Visitors Visa from Russia - It can be done

[PurrSuede 0]

Where on earth would my ex-wife EVER have gotten the idea to "fake" documents to give to the USCIS for her lifting of conditions...

I don't think your ex-wife needs any "fake" documents to lift conditions.

A bona fide marriage can easily be shown through the "commingling" of finances for two years. Also living at the same address. It is not that high of a standard. You don't need video tapes of your bedroom!

What kind of "fake" documents did you have in mind?

Satellite, this is part of the information I gave to the USCIS regarding this situation.

One year after her conditional status was granted, she was determined she wanted out. I told her that based on my discussion with an immigration attorney, she would not have "an easy time lifting conditions". Again per the words and advice of the immigration attorney.

She looked me squarely in the eye and said "oh this is no problem, I can pay you small amount, we can leave insurance and maybe utility bills in both our names at this address, even after I move out, that's what some girls do about this".

In other words, she offered to PAY me for "faked" documentation, since she knew she would be leaving the marriage prior to the lifting of conditional residency.

I provided that information directly to the USCIS, along with an insurance invoice and other insurance documents that came to my HOME address over one month after the divorce was final. I also informed the insurance company that this was could have been a fraudulent attempt on her part to use my address.

Note we had NOT been married for two years since the granting of Conditional Residency. I certainly did NOT have any "fake documents" in mind, this was only in ~her~ mind, someone was coaching her how to get around this requirement, obviously.. maybe not good advice, but hey... the fact that she offered me a "small payment" in order to "fake" documentation of still living there was reported to the USCIS.

They can do whatever they want to with the information I gave them.

But the point was, she didn't even give it a second thought about discussing just "faking" the documents, as I said, I think this goes to the mindset, regarding "faked documents".

-- Dan

[Satellite 1]

In other words, she offered to PAY me for "faked" documentation, since she knew she would be leaving the marriage prior to the lifting of conditional residency.

I provided that information directly to the USCIS

As others have told you from another thread, this submission of information will probably be in her favor. A reasonable USCIS officer will simply view you as a disgruntled and unhappy former spouse. They'll take anything you give them with a grain of salt.

Now, if she offered this bribe to the insurance company, that would be a whole different ball game and the insurance company submitted this to ICE...

[PurrSuede 0]

In other words, she offered to PAY me for "faked" documentation, since she knew she would be leaving the marriage prior to the lifting of conditional residency.

I provided that information directly to the USCIS

As others have told you from another thread, this submission of information will probably be in her favor. A reasonable USCIS officer will simply view you as a disgruntled and unhappy former spouse. They'll take anything you give them with a grain of salt.

Now, if she offered this bribe to the insurance company, that would be a whole different ball game and the insurance company submitted this to ICE...

The entire point of my mentioning that dialog here was that per unseen, unknown coach's advice she made an offer to pay me for "faked" documentation.

I really don't care what the USCIS does or doesn't do with that information, the point was her "other Russian girls" were coaching her in how to obtain fraudulent documentation.

Slice it, dice it, anyway you care to, nevertheless it was fraudulent to propose such, and I simply reported it to the proper authorities, the USCIS.

-- Dan

[PurrSuede 0]

In other words, she offered to PAY me for "faked" documentation, since she knew she would be leaving the marriage prior to the lifting of conditional residency.

I provided that information directly to the USCIS

As others have told you from another thread, this submission of information will probably be in her favor. A reasonable USCIS officer will simply view you as a disgruntled and unhappy former spouse. They'll take anything you give them with a grain of salt.

Now, if she offered this bribe to the insurance company, that would be a whole different ball game and the insurance company submitted this to ICE...

The entire point of my mentioning that dialog here was that per unseen, unknown coach's advice she made an offer to pay me for "faked" documentation.

I really don't care what the USCIS does or doesn't do with that information, the point was her "other Russian girls" were coaching her in how to obtain fraudulent documentation. The fact that she comes from a culture where such activities are really commonplace, and are often discussed, and openly...

Slice it, dice it, anyway you care to, nevertheless it was fraudulent to propose such, and I simply reported it to the proper authorities, the USCIS.

And no, that really wasn't the gist of what "others have told me", that it would be in "her favor" for me to provide this information. Perhaps that's how you viewed it. I certainly did not sit in the USCIS office ranting and raving about what a complete b*tch she was.

