Tourist Visa while on a K-1?

[AKguy 1]

No, AOS is Adjustment of Status.

Afficavit of Support is called Affidavit of Support

Yeah, I was clarifying what I had meant by AOS in my previous message. I meant it as Affidavit of support.

[slim 1,530]

There is no actual "sponsorship" but if you do the papers and sign them as "person preparing form" then you're pretty much sponsoring her over, especially if you include an affidavit of support.

But, why would you sponsor a young attractive woman? Kind of leads me to believe she'd be coming for romantic purposes and not on a "tour."

Stick to the "tour" for a tourist visa. Find a tour company to make an invitation letter for her and book a tour through them. Have a local travel company draw up some papers for her or make reservations through the nearest travel destination. Shouldn't be too hard in AK, right?

[AKguy 1]

There is no actual "sponsorship" but if you do the papers and sign them as "person preparing form" then you're pretty much sponsoring her over, especially if you include an affidavit of support.

But, why would you sponsor a young attractive woman? Kind of leads me to believe she'd be coming for romantic purposes and not on a "tour."

Stick to the "tour" for a tourist visa. Find a tour company to make an invitation letter for her and book a tour through them. Have a local travel company draw up some papers for her or make reservations through the nearest travel destination. Shouldn't be too hard in AK, right?

The reservations are doable, but we're talking about getting into some big deposit numbers too since you're not going to be able to reserve a 1-2 month tour with one outfit. No one offers a tour quite like that. (I sense a business idea brewing here..)

Her latest round of indecisiveness has gone back to a regular invitation from someone other than myself. I'll save you from the details, lets just say it's simplistic. Ok, room and board and an RV trip around the state.

I'm getting a little cooked with all of this to be honest. Good thing I love her!

Would the computer at the POE be able to tell the officer she talks to that there is a K-1 pending for her? The only time she's going to be able to visit in around August... I'd really like to file sooner than that. (I know, forget about the tourist visa...) I would go back to Russia if she can't make it here as a tourist, but I'll only have a week of vacation accrued. They need a Fiancee in waiting visa... you try to overstay and you're screwed.

[slim 1,530]

There is no "sponsorship" and I'm not sure if the POE official can see if she has a K-1 pending (don't know how they could other than if she has an A-number already assigned) or not, but - You guys have to decide what you're going to do and you have to decide soon.

I think she could get a tourist visa to come here by August but the only way that's going to happen is if she has no K-1 pending. You're going to have to file for the K-1 after the B visa is all said and done with. For the B visa, she's probably better off to go with her "setting up the college stuff" as opposed to a bogus month long tour through some operator of a tour that doesn't even exist. The way these B visas work is she has to have a valid reason to enter the U.S. and things to make her go back home. There are hoops they want her to jump through and in order to get the visa, she'll have to jump through them. That said, there's nothing that says once she has the visa she can't stay for a little while longer.... (B visas are good for like 90 days or six months even.)

Have you guys met in person? (Checking timeline.....and then realizing you have an avatar pic of you two together in person. DUH!) Maybe she could list her reason for wanting to visit the U.S. as wanting to come see you before a K-1 is filed but since she has so much on her plate back home she only wants to come for a visit, see if the spark is still there, then go back home to finish up business and wait for K-1 stuff. (Remember, you're convincing the embassy officer there's a valid reason to visit then return. Generally "love interest" is frowned upon, but the way things are going recently, I wouldn't count out a "visit to a possible K-1 on down the road" as a valid reason for tourist visa.) If you were to set up the whole thing as outlined in this paragraph, you could "sponsor" her by doing the paperwork and affidavit of support.

Basically, whatever you do you have to get your story straight and then stick to it. Honestly, if I was you, I'd file K-1 today, talk on the phone for the next six months, save the vacation time and ALL THE MONEY you can, and then bring her over here and get married. You're going to end up doing that eventually, right? Only difference is if you try to have her come here or you go there you're going to end up with no vacation time, about $3000 less money, and then not be married (and living together) for at least an extra few months. Skip all that extra stuff and just be a little more patient. You can do it. And what's more, since she's a Russian woman, she's only doing all this to see if you'll "tell her" what's going to happen. Get all this, "well, maybe we could do this... if you want" ####### out of your head. You are the man and you must tell her what's going to happen in your relationship.

"But Slim, I miss her and she misses me. We have to see each other soon." Think long term. Doing something like a B-visa may delay your K-visa by several months, if not more. Plus, it's also going to clean out your money and erase your vacation time. Maybe she'd like for you to miss a day or two of work when you get married? Honeymoon maybe? If you have use or lose vacation or if you'll get more by that time, great! Use your time off to sit at home, drive to Kinkos/FedEx, and get that K-visa done! And don't forget, tell her what's going to happen. Sugarcoat it if necessary, but make the decision and go with it.

