Where can we meet?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

You NEED a US passport to be able to return to the US from wherever you travel. You and your fiance can visit together wherever she can obtain a visa to travel to, or in Russia itself.

She would need to travel to other countries and return to Russia to show that she will do that, return. After that then she might be able to obtain a visa to travel to the US.

She should begin that process and for you do whatever you can to get a US passport; I don't see how child support requirements deny you from obtaining a US passport but I'm sure there is more to the story.

Arrearages in excess of a specific amount are reported to the DOS and passports are restricted or made unobtainable. Even if he had a passport it would be flagged and he would not be allowed to leave the country (actually enter another country)

In order for this to be reported there MUST be a violation of an order, which means there MUST be an order and a court judement of arrearage. DOS does not "lock you in" on someone's word that you owe money or on rumors or innuendo.

[KennyJ 10]

You cannot re-nter the US without PP regardless where U want to visit, there is some kind of pass into Canada or Mexico

from a few states that a US citizen can obtain, call your congress person office to enquire, seem if U make payment plans

for arrears and the child is an adult they would work with you, cant you speak to the childs mother to help get you out of

that bind? If you get a PP you could meet in Mexico, Bahamas,Jamaica ,Antigua or Belize and remember everywhere has crime one

just have to practise common sense when travelling and party, eat, drink in your own hotel at nights, also upon landing in a country

register your where-abouts with your Consulate by calling and leaving your info on US citizen lines ...best wishes bro

Actually you can reenter the U.S without passport. You can go to the Embassy and they will issue you a one time pass to reenter to the U.S if you have proof you are an USC (trust me the U.S Gov wants you back to take care of the arrear) It takes avg 10-15 days to get that pass from an Embassy though. From CA you can enter Mexico and come back to the State via CA DL. A friend of mine did that 10 months ago, not sure if it is still OK. I also heard you don't need passport to go to Canada but I could be wrong.

Good luck to you.

[KennyJ 10]

Arrearages in excess of a specific amount are reported to the DOS and passports are restricted or made unobtainable. Even if he had a passport it would be flagged and he would not be allowed to leave the country (actually enter another country)

In order for this to be reported there MUST be a violation of an order, which means there MUST be an order and a court judement of arrearage. DOS does not "lock you in" on someone's word that you owe money or on rumors or innuendo.

It is not true about "not allowed to leave the country"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_U.S.C._%C2%A7_652(k)

The State Department adopted a policy of refusing to issue passports to individuals whose child support payments were $5,000 or more in arrears, but it did not have the resources to revoke the existing passports of such individuals

[Rob & Monika 87]

This isn't the greatest idea...just change who you owe the money to. Apply for a loan to pay off what you owe to the state. You will still owe the money, but it will remove the restrictions. You might end up paying more in the long run though.

[bigdog 376]

Not being judgemental, I would clean up any due obligations before taking on a new one. See an attorney and get current on payments. Keep it simple.

[JensJrny2Ray 367]

I also heard you don't need passport to go to Canada but I could be wrong.

Good luck to you.

You definitely need a passport to fly to Canada. You CAN use an enhanced DL if entering by sea or land.

Edited January 3, 2013 by JensJrny2Ray

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Actually you can reenter the U.S without passport. You can go to the Embassy and they will issue you a one time pass to reenter to the U.S if you have proof you are an USC (trust me the U.S Gov wants you back to take care of the arrear) It takes avg 10-15 days to get that pass from an Embassy though. From CA you can enter Mexico and come back to the State via CA DL. A friend of mine did that 10 months ago, not sure if it is still OK. I also heard you don't need passport to go to Canada but I could be wrong.

Good luck to you.

