Thanks for all the kind words everyone.

[Percival504 0]

Considering all of the nightmare stories that I've read on the forums, I am surprised that we did not have our own. We feel very blessed to say the least. I've been trying to isolate reasons why in order to help everyone else going through this process. (I decided to stop being such a pompous ### and made no attempts to pull any strings). We did not include much evidence with our petition. We did have a lot of phone records, but they only spanned a month or so. The consular officer did not even ask for any evidence of a continuing relationship other than most recent emails (which we did not have because we always talk on the phone; but she didn't even ask for the phone records).

I followed the guides, but made some mistakes. I did take the time to create a monogram letterhead with both of our initials and submitted everything that wasn't on an official form with a cover letter using that letterhead (I also used resume type paper). Two of the people who post on this Board (not this particular forum) and who seem to be very, very familiar with the process (you'll have to go back through my posts to see the history), ridiculed what they assumed was my attention to form rather than substance, but maybe it helped after all.

I submitted suppelemental evidence following my first trip to Russia (and while the I-129F was still pending), but everything I've read says that the adjudicating officers don't receive such evidence; maybe they do get it, but don't acknowledge it to avoid a deluge of continuing evidentiary submissions).

There is one thing: I overstayed my visa the first time I was in Russia (my visa did not allow for travel interruption and -- big surprise -- my flight from Siberia to Moscow was delayed. Apparently, there has never been an instance of an American overstaying a visa -- it sounds absurd to me too, bu we were repeatedly told that such an event had never occured. We contacted the US Embassy for help. They tried, but were not able to help. Perhaps the case was decided right then and there (who would risk detention in Russia to spend more time with his fiancee but a man desperately in love?). It worked out fine (just called the local immigration office and got a court order that said pay the minimum fine; surprisingly, the order did not even require me to leave Russia) and they only thing I regret is that I wasted two extra weeks with my fiancee worrying about how to resolve the issue. I've been back twice since then and aside from curious glances at passport control, I haven't had any problem getting in or out of Russia. It goes without saying that I am not suggesting that anyone overstay their visa, but maybe having more contact with the Embassy other than registering is helpful. I didn't bother advising the embassy of my visit after that first trip, so I don't even know if they are aware that I've been to Russia three time in the last six months.

There is one other thing, the most important thing, I prayed -- a lot. So I will pray for everyone else tonight. Good luck guys, don't worry too much about mountains of evidence and let your love carry the day.

[slim 1,525]

I also submitted a minimum amount of "proof" in my K-1 packet. When my fiance went to the interview, she had only a few printed e-mails, a couple of letters we had written and a few photos.

The biggest piece of evidence she had was her attitude!

[Percival504 0]

Hey, Slim! Yeah -- I don't get it, but I'm not complaining . I just hope everyone else gets approved easily and quickly. Everyone here knows how difficult it is to be separated from their fiance(e) or wife.

[Satellite 1]

There is one thing: I overstayed my visa the first time I was in Russia (my visa did not allow for travel interruption and -- big surprise -- my flight from Siberia to Moscow was delayed. Apparently, there has never been an instance of an American overstaying a visa -- it sounds absurd to me too, but we were repeatedly told that such an event had never occurred. We contacted the US Embassy for help. They tried, but were not able to help. Perhaps the case was decided right then and there (who would risk detention in Russia to spend more time with his fiancée but a man desperately in love?). It worked out fine (just called the local immigration office and got a court order that said pay the minimum fine; surprisingly, the order did not even require me to leave Russia) and they only thing I regret is that I wasted two extra weeks with my fiancée worrying about how to resolve the issue. I've been back twice since then and aside from curious glances at passport control, I haven't had any problem getting in or out of Russia. It goes without saying that I am not suggesting that anyone overstay their visa, but maybe having more contact with the Embassy other than registering is helpful. I didn't bother advising the embassy of my visit after that first trip, so I don't even know if they are aware that I've been to Russia three time in the last six months.

This just goes to show you how decentralized, unorganized, and under computerized the Russian immigration authorities are. According to other Russian forums and advice found online, the events you describe are all correct, except you were supposed to be put on a 5 year black list and be banned from entry. I guess they never bothered with the last part.

As for the consequences, court order, and 2 week delay, this would be a quite a hardship to those of us who have to pay for another ticket at the last minute (lucky if we get the change in time) and loss of work as well as not showing up for 2 weeks might probably leave the average wage earner (who lives pay check to pay check) without a job, lost income, and perhaps loss of other things related to it (home, car, etc.).

P.S.

I am impressed with how fast you got the court order. The stories I heard of described a months long process. Did you get turned around at the airport in Moscow because of the expired visa and had to return to the town you were registered in or was all of this done in Moscow?

