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

[Brad and Vika 129]

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...

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.

The posts above illustrate what I expected to find, and what the poll shows, a fairly bright line division. There are those like us who bought tickets in advance, had no trouble getting a visa, and advise others to roll the dice if you feel good about your chances. Then there are others who had extra expense and/or issues getting the visa, and either delayed purchasing, delayed buying ticket(s) to save money or allow for other business, or spent extra cash to change tickets. They all advise not to buy in advance.

So it seems to me that you cannot plan for all contingencies, and at some point may have invested money just to learn that it didn't work out. I believe personally that with a relationship across cultures and continents, you WILL at some point be spending money or time, or effort, and discover it was for nothing. It happens with families and relationships all over. We don't believe that any of it was really wasted if you are doing it for your family. All a matter of opinion.

[FFBI 0]

The posts above illustrate what I expected to find, and what the poll shows, a fairly bright line division. There are those like us who bought tickets in advance, had no trouble getting a visa, and advise others to roll the dice if you feel good about your chances. Then there are others who had extra expense and/or issues getting the visa, and either delayed purchasing, delayed buying ticket(s) to save money or allow for other business, or spent extra cash to change tickets. They all advise not to buy in advance.

So it seems to me that you cannot plan for all contingencies, and at some point may have invested money just to learn that it didn't work out. I believe personally that with a relationship across cultures and continents, you WILL at some point be spending money or time, or effort, and discover it was for nothing. It happens with families and relationships all over. We don't believe that any of it was really wasted if you are doing it for your family. All a matter of opinion.

I bought Svetas 8 days after scheduled interview..the 6th day we were worried that Pony Express lost it.

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

tssst... I bought tickets as soon as I knew the interview date including mine going there and our return trip back which included only around a 90 minute layover to do the POE before the next plane left and hotel reservations for a few days in Vegas before heading home. I allowed nine days after the interview for the flight home. I knew I was cutting it close but this was the only scenario to get decent deals on flights/hotels and fit into a timeline that used only 10 days of vacation time. I would not recommend others do this but in the end the only thing really being risked is money.. If the visa had been late we would just have scheduled a later flight and skipped the Vegas layover..

So.. We planned for the best and got lucky Glad I did it.

[slim 1,514]

I'm surprised anyone's RUB wife let them buy the ticket early. "You must not make ticket because I will be go interview first."

[jimnlena 8]

Yes I forget how she puts it something about "energy and universe"

I'm surprised anyone's RUB wife let them buy the ticket early. "You must not make ticket because I will be go interview first."

[slim 1,514]

Yes I forget how she puts it something about "energy and universe"

Exactly!

[james&olya 1,121]

I'm surprised anyone's RUB wife let them buy the ticket early. "You must not make ticket because I will be go interview first."

No, Olga was fine with it. We were reasonably certain our case was an easy one for them to approve so we figured it was well worth the risk. Everything worked out exactly as we had predicted and they were able to fly here 4 days after the visas arrived on the tickets we purchased weeks earlier.

[slim 1,514]

Wow. She's going to do fine in the States without all that old Soviet mumbo-jumbo holding her back.

Hell, she probably already drinks stuff with ice in it!

[james&olya 1,121]

Wow. She's going to do fine in the States without all that old Soviet mumbo-jumbo holding her back.

Hell, she probably already drinks stuff with ice in it!

Yeah, ice in the drinks, milk in the refrigerator, vacuum and carpet shampoo machines, microwave, etc. She likes the shoes off at the door but I get away with not doing it sometimes. She already knew how to drive though was afraid to try an automatic at first. Now she cannot drive with a stick shift! She is becoming 'American' very quickly! But one very important RUB quality she is keeping, she has not put on weight here!