Approximating when to file K-1.

[Cixelsyd 1]

I realize this can be considered a K-1 topic, but I'm greatly interested in feedback from people in the Russia forum, since I know average times differ from country to country. Not that I don't welcome information from everyone.

Anyway:

After trying to do some fuzzy mathematics and guesswork it seems that the average processing time is around 6-8 months from start to Visa. Then there is a 6 month period when the visa can be used.

Basically the future wifey and I are looking to get married mid July of 2010. In that case, I think the best time to file is going to be early/mid September (probably Sep. 7th) of this year. So the ideal plan is that she should have her visa some time around March/April of 2010. Then she will have the 6 months to use it, which puts us well in the range of a mid July wedding.

Possible Problems:

If she get's the Visa in 5 months or less; that could create a potential problem by placing her Visa expiration in late July. I don't want her to have any problems using her visa when it's about to expire. But I don't want to file any later in case of someone handling my paperwork misplaces it after an all night binge (or whatever other reason they have for keeping it longer).

Getting to the Point:

Do you think I should file earlier, later or has my 3rd grade level math finally pulled through?

Also, if anyone sees any potential pitfalls in my logic, please point it out.

Some Background in case it Helps:

We originally met in person last summer.

I visited her this winter in Russia (man Russia is fun btw).

She is hoping/planning on coming back this summer again.

I should be going to Russia again in the winter.

So, we should have plenty of evidence etc...

I easily clear the poverty level (I don't know how).

No former marriages on either of us.

She doesn't have any children and I don't have any that I know of.

So no criminal background or any other crazy thing I can think of that would hold us up. Should be smooth sailing when we file.

Almost forgot, we're planning on having an unofficial wedding in Russia and then spending some time there before coming to the States. Hence the reason a late July expiration would be a problem.

And in case you're just plain curious; we're waiting to file because we're waiting for her to graduate. That's University graduation, not high school and shame on those of you who thought the later.

Finally:

I know this is a really long post for such a simple question; but I thought you looked lonely.

[payxibka 10,045]

I realize this can be considered a K-1 topic, but I'm greatly interested in feedback from people in the Russia forum, since I know average times differ from country to country. Not that I don't welcome information from everyone.

Anyway:

After trying to do some fuzzy mathematics and guesswork it seems that the average processing time is around 6-8 months from start to Visa. Then there is a 6 month period when the visa can be used.

In addition, don't forget about the 90 days to get married after arrival... so as long as she arrives while the visa is still valid, you then get another 90 days to complete the ceremony

[K1researcher 0]

Not sure I understand why you are purposefully making this difficult.

at works she gets the visa early comes to the states and you get a justice of the peace to fulfill the AOS obligation then do the wedding in July.

I guess i am not understanding the reason behind not wanting to be together for another year plus ... You can have the wedding in July anyways.

anytime you bet on a time line with govt you are asking for problems. Just file and work out the time line after you get your visa.

[Cixelsyd 1]

In addition, don't forget about the 90 days to get married after arrival... so as long as she arrives while the visa is still valid, you then get another 90 days to complete the ceremony

The ceremony will be in Russia, we may just have a JP wedding or small party the day we get back to the States. I'm just trying to time it so the visa doesn't expire early or have us waiting after July. I should have mentioned her graduation will be in July, so getting married before that is somewhat unlikely.

Not sure I understand why you are purposefully making this difficult.

If I just took the easy way out, I would be married to my last girlfriend. And probably attempting to catch a bullet with my teeth right around now.

at works (worst) she gets the visa early comes to the states and you get a justice of the peace to fulfill the AOS obligation then do the wedding in July.

I guess I should have clarified that she graduates in early July (2010). This would mean having her try and take some time out of school. Although it's not a bad idea, depending on other facts. I'm not sure how easy it would be for her to turn around and get approval to go back to Russia until she graduates.

I guess i am not understanding the reason behind not wanting to be together for another year plus ... You can have the wedding in July anyways.

Believe me, -not- wanting to be together couldn't be further from the truth. But she only has 1 fricken year left til graduation. It would be selfish of me to take that away from her and her family when she is so close. She's already going to give up her life and home there to be with me.

Sometimes it sucks to make the right decision, but it's only a year versus the rest of our lives.

Not to mention the benefits of having a degree in the job market, but I don't suppose I have to explain that.

Also, having 4 months together this summer and a couple weeks in the winter helps ease the time apart.

anytime you bet on a time line with govt you are asking for problems. Just file and work out the time line after you get your visa.

Except taxes... you can depend on that every April 15th.

[mkg265 2]

Check the timeline for after NO2 approval till interview for Russia only. Some places have much longer wait lists for interviews than other countries. I would think Russia would have a longer wait than average. Do check though.

[baron555 934]

I'm no expert but I think you have it backwards. The K-1 is for the un-married fiancee to immigrate, unmarried, to the US and then legally get married here in the US (county legal marriage, not necessarily a church marriage).

You CAN NOT have her obtain the K-1 Visa and then you go to Russia to get married there first.

If you do that, then the conditions of the K-1 are void, since she would be entering the US as married. Understand?

