously in the USA.

I have never, read any member here, ever, writing that they or there SO walked into the POE, visa in hand.. and customs said, "Oh, your a single woman? From Russia? Hmmmm... nope... don't trust you. Go back to russia"

If your visa has just been granted to you, and you have never been in the USA before... Customs already knows that in order for you to get that visa, you had to go to the American Consulate and interview, had to submit applications and documents proving your ties to your country, prove you will return to your country, the consulate already ran a background check to make sure your not a criminal. You got your visa, because you passed all of the suspicions.

Customs plays a much larger role at the POE when you try to re-enter. If your B-2 visa expires in 1 year.. and you already visited in the past and you want to come visit again, well you do not have to re-establish your ties at the consulate or re-interview. Because your visa is still good. So now, Customs has to verify your ties to your country and verify you plan on going back.

[Neonred 3,641]

I really doubt customs gives a damn who comes in as long as you are not bringing in contraban. Immigration, however does care.....

[mox 298]

I seriously do not anticipate any problems.

If she has all her ducks in a row, I wouldn't anticipate any problems either. But it's always good to be prepared.

You said that her having a visa in hand, does little more than just give her the chance to stand in front of an immigration officer at the airport is not true.

Department of State issues the visa. DoHS controls the border. They are 2 different departments, and just because DoS issues the visa doesn't obligate DoHS to accept it. Do some reading in the other forums, you will begin to understand how this process really works, as opposed to how it should work.

A visa is access into a country, unless there is some outstanding circumstance not known at the time that would prevent someone access at the POE.

Not true. A visa is a de facto invitation, not access. You are not guaranteed entry. In fact, they don't even have to give you a reason why you are being denied entry.

I have never, read any member here, ever, writing that they or there SO walked into the POE, visa in hand.. and customs said, "Oh, your a single woman? From Russia? Hmmmm... nope... don't trust you. Go back to russia"

I don't recall ever reading a VJ post about a single FSU woman obtaining a tourist visa at all, especially to visit her boyfriend. But I have read many posts about women from other countries, even Western countries, being denied entry into the US, and she and/or the boyfriend had the distinct impression it was because she was single and visiting her boyfriend, and the PoE officers were not convinced that her visit was temporary. I've seen other posts where the contents of the luggage gave the officer a reasonable suspicion that the visitor was entering for reasons other than tourism, such as more than a couple weeks worth of clothes or a wedding dress. A tourist visa held by a young, single lady is going to come under more scrutiny, especially if she is from a FSU or other high fraud country.

I'm not saying that you should resign yourself to her being denied. But you also need to be realistic in your understanding of the process. You seem to be under the impression that her visa is guaranteed admission. I'm saying there's nothing guaranteed about it, and there's a TON of evidence on this site alone to back me up on that. Just be prepared is all.

[ndalessandro 0]

I seriously do not anticipate any problems.

If she has all her ducks in a row, I wouldn't anticipate any problems either. But it's always good to be prepared.

You said that her having a visa in hand, does little more than just give her the chance to stand in front of an immigration officer at the airport is not true.

Department of State issues the visa. DoHS controls the border. They are 2 different departments, and just because DoS issues the visa doesn't obligate DoHS to accept it. Do some reading in the other forums, you will begin to understand how this process really works, as opposed to how it should work.

A visa is access into a country, unless there is some outstanding circumstance not known at the time that would prevent someone access at the POE.

Not true. A visa is a de facto invitation, not access. You are not guaranteed entry. In fact, they don't even have to give you a reason why you are being denied entry.

I have never, read any member here, ever, writing that they or there SO walked into the POE, visa in hand.. and customs said, "Oh, your a single woman? From Russia? Hmmmm... nope... don't trust you. Go back to russia"

I don't recall ever reading a VJ post about a single FSU woman obtaining a tourist visa at all, especially to visit her boyfriend. But I have read many posts about women from other countries, even Western countries, being denied entry into the US, and she and/or the boyfriend had the distinct impression it was because she was single and visiting her boyfriend, and the PoE officers were not convinced that her visit was temporary. I've seen other posts where the contents of the luggage gave the officer a reasonable suspicion that the visitor was entering for reasons other than tourism, such as more than a couple weeks worth of clothes or a wedding dress. A tourist visa held by a young, single lady is going to come under more scrutiny, especially if she is from a FSU or other high fraud country.

