Did you buy a ticket for you and/or your S/O in advance?

[Brad and Vika 129]

We bought tickets way in advance, but left some time for slow delivery, delays, or questions.

Edited to add fourth option. Please post your reasons for your vote.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Brad and Vika

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

I purchased her ticket the day after she was approved but scheduled it for two months later seeing how she had some loose ends to tie up and it was close to Christmas ...Latin and Orthodox. This gave her plenty of time to get some school paper work she needed for the university here along with sending her personal items here and saying her goodbyes. 21-22 days advance notice seems to be the key for getting a better price on tickets.

[jimnlena 8]

Our approval was months ahead of when we were expecting so we waited a month or so after visa approval to buy tickets, as she was going to wait until after christmas to come anyway. Of course as a side note we would really like that quickness now as we try to get her daughter here in time for start of school year

Edited July 27, 2012 by jimnlena

[Neonred 3,562]

I promised her I would be there for her interview and when I booked my ticket to travel I also booked her ticket to come to the US with me. Never really had any doubts as I had been to Russia 7 or 8 times to see her. We traveled back to the US 9 days after her interview.

[Jamie and Sveta 18]

I booked Sveta a seat to NYC because there are very few available for $358. Her interview will be August 29 and her flight will be Sept 30. Losing $358 isn't a huge deal, wasting more time than what we have already IS!!! ;-)

[baron555 934]

Nope waited until we received approval from the Embassy, then purchased assuming a standard timeline for them to print the visas and then send via DHL (back then) and knowledge of how long they take (she lived close to Moscow.

[1HappyGuy 45]

I got Lena a ticket for about a month after the interview was scheduled. She had some things to wrap up and needed to prepare her son to take care of Grandma. But, like everyone on here, we were wanting everything to go fast to begin out life together. It will be seven years in November since she arrived. It's been a pretty nice journey since then.

[Dave&Roza 748]

She wanted to finish out the semester at her job, plus she had to get her permission to leave stamp in her passport which took another couple of months. So I bought the tickets for mid-December and she received the visa in mid-September. So we were one of those that waited about 3 months before using the visa. She was able to get her life in order so she could come to the US. We both figured what are a few more months.

Dave

Edited July 27, 2012 by Dave&Roza

[tom&tanya 48]

I bought a ticket for Tanya in advance, and had her flying 5 days after the interview. .... Visa arrived with two days to spare!

[Brad and Vika 129]

I bought a ticket for Tanya in advance, and had her flying 5 days after the interview. .... Visa arrived with two days to spare!

I think that is about the same schedule we had. We may have stayed in Kiev a few more days, I'm too lazy today to go back and check.

[MikeAndIryna 0]

We bought ours so we could leave the night after the interview. Went to FedEx to get passport, nyet. After several days, lots of phone calls and visit back to consulate, we found out her BC was a day different than everything else (Dr. was drunk when she was born and put the next day, didn't catch that). So they had to go back to the State Dept and see if Iryna .... had an overstays, violations blah, blah, blah so several plane ticket changes, lots of money for the changes, we finally left 3 days later. Basically don't do it until you have the Visa in hand,

[slim 1,525]

Didn't buy ticket for several months after approval.

[Tanya and Barry 59]

I think that is about the same schedule we had. We may have stayed in Kiev a few more days, I'm too lazy today to go back and check.

About what we did. Had Visa delivered to Kherson from Kiev. Flew out of Odessa four to six days after interview. Don't remember exactly...

[Turboguy 6]

Having done the K-1 visa process twice. Once for my first fiancee and once for my wife I could have selected either of two options. The first time, with my first fiancee, I was totally confident that we would get the visa, I went to Moscow to be there for the interview, infact as far as I could tell I was the only one out there waiting for his fiancee. I had booked a ticket for both of us for a week from the interview and we planned to stay in Moscow and pick up the visa. Well, we didn't get the visa. We got a dreaded 221-G instead. I ended up with the money for her flight being wasted. I thought I would at least have a little extra room on the way back with an empty seat beside me but even that didn't happen. Three or four weeks later she did get the visa, came here for 89 days and returned to Russia.

With my wife, I did not buy the ticket in advance. My wife wanted to return home to say her goodbyes and to finish her affairs so once we got the visa then we got the ticket. She came about three weeks after the interview and that was almost 5 years ago. She is actually back in Russia right now visiting her mom and heads back here tomorrow.

So there were two options I could have selected.

# 1. I was totally convinced my first fiancee would breeze throught the visa process and wasted a lot of money.

# 2. I had learned my lesson and would not have considered buying the ticket in advance.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Alla did not come until a month after her visa was issued. She had a job and dared not tell them beforehand. She turned in her resignation the day she got her visa but had to meet obligations she had already commited to.