Putin proposes scrapping visas between Russia, US

[ONA 133]

Unless the Russian mindset did a complete 360 degree turn around in the near future, I don't see any Western country dropping their visa policy with Russia in my lifetime. Russia brings new meaning to the word "corruption".

ha ha

that was not the point.

Learn something?

Maybe you can teach me. I've read your posts around here and it seems you're very well read.

Please, enlighten us newbs who know little about Russia and her history. (I don't mean searching wikipedia for links)

+1

According to some posts Why_Me learned so much about Russia during his visits (or a visit?) that now he knows a lot more information about Russian history, traditions and current affairs than I do. But I'm willing to learn

[dogspot 90]

Hope it was a good kind of vacation and not the bad kind. Gotta say, it's pretty nice knowing we can go visit at the drop of a hat. Hope I'm wrong and it comes to Russia sooner than later.

Yes, good indeed. I was offered a new position with a new company and they asked for me to start in two weeks. When I put in my notice with my previous employer, they asked for only a week's notice, possibly because I quit in the midst of company-wide layoffs. This all occurred a week ago Monday. I probably could have dropped $500 on an express visa but it wasn't likely that I would have visa in hand by Friday. I decided to wait a couple months till she arrives instead.

[dogspot 90]

Unless the Russian mindset did a complete 360 degree turn around in the near future, I don't see any Western country dropping their visa policy with Russia in my lifetime. Russia brings new meaning to the word "corruption".

If the mindset were to do a complete 360, wouldn't it still be facing the same way?

Russia brings new meaning to the word "corruption".

new?

[Captain Hammer 113]

Yes, good indeed. I was offered a new position with a new company and they asked for me to start in two weeks. When I put in my notice with my previous employer, they asked for only a week's notice, possibly because I quit in the midst of company-wide layoffs. This all occurred a week ago Monday. I probably could have dropped $500 on an express visa but it wasn't likely that I would have visa in hand by Friday. I decided to wait a couple months till she arrives instead.

Congratulations! That's hard to do in this economy, jump off and land safely in the midst of layoffs. But yes, it's unfortunate you can't go over with her. Well, just use the money you would have spent to take her somewhere special after the wedding.

[ONA 133]

If the mindset were to do a complete 360, wouldn't it still be facing the same way?

The problem with Russia is that even if you do a 180 degree turn, it's still going to be the same thing. Why? Double-headed eagle ruins everything http://www.stanford.edu/class/slavgen194a/images/russia_eagle2.gif

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

ha ha

that was not the point.

+1

According to some posts Why_Me learned so much about Russia during his visits (or a visit?) that now he knows a lot more information about Russian history, traditions and current affairs than I do. But I'm willing to learn

I'm no expert on Russia but I did work there for over a year and spent some time in Magadan...the trip to Smolensk doesn't count.

But this is beside the point. I'm not sure if your hip to what's been going on in Belarus for the past decade and a half but it's not good, and it's Russia who's mainly to blame for this. I don't see the US having visa free relations with a government who makes it a habit of murdering journalist and human rights workers. The US supports dictatorships such as the one in Saudi Arabia, but we haven't given the Saudi's visa free entry and most likely won't in the near future.

Visa free restrictions with Russia would be a total slap in the face for peoples like the ones sitting in a Belarus prison atm for suedo political crimes....that's just one example...

Russia could give two craps less about what it's supporting in Belarus. It has zero conscience in that regard.

Edited March 10, 2011 by Why_Me

[ONA 133]

Why_Me, ha ha ahain.

If "Batka" and Putin were such good friends, there would never be any of those endless disputes over oil, gaz and all kinds of supplies. "Playing" a Union doesn't mean supporting anybody. You should do more reading on that.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Why_Me, ha ha ahain.

If "Batka" and Putin were such good friends, there would never be any of those endless disputes over oil, gaz and all kinds of supplies. "Playing" a Union doesn't mean supporting anybody. You should do more reading on that.

Yes let's do some reading on that shall we ? Why am I not surprised that a Russian would know less on this subject than an outsider.