I live at the Canadian border and go there often. Like more than once per week. You need a passport since 2009. You can also use an enhnaced drivers license for ground transport OR just a green card for LPRs. But Canada will not allow a Russian in without a visa and they are not likely to allow anyone in that has there passport privileges in the USA suspended. Neither is any other country.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

It is not true about "not allowed to leave the country"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_U.S.C._%C2%A7_652(k)

The State Department adopted a policy of refusing to issue passports to individuals whose child support payments were $5,000 or more in arrears, but it did not have the resources to revoke the existing passports of such individuals

They "flag them" electronically. Which country will allow you to enter with a flagged passport? Maybe wiki will tell you. Not the same as "revoking". Irrelevent in this case...he has no passport. He is not going to get one and the arrearage will be deducted from his annual income for purposes of calculating the income for Adjustment of Status, just as Tax leins are. Why? Because Child support and the IRS are the only ones that get to the front of the line ahead of the Federal government for collecting on welfare benefits. They have to assume that amount of money is not available for them.

You have to show that you will support your NEW fiancee/wife. He cannot show he supports his child. Not making any judgements, I don't have to. But THEY do.

[Enigma11561 336]

Not to mention how on earth you will be able to make trips to see this woman, and if things go well, begin a visa process, all of which will cost thousands of dollars, if you cannot afford to pay the child support.You really need to clean that mess up first. As some one said up thread, try to get a personal loan and pay this off. May cost a bit more in interest charges but you will have your life back.

Edited January 3, 2013 by Enigma11561

[Jeffrey S 5]

It seems the passport issue has been well covered and something you will need to overcome, I can tell you that I am currently in Mexico with my fiance from Russia, I did not want to spend our vacation in frozen Russsia! I did a lot of research on the different optoins such as Jamaica and the Bahamas, etc.. they dont require a visa for Russians citizens however all the flights I found had over night stays or long layovers in other countries, also they always involved a flight change in Miami which would involve a transit visa for her from the US and I definitely didnt want to get involved in that. However Mexico has relaxed their requirements for Russian citizens to visit, she was able to fill out an online application, get instant approval, print it out and she was done. Also there are direct flights from Moscow to Cancun on Transaero which made the trip much easier for her. It wasn't cheap I can assure you but it is a great alternative to Russia in January! One of the many all inclusive resorts are the way to go. Hope this helps.

[Juliet and Steve 93]

Perhaps this will help

As of June 2012, holders of ordinary passports Russian passport for travel abroad traveling as tourists may visit at least 117 countries visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Russian_citizens

There you have countries that she can travel to.

The following are countries that you can travel to:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/US_Citizens_Visa_Req_Map.PNG

However you need a valid US Passport to return or a Passport derivative such as Nexus which I doubt that you can get.

The following is an alternative document in lieu of a passort but only if you live in one of the states that issue them:

Enhanced Driver's License

An enhanced driver's license denotes both identity and citizenship and can be used as a cross-border travel document to enter the United States by land and sea only. Four states are currently issuing enhanced driver's licenses: Michigan, New York, Vermont, and Washington. For more information about enhanced driver's licenses, visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website at www.getyouhome.gov/html/EDL_map.html.

I did come across this so perhaps sometime, hopefully in the near future NM will have one available, and hopefully you can bypass the limitations of the passport:

"Southern Border states will be offering EDL as well like Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico"

Edited January 3, 2013 by Juliet and Steve

[Tintin and Mike 127]

I believe you can go to/from the Caribbean still with just an ID and your birth certificate, though. Someone correct me if that's changed!

They've asked for my US passport and return ticket when we went to Grand Bahamas back in 2010

[Robb&Ann 101]

I have been in a similar situation in the past and learned a lot about this topic. I recently had to clear up a arrears I didn’t even legitimately owe.

First my story.

When my ex and I were getting a divorce we had agreed to a alimony and child support amount above the state calculation. I was attempting to be generous. Even without an order for support or a decree I started to pay that amount directly to her in cash. I had signed receipts from her for each payment.

When the decree was issued and order of support established the state initially had assed be as being 6 months in arrears. I was easily able to prove the error and my ex even asserted that fact. Because my ex helped me clear up the support issue I felt I could trust her.

I paid off the alimony about a year before it was needed. The state once again showed it in arrears and I proved it was an error and my ex helped prove it.

My ex’s BF has probably about 6 months total combined employment over the past 4 years. My ex would frequently ask for help and I would pay her cash and she at the time would agree to apply it to the support. I was mostly self-employed so salary deductions were not typical for me. About 1 out of 3 times I would just pay her directly.

