Fair warning

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hello All

We have a K-2 visa (to follow) interview coming up and I have been preparing things for quite a while. Our son is from Ukraine and attends college in Moscow, Russia. I had asked for a list of all documents needed for the interview by email. Kiev responded with a list, which was notable in missing the Police Certificate. I asked again, specifically about the Police Certificate and if he needed one from Russia also. I was informed he did, indeed, need a police certificate from Ukraine (I knew this, but it was NOT on their specific list) They then proceeded to tell me that a STUDENT with no permanent or official residence out of Ukraine and that had not been out of the country for more than one year WOULD NOT need a Police Certifcate from the foreign country. Now with all documents ready and my wife leaving for Ukraine Saturday, with all the documents for the interview, I called the Consulate visa section today to verify everything. I mentioned I had their email that Sergey did not need a Police Certificate from Russia. "Oh, no, he DOES need one" the woman said. I read the email to her and she said she would check. A couple minutes on hold and she confirmed he DID need a police certificate from Russia! She said the advice in the email was incorrect! (Incidentally we also got wrong information regarding our younger son's travel document needs earlier from the Ukrainian consulate in New York) Fortunately the interview is not until the end of June, and thanks to VJ member Barron555, who's fiancee lives quite close to Sergey's university, she graciously offered to help and he will be in contact with her and direct him to the proper place to get this. (FINDING the correct office and line to stand in is the biggest challenge in Ukraine and Russia)

Two things...

1. I have repeated what was told to me here in these posts. It was incorrect. If you have a K-2 visa in your future and the child is a college student out of his/her home country, plan on getting a police certificate

2. Even the consulate can be wrong. Double check everything before you go and always err on the side of caution. I should have just done it to begin with and had it even if not needed.

3. (I said two, I was wrong) Check on these things with plenty of time to turn the battleship! Waiting until the last minute will burn you!

4. (boy, I was way off!) If the consulate is in error, it will be YOUR problem. Imagine we went to an interview in late June with a K-2 visa issue deadline in early August and get told "Sucks to be you, you don't have what we need!" They will not change the rules because someone sent you the wrong information!

Thank you Barron555 and VJ for this great place where we can help each other out. Good luck to all.

[tnguy21809 0]

Hello All

We have a K-2 visa (to follow) interview coming up and I have been preparing things for quite a while. Our son is from Ukraine and attends college in Moscow, Russia. I had asked for a list of all documents needed for the interview by email. Kiev responded with a list, which was notable in missing the Police Certificate. I asked again, specifically about the Police Certificate and if he needed one from Russia also. I was informed he did, indeed, need a police certificate from Ukraine (I knew this, but it was NOT on their specific list) They then proceeded to tell me that a STUDENT with no permanent or official residence out of Ukraine and that had not been out of the country for more than one year WOULD NOT need a Police Certifcate from the foreign country. Now with all documents ready and my wife leaving for Ukraine Saturday, with all the documents for the interview, I called the Consulate visa section today to verify everything. I mentioned I had their email that Sergey did not need a Police Certificate from Russia. "Oh, no, he DOES need one" the woman said. I read the email to her and she said she would check. A couple minutes on hold and she confirmed he DID need a police certificate from Russia! She said the advice in the email was incorrect! (Incidentally we also got wrong information regarding our younger son's travel document needs earlier from the Ukrainian consulate in New York) Fortunately the interview is not until the end of June, and thanks to VJ member Barron555, who's fiancee lives quite close to Sergey's university, she graciously offered to help and he will be in contact with her and direct him to the proper place to get this. (FINDING the correct office and line to stand in is the biggest challenge in Ukraine and Russia)

Two things...

1. I have repeated what was told to me here in these posts. It was incorrect. If you have a K-2 visa in your future and the child is a college student out of his/her home country, plan on getting a police certificate

2. Even the consulate can be wrong. Double check everything before you go and always err on the side of caution. I should have just done it to begin with and had it even if not needed.

3. (I said two, I was wrong) Check on these things with plenty of time to turn the battleship! Waiting until the last minute will burn you!

4. (boy, I was way off!) If the consulate is in error, it will be YOUR problem. Imagine we went to an interview in late June with a K-2 visa issue deadline in early August and get told "Sucks to be you, you don't have what we need!" They will not change the rules because someone sent you the wrong information!

Thank you Barron555 and VJ for this great place where we can help each other out. Good luck to all.

Correct me if I am wrong but wouldn't the safest thing be to get the documents despite what others say? Seems that if there is the slightest chance something may be needed it would be better to spend the time and money to obtain it before hand and have it in the interview and not need it then to not have it and get denied. Better to fight a war with too many weapons then not enough. Tis much better to have and not need then to need and not have.

Just my opinion.

[Kwagga 0]

Thanks for this Gary and Alla.