What you can do is go over to Russia and get married then you leave and file a K-3 Visa and bring her over as married, but K-3 take longer to process.

What Alla and I are planning is bringing her over on the K-1, unmarried, then we legally marry at the county courthouse (no ceremony), then later we will go back to Russia and do something ceremony-wise later.

Maybe I' m reading your intentions wrong. If you want to time all for her graduation, then I guess waiting a bit would be prudent.

Phil

[baron555 934]

And, I'm sure you know that not all degrees obtained in Russia are directly transferreable to the states. It may be better to pull out of school there and complete it here if she has to undergo further schooling/accreditation here.

Others will have better advice I am sure.

[mox 298]

@baron555: They're talking about doing a ceremony without getting a marriage license in Russia. They will do the actual marriage license with a JoP in the US.

@Cixelsyd: File now. She has 6 months to use the visa. If you really feel like you need to get all the timing right, a 6 month leeway is going to pretty much guarantee that you'll make all your personal deadlines. If you file now, let's say you get lucky and you are NOA2 approved in 4 months. Another 3 months to the interview makes your wait 7 months total. If she waits exactly 6 months to use the visa, you have a grand total of 13 months in which to get all your plans squared away.

Cixelsysd, make sure she's cool with the "ceremony-only in Russia plan." The actual signing of the marriage license is a huge part of a Russian wedding. Without it, it's a little hollow. Many women would rather not go through with the non-licensed wedding in Russia, and instead do it later. If you've both talked it over already, then cool. Otherwise, make absolutely sure she's on board with it.

[Cixelsyd 1]

Check the timeline for after NO2 approval till interview for Russia only. Some places have much longer wait lists for interviews than other countries. I would think Russia would have a longer wait than average. Do check though.

Good call. I think it said the average was 61 days. Unless I read that wrong somewhere/somehow.

And, I'm sure you know that not all degrees obtained in Russia are directly transferreable to the states. It may be better to pull out of school there and complete it here if she has to undergo further schooling/accreditation here.

Right, we are taking a gamble on this one. I've talked to a lot of people who are in positions to hire foreign nationals and they've assured me it's not a problem. I guess we'll find out how truthful that is when the time comes. If nothing else, I'm sure it won't hurt.

@baron555: They're talking about doing a ceremony without getting a marriage license in Russia. They will do the actual marriage license with a JoP in the US.

Bullseye. I probably shouldn't have buried that fact near the end of my book. Most people fells asleep before getting to the end of my post.

@Cixelsyd: File now. She has 6 months to use the visa. If you really feel like you need to get all the timing right, a 6 month leeway is going to pretty much guarantee that you'll make all your personal deadlines. If you file now, let's say you get lucky and you are NOA2 approved in 4 months. Another 3 months to the interview makes your wait 7 months total. If she waits exactly 6 months to use the visa, you have a grand total of 13 months in which to get all your plans squared away.

There's the information I was wondering about. So the average from start to Visa for Russia is probably a little higher than 6-8 months, which means I can file earlier. Although 13 months from today does place us in April/May 2010. Again, we're shooting for July 2010. None the less, very good.

Cixelsysd, make sure she's cool with the "ceremony-only in Russia plan." The actual signing of the marriage license is a huge part of a Russian wedding. Without it, it's a little hollow. Many women would rather not go through with the non-licensed wedding in Russia, and instead do it later. If you've both talked it over already, then cool. Otherwise, make absolutely sure she's on board with it.

Actually, we have talked about this a lot and I'm glad you brought it up. It deviates from the original topic, but I would be interested in hearing what some other people have done to deal with this.

So far we're not sure exactly how we're going to do it, but we've thought about going and talking to someone at the Zags about doing everything except making it legal. Then some year come back to Russia and actually get stamped. We really haven't figured out the details, but it's a work in progress.

[mox 298]

Actually, we have talked about this a lot and I'm glad you brought it up. It deviates from the original topic, but I would be interested in hearing what some other people have done to deal with this.

In my case, we talked about doing exactly this, and she decided that if it wasn't going to be registered, she didn't want to do it. It was explained to me that having a wedding without the registration is like having a wedding in the US without exchanging vows. If she's fine with it, then cool. But don't be surprised if she doesn't want to do it.

So far we're not sure exactly how we're going to do it, but we've thought about going and talking to someone at the Zags about doing everything except making it legal. Then some year come back to Russia and actually get stamped. We really haven't figured out the details, but it's a work in progress.

You can't do this. Once you're married in the States, you're married everywhere in the world. You can't legally be married twice. Sure, you might get away with it, but you could also be opening up a can of worms in the future. If you want to be married in Russia, go the K3/IR-1 route instead. In fact, this might fit the timeline you want to work with a little better.

[Cixelsyd 1]

In my case, we talked about doing exactly this, and she decided that if it wasn't going to be registered, she didn't want to do it. It was explained to me that having a wedding without the registration is like having a wedding in the US without exchanging vows. If she's fine with it, then cool. But don't be surprised if she doesn't want to do it.

