What's after NOA2 in Ukraine? [split topic]

[Alabamak1 688]

5 hours ago, Ducker said:

I feel a sense of relief and accomplishment; and as a project manager I managed to make up a few days time in lags, pretty good for government work 😅

 

My fiancee started crying as we left, and I felt I had to remark to security, "she's happy not sad!"  Definitely good advice for me to be there and hold things together before and after.

 

Now, question:  can I book her one-way flight home with me using her Ukranian passport, or do I need to wait and enter her K1 visa number when booking the flight to JFK on Ukranian Intl. Airlines?  I'm guessing they won't sweat it much in Kiev, just want to make sure we do things the kosher way for Customs in New York.

one way is ok. don't know what JFK is looking like in time for the tripod area. It could be some wait for her. Do ask her to have the brown envelope in her hand as she lands, that makes a difference since my wife had hers and she was pulled out of the line and made the process faster to get in at POE

 

do wait for her to get her visa on hand VOH, and then book. i dont think they ask for the visa number. it should be around 5-10 days to get the passport back. depends which courier or how they deliver it.

 

Suggestion: Do get SS# as soon as you can, even with manual verification is best to go after POE or next working day. It's taking 2-8 weeks average to get it. Do not get it for her after marriage, they will not give it, since the name changes if she does. My wife kept her last name, easier with documents in Ukraine.

 

Godd luck 

Edited August 7, 2018 by Alabamak1

[GP1977 288]

11 hours ago, Ducker said:

I feel a sense of relief and accomplishment; and as a project manager I managed to make up a few days time in lags, pretty good for government work 😅

 

My fiancee started crying as we left, and I felt I had to remark to security, "she's happy not sad!"  Definitely good advice for me to be there and hold things together before and after.

 

Now, question:  can I book her one-way flight home with me using her Ukranian passport, or do I need to wait and enter her K1 visa number when booking the flight to JFK on Ukranian Intl. Airlines?  I'm guessing they won't sweat it much in Kiev, just want to make sure we do things the kosher way for Customs in New York.

@ducker just wondering how you did logistics with your travel, etc.

1) did you do a one way ticket to Kiev from jfk?

2) did they give you any indication as to when the passport would be ready? I assume it would be faster if you picked it up from the embassy or did you use the courier service?

hope to have the interview in the next few months and am just thinking about logistics. She’s fine to fly by herself after me if it works out that way but would be nice to return together if we can make it work. 

 

 

[Alabamak1 688]

1 hour ago, GP1977 said:

@ducker just wondering how you did logistics with your travel, etc.

1) did you do a one way ticket to Kiev from jfk?

2) did they give you any indication as to when the passport would be ready? I assume it would be faster if you picked it up from the embassy or did you use the courier service?

hope to have the interview in the next few months and am just thinking about logistics. She’s fine to fly by herself after me if it works out that way but would be nice to return together if we can make it work. 

 

 

2) the passport is usually ready after few days after the interview. they let you know if it was approved. you can follow the process on the CEAC website. it took my wife about 7 days to be delivered. Passport was picked up in Krivoy Rog at the courier agency 

[GP1977 288]

17 minutes ago, Alabamak1 said:

2) the passport is usually ready after few days after the interview. they let you know if it was approved. you can follow the process on the CEAC website. it took my wife about 7 days to be delivered. Passport was picked up in Krivoy Rog at the courier agency 

Thank you!

[Ksenia_O 696]

On 7/18/2018 at 3:41 AM, artml said:

Isn't it six months?

Six months - it's about K-1/K-2 visa. The visa will be valid for 6 months,  since the date of your medical. 

[Ducker 51]

Picked up the visa today from the courier in Kharkov.  On the eighth day after interview with CEAC still saying “issued,” my intuition told me it was perhaps sitting in a warehouse.  Sure enough it was.  FWIW the courier is “TMM Express.”

