Belarus fiancee petetion and interview process

[southernman 29]

I have been getting a lot of questions about the interview process. Because Belarus citizens must travel to Warsaw for their interview it is not only unfair to them but very confusing to all involved. Instead of have numberous conversations with many, I would like to start a tread just for members that have loved ones in Belarus. It has been 6 months now since my fiancee and I went thru this process but most of it is still fresh in my mind. I wanted to post everything that I remembered about the process and a few tips. I welcome others that have recently gone thru the process to add comments.

After you have received your NOA2 wait 4-5 days and then call the NVC 603-334-0700 to find out if they have received the petition and if your fiancée has an embassy case number yet. Once you have the case number you can ask if it has been sent to the embassy. After a few days call the US Embassy in Poland +48-22625-1042 between 2-4 pm local time.

Once they have the petition in their system they will send the fiancée IV-F04 “packet 3” http://poland.usembassy.gov/poland/processing_fiance.html . Packet 3 is just a check list of everything she should have at this time. She does not have to actually wait for packet 3 to arrive before she completes it and returns it. Once the list has been completed and signed she will return it and DS-230 PART 1 only to the embassy. She can attach scanned copies and send as email.

Once the embassy has received packet 3 checklist they will mail “packet 4”. This is just instructions on how to go about getting her medical and how to set up the interview process. You don’t have to wait on this before you act and may not ever actually receive it. At any time after she has her case number she can set up a medical appointment in Minsk.

Once the medical is complete and all forms, documents, certificates and police reports have been completed and translated your fiancée is ready for the interview. She will also need your I-134 Support paper and supporting documents prior to the interview. If you will not be joining her at the interview it is a good idea to send this information as soon as posssible.

Here is the confusing part about having a Belarusian fiancée. As you probably know they have to travel to Warsaw for their interview. They also have to get a Schengen visa to travel to Poland. My advice is to have the fiancée use a travel agency to get the Schengen visa and order it a about a month before her trip to Warsaw. I also advise to plan on arriving in Warsaw on a Monday. She will have to go to the Main postal office and pay for the interview process there with Polish currency. Make sure she has her embassy case number and a pre-printed receipt from US Travel docs. These have expiration dates on them so make sure it is printed right before she travels. Once it is paid the postal office will give her a receipt number that she will use the following day to call the embassy and set up her interview for Wednesday. When the interview appointment has been made the embassy will send her an invitation via email. I would advise her to call the embassy from a location where she has internet access and make sure that she gets the emailed invitation before hanging up the phone. This invitation letter will have to be printed out. It has a bar code on the bottom and she will not be able to get in the embassy without the complete invitation and bar code.

If all goes well at the interview she will be able to pick up her passport with the visa the following day. It is at a different location all the way on the other side of Warsaw. If she uses a taxi tell her to have the taxi wait while she picks it up. In my case my fiancées passport and visa was not there. I was told it had not been received and the TNT company didn’t know where it was. I called the embassy and a general employee told me that it may be done the following day. This was not an option for us and I went back to the embassy and they had her passport there. They were able to go ahead and print up the visa and return her passport. When your fiancée is approved make sure they send the information that day.

I will add comments about the process as I remember them and if you have any question feel free to PM me. Gary

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Thanks, good advice.

Just to be clear, citizens of many countries have to go to other countries for visa interviews. Moldova is another country in that region that must do the same. They go to Kiev. Ukrainians USED to go to Warsaw until Ukraine got a consulate which processes K-1s in 2005.

The only thing that has always confused me about Belarus is why they do not use the Kiev consulate. Belarussians need no visa to travel to Ukraine. Since Poland became EU it is difficult for Belarussians to travel there...or at least more difficult than going to Kiev. Russia has ONLY the Moscow consulate to issue K-1s and people from far eastern Russia, literally half a world away, have to travel all the way there. So there are inconveniences for many people. That is all forgotten after you get on with life together.

If your fiancee could go to Kiev it would probably be less trouble than it was for Alla to go to Kiev from Donetsk.

Thanks.

[southernman 29]

Thanks, good advice.

Just to be clear, citizens of many countries have to go to other countries for visa interviews. Moldova is another country in that region that must do the same. They go to Kiev. Ukrainians USED to go to Warsaw until Ukraine got a consulate which processes K-1s in 2005.

The only thing that has always confused me about Belarus is why they do not use the Kiev consulate. Belarussians need no visa to travel to Ukraine. Since Poland became EU it is difficult for Belarussians to travel there...or at least more difficult than going to Kiev. Russia has ONLY the Moscow consulate to issue K-1s and people from far eastern Russia, literally half a world away, have to travel all the way there. So there are inconveniences for many people. That is all forgotten after you get on with life together.

