Time frame for Moscow to send out packets?

[bainbridge558 0]

They say it's not needed, but I sent it alone anyway since they also said they MIGHT ask for it.

Question 11 I'd seen answered both ways. I checked I would support with room and board.

I did not have it notarized.

Good luck!

Thx ! Yea I am going to send it and have it notorized ..... they may just ask for it

[Chi-town 1]

Well this is just plain nutty. My fiancee received the packet from the moscow embassy yesterday stating that the interview is scheduled for April 1 - all of two weeks away. They say that if you do not have all the forms together you can schedule a second interview, but..... my fiancee lives 800 miles from Moscow and for her and her son to make the trip 2x because they did not give enough time between the packet and the interview is crazy. This was exactly what I was afraid of when I didn't hear from the embassy for so long.

Can she call to change the date by a couple of weeks? I would like to be in Moscow at the same time, but I also can't afford the less than two week airfare costs (I'm saving for a wedding you know).

Also, does anyone know of a reasonably good hotel near the embassy where I can book her and her son to stay?

Finally, With the medical exam, should that be scheduled the day before or two days before - I've read both, but this is the forum with the best answers.

If you cannot tell, I've just entered scramble mode

[Sveta and Ko 0]

Well this is just plain nutty. My fiancee received the packet from the moscow embassy yesterday stating that the interview is scheduled for April 1 - all of two weeks away. They say that if you do not have all the forms together you can schedule a second interview, but..... my fiancee lives 800 miles from Moscow and for her and her son to make the trip 2x because they did not give enough time between the packet and the interview is crazy. This was exactly what I was afraid of when I didn't hear from the embassy for so long.

Can she call to change the date by a couple of weeks? I would like to be in Moscow at the same time, but I also can't afford the less than two week airfare costs (I'm saving for a wedding you know).

Also, does anyone know of a reasonably good hotel near the embassy where I can book her and her son to stay?

Finally, With the medical exam, should that be scheduled the day before or two days before - I've read both, but this is the forum with the best answers.

If you cannot tell, I've just entered scramble mode

Well, we would love to have the interview April 1. By neither embassy no DOS confirmed that our papers were touched in Moscow yet.

As for your question, I've heard it is easier to transfer the interview to later date. I'd just send them email.

There are NO good hotels in downtown Moscow at reasonable price that I know of.

I forgot about medical. It might be possible to get the result the same day.

[Sveta and Ko 0]

my fiancee lives 800 miles from Moscow and for her and her son to make the trip 2x because they did not give enough time between the packet and the interview is crazy.

On the second thought, what difference it makes? She would have to come and stay few days anyway for medical and the interview?

This was exactly what I was afraid of when I didn't hear from the embassy for so long.

Do you know what day the NVC sent your documents to the embassy?

[Chi-town 1]

On the second thought, what difference it makes? She would have to come and stay few days anyway for medical and the interview?

Do you know what day the NVC sent your documents to the embassy?

Well the reason she'd go back the second time is that the embassy said not to worry if all the documents are not there (she's waiting for one from Tajikistan where she lived in the good ol USSR days) she can come in again to present them at a later date. The NVC sent the documents to moscow back at the end of January. We received notification from the embassy with the interview date yesterday.

[Sveta and Ko 0]

Well the reason she'd go back the second time is that the embassy said not to worry if all the documents are not there (she's waiting for one from Tajikistan where she lived in the good ol USSR days) she can come in again to present them at a later date. The NVC sent the documents to moscow back at the end of January. We received notification from the embassy with the interview date yesterday.

Well Tajikistan makes her life much more difficult. Can she ask somebody there to get it for her? Not sure it is possible.... well, all is possible in FSU. When did she send a request to Tajikistan? She should call/send somebody local. Otherwise they might never move their a$$. Local police record can be obtained really fast in Russia.

So you waited about 2 months from NVC sent the papers to the interview. Did she get packet 3 and 4 in the mail together?