This past summer my ex wanted an increase in child support and the state reviewed the support and denied increasing the amount.

After the review I needed to renew my passport and could not because I owed arrears. The state showed I owed $15,000 in arrears and interest. I tried to prove it in error once again but this time my ex stayed silent and refused to tell the state the truth.

When it was all said and done I ended up having to pay the amount and learned NEVER to trust her with payments or ever give her extra again.

Here is what I learned in the process. There is some variation from state to state but overall here are the basics.

1. If you give money without going through the court or state it can be considered a gift. Even if the amounts are exactly the same and you have signed receipts to the contrary. If your ex does not also provide proof the money was toward support payments you can be looking at an expensive and time consuming court battle. (I considered fighting in court but to retain a lawyer would have been around $5000 and could take a year to fight. Even if I would have fought I would have really gained nothing and just as easily been still ordered to pay the arrears.)

2. Once the amount is over $2500 the state may suspend your passport.

3. When paying off the arrears the state is not obligated to remove the limitation on your passport until the full amount is paid. Not $2500, but $0.

4. In some cases you can negotiate a lump sum agreement with the custodial parent and they can waive the arrears if done with the approval of the state. If the custodial parent received assistance from the state, the state can choose to not allow that amount to be waived or deduct the amount to be reimbursed to the state.

5. If you file for a K-1 or K-3 visa and owe more than $2500 in arrears it can be outright denied.

6. If you file for a K-1 or K-3 visa and owe arrears, the total amount of arrears can be deducted from your estimated income used to prove you can support the beneficiary. For example, if your income is $40,000 and you have $2,000 in arrears, the adjusted amount can be $38,000.

7. Your children are considered part of the family household size even if you do not use them as a tax exemption or dependent on your taxes. For example if you have 4 children your household size would be 6. Your 4 children, your spouse/fiancé(e), and yourself.

8. Your income typically must exceed the HHS poverty levels at 125%. Sometimes the 100% level is used for K-1, but often the 125% standard is used because AOS is assumed. For example, consider the above $40,000 income adjusted to $38,000 because of arrears. Also consider if you have 4 children, making a total of 6 people in the household. If you live in the continental U.S., the 2012 income requirement at 125% for a family size of 6 is $38,712. In this example you would not meet the requirements.

9. A co-sponsor may be used in applying for a visa however embassies in some countries opt to ignore co-sponsorship as a rule.

10. A co-sponsor is usually only accepted when the petitioner’s income is close to the required amount.

The process is not cheap. Travel costs, application fees, the cost to obtain documentation, medical exam fees, visa fees, AOS fees, etc.

The basic moral to the story is you need to get your house in order before applying for a visa.

[Thatgirl2 21]

If you meet the girl anywhere other than in the states, you will need proof of having met in person. The most solid proof if met outside of the United States, is entery stamps. You won't have that. Also, lets say the European visa scenario works, who will pay for her short trips t Europe and then big long trip to the United States ? Either way, financially, paying off the child support, at once or over time and starting over with the new girlfriend is your best option

[san diego 407]

You NEED a US passport to be able to return to the US from wherever you travel. You and your fiance can visit together wherever she can obtain a visa to travel to, or in Russia itself.

She would need to travel to other countries and return to Russia to show that she will do that, return. After that then she might be able to obtain a visa to travel to the US.

She should begin that process and for you do whatever you can to get a US passport; I don't see how child support requirements deny you from obtaining a US passport but I'm sure there is more to the story.

This is incorrect for Mexico. As a US citizen you can ravel on your DL up to 50 miles into Mexico absolutely legally. You can also return carrying your either Birth or Naturalization Certificate back to US. I traveled back and force into Tijuana and back into San Diego every day just on naturalization certificate as I did not have passport - I was making Russian visa for 2 years at he moment. No problem and totally legal. Now, regarding Mexico: while my fiancee and I were waiting for NOA1, I rented apartment in TJ and commuted very day to work o San Diego. NO PROBLEM. I highly recommend meeting in Mexico. It is extremely easy to get Mexican visa in Russia. I recommend this route.