If your fiancee could go to Kiev it would probably be less trouble than it was for Alla to go to Kiev from Donetsk.

Thanks.

You are correct. My wife is from Gomel. About 2 hours from Kiev and sure would have been closer and easier. I believe citizens of Belarus,Latvia and Lithuania all have to go to Warsaw so this thread probably could help them too.

[Ron-Tanya 23]

Hey Gary, you did a fine job.

Ron

[southernman 29]

Hey Gary, you did a fine job.

Ron

Thanks Ron. Couldn't have done it without your help Anything you can add would be very helpful to others. I wanted to post some information about USTravel docs,the embassy address,places to stay, etc. but thought we could just add those topics here as they are needed.

[southernman 29]

^{Here's a question I just received and my and my answer.}

I am trying to decide whether or not to fly to Poland and attend the interview with my fiancee. Were you allowed to be with her during the interview with the officer? Do you think it would make a difference in how the adjudicate the case?

In my opinion cases are decided before the interview ever happens but it is up to the visa seeker to make sure that all paperwork and documents are completed and present along with all necessary evidence. Therefore, it may not be necessary for the petitioner to be at the interview but I would highly recommend it if possible.

In our case we both flew into Warsaw on Monday morning from our respective countries. We also had my fiancées best friend and her husband driving there and staying very close to our apartment for the 4 days in Warsaw. We never had to use a taxi and were able to travel.

My wife was to arrive in Warsaw a few hours before me. I had arranged with our apartment manager to pick her up from the airport and drive her straight to the postal office to pay for the visa then take her to our apartment. My point with all of this is we were very prepared and had use of a personal car and the trip was still very stressful. My wife had issues getting into Poland because her flight was one way. We were driving back to Belarus. Another time her visa was not at the TNT office where it was supposed to be on the day of pick up. This location is all the way on the other side of Warsaw. As you can see many issues arise and I can’t imagine letting a loved one go thru this process alone but I do understand some things just aren’t possible.

I was allowed to join my wife during the interview process and it was very simple. Getting to that point is the stressful part.

Edited August 5, 2013 by southernman

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

^{Here's a question I just received and my and my answer.}

In my opinion cases are decided before the interview ever happens but it is up to the visa seeker to make sure that all paperwork and documents are completed and present along with all necessary evidence. Therefore, it may not be necessary for the petitioner to be at the interview but I would highly recommend it if possible.

In our case we both flew into Warsaw on Monday morning from our respective countries. We also had my fiancées best friend and her husband driving there and staying very close to our apartment for the 4 days in Warsaw. We never had to use a taxi and were able to travel.

My wife was to arrive in Warsaw a few hours before me. I had arranged with our apartment manager to pick her up from the airport and drive her straight to the postal office to pay for the visa then take her to our apartment. My point with all of this is we were very prepared and had use of a personal car and the trip was still very stressful. My wife had issues getting into Poland because her flight was one way. We were driving back to Belarus. Another time her visa was not at the TNT office where it was supposed to be on the day of pick up. This location is all the way on the other side of Warsaw. As you can see many issues arise and I can’t imagine letting a loved one go thru this process alone but I do understand some things just aren’t possible.

I was allowed to join my wife during the interview process and it was very simple. Getting to that point is the stressful part.

I agree.

In fact, I went to the interview and our interview was "no questions asked". Literally. We were called to the window and told our visa was approved, that's it. Sergey's K-2 to follow was virtually the same since the "questions" were whether he liked certain sports and where he was going to college. Alla went to his interview (she already had a green card at that time) and she managed to try and get some words in. The guy said "Ma'am, ma'am, excuse me....he is approved, you can go now" The things you can say when you don't have to sleep with them!

We were the 5th couple interviewed and the other interviews amounted to 1-2 questions. Nothing that would seem to make or break a deal. If anything they seemed to be some clarifications of information and not much else (In Kiev you are/were just a few feet from the interview window and can hear the whole process)

Give them good documentation and you should be good to go. Neither Kiev, Moscow or Warsaw have been difficult consulates to deal with.

[Yaroslav 0]

Hello guys! Thank you for you help a lot! Today i sent my packet 3 to Embassy at Warsaw vis email. So, I am a little bit confuse about next step. As you said: "Make sure she has her embassy case number and a pre-printed receipt from US Travel docs". so, how should we do it? My feance went to the US travel site and did not get how this receipt looks like.