[eekee 182]

Another option is to go on vacation together to another country, if you don't want to go to Russia. How about a jaunt to Crimea? That way you both won't have to deal with visas. Too bad Thailand has so much unrest right now; that's a visa-free place for Russians.

[baron555 934]

I agree with the Slimster here. Save the time and money and file the K-1 and get going.

As my Alla and I do, Skype with each other as much as possible. The time will fly; we are at 67 days into our journey.

There is much to do and talk about. I too would like to go back to visit but we both agree the money spent will just pay for more preschool.

I too am saving up my vacation time for the time when she first gets here. Actually she is worried that it may take her a few days to get used to the time difference. So I may not stay at home when she first arrives and wait until she's acclimated and then we go on vacation.

I fire up my laptop with webcam and walk around the house and the yard giving her live video feed with commentary. She does the same from her flat.

I also have been taking tons of pictures of everything that I do and everywhere I go. Here's the gas station, here's what a Walgreens looks like plus the inside, here's the tollway, etc. This way she has some idea of what everything looks like and has a photo to match what I tell her.

Of course I use the opportunity to play some psychological warfare: photo of the hammock out back, pictures of some nice BBQ on the grill, strawberries at the market, and papaya. She has never had fresh papaya.....Well my dear, you must come then!

[slim 1,530]

Too bad Thailand has so much unrest right now; that's a visa-free place for Russians.

There's nothing free about Thailand! Just getting there is going to set you back several grand. (Thailand is on my bucket list though.)

I too am saving up my vacation time for the time when she first gets here. Actually she is worried that it may take her a few days to get used to the time difference. So I may not stay at home when she first arrives and wait until she's acclimated and then we go on vacation.

A wise idea. Maybe a day or two initially, but then get back to work so she can adjust to your home's normal schedule. Stick to it for two or three weeks, then take a little vacation together.

[eekee 182]

Airfare from Russia to Thailand is pretty cheap though. If you do it up high-style it's expensive, but I know lots of Russians who go there on vacation and do it for relatively cheap.

[SMR 368]

My thoughts on the topic: Getting a B2 visitor visa is getting a lot easier. I recommend having her apply for the B2 visa immediately. It is actually a reasonably easy process and could be done in a week or two. The visa is good for a year. So get it now. Then send in your K1 application. Then she can come.

The real question then becomes crossing the border (even if she has a visa, they don't have to let her in and might not if they know you have a K1 pending). Make sure she isn't wearing a ring and doesn't talk about you on the border and they probably won't ask about K1. Say your length of stay is around 1 month. This will attract less attention.

There are risks here of course. They may not give her B2 and then you lose $131. They may give B2 but not let her cross the border and then you lose $131 and airfare. But it shouldn't hurt your chances of getting K1 and might actually help because if you visit it increases your ongoing relationship evidence.

[AKguy 1]

I emailed the consul in Yekaterinburg last night this question.

To whom it may concern:

I have a question concerning the tourist visa and K-1 visa. I am an American citizen and this is what my Russian fiancee and I are trying to do. We are sending in a K-1 petition and also would like her to get a tourist visa for her to visit me and my family in the states.

We know the US laws concerning "intending immigrants" and the proof she'll need to show to prove she'll be going back to Russia after the tourist visa expires. We have NO intention of breaking any laws and want to do this by the book. We do not want to jeopardize the K-1 visa.

She will be required to show proof that she is not intending to stay in the US while on the tourist visa, she will provide written proof of her current job, car and land that she is still responsible for in Russia.

Is it possible to get a tourist visa while a K-1 visa is in the works? Or will we be wasting our time and money trying to get the tourist visa?

Any advise you can offer would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you so much.

This was the response.

Dear Sir:

We cannot evaluate your girlfriend’s chances to get a visa before she actually applied for it. On the other hand, it is very difficult to prove non-immigrant intents if she has a pending K-1 case.

Thank you

Customer Service Unit

Looks like we won't bother going this route.

[slim 1,530]

Man, you could've just saved all that taxpayer money by posting the question here on VJ and ..... oh, you did that already.

Same response too. Go figure.

[AKguy 1]

She was approved today for a tourist visa!

[Satellite 1]

She was approved today for a tourist visa!

Congratulations on pulling off something deemed impossible just a few years ago.

It looks like the tides are changing. The consulates have to come to the understanding that due to our poor economy and high unemployment the extra in flow of "tourism" money will out weigh the risk that the "non-immigrant" will find a job or spouse and actually choose to stay.

[slim 1,530]

Yep, times sure have changed!