I'm not saying that you should resign yourself to her being denied. But you also need to be realistic in your understanding of the process. You seem to be under the impression that her visa is guaranteed admission. I'm saying there's nothing guaranteed about it, and there's a TON of evidence on this site alone to back me up on that. Just be prepared is all.

I am not implying it is guaranteed. What I am implying is that the chances of customs stoping someone, who is visiting for less than a month, has just gotten their visa from the consulate, has no prior history of violating a visa in past, etc, are slim to none.

Customs and Consulate are two different departments. But Customs also knows when someone walks up to their little desk with there new little visa, that the consulate already interviewed and established that this person has strong ties to their country, and will be returning. Because if this person could not prove that to the consulate..... guess what? They would not be standing there with a visa in hand.

The Customs steps up more on people who try to re-enter the USA.

Now, I agree with you. If my SO had a wedding dress in her luggage, or she had 3 weeks of clothes... and a bunch of family pictures etc, they she may send off a red flag.

But than again, so would someone who was carrying contraband on them.

The problem with Single russian women.. not being granted access to the USA that you read about so many times from members here.. is that they NEVER even get the visa from the consulate to begin with. Those who did get their visa for the first time from the consulate, typically enter the USA just fine, as a previous poster (Slim) stated.

[Bobalouie 0]

I seriously do not anticipate any problems.

If she has all her ducks in a row, I wouldn't anticipate any problems either. But it's always good to be prepared.

You said that her having a visa in hand, does little more than just give her the chance to stand in front of an immigration officer at the airport is not true.

Department of State issues the visa. DoHS controls the border. They are 2 different departments, and just because DoS issues the visa doesn't obligate DoHS to accept it. Do some reading in the other forums, you will begin to understand how this process really works, as opposed to how it should work.

A visa is access into a country, unless there is some outstanding circumstance not known at the time that would prevent someone access at the POE.

Not true. A visa is a de facto invitation, not access. You are not guaranteed entry. In fact, they don't even have to give you a reason why you are being denied entry.

I have never, read any member here, ever, writing that they or there SO walked into the POE, visa in hand.. and customs said, "Oh, your a single woman? From Russia? Hmmmm... nope... don't trust you. Go back to russia"

I don't recall ever reading a VJ post about a single FSU woman obtaining a tourist visa at all, especially to visit her boyfriend. But I have read many posts about women from other countries, even Western countries, being denied entry into the US, and she and/or the boyfriend had the distinct impression it was because she was single and visiting her boyfriend, and the PoE officers were not convinced that her visit was temporary. I've seen other posts where the contents of the luggage gave the officer a reasonable suspicion that the visitor was entering for reasons other than tourism, such as more than a couple weeks worth of clothes or a wedding dress. A tourist visa held by a young, single lady is going to come under more scrutiny, especially if she is from a FSU or other high fraud country.

I'm not saying that you should resign yourself to her being denied. But you also need to be realistic in your understanding of the process. You seem to be under the impression that her visa is guaranteed admission. I'm saying there's nothing guaranteed about it, and there's a TON of evidence on this site alone to back me up on that. Just be prepared is all.

I am not implying it is guaranteed. What I am implying is that the chances of customs stoping someone, who is visiting for less than a month, has just gotten their visa from the consulate, has no prior history of violating a visa in past, etc, are slim to none.

Customs and Consulate are two different departments. But Customs also knows when someone walks up to their little desk with there new little visa, that the consulate already interviewed and established that this person has strong ties to their country, and will be returning. Because if this person could not prove that to the consulate..... guess what? They would not be standing there with a visa in hand.

The Customs steps up more on people who try to re-enter the USA.

Now, I agree with you. If my SO had a wedding dress in her luggage, or she had 3 weeks of clothes... and a bunch of family pictures etc, they she may send off a red flag.

But than again, so would someone who was carrying contraband on them.

The problem with Single russian women.. not being granted access to the USA that you read about so many times from members here.. is that they NEVER even get the visa from the consulate to begin with. Those who did get their visa for the first time from the consulate, typically enter the USA just fine, as a previous poster (Slim) stated.

I think you are a little naive about this process. There are 3 places where you can get denied. 2 are when dealing with the USCIS and one at the DOS. USCIS looks at your stuff and if they deem that you meet/dont meet the filing requirements you are approved/denied the chance to appear at a consulate for further scruitiny. Then DOS looks at your stuff at the consulate and determines, in their estimation if you are being forthright in your application. They then approve or deny your actual visa. If, while under further scruitiny at the POE, the USCIS determines that you are not being forthright, then you are denined entry to the country.