It was her idea. She probably has a better picture of the ordeal in her mind. I'm still just trying to figure out the crazy Russian wedding; can't wait though.

You can't do this. Once you're married in the States, you're married everywhere in the world. You can't legally be married twice. Sure, you might get away with it, but you could also be opening up a can of worms in the future.

This is something she actually told me. So I have very little info on this matter. But she talked to a friend who was married to someone from a different country and at some point in time they came back to Russia and filled out some documents which made it so the marriage was recognized by the Russian government.

Again, I don't really know exactly what she was referring to here, but I'm guessing the idea is that you fill out some documents that informs the Russian government of your marriage. Technically, I don't think they would know otherwise.

Again, this is just a shot in the dark and it's really not all that important anyway.

If you want to be married in Russia, go the K3/IR-1 route instead. In fact, this might fit the timeline you want to work with a little better.

I did think about this too. Feel free to correct me, but don't the K3 have a lot more problems/denials or overly extended wait times?

I'm not saying it's morally right, but it's the impression I've gotten so far when reading about the things people have gone through with them.

[baron555 934]

Cix and mox, I made the ceremony comments on purpose.

Cix, sounds like the K-1 would work. Can't you also ask for an extension on the interview date? (Question for the seasoned veterans.)

Read up on the traditional Russian wedding ceremony and celebrations and etiquette.

In short, it's a three day ordeal, with paper signing the first, big celebration the second with lots of kissing and lots of toasting and lots of drinking. The third day is more celebration with more kissing, toasting, and prepare to have your bride kidnapped and you must pay a ransom to get her back. All great fun.

I personally can not wait and sounds like you two are in the same boat. Good luck to us all.

Phil

[mox 298]

In my case, we talked about doing exactly this, and she decided that if it wasn't going to be registered, she didn't want to do it. It was explained to me that having a wedding without the registration is like having a wedding in the US without exchanging vows. If she's fine with it, then cool. But don't be surprised if she doesn't want to do it.

It was her idea. She probably has a better picture of the ordeal in her mind. I'm still just trying to figure out the crazy Russian wedding; can't wait though.

If it's her idea, by all means. Russian weddings are a site to behold, you'll be very fortunate to be participating in one.

You can't do this. Once you're married in the States, you're married everywhere in the world. You can't legally be married twice. Sure, you might get away with it, but you could also be opening up a can of worms in the future.

This is something she actually told me. So I have very little info on this matter. But she talked to a friend who was married to someone from a different country and at some point in time they came back to Russia and filled out some documents which made it so the marriage was recognized by the Russian government.

Again, I don't really know exactly what she was referring to here, but I'm guessing the idea is that you fill out some documents that informs the Russian government of your marriage. Technically, I don't think they would know otherwise.

Again, this is just a shot in the dark and it's really not all that important anyway.

Hmmm...well if what you're talking about involves them looking at your US marriage license and stamping some document for some reason, then ok yeah, there might be something to it. I'm sure someone a little more knowledgeable about Russian bureaucracy could answer this question. But as it stands, the Russian government will recognize your US marriage the moment you sign the marriage license.

If you want to be married in Russia, go the K3/IR-1 route instead. In fact, this might fit the timeline you want to work with a little better.

I did think about this too. Feel free to correct me, but don't the K3 have a lot more problems/denials or overly extended wait times?

I'm not saying it's morally right, but it's the impression I've gotten so far when reading about the things people have gone through with them.

As I understand it, most people are going the IR-1 route now instead of the K3 route. I'm nowhere near knowledgeable enough to say exactly why, but I get the impression that people are overall pretty happy with IR-1, and overall unhappy with the K3. Look at the timelines to see what you can expect for a processing time, and do some reading and/or posting in the K3/IR-1 forum to see what pitfalls and advantages may exist. But basically if you have all your ducks in a row, you shouldn't have a problem. If she really wants a wedding in Russia, this might be a better way to go. Signing the registry in Russia will make her wedding much more satisfying than it otherwise would be.

And post wedding pics here when you tie the knot. Slim (another VJ'er around these parts) likes nothing better than a good cry over some wedding pics and pie, while he polishes his guns.

[mox 298]

Cix and mox, I made the ceremony comments on purpose.

As I understood your comment, you believed he was talking about a legal marriage in Russia, in which case you would be right, the K1 would be invalidated. But to be clear, having a ceremony without registering the marriage doesn't void the K1, and this is what he's talking about.

[Chuckles 0]

Cix and mox, I made the ceremony comments on purpose.

As I understood your comment, you believed he was talking about a legal marriage in Russia, in which case you would be right, the K1 would be invalidated. But to be clear, having a ceremony without registering the marriage doesn't void the K1, and this is what he's talking about.

I tend to skip over lots of things when I read through here, but it sounds like he is going to do a K1, but do a ceremony without a 'license' in Russia?

If you do, do not use any, or take any of the pictures to the consulate as evidence. Do it, get it out of your system, then pretend it didn't happen. There are many stories where a ceremony took place, and couples were denied, even though no 'rules' were broken.

Read a few forums here, you are bound to find someone who got burned.