In fact they wanted additional documentation supporting the divorce, any further documentation supporting her various "addresses" or where I thought she might be, so I don't think your characterization of the event as fruitless that "would be in her favor" is entirely an accurate portrayal of such

-- Dan

Edited September 28, 2006 by PurrSuede

[diadromous mermaid 36]

In other words, she offered to PAY me for "faked" documentation, since she knew she would be leaving the marriage prior to the lifting of conditional residency.

I provided that information directly to the USCIS

As others have told you from another thread, this submission of information will probably be in her favor. A reasonable USCIS officer will simply view you as a disgruntled and unhappy former spouse. They'll take anything you give them with a grain of salt.

Now, if she offered this bribe to the insurance company, that would be a whole different ball game and the insurance company submitted this to ICE...

How do you figure? It's been my experience that the Service Centres and local offices are really very accommodating to US citizens. Not necessarily true about the birbery not being taken seriously, either. Why wouldn't evidence count with a US citizen? He is the one for whom USCIS was granting her privilege of residency, in the first place.

Edited September 28, 2006 by diadromous mermaid

[Satellite 1]

How do you figure?

It was just my opinion

It's one persons word against the other as I see it. Suppose she has her self-petition (I-751) reviewed, wouldn't her most obvious rebuttal be, "he's just an upset spouse?" If she is willing to offer a bribe, she'll be willing to lie at that review as well.

And in response to bribery charges she could respond by saying, "I was afraid of losing my status, my husband withheld my supporting documents, I felt trapped, I didn't know what else to do, I came here to build a life together and he...etc.. etc.."

Like I said before, there was no need for her to obtain any false documentation. You guys had all the right documentation as any other married couple.

But you are right, it all falls into the USCIS's hands at this point. It will be interesting what the outcome will be.

Dan, do you honestly believe you were being scammed from day one? Or did she turn from the marriage only after meeting this Russian lady friend and getting a job? If it is the latter, then I believe she met the requirements of entering a bona fide marriage. Having a change of heart even a day after marriage, but entering marriage in good faith I believe is sufficient.

Edited September 28, 2006 by Satellite

[diadromous mermaid 36]

How do you figure?

It was just my opinion

It's one persons word against the other as I see it. Suppose she has her self-petition (I-751) reviewed, wouldn't her most obvious rebuttal be, "he's just an upset spouse?" If she is willing to offer a bribe, she'll be willing to lie at that review as well.

And in response to bribery charges she could respond by saying, "I was afraid of losing my status, my husband withheld my supporting documents, I felt trapped, I didn't know what else to do, I came here to build a life together and he...etc.. etc.."

Like I said before, there was no need for her to obtain any false documentation. You guys had all the right documentation as any other married couple.

But you are right, it all falls into the USCIS's hands at this point. It will be interesting what the outcome will be.

I suppose it is entirely possible that an alien can assert that the US citizen spouse was upset, and I'm sure in some cases it might very well be true. I guess, in my opinion, whether that would be sufficient to overcome any suspicion of fraud (based on the USC's testimony that she was trying to bribe him) by USCIS, would depend on a number of factors. For example, whether the USC ends the marriage or the alien.

If, indeed, the alien chooses to leave the marriage, then I can't see much excuse for doing so prior to securing the recommended documentation, so there'd be no need to manufacture methods to secure it later.

[PurrSuede 0]

How do you figure?

It was just my opinion

Like I said before, there was no need for her to obtain any false documentation. You guys had all the right documentation as any other married couple.

Which goes back to what I was saying about the concept of just feeling you can "pay" someone to fix it, whatever it is, or buy fake documentation when convenient. Not trying to say anything other than this is part and parcel of the mindset and this even goes back to when we first met in Russia...

I was coming over there and she said she would take off work "if she had to BUY a doctor's excuse for the time off". My point was simply that this is a common practice, to buy, bribe, pay for whatever "official" things you need... and I could give more than a few examples of this from my personal experiences in Russia as well.

But you are right, it all falls into the USCIS's hands at this point. It will be interesting what the outcome will be.