[Percival504 0]

OK, here's how it happened:

It was Thanksgiving weekend, so I didn't even bother calling the company that got my visa (they are in the States and their office in Russia was closed over the weekend). We had absolutely no idea what to do and at the time, I knew nothing about Russia or its visa process. I did not know how much trouble I was in! We spent a week and a half trying figure out what to do (when I finally did talk to the visa service and they explained that I would probably be in Moscow for a month and a half and it would cost me thousands, I said: thanks, but no thanks, I'll find another solution). The US Embassy then tried to intervene unsucessfully. I asked whether I should come to Moscow and they said "no; not until this is resolved." When they couldn't help, they told me to go to the local immigration office (I forgot what its called). We finally found out that there was an immigration office at the local airport.

We went there, explained what happened and why it took us ten days to get there, got chewed out and sent to the immigration office in the city we were in (I am avoiding names and locations here intentionally). The guys at the airport called ahead to warn the local office that we were coming. I needed to get back, so I said: "listen, I will voluntarily be deported." They advised me that I would be on the "blacklist" for five or ten years (I can't remember how long) and I said: I don't have any choice. My fiancee and I were there together, fighting and making up, the whole time and these were typically romantic Russian people. They said: you only overstayed your visa by 10 days; this isn't serious enough to be deported -- you wouldn't be able to see your fiancee until she got to America and you could not come back to visit her family. You'll have to pay a fine ("uh-oh, says I, how much?"), the minimum fine (I think it was $50.00 or a 1,000 RUB) and you'll have a visa by tomorrow. The money gets paid to an official bank and you give the immigration office a receipt showing that you paid the fine -- no funny business.

They arranged it so that I could go to court that day and I got the court order the same day -- I was literally ushered to the front of the line (and no, not because I am somehow special or better than anyone else). I had the visa the next day; I did not bribe anyone or give anyone a gift -- I'm not kidding. I was in dirty jeans and a ratty sweater under a really cheap ski parka (I didn't want to look like a "rich" American tourist in Sibir) I wasn't even particularly nice or humble. They treated me like a VIP -- I'm not kidding. If I had known where to go from day 1, I could have had it resolved by day 2. I think they did it because, again, they thought: "these two idiots must truly love each other" and Russians love love. As I said, I've been back twice since then (February and April) and I even hung out in Moscow on April 20 (Hitler's B-day and the same day that some universities actually locked immigrant students in their dorms for their own protection). As most of you probably know, I am African-American.

What an adventure this has been!!! I know many of you are not religious (and I am really just spiritual, I don't belong to any specific church and I don't necessarily believe in anything other than GOD and Jesus), but it is hard not to think ourselves as blessed. At every turn, we should have had major problems, but we have not. Where things should have gone horribly wrong, we have had the most amazing blessings. I have no reasonable answers for why this should be other than those I have already given you. I find it difficult to believe that we will not be together for the rest of our lives and I think I am marrying the most amazing woman in the world. In the last seven months, we have stuck together through more adversity than most couples will encounter in 10 years. And now, despite the cost and the 14 hour time difference, we talk about 3 times a day for a total of 2-3 hours. What's most amazing is that we never talk about my work, her school or the weather -- I'm not sure what we talk about for so long.

I LOVE Russia and I am seriously considering a PhD from a Russian University so that I can find a job which would allow me to be there often or even live there part of the year (preferably Sibir in winter -- again, I'm not kidding).

[Percival504 0]

BTW: the court's order specifically said that I would not be deported or added to the blacklist. They were particularly concerned that I not be added to the blacklist. And as I said, I am sure that I am in a database somewhere because passport control always checks my documents particularly carefully; but they never give me a problem (although some of them laugh). I don't think anyone made a mistake or forgot to do anything -- as you know, Russia is very, very serious about immigration.

As regards the consequences, it could have been quite difficult (it was hard to make my fiancee understand why, so I'm going to send her a copy of your post; but the tenor of it seems a bit hostile -- I hope I am mistaken). I would hope that anyone else who had the same problem would not see their lives ruined. And I'm not so rich that I can afford to make such mistakes -- again, I feel blessed that everything worked out so well and I think you are right, it could have turned out so much worse.

[slim 1,525]

I doubt they're (passport control) giving your papers a second look because you're on some kind of blacklist. It's probably because you're a black guy, not because you're on a list.

Most passport control guys around the world are checking "foreigners" harder than "regular looking" people now because of all the "War on Terror" stuff. Russians have as much of a problem with Islamist extremists as the U.S. passport control guys. They're probably just double checking that as a black guy, you're from somewhere in the Western world, and not somewhere like Sudan or Somalia, and that your name is more of a "regular black guy name" than something that would sound like you're in tight with bin Laden.

Stereotypes and profiling exist everywhere, but at least in this case it's probably more of a guy trying to get kudos from his boss for finding a terror suspect than trying to harass someone based on their skin color.

In truth, your passport is probably not flagged or anything like that. They probably just see that you've had multiple entries in the last year, and that's another little item on their "anti-terror" checklist. But, once you check out as just a lovesick American chasing after his dreamgirl, they just chuckle and let you pass.