Russian Girlfriend Questions for Visit to USA

[St&Sv 33]

Hello Everyone I've come to seek your knowledge and experiences in the visa world, which I am new to. I've combed over the forums, and read many websites looking for answers for the questions my girlfriend and I have about her pending visit. So here is our story:

My girlfriend and I met back in April online, and since then have been talking non-stop. We hit it off really good, and after a couple of months we began to date each other, and planned a trip to Turkey with her best friend in September. Turkey was the first place that we had met each other, physically, and now we would like to meet again here in the USA. We are planning to have her come visit the first week in January since we both have off but we are stumped about what to do with the Visa process. I'm not sure if we are worrying too much from everything we have read, but both of us have never had to get a visa like this before. Our worry is that because we are dating, and I am looking to be her sponsor that they will deny her a visa because of the risk of her maybe wanting to stay. Truth is she wants to come here and see the USA with her own eyes, experience our lifestyle and meet my family; to decide if one day she wanted to move here. She just moved from Moscow to St Petes and currently is looking for a new job. We both know that it will be a excellent idea for her to find employment before she tries, as it's a great way to show she has ties there. She also joined a volunteer group, and owns a house in another part of Russia that her parents live in. Because we worry about the relationship getting in the way of the visa approval, we thought it would be best to just say that we are friends and that I'm inviting her as a friend (we have no intention at all of getting married on a tourist visa as we know it can really screw stuff up). However, we also worry that if we decide to get married, that maybe these lies would come to bite us in the ####. Both of us are very honest, and truthful people, and for us to lie is very difficult. So I wanted to know if anyone else had experiences like this, and what did they do. What worked, what didn't? All we want is to spend a week or 2 together here in the USA.

I should also mention that I have all the recommend documents ready to send to her for sponsorship, though i knew it means nothing about proof that she will return to Russia.

So any advice that could be given will be truly appreciated to help bring us together for New Years.

[amykathleen2005 441]

She does not need sponsorship for a tourist visa. She needs to get the visa by showing ties to her own country.

[apple21 953]

She has to pass the tourist visa application on her own merits and she has to prove/show strong ties to her home country.

You "sponsoring" won't help because that only proves that she doesn't have the financial capability to fund her own trip.

[St&Sv 33]

What if she will be staying with me in my home while here?

[apple21 953]

What if she will be staying with me in my home while here?

It doesn't matter as long as she can prove strong ties to her country.

She must have a stable/good earning job, properties under her name (house, car), money/bank savings.

[Teddy B 17,252]

It is very difficult for single women from any of the former Soviet Union to get visitor visas to the US. You may want to post this in the RUB (Russusian Ukraine Belarus) section, you'll probably get more advice there.

[Xanax 349]

It is very difficult for single women from any of the former Soviet Union to get visitor visas to the US. You may want to post this in the RUB (Russusian Ukraine Belarus) section, you'll probably get more advice there.

^ this and what the poster above this one said.

[canadian_wife 1,829]

we also worry that if we decide to get married, that maybe these lies would come to bite us in the ####. Both of us are very honest, and truthful people, and for us to lie is very difficult.

You SHOULD worry about that, NEVER lie! It can come back to bite you in the #######. Expect her to be asked if she knows anyone in the US, she'll answer yes that it is just a friend and the CBP will see right through that. Any suspicion of a lie will screw up her application. She needs to be honest. "yes I have a boyfriend in the US but I do not intend to stay longer than I have been given permisison for, here is my proof of ties to Russia"

Good luck

[jaycali 415]

Unfortunately, as other posters have said before, tourist visas can be extremely difficult to get for young, unmarried women from the former Soviet Union. The reason is simply because they statistically have a very high rate of "forgetting" to return, or to "all of a sudden decide to get married" once in the US. This ruins it for the genuine visitors/tourists, I know, and it's sad.

In the end, all she can really do is apply. Having a job with a stable income helps. Her actually owning a house in Russia will help. Sponsorship is not required, nor is it particularly helpful. All it really does is prove that she'll have a roof over her head during her stay, making it less likely that she'll engage in unlawful employment. The application though will have to come from her, and she'll still have to prove that she intends to return at the end of her visit.

I would have her gather any and all evidence she can think of that will show a return to Russia is likely. Anything can be considered evidence. Employer letter/work contract, property ownership, ownership of a car, adoption papers for a dog, you name it. There are no guarantees, but the better the evidence, the better the chances. Worst thing they can do is deny her - She's still welcome to apply again if her situation has changed.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

What if she will be staying with me in my home while here?

In Russia not much of that matters. She should be prepared to show ties to her home country but it is doubtful a young woman has enough. Our son has a Russian girlfriend (who can fault his taste?) and despite very strong ties to Russia, including a paid scholarhsip for a masters degree she was flatly denied last winter. The ONLY question they asked her was "Have you ever had a visa or traveled to another country?" Her answer was no. DENIED, they did not even look at all her evidence.

Thi ssummer she got a Shengen visa and visted Germany. This is a much easier visa for Russians to get. She went back two weeks ago and was issued a US tourist visa, no questions asked.

I suggest your girlfriend get a Shengen visa, take a short trip to Poland or Germany or any EU country, and then apply for the US tourist visa.

[AmyWrites 593]

What Gary said. When my then-boyfriend applied for a tourist visa, they didn't look at any of his financial/job docs, nothing about that I also lived in Moscow, etc.... only that he had previous trips to Europe. That seems to be a huge deal for them.

[jaycali 415]

A week old post, but agree fully with what Gary and Amy said.

Visas tend to be much like a credit rating. A bank wants to make money by giving you a loan, but doesn't want to lose money by giving loans to people who are unlikely to pay. If you have no credit history, and a relatively low paying job, few banks will give you a loan. If you have another credit card however, and a history of paying on time, a bank may be more inclined to take your word for it.

Same can be applied to visas. A thriving tourism industry is paramount to a thriving US economy, while at the same time illegal immigration and unlawful work is a huge strain on the economy. A history of sticking to the rules on ie a Schengen or British visa will look very positive on a US visa application. As a Schengen tourist visa may be easier to get initially for Russian citizens than a US tourist visa, it's not a bad idea to have her apply for a Schengen visa and visit one of the EU/Schengen countries once or twice before applying.

As with a credit score, the ability to then show previous visits to the US while sticking to the rules will look very favorably on any new visa application in the future.

Edited November 3, 2012 by Jay Jay