[Alabamak1 688]

21 minutes ago, Ducker said:

Picked up the visa today from the courier in Kharkov.  On the eighth day after interview with CEAC still saying “issued,” my intuition told me it was perhaps sitting in a warehouse.  Sure enough it was.  FWIW the courier is “TMM Express.”

congrats

[artml 30]

@Ducker have you received any notifications from TMM? When I was picking up my B1/B2 four years ago I got an sms that my package arrived to Kharkiv warehouse 3 or 4 days after the interview. No status updates from CEAC whatsoever.

[Ducker 51]

1 hour ago, artml said:

@Ducker have you received any notifications from TMM? When I was picking up my B1/B2 four years ago I got an sms that my package arrived to Kharkiv warehouse 3 or 4 days after the interview. No status updates from CEAC whatsoever.

No I didn’t.  I highly recommend to others to select pick up at courier rather than mailing, so you aren’t stuck waiting.  I don’t really trust the infrastructure here, but then again Fedex, USPS, and UPS can all be shady from time to time.

[Ducker 51]

Arrived back home with the fiancée (and the luckiest Ukrainian Pomeranian of all time) yesterday morning.  We are so relieved and a little exhausted, still.  We’ll get started on the SSN paperwork soon.

 

Quote from a customs officer after we were detained for K1 entry visa at JFK airport:  “you know you gotta get married by November, right? I don’t know much more about it so here you go, have a nice day.”  😂

 

 Just wanted to mention that the transportation of pets from Ukraine can be tricky.  While the USA merely requires proof of rabies vaccination, remember that it must be translated into English.   To exit the country, the government requires a vet exam at a state-run hospital.  This cost a whopping 18 UAH (which was made with a 24 uah bank transfer fee, lol).  We got this bill of health (supposedly also required by Delta Air but not checked) officially translated for 170 uah.  I noticed the dollar-hryvna exchange rate is getting close to 28:1 now, for comparison’s sake.

 

A mandated review and approval of the bill-of-health paperwork (which is valid for only three days) at the government’s airport office in Kiev cost 230 uah I believe.  I’d brought an airline-approved soft pet carrier and checked with and paid both UIA and Delta’s pet fees, $125 per booking.  You want to do this early because flights usually don’t allow more than 2 animals per flight.

[Alabamak1 688]

@Ducker get ready for the longer process of EAD, AOS now. Good luck

[TBoneTX 45,291]

Congratulations on your intense and successful entry!  Your pet information will certainly be of value to others.

 

Amidst the whirlwind of everything that's happening, remember to do this:  At your earliest opportunity after marriage, draft Wills, medical & general powers of attorney, HIPAA releases, and other such documents.  These make outstanding evidence for Removing Conditions later, and they're even more crucial to have in "life."  Everyone on these forums who've taken these steps are glad that they did.

Edited August 21, 2018 by TBoneTX

[Ninelle666 0]

I'm from Russia but going to have an interview and medical check in Kiev. Do I have to go there twice? Is there a chance I can do the check and then in several days interview? 

After reading this topic I understood that after getting the visa they were able to fly to him together, is this an option?

I'm new to the whole thing, we just finished preparing the documents :)

[Ducker 51]

14 minutes ago, Ninelle666 said:

I'm from Russia but going to have an interview and medical check in Kiev. Do I have to go there twice? Is there a chance I can do the check and then in several days interview? 

After reading this topic I understood that after getting the visa they were able to fly to him together, is this an option?

I'm new to the whole thing, we just finished preparing the documents

 

Are you a citizen of Ukraine?  Otherwise I don’t understand why you’d have the checks in Kiev.

 

If yes then I’d recommend traveling together with your fiancée very much, yes.

 

It’s not easy to schedule the medical exam and interview closely together, but as mentioned, it will be valid for six months so I would go ahead and take care of it.

[Ninelle666 0]

25 minutes ago, Ducker said:

 

Are you a citizen of Ukraine?  Otherwise I don’t understand why you’d have the checks in Kiev.

 

If yes then I’d recommend traveling together with your fiancée very much, yes.

 

It’s not easy to schedule the medical exam and interview closely together, but as mentioned, it will be valid for six months so I would go ahead and take care of it.

Thank you for the reply! 

I'm citizen of Russia. I've heard that medical check should be done in the same country as interview