Dan, do you honestly believe you were being scammed from day one? Or did she turn from the marriage only after meeting this Russian lady friend and getting a job? If it is the latter, then I believe she met the requirements of entering a bona fide marriage. Having a change of heart even a day after marriage, but entering marriage in good faith I believe is sufficient.

I put this wording on the "withdrawal of petition" form I filled out at the local office.

One of the questions on the form is: I married my spouse because:

to which I answered specifically:

she said she loved me and wanted husband, home, family and children but said she "changed her mind" once in America.

I can respect that you believe this meets the requirements of entering a bona fide marriage. I can respect that you think that perhaps "having a change of heart even a day after marriage is sufficient."

However, we both agree on the following:

it all falls into the USCIS's hands at this point.

I think the USCIS' beliefs in this matter are all that truly matters at this point, and whatever happens between her and the USCIS is between the two of them. And as she told me, when I told her the attorney told me that USCIS would examine her case closely, she said, "this is no problem, you just spend $3,000-$5,000 for lawyer and he fixes this for you"

(which also goes to the original concept, the mindset of paying, bribing, faking documentation for whatever "official" services you need fixed)

-- Dan

[Satellite 1]

My point was simply that this is a common practice, to buy, bribe, pay for whatever "official" things you need... and I could give more than a few examples of this from my personal experiences in Russia as well.

Like you said, unfortunately this is the mindset of a majority of Russians. Bribery, theft, corruption, and alcohol are institionalized in Russia on every level of life.

Unfortunately for your ex-wife she forgot that she married an honest law abiding American. The typical specimen you'll find on the street here.

But there is a Russian proverb which goes something like this:

"Some you can buy for a chocolate bar, others for the chocolate factory" - implying everyone could be bought. That proverb I hope falls apart in America, at least I ignorantly hope it does.

So whoever is coaching your ex-wife needs to inform her that you can actually have faith in our government and there is no need to pay to fix, but rather to do it correctly the first time.

[slim 1,525]

I would think being married for two years would establish a bona fide marriage, and if USCIS is anything like the rest of our justice system, women are automatically given the benefit of the doubt, regardless of what the (ex) husband says.

[PurrSuede 0]

I would think being married for two years would establish a bona fide marriage, and if USCIS is anything like the rest of our justice system, women are automatically given the benefit of the doubt, regardless of what the (ex) husband says.

Slim:

Actually, I was also told by my attorney that the USCIS would look at it ~very~ oddly that she bailed out of the marriage at the two year point, and NOT wait for two years after conditional status, because it would seem to indicate that (again) her unseen coaches were telling her "all you have to do is stay married for two years and then you have it made...", they didn't make it clear to her that it was technically "two years after the AOS to conditional LPR status"

Also, as I've said before, the immigration attorney also told me the USCIS would be all over her case with a fine tooth comb, simply for her leaving the marriage prior to the lifting of conditions.

I don't claim to know anything about what they will or won't do, except what I've been told by the so-called experts that I had to pay for their expertise, but this was from a practicing immigration attorney who had 20 years as a staff attorney with the USCIS before he decided to start his own private practice.

Also in terms of "family law" (aka Divorce) there was very little room for 'benefit of the doubt', since it was a short term marriage, there weren't significant assets to split, and I could pretty much prove she got here two years ago with nothing but a few suitcases, and this is a community property state.

I don't feel I got "raked over the coals", but I don't think she got one iota of what she thought she could have gotten, and I know she even tried her "I'm just poor helpless Russian girl" act even on my lawyer.

A friend of mine in Florida explained to his RW what she got out of the marriage from me, and his RW wanted to know... "how much does he have to pay her every month?". He told her "nothing, it's a no-fault, community property state, just like ours", and said his RW's eyes got really really wide, and she found it almost impossible to believe that my ex- wouldn't be getting a handy check from me every month. Surprise! No way, no how, no dinero para ella...

Of course, if you have a child that considerably changes the equations, however, I can't say that my ex- took me to the cleaners or anything of the sort. In some ways I'm thankful things fell apart before she could get preggers, but that was part of the issues between us, her "changing her mind" on this as well.

As I've said before, what happens between her and the USCIS is between them, but I certainly wouldn't mind if she has to spend a LOT of the money that she got from me having to hire an immigration attorney to fight with them...

-- Dan