How could potential US/Russia tensions affect visas?

[vbtwo 54]

Nothing will happen regarding Russia. Everyone will scream about how evil Putin is, and then forget all about it in a few months.

It's interesting to see what will happen regarding southeast Ukraine, as a lot of oblasts are really unhappy with the new Ukrainian government and consider the entire new government to be illegitimate with everything they do being agains the constitution and thus null and void, with a lot of them planning referendums with regards to declaring independence from Ukraine (not just Crimea like you would think from reading US news).

For example, just yesterday Luhansk oblast has issued a statement that they sent to Verhovna Rada considering the entire government illegitimate and demanding that they must do certain things (declare Russian second official language, disband all militias, do not prosecute police or Berkut, declare certain nationalist parties illegal, etc) or else they will request help from Russia.

[Hangernaid 1]

I hope because of the Russian aggression in Ukraine that the US will expedite K-1 Visas for Ukrainians. I talk to Mila almost every day, and she is very worried, she cries every night after the boys are asleep. If I could get her to the US, then I'd know she would be safe for a while. Eventually Putin is going to start WW3, so no one will be safe in the long run. But for now, I will settle for us being together for what time we have.

[Hollyday 122]

Eventually Putin is going to start WW3, so no one will be safe in the long run.

You think so? He's not that crazy, i think. (This should not be interpreted as support for him, merely stating it would be a political suicide for him, to start a war with any developed country/country actively supported by those.)

[mendeleev 68]

I just got (another) multientry visa to Russia. Over the years, I've gotten many more than a dozen. This one is good for three years. Turn around this time seemed about normal relative to experience over the past five years and probably faster than before that.

[Texasav8r 183]

Uh oh. Here we go. This is almost certainly a prelude to a move into Ukraine by Russia by calling it a "peace keeping mission".

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/russia-calls-emergency-un-security-182320732.html

I wonder if Tanya flees to another country and asks for asylum or refugee status, if I would still be able to get her here? Perhaps going to a US embassy in Turkey for instance?

This has the potential to get real ugly in a hurry.

[vbtwo 54]

Uh oh. Here we go. This is almost certainly a prelude to a move into Ukraine by Russia by calling it a "peace keeping mission".

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/russia-calls-emergency-un-security-182320732.html

I wonder if Tanya flees to another country and asks for asylum or refugee status, if I would still be able to get her here? Perhaps going to a US embassy in Turkey for instance?

This has the potential to get real ugly in a hurry.

For K1 visa it does not matter where she is. Even if they send the package to Moscow for instance, you can contact the embassy and ask them to transfer the case to any other embassy anywhere. You do not have to do the interview in the country that you have citizenship.

[El Burro 11]

For K1 visa it does not matter where she is. Even if they send the package to Moscow for instance, you can contact the embassy and ask them to transfer the case to any other embassy anywhere. You do not have to do the interview in the country that you have citizenship.

You have to contact the embassy where you want to be interviewed and ask them to request the packet from the original embassy.....anyway that's what Moscow told us. It took about 2 weeks to transfer our case from Moscow to Kyiv, but fairly straightforward with no problems.

[Hollyday 122]

Uh oh. Here we go. This is almost certainly a prelude to a move into Ukraine by Russia by calling it a "peace keeping mission".

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/russia-calls-emergency-un-security-182320732.html

I wonder if Tanya flees to another country and asks for asylum or refugee status, if I would still be able to get her here? Perhaps going to a US embassy in Turkey for instance?

This has the potential to get real ugly in a hurry.

What grounds would she have to be considered a refugee? Russia is not at war at the moment, there's no immediate life threatening situation. At least i'm here at the moment and not feeling it.

[eekee 182]

yes, there are plenty of refugees from Ukraine in Russia, but not the other way around.

[Texasav8r 183]

What grounds would she have to be considered a refugee? Russia is not at war at the moment, there's no immediate life threatening situation. At least i'm here at the moment and not feeling it.

I was seeking options in case the situation escalated. If ties with Russia are severed, or even greatly reduced, then they (Russians seeking visas) are stuck there...that was my point. Given that situation, I would be looking for ways to get her out of the country. She would be considered an asylum seeker (aka refugee) at that point. War is not the only cause of this.

One does not have to be at war to seek asylum or become a refugee. You only have to fear persecution due to political beliefs, religion, race, nationality or social category. Refugees come in many different flavors.

yes, there are plenty of refugees from Ukraine in Russia, but not the other way around.

You are actually mistaken.

Many Russians have fled Russia for Kiev.

[Asia 2,498]

yes, there are plenty of refugees from Ukraine in Russia, but not the other way around.

You meant Russian citizens, who lived in Ukraine, right?

No Ukrainians would go to Russia.

[eekee 182]

http://www.newsweek.com/ukrainian-refugees-flood-russia-rebels-are-squeezed-263166

No, I mean Ukrainian citizens. I'm in Russia, and my friends who have gone to OVIR for various reasons have said that the line is 90% Ukrainian refugees now. If they were Russian citizens, they wouldn't be at OVIR.

Russians fleeing for Kiev? What are you talking about?

Edited August 9, 2014 by eekee

[Neonred 3,581]

Many Russians have fled Russia for Kiev.

Not the smart ones!

No Ukrainians would go to Russia.

Some of our Ukrainian friends have fled to Russia.

[Asia 2,498]

Some of our Ukrainian friends have fled to Russia.

Good luck to them then.

[Hollyday 122]

I was seeking options in case the situation escalated. If ties with Russia are severed, or even greatly reduced, then they (Russians seeking visas) are stuck there...that was my point. Given that situation, I would be looking for ways to get her out of the country. She would be considered an asylum seeker (aka refugee) at that point. War is not the only cause of this.

One does not have to be at war to seek asylum or become a refugee. You only have to fear persecution due to political beliefs, religion, race, nationality or social category. Refugees come in many different flavors.

Don't you have to prove the threat to yourself personally? Just being a person seeking an American visa wouldn't suffice i think. I know of situations when people provoked policemen at demonstrations so they could have video and photo proof of them being attacked by the authorities personally for their beliefs, etc.

I'm aware of 'many different flavours', no worries.

And btw abot Ukrainian refugees in Moscow - there was a very scandalous post in the Russian blogosphere from a lady who moved to Saransk i think (small city in Russia) from Donetsk and was complaining about conditions there. It wasn't a newly registered account or anything so it wasn't a fake just for the sake of black PR.