Will they single her out? Whos to say, because like Mox, I cant remember a single instance of a tourist visa being granted to a person's girlfriend. Family members, yes, girlfriends, no. It would not surprise me to hear that she gets increased scruitiny at the POE. If not, great!

[mox 298]

What I am implying is that the chances of customs stoping someone, who is visiting for less than a month, has just gotten their visa from the consulate, has no prior history of violating a visa in past, etc, are slim to none.

This statement does not align with what I've been reading on VJ for over a year.

Look, I'm not trying to scare you or start a fight. If she's got everything in order and has no problems at the PoE, then I think her odds of entering the country are pretty good. I'm amazed and impressed that she was able to get a tourist visa, and would love to hear more details on why you think she managed to get one. With any luck it will help others trying to do the same thing. I'm also happy for you both that she will be coming to check out what will hopefully be her new home. Moledets to you both, and please keep us all up to date on your progress!

Edited September 29, 2008 by mox

[ndalessandro 0]

What I am implying is that the chances of customs stoping someone, who is visiting for less than a month, has just gotten their visa from the consulate, has no prior history of violating a visa in past, etc, are slim to none.

This statement does not align with what I've been reading on VJ for over a year.

Look, I'm not trying to scare you or start a fight. If she's got everything in order and has no problems at the PoE, then I think her odds of entering the country are pretty good. I'm amazed and impressed that she was able to get a tourist visa, and would love to hear more details on why you think she managed to get one. With any luck it will help others trying to do the same thing. I'm also happy for you both that she will be coming to check out what will hopefully be her new home. Moledets to you both, and please keep us all up to date on your progress!

Believe me, I am surprised she got it to. I would be a liar if I said I was not preparing my application for tourist visa, to submit to the Russian embassy in D.C. again.

But when I talked to her the day of her interview, she said the CO was very nice and pleasent to her. He asked her how she and I met, he inquired into my visit to her in July, he inquired to why she was visiting the USA.

Her answer to the CO, of why she is visiting the USA, was for vacation purposes and to meet my parents. She explained that I came in July to meet her and to meet her parents (nice people by the way. Her family was nice actually). And she told him that her and I think it would be nice if she could come and meet my parents and see where I live.

The documents she included in her application package that she mailed to the consulate was:

DS156

A letter from her job, official letter head, with her chief's signature stating her departure date and return date to work. She works as a lawyer for the Russian government

Her Financial statements showing her income and savings

Her bank statements showing that she owns her own flat

Various documents showing her ties to a large extended family, including her brothers, her sick father, mother, many cousins, nieces and nephews

A letter of invite from me, stating I will be financially responsible for her visit, That I am paying for her travel to and from russia, outlining the purpose of her visit, my parents address in delaware that she will be staying at and my address in florida that she will be staying at.

And that's about it.

She said the interview at the consulate took about 5 minutes with the CO. The wait is roughly about 1.5 hours, but the actual interview was very short.

Like I said though, I am as surprised as anyone of her approval. The only thing i can think of, is that her job in the russian government helped her somehow get an approval for the visa. Maybe the consulate figures that being a lawyer for the government is a well-paying job, and a good job at that, that she wouldn't just abandon that so quickly.

Plus, I never asked her to disclose her financial statements to me. Maybe she has a bunch of money in her bank accounts. Because I know sometimes people are denied Tourist Visas, because the consulate deems that they have insufficient funds to cover any travel expenses that may result from traveling abroad.

I know that the russian consulates tend to have a very high denial rate, just like china. But as the poster Slim stated before, the women who manage to get approval for visa, typically have no problems passing through POE.

Nick

[Neonred 3,641]

Looks like there is a BIG difference in getting a tourist visa out of one of the consulates in Russia vs the embassy in Moscow.

[slim 1,530]

I don't believe it was a RU forum member. This was in the "case status" forum IIRC.

So, it does not apply to this case.

I post mainly in the RU forum nowadays, but I do still hop around and see what's going on with other people. And one of the things I've noticed is that couples here in the RU forum have had some mostly very good luck. But look outside the RU forum. There are some real horror stories.

Which is why you should stick to the Russia Forum. Don't worry about all those "horror stories." Read what folks did here. That's it.

the absolute most critical piece, and the piece that is most out of your hands, is her getting past that immigration agent. He does not have to honor her visa, and he can come up with any reason he wants for refusing entry.

That is simply not true. This should be the easiest part. It should already be a done deal by this point and there should be no question what-so-ever. She should basically walk right on in.