My son will also be a K2 to follow after his final year at school. I find there is very little confirmed guides and not nearly enough info anywhere, so I'm taking in every bit of advice possible from VJ

Edited May 16, 2009 by BL2B

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Hello All

We have a K-2 visa (to follow) interview coming up and I have been preparing things for quite a while. Our son is from Ukraine and attends college in Moscow, Russia. I had asked for a list of all documents needed for the interview by email. Kiev responded with a list, which was notable in missing the Police Certificate. I asked again, specifically about the Police Certificate and if he needed one from Russia also. I was informed he did, indeed, need a police certificate from Ukraine (I knew this, but it was NOT on their specific list) They then proceeded to tell me that a STUDENT with no permanent or official residence out of Ukraine and that had not been out of the country for more than one year WOULD NOT need a Police Certifcate from the foreign country. Now with all documents ready and my wife leaving for Ukraine Saturday, with all the documents for the interview, I called the Consulate visa section today to verify everything. I mentioned I had their email that Sergey did not need a Police Certificate from Russia. "Oh, no, he DOES need one" the woman said. I read the email to her and she said she would check. A couple minutes on hold and she confirmed he DID need a police certificate from Russia! She said the advice in the email was incorrect! (Incidentally we also got wrong information regarding our younger son's travel document needs earlier from the Ukrainian consulate in New York) Fortunately the interview is not until the end of June, and thanks to VJ member Barron555, who's fiancee lives quite close to Sergey's university, she graciously offered to help and he will be in contact with her and direct him to the proper place to get this. (FINDING the correct office and line to stand in is the biggest challenge in Ukraine and Russia)

Two things...

1. I have repeated what was told to me here in these posts. It was incorrect. If you have a K-2 visa in your future and the child is a college student out of his/her home country, plan on getting a police certificate

2. Even the consulate can be wrong. Double check everything before you go and always err on the side of caution. I should have just done it to begin with and had it even if not needed.

3. (I said two, I was wrong) Check on these things with plenty of time to turn the battleship! Waiting until the last minute will burn you!

4. (boy, I was way off!) If the consulate is in error, it will be YOUR problem. Imagine we went to an interview in late June with a K-2 visa issue deadline in early August and get told "Sucks to be you, you don't have what we need!" They will not change the rules because someone sent you the wrong information!

Thank you Barron555 and VJ for this great place where we can help each other out. Good luck to all.

Correct me if I am wrong but wouldn't the safest thing be to get the documents despite what others say? Seems that if there is the slightest chance something may be needed it would be better to spend the time and money to obtain it before hand and have it in the interview and not need it then to not have it and get denied. Better to fight a war with too many weapons then not enough. Tis much better to have and not need then to need and not have.

Just my opinion.

Agreed! (see point #2 above) My intent was to demonstrate, even when you have written instructions from the consulate...don't take chances! In our case all worked out, he will have his Russian police certificate in time. I should never have questioned it and just done it to begin with.

Mistakes give experience, experience prevents mistakes. I hope my experience can help others in the same situation

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Thanks for this Gary and Alla.

My son will also be a K2 to follow after his final year at school. I find there is very little confirmed guides and not nearly enough info anywhere, so I'm taking in every bit of advice possible from VJ

You are correct. There seems to be little direct information about K-2s. The consulate has a nice guide for K-1s and nothing for K-2s which have different needs, depending on age etc. And as I found out, emailing them is not alwasy the answer as they responded to me incorrectly TWICE, fisr not listing a police certificate at all and then saying he didn't need one from Russia. If he was under 16 this would be true and apparentely they didn't read that part of my letter.

There was also a requirement I write an "acceptance letter" for him, "accepting him" into the USA (I did not do this for his younger brother who was issued a K-2 at the same time as my wife). I also completed a form DS-157 for him which is NOT included in their list of documents for a K-2 and NOT told to me on the telephone, I happened to learn this while listening to the consulate's message while "on hold". Bottom line, I learned a lot in my phone call and avoided a lot of problems.

Their message says a DS-157 is required of ALL male visa applicants over age 16. So...use all the resources you can. Now I will not be surprised if they say he doesn't need the DS-157, but at least it is done.

[Kwagga 0]

Thanks for this Gary and Alla.

My son will also be a K2 to follow after his final year at school. I find there is very little confirmed guides and not nearly enough info anywhere, so I'm taking in every bit of advice possible from VJ

You are correct. There seems to be little direct information about K-2s. The consulate has a nice guide for K-1s and nothing for K-2s which have different needs, depending on age etc. And as I found out, emailing them is not alwasy the answer as they responded to me incorrectly TWICE, fisr not listing a police certificate at all and then saying he didn't need one from Russia. If he was under 16 this would be true and apparentely they didn't read that part of my letter.

There was also a requirement I write an "acceptance letter" for him, "accepting him" into the USA (I did not do this for his younger brother who was issued a K-2 at the same time as my wife). I also completed a form DS-157 for him which is NOT included in their list of documents for a K-2 and NOT told to me on the telephone, I happened to learn this while listening to the consulate's message while "on hold". Bottom line, I learned a lot in my phone call and avoided a lot of problems.

Their message says a DS-157 is required of ALL male visa applicants over age 16. So...use all the resources you can. Now I will not be surprised if they say he doesn't need the DS-157, but at least it is done.

Interesting point you've made there about the "acceptance letter", something I have not seen anywhere else. I guess all Consulates are different in what they require, but Im a firm believer in having as much as possible whether it's needed or not, I'd rather be safe than sorry.