Lets see how Belarus stays alive so to say. No oil and gas, no Lukashenko. Of course the corrupt elections in Belarus that Russia has supported in the past is no big surprise seeing how an election in Russia is comparable to Mickey Mouse losing out to Pluto on who's going to be front runner in Disney World.

http://udf.by/english/main-story/6902-belarus-russia-sign-oil-supply-deal.html <--- This deal was signed two days before the last suedo presidential election in Belarus.

http://www.kommersant.com/p838631/r_528/foreign_relations/

"Russia Offers Belarus Big Aid"

http://democraticbelarus.eu/node/1940

"A Loan from Russia: Unveiling the Likely Rationale"

http://law.by/work/EnglPortal.nsf/0/30B976C1BFE3A8F5C22578390056ECA6?OpenDocument

"Russia ready to loan Belarus $9bn for NPP construction"

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20101225/161930348.html <--- This was the last election just a few months ago

"Russia's Medvedev congratulates Belarus President Lukashenko on reelection"

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060320/44576538.html <--- This is from the 2006 election in Belarus

"Putin congratulates Lukashenko on election victory"

http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=osce+disputes+election+Belarus&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq= <--- Fair elections in Belarus ??? LOL ?

Edited March 10, 2011 by Why_Me

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Why_Me, ha ha ahain.

If "Batka" and Putin were such good friends, there would never be any of those endless disputes over oil, gaz and all kinds of supplies. "Playing" a Union doesn't mean supporting anybody. You should do more reading on that.

H*ll will freeze over first before Belarus ever enters a union with Russia. Russia has done enough to Belarus already. I think every Russian that ever voted for Tsar Putin should have to spend the next five years living in Belarus just so they have a clue as to what's going on there.

[slim 1,525]

Your request makes it clear you don't consider the ladies in any of the other VWP countries comparable to the ladies of the FSU. Given your point of view on that, why bother?

I find ladies of EVERY country to be sexy although I'm not familiar with the VWP countries you alluded to. Please enlighten me. When you said there are other countries with hot and sexy ladies I wanted to know where they are.

So... where are they?

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Not to beat a dead horse, and I probably am...but at least this vid has decent music imo. This is what Russia is helping to support in Belarus.

[AmyWrites 593]

There are a number of other qualifying criteria which a country (Russia, in this case) would have to meet before it qualified for VWP. Here is the one I believe Russia would have the most trouble meeting at this time.

Section 217 ( c )( 2 )( A ) of the Immigration and Nationality Act

... a country may not be designated as a program country unless the following requirements are met:

(A) LOW NONIMMIGRANT VISA REFUSAL RATE.--Either--

(i) the average number of refusals of nonimmigrant visitor visas for nationals of that country during--

(I) the two previous full fiscal years was less than 2.0 percent of the total number of nonimmigrant visitor visas for nationals of that country which were granted or refused during those years; and

(II) either of such two previous full fiscal years was less than 2.5 percent of the total number of nonimmigrant visitor visas for nationals of that country which were granted or refused during that year; or

(ii) such refusal rate for nationals of that country during the previous full fiscal year was less than 3.0 percent.

Maybe I was hallucinating but I can remember reading the refusal rate for nonimmigrant visas in Russia was like 9%. Is that enough to consider it a high fraud country?

[^_^ 5,021]

I find ladies of EVERY country to be sexy although I'm not familiar with the VWP countries you alluded to. Please enlighten me. When you said there are other countries with hot and sexy ladies I wanted to know where they are.

So... where are they?

If ladies of every country are sexy then all you need to do is get a list of VWP countries. GIYF.

Maybe I was hallucinating but I can remember reading the refusal rate for nonimmigrant visas in Russia was like 9%. Is that enough to consider it a high fraud country?

I have no idea, but it is high enough for us to say with a high degree of confidence that Russia is very far from qualifying for the VWP program.

[ONA 133]

Why_Me, you might also google a whole bunch of links stating how many problems has Russia had with Belarus over the past 13 years. Yep. You just don't want it. And I'm not the one, who's going to die, but prove my point. I just know what I know - just saying that if you want to know more, do some more reading. You might get surprised finding out that Russia has gotten sick and tired of Lukashenko, cause he's played too much of foul play with Russia too.

H*ll will freeze over first before Belarus ever enters a union with Russia.

eh? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_State#Contemplated_expansion

I think every Russian that ever voted for Tsar Putin should have to spend the next five years living in Belarus just so they have a clue as to what's going on there.

Yep. You gotta wait for president election though, cause we don't elect the Prime Minister here.

Although, I should also say that some Americans have got to look first at what their government is doing before getting all judgemental.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Maybe I was hallucinating but I can remember reading the refusal rate for nonimmigrant visas in Russia was like 9%. Is that enough to consider it a high fraud country?

No. Russia is not considered a high fraud country. At least it is not handled that way. There is no "official" list of high fraud countries but we would know it by the way K-1s are treated.