In the case of the original poster, as far as USCIS is concerned all her visa gets her is the opportunity to stand in front of an immigration officer at the airport to justify her existence. If she were coming in on a K visa, I wouldn't be so concerned. But as a single FSU woman coming to visit her boyfriend on a tourist visa, she's going to get extra scrutiny at the very least. I would want to be very prepared.

And now I see your point.

A K-visa is a walk in the park compared to a tourist visa. Not that they can't deny entry to a K-visa, but it's guranteed there's going to be a pissed off USC waiting on the other side. A pissed off USC that's spent thousands of dollars and who knows how many months and years waiting on this person to arrive. A USC that's petitioned the govt. for their beneficiary's arrival. So, if they are to deny, even to delay, there will be consequences and repercussions. Plus, most K-visas have all their ducks in a row because they've been checked time and time again and this is simply the "final stop" of the long process. (Not counting AOS, of course. But, the K process is several months, if not years and by that time usually both the petitioner and beneficiary are pretty well aware of all the regulations and procedures so it makes entry pretty easy, especially those from Russia. They've been screened pretty hard already.)

The OP's situation is slightly different in that they have concurrently filed for K-visa but were already issued a B-visa as well. I see where you're going with this mox, and I don't disagree, however, I believe since it was issued from Russia, with Russia already having the "pre-screened" reputation, that they'll encounter no problems at POE. Plus, she has a good job and well-outlined travel plans, so although it's not a K-visa, and even though she is coming to visit her boyfriend, it should be a pretty easy pass. The standard is to have a valid reason to enter the U.S. and a need to return. She more than fits that bill.

I don't recall ever reading a VJ post about a single FSU woman obtaining a tourist visa at all, especially to visit her boyfriend. But I have read many posts about women from other countries, even Western countries, being denied entry into the US, and she and/or the boyfriend had the distinct impression it was because she was single and visiting her boyfriend, and the PoE officers were not convinced that her visit was temporary. I've seen other posts where the contents of the luggage gave the officer a reasonable suspicion that the visitor was entering for reasons other than tourism, such as more than a couple weeks worth of clothes or a wedding dress. A tourist visa held by a young, single lady is going to come under more scrutiny, especially if she is from a FSU or other high fraud country.

I'm not saying that you should resign yourself to her being denied. But you also need to be realistic in your understanding of the process. You seem to be under the impression that her visa is guaranteed admission. I'm saying there's nothing guaranteed about it, and there's a TON of evidence on this site alone to back me up on that. Just be prepared is all.

Like I alluded to above with mox's points, I believe the scrutiny isn't going to be at the POE from some random officer, it's going to come from back home. Since Russia/FSU is a high-fraud place, I believe that actually helps the visitor at POE.

I've yet to hear of a single person in the Russia Forum, visitor or family member, being denied at POE and sent back. That is a direct reflection of the visitor being "pre-screened" in Russia/FSU before they arrive. The application process in some other countries is sometimes extremely easy, and that's why there's a higher instance of POE problems. By contrast, getting a visa from Russia/FSU is "hard" so folks coming in from Russia/FSU have already passed the test and don't need increased scrutiny.

Will they single her out? Whos to say, because like Mox, I cant remember a single instance of a tourist visa being granted to a person's girlfriend. Family members, yes, girlfriends, no. It would not surprise me to hear that she gets increased scruitiny at the POE. If not, great!

This is the first time I've heard of a "girlfriend" getting a visitor visa as a "girlfriend."

There could be a variety of reasons for this but I'm thinking the most notable is she has a well defined itinerary signed off by the USC and a good job, which establishes a valid reason to return. Coupled with the K-1 filing, this is exactly what a visitor visa is supposed to be issued for.

That said, if she shows up to the POE and the first thing she says when asked why she's coming to the U.S. is "because I miss my fiance so much." They might raise an eyebrow. But, if she says, "I'm here for a two week visit to meet my fiance's parents, then I have to get back home, do a little government work and sort out some business before our K-1 goes through. Hopefully, I'll be back here in a few months!" It's more possible they'll "buy" her story.

I've said this many times on here before and I'll say it again in this instance..... they want to see a certain picture. Paint it for them and you'll be just fine.

Looks like there is a BIG difference in getting a tourist visa out of one of the consulates in Russia vs the embassy in Moscow.

There may be some truth to that because my sister-in-law got hers way out in Vladivostok at the "tiny little consulate" and not at the "big" embassy in Moscow.