[Chi-town 1]

she got one packet which listed the documents she needed and stated the interview date - two weeks away. She is going to call the embassy tomorrow and explain the situation to them and ask that they move the interview date out a few weeks. Her son needs to finish the school year anyway so it's not as if she'll be coming to me immediately after getting the visa. The plan is actually for her to come to me after spending a few weeks in June visiting with her parents in Tambov. So.... I just want this to be as low of a stressful event as possible and that's not how it's starting out.

I guess worst case is they have the interview, and she doesn't have the tajik portion of the police report and then sends it into the embassy later.

What's rediculous is that she moved from Tajikistan with her parents during her 16th year, so it really would only cover 9 month period when she was 16 and living in Tajikistan. It was over 20 years ago for chissake. Anyway, rules be rules....

[Sveta and Ko 0]

she got one packet which listed the documents she needed and stated the interview date - two weeks away. She is going to call the embassy tomorrow and explain the situation to them and ask that they move the interview date out a few weeks. Her son needs to finish the school year anyway so it's not as if she'll be coming to me immediately after getting the visa. The plan is actually for her to come to me after spending a few weeks in June visiting with her parents in Tambov. So.... I just want this to be as low of a stressful event as possible and that's not how it's starting out.

I guess worst case is they have the interview, and she doesn't have the tajik portion of the police report and then sends it into the embassy later.

What's rediculous is that she moved from Tajikistan with her parents during her 16th year, so it really would only cover 9 month period when she was 16 and living in Tajikistan. It was over 20 years ago for chissake. Anyway, rules be rules....

If she can not come before June anyway, maybe she should try to transfer her interview so that she could fly out of Moscow right after the interview. She should try to email the embassy. Calling cost a lot of money and useless as some people reported. Email is a document you can send to US authorities if there will be problems.

If she lived in Tajikistan > 6 months AFTER she turned 16, than she does not need a police certificate from there. That how I understood that rule. But looks like you guys got unlucky. What a difference 3 months could do!!!

[Sveta and Ko 0]

she got one packet which listed the documents she needed and stated the interview date - two weeks away.

what would be interesting to know is if the embassy sent the packet that late, or dhl delayed. dos should know when the embassy touched your file and when they set up the interview date.

[Neonred 3,569]

Well this is just plain nutty. My fiancee received the packet from the moscow embassy yesterday stating that the interview is scheduled for April 1 - all of two weeks away. They say that if you do not have all the forms together you can schedule a second interview, but..... my fiancee lives 800 miles from Moscow and for her and her son to make the trip 2x because they did not give enough time between the packet and the interview is crazy. This was exactly what I was afraid of when I didn't hear from the embassy for so long.

Can she call to change the date by a couple of weeks? I would like to be in Moscow at the same time, but I also can't afford the less than two week airfare costs (I'm saving for a wedding you know).

Also, does anyone know of a reasonably good hotel near the embassy where I can book her and her son to stay?

Finally, With the medical exam, should that be scheduled the day before or two days before - I've read both, but this is the forum with the best answers.

If you cannot tell, I've just entered scramble mode

When did the interview date appear on the embassy website? Seems like it should have showed up quite a while ago. Best bet would be to postpone the interview date. Not a problem and others here have done it.

[baron555 934]

Well this is just plain nutty. My fiancee received the packet from the moscow embassy yesterday stating that the interview is scheduled for April 1 - all of two weeks away. They say that if you do not have all the forms together you can schedule a second interview, but..... my fiancee lives 800 miles from Moscow and for her and her son to make the trip 2x because they did not give enough time between the packet and the interview is crazy. This was exactly what I was afraid of when I didn't hear from the embassy for so long.

Can she call to change the date by a couple of weeks? I would like to be in Moscow at the same time, but I also can't afford the less than two week airfare costs (I'm saving for a wedding you know).

Also, does anyone know of a reasonably good hotel near the embassy where I can book her and her son to stay?

Finally, With the medical exam, should that be scheduled the day before or two days before - I've read both, but this is the forum with the best answers.

If you cannot tell, I've just entered scramble mode

No, if you reschedule the interview, they just move you to the end of the present line.