[chuckyd 0]

Thanks gain Gary for all this valuable info,

I won't be able to go with her to the interview, she will be traveling to Poland by train it is about $175.00 for a for a ticket for a 8 hour trip. The train station is ~ 10 blocks from the consulate, that is what I can figure from using Google earth. I have booked her into the MDM hotel mid way point between consulate and train station. I have point pointed these location on GE and sent to her with directions as well.

Was wondering if anyone has the address for the post office, on the ultra docs it says any bank but have been reading there is one specific place she must go?

Also the address for visa pick up. So I can send her the directions from both, not that I am to lazy to look for this information, just rather get it from some some that has gone through the process already

She is going to arrive in Poland sept 9 as there are no holidays that week. Looking forward to finish this and have my lady with me. I see other folks have gone through much faster then us, oct 5 will be one year from the day they received my I129F .

[southernman 29]

Hello guys! Thank you for you help a lot! Today i sent my packet 3 to Embassy at Warsaw vis email. So, I am a little bit confuse about next step. As you said: "Make sure she has her embassy case number and a pre-printed receipt from US Travel docs". so, how should we do it? My feance went to the US travel site and did not get how this receipt looks like.

Go to this site http://www.ustraveldocs.com/pl/pl-niv-paymentinfo.asp about 3/4 way down click on the $240 MRV fee. Once the document opens in the upper right corner click on options and "allow this once". It will be converted into a reciept with a date on it. All she has to do is print one of these just prior to her trip to Warsaw. She does not need to fill it out. She will take to the main postal office in Warsaw. They will know what to do and give her another receipt once it has been paid. This second receipt is needed for making an interview the following day.

[southernman 29]

Thanks gain Gary for all this valuable info,

I won't be able to go with her to the interview, she will be traveling to Poland by train it is about $175.00 for a for a ticket for a 8 hour trip. The train station is ~ 10 blocks from the consulate, that is what I can figure from using Google earth. I have booked her into the MDM hotel mid way point between consulate and train station. I have point pointed these location on GE and sent to her with directions as well.

Was wondering if anyone has the address for the post office, on the ultra docs it says any bank but have been reading there is one specific place she must go?

Also the address for visa pick up. So I can send her the directions from both, not that I am to lazy to look for this information, just rather get it from some some that has gone through the process already

She is going to arrive in Poland sept 9 as there are no holidays that week. Looking forward to finish this and have my lady with me. I see other folks have gone through much faster then us, oct 5 will be one year from the day they received my I129F .

Chuck I can't find the main post office address but it's only a few minutes taxi from the Embassy. Most taxi drivers will know where to take her. Here is the address for the visa pickup location.TNT Express Warsaw

Ul. Annopol 19, 03 - 236 Warszawa

Same-day pickup hours from 1:30pm - 5:00pm

As a Belarus citizen she will be required to pick it up the day after the interview at this location. Make sure the embassy is going to send it there. In our case it wasn't there and we had to return to the embassy where they then printed the visa and returned the passport because I told them we were to leave the following day. It may not have been that easy if I an American citizen wasn't there but she probably won't have the problem we had.

Also, the TNT location is a long way from the embassy area. Make sure she has the taxi wait for her while she goes in to get it or she may be there a while waiting for another.

[southernman 29]

Here's the address for the post office in Warsaw................. Swietokrzyska 31/33

[Enigma11561 336]

You are correct. My wife is from Gomel. About 2 hours from Kiev and sure would have been closer and easier. I believe citizens of Belarus,Latvia and Lithuania all have to go to Warsaw so this thread probably could help them too.

My wife is from Gomel as well. She took the train. A long ride. And the women who did the interview was very demanding. A long story about the hell she put both of us through, but in the end she got her visa.

[dashaoz 0]

Gary, thank you sooo much for these insightful information. Good luck to you to everyone here since no offense but U.S citizens are a little not welcome in Belarus. Each time I go in & out, I spend way too much time waiting & thinking that ok this time they're not gonna let me in.. I just wish that my wife's entrance to U.S would be an easy one.

[southernman 29]

Gary, thank you sooo much for these insightful information. Good luck to you to everyone here since no offense but U.S citizens are a little not welcome in Belarus. Each time I go in & out, I spend way too much time waiting & thinking that ok this time they're not gonna let me in.. I just wish that my wife's entrance to U.S would be an easy one.

FYI, if your fiancee/wife has to travel to Poland for the visa interview it does not have to be paid for in Warsaw as mentioned up thread. A member that just recently went thru the process had someone pay the fee for them at a location near the Belarus/Poland border. I don't have the specifics but have asked him to address this issue here at some point.