Like all other things in Russia, I'm assuming it has more to do with payoffs, bribery, and transparency than anything else. What slides through in a geographically separated, small, consular office would probably be viewed with more scrutiny in the big city.

[ndalessandro 0]

Well, I figured I would let everyone know, I met my SO at JFK airport in New York on OCT 18th.

It took about 45 minutes for her to process through customs/immigration.

I asked her how customs went, she said it was just a long wait. I asked what questions they asked her and she said nothing. They asked her no questions. She walked up, handed her visa to the gentleman and waited for him to finish on his computer.

We finished visiting my parents and flew to my home in florida on the 23rd where we presently are. My parents love her and think she is adorable and resolute.

Anyway, I have to make this message a little short, I'm taking her to the park now to go walk.

Cya's

Nick

[ndalessandro 0]

Well, I figured I would let everyone know, I met my SO at JFK airport in New York on OCT 18th.

It took about 45 minutes for her to process through customs/immigration.

I asked her how customs went, she said it was just a long wait. I asked what questions they asked her and she said nothing. They asked her no questions. She walked up, handed her visa to the gentleman and waited for him to finish on his computer.

We finished visiting my parents and flew to my home in florida on the 23rd where we presently are. My parents love her and think she is adorable and resolute.

Anyway, I have to make this message a little short, I'm taking her to the park now to go walk.

Cya's

Nick

And I want to add, to clear up confusion, this is for the Tourist visa, not K-1 Visa.

[slim 1,530]

My parents love her and think she is adorable and resolute.

Adorable and resolute?

That's a good way of saying "well, she's kind of a snobby b!tch, but she's cute!"

Adorable and resolute is how I'd describe just about every Russian woman I've met.... it's also the same reaction I got from my parents when I introduced my wife; except, my parents are more the Jerry Springer type so I heard "well, she's kind of a snobby b!tch, but she's cute!" If they knew what resolute meant I'm sure they would've sugarcoated it much in the same way your parents did. (For the record, my "college educated" side of the family used big words like resolute when they met her.... but they meant the same thing.)

Anyway, I have to make this message a little short, I'm taking her to the park now to go walk.

Yeah, I had to "walk my wife" for the first couple months she was here. She's "house trained" now so she doesn't need to go so often. Every now and again she still does so I just open the door and let her out on her own to do her business. She comes back after a half hour or so.

The one good thing is you'll never have to worry about her sticking her head out the window while you're driving; Russian women are allergic to moving air. "Wind" will make them sick whether it's cold or hot. You've got a whole bunch of these cute little cultural differences to learn......

GOOD LUCK!!!

[mox 298]

Congrats ndalessandro!

[Ban Hammer 13,512]

Yeah, I had to "walk my wife" for the first couple months she was here. She's "house trained" now so she doesn't need to go so often. Every now and again she still does so I just open the door and let her out on her own to do her business. She comes back after a half hour or so.

The one good thing is you'll never have to worry about her sticking her head out the window while you're driving; Russian women are allergic to moving air. "Wind" will make them sick whether it's cold or hot. You've got a whole bunch of these cute little cultural differences to learn......

GOOD LUCK!!!

[ndalessandro 0]

My parents love her and think she is adorable and resolute.

Adorable and resolute?

That's a good way of saying "well, she's kind of a snobby b!tch, but she's cute!"

Adorable and resolute is how I'd describe just about every Russian woman I've met.... it's also the same reaction I got from my parents when I introduced my wife; except, my parents are more the Jerry Springer type so I heard "well, she's kind of a snobby b!tch, but she's cute!" If they knew what resolute meant I'm sure they would've sugarcoated it much in the same way your parents did. (For the record, my "college educated" side of the family used big words like resolute when they met her.... but they meant the same thing.)

Anyway, I have to make this message a little short, I'm taking her to the park now to go walk.

Yeah, I had to "walk my wife" for the first couple months she was here. She's "house trained" now so she doesn't need to go so often. Every now and again she still does so I just open the door and let her out on her own to do her business. She comes back after a half hour or so.

The one good thing is you'll never have to worry about her sticking her head out the window while you're driving; Russian women are allergic to moving air. "Wind" will make them sick whether it's cold or hot. You've got a whole bunch of these cute little cultural differences to learn......

GOOD LUCK!!!

LOL about the wind! Your not joking She is so afraid of getting sick/cold it is amazing. But it is tolerable. As for my parents, they really did think she was amazing. They thought she was very respectful, very mannered, very caring, ect ect.