Yes at least the day before.

[Chi-town 1]

When did the interview date appear on the embassy website? Seems like it should have showed up quite a while ago. Best bet would be to postpone the interview date. Not a problem and others here have done it.

I think that the packet was delayed either at the embassy or by dhl, who can tell. The letter in the packet indicates that they received the documents from NVC the first week in February, unfortunately it was delayed for whatever reason, by whomever, until a few days ago. The rule is if you've lived in any place more than 6 months after you've attained 16 years of age. When the USSR broke up many ethnic Russians returned to Russia - but record keeping in these former republics was quite bad. I'm almost of the opinion to tell her to ignore Tadjikistan and just use the police certificate from the Oblast where she lives that shows her registering during her 16th year.

The best situation is to move the date, of course. I am waiting to hear about the results of her call to the embassy - but I will also take your advice and have her send an e-mail. The only problem there is that if it takes a week for them to respond, and the answer is no, then the prices for plane tickets will go up exponentially.

Squeeze me some more)))

[baron555 934]

I think that the packet was delayed either at the embassy or by dhl, who can tell. The letter in the packet indicates that they received the documents from NVC the first week in February, unfortunately it was delayed for whatever reason, by whomever, until a few days ago. The rule is if you've lived in any place more than 6 months after you've attained 16 years of age. When the USSR broke up many ethnic Russians returned to Russia - but record keeping in these former republics was quite bad. I'm almost of the opinion to tell her to ignore Tadjikistan and just use the police certificate from the Oblast where she lives that shows her registering during her 16th year.

The best situation is to move the date, of course. I am waiting to hear about the results of her call to the embassy - but I will also take your advice and have her send an e-mail. The only problem there is that if it takes a week for them to respond, and the answer is no, then the prices for plane tickets will go up exponentially.

Squeeze me some more)))

Didn't you know that when you obtained your NOA2 (or even NOA1) that the interview would be forthcoming and start obtaining all these documents then? You also could have downloaded all the forms from the Embassy website and had those filled out already.

Well, anyway, that's water over the bridge now, cost for tickets will not be any consideration for the Embassy. You either reschedule or you stick with the planned date, go to the interview and have the visa issuance delayed while to finish obtaining the documents and send them in. She has 6 months with which to use the visa and the K-2 can follow within a year of the first issuance, so you have many options. The K-2 IS REQUIRED to attend the interview, also.

All of the many emails I sent to the Embassy were answered within 3 business days (note that the Embassy staff gets both US and Russian holidays off and therefore these days do not count).

[Neonred 3,569]

I think that the packet was delayed either at the embassy or by dhl, who can tell. The letter in the packet indicates that they received the documents from NVC the first week in February, unfortunately it was delayed for whatever reason, by whomever, until a few days ago. The rule is if you've lived in any place more than 6 months after you've attained 16 years of age. When the USSR broke up many ethnic Russians returned to Russia - but record keeping in these former republics was quite bad. I'm almost of the opinion to tell her to ignore Tadjikistan and just use the police certificate from the Oblast where she lives that shows her registering during her 16th year.

The best situation is to move the date, of course. I am waiting to hear about the results of her call to the embassy - but I will also take your advice and have her send an e-mail. The only problem there is that if it takes a week for them to respond, and the answer is no, then the prices for plane tickets will go up exponentially.

Squeeze me some more)))

A good lessen for others, and has been noted here many times. DO NOT rely on the arrival of the packet from the embassy (it may never even arrive). Check their website for your significant other's assigned interview date, and review that same website for all necessary documents. Prepare well in advance especially if police certificates are required from areas outside of Russia.

Edited March 18, 2010 by Neonred

[Jonathan Matthies 1]

I was annoyingly pro-active and started emailing the Moscow consulate, asking questions about the packet as well as hounding for an interview date from them. This was during a period of time where the MOS interview list hadn't been updated for weeks. When we were first approved in November, they listed date/times for september/november interviews on their website. People here had warned that the Embassy might not be timely in their response; unless you hounded them.