Preparing for interview in Moscow

[Mirage 0]

Hello everybody,

My wife has her K3 interview in Moscow on August 8! We are collecting and preparing the final documents and are anxiously awaiting the date.

The biggest concern I have is that her I-129F was filed in her maiden name, then she renewed her passport and took my last name. The consulate told me that the only thing we need to make sure of is to get her police certificate in both names, and use her new name on all the visa application forms. I have heard that in some cases there can be a delay of a few weeks after the interview before receiving the visa for additional security processing or something like that. Does anybody know what can trigger this delay, and is her name change something that might do it? I plan to come to Moscow when she has her interview and we plan to fly home together one week later. Under normal circumstances, this should be fine, but I am concerned about any possible delays. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks very much!

[mendeleev 68]

First of all, your wife is Russian, right?

So, learn the phrase, "It's Russia." Sometimes with a period, sometimes with an exclamation point. It isn't all bad. And it isn't confined to Russians in Russia. It is contagious, and affects all those on the territory of Russia and even beyond. But it is unavoidable.

Will she be delayed? Maybe. Can you do anything? Probably not. Use the opportunity to save a little extra money, since you'll no doubt spend it on pretty clothes once she arrives. She is a really Russian woman, right?

Looks like you are a few weeks ahead of me. Congratulations. I hope everything works out fine. We had an awful time during our AP -- fights, misunderstandings, and other sorts of regretable behavior. Try to avoid it!

Edited July 3, 2007 by novotul

[Mirage 0]

I appreciate your response Novotul, and I hope everything works out great for you! I guess your wife's interview should probably be in the last week of August or first week of September.

I do hope though that somebody might have more insight into what can trigger additional administrative or security processing. I had not heard of this before, and we already have our plane tickets and have a wedding ceremony planned in the US on Sept. 8. Every timeline I have looked at with a Russian fiancee or spouse has had their visa in hand within a week of the interview, and same for every case my wife has looked at on a similar Russian website. I just really hope we do not get caught up in that.

Thanks

[mendeleev 68]

Mirage,

I hope it works out for you. A cardinal rule for this process, though, is that one should not make time-sensitive plans. It is really hard to avoid, for sure. (I am very attached to having her here by our wedding anniversary, but realize it might not happen.) In your favor is the fact that AP after the interview seems much less common at Moscow than at many other posts. You might put your questions over on the Russia forum, though.

Regretably, the factors that trigger AP are secret. The government doesn't tell us why they do it (or why they don't). You'll find speculation on this board on factors, but that is all it is -- speculatoin.

Edited July 4, 2007 by novotul