OK, my situation is really quite tough - Russian Fiance

[ah-no 27]

8 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

How is she unsafe?  From what I have heard, Ukraine is defending itself and has not deployed an offensive into Russia.

There is widespread panic right now in Russia, the currency is becoming increasingly unusable and worthless, and there is a widespread sentiment against the government. And you have to think about who is in charge there, no? That's a recipe for disaster.

[iwannaplay54 985]

1 hour ago, ah-no said:

Thanks. She works for a foreign company, which has offered to help with relocation, the problem is, I'm just not sure what type of legal residence applies, and I'm trying to find that out as soon as possible because this particular thing could be a major time sink. 

Any country where she legally resides will work nicely

This excludes tourist visas, etc

 

Edited March 3, 2022 by iwannaplay54

[millefleur 5,046]

**Several posts removed for derailment. Please stay on topic and give constructive advice or else administrative action will be taken.**

 

VJ Moderation

[SalishSea 17,819]

1 hour ago, ah-no said:

There is widespread panic right now in Russia, the currency is becoming increasingly unusable and worthless, and there is a widespread sentiment against the government. And you have to think about who is in charge there, no? That's a recipe for disaster.

Right, I get that.

 

But currently, there is no foreign invasion of Russia occurring, necessitating widespread evacuations.

[Olga88 84]

She can move to Kazakhstan pretty easy. It’s close and safe. Get a job there and a work visa for now. 

[ah-no 27]

6 minutes ago, Jorgedig said:

Right, I get that.

 

But currently, there is no foreign invasion of Russia occurring, necessitating widespread evacuations.

I don't really want to get into a debate about why it is or isn't safe there -- but, the prospect of a foreign invasion to Russia is certainly not what I think of as the reason for her not being safe. There is, again, a rumor that martial law will be enacted this Friday. Unfortunately, all flights are sold out. I strongly regret letting her return to the country. (But, fate is fate)

Edited March 3, 2022 by ah-no

[millefleur 5,046]

1 hour ago, ah-no said:

There is widespread panic right now in Russia, the currency is becoming increasingly unusable and worthless, and there is a widespread sentiment against the government. And you have to think about who is in charge there, no? That's a recipe for disaster.

I don't mean to be blunt but I doubt any of this is a reason for humanitarian parole (which is the refugee-type visa) or even an expedited spousal visa or fiance visa if you filed for those. There has to be a very, very specific threat to safety for humanitarian parole for an expedite to be approved. General fear of impending doom or even being a citizen of a country who is invading another country I'm afraid just doesn't cut it in USCIS's eyes, as unfortunate as the situation is. There won't be a specific reason for her to a get an expedited/fast visa to the US unless there is a material proof you can provide and then you'd have to apply for it and wait anyway.

 

Visa expedite info here: https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/how-to-make-an-expedite-request

 

Since she's your fiancee I doubt she'd qualify for humanitarian parole because she already has a path to the US via her US fiance. Her life would basically have to be in immediate danger for it be considered and even then it would take months due to the huge backlog the Ukraine and Afghanistan crises just unleashed onto the system.

 

33 minutes ago, ah-no said:

Unfortunately, all flights are sold out.

If you're concerned about her safety, then find a way to move her to another country. The land borders between Russia and everyone (except Ukraine/anywhere near the ongoing war) are all open last time I checked. I know because one of my family members just crossed over the border on a bus a few days about into Estonia. She has a current Schengen visa, but nobody questioned her about social media accounts or anything like that? Of course it can change form day to day, but she had no problems and was able to travel just as before. So, I would calm down and start researching options before just assuming it's all hopeless and impossible, plenty of people are still moving across the border as of today.

 

There are non-Schengen countries she could go to, such as were mentioned like other post-Soviet bordering countries. The Schengen area is iffy and hard to get a work visa or long term residence permit in not to mention they are being overwhelmed with refugees right now. Post-Soviet and other bordering countries will probably be easier, but you'll need to do research. I think it's a good idea for her to move out and wait out the visa process outside of Russia, but in terms of the how/why/where, it is research you'll have to do yourself. If anyone here has an idea, I'm sure they'll be happy to help make suggestions.

 

3 hours ago, ah-no said:

For instance, the Bahamas has such a scheme, and the countries in question now are Georgia and perhaps Montenegro. I kind find concrete information anywhere about what exactly qualifies. 

These all sound like good ideas! As for "concrete information" - try the embassy websites of each country? Search for stuff like "how to be an expat in X country" etc etc. There are tons of blogs out there with all kinds of info about moving abroad to different countries and what is needed.

Edited March 3, 2022 by millefleur

[slavaskii 886]

My sentiment reading this thread is that (a) her relocating to the US soon, let alone before this crisis ends, is out of the question and (b) she has the means to get to a third country. My advice would be to get her to Kazakhstan, Turkey, or Emirates and wait things out there. She can figure out the whole expat situation once in those countries, but as of now the clock's ticking to get out of Russia. As you've identified, flights are all but gone unless you can afford $3-4k Turkish tickets and insane layovers. 

 

I too have heard the rumors about Russia going into martial law Friday, but I'm not entirely sure what that would entail. They're desperate for whatever revenue they can possibly get, so in a way I'd almost be surprised if they refused to let Aeroflot fly. I imagine that, if the intelligence is true, it would be a massive media blackout while they exert overwhelming force. But that's neither here nor there.

 

Point being, do not delay getting her a flight and planning a route through a land border as a backup plan. 

 

Edit: I also wanted to push back on the whole 'March 4th' thing I've been hearing. Mainly, because I don't want you to feel like it's too late if you can't get a ticket by then. I do believe this is more of a scare tactic to convince Russians to stay at home, but the full 'rumor' basically implies that the Duma will convene on Friday to consider a wide range of options, including martial law. The imposition of martial law in Russia does not immediately imply borders closing (see: Ukraine's own martial law), but will certainly be used to quell protests and various economic crises. Continue to explore your options. 

Edited March 3, 2022 by slavaskii

[Boiler 45,468]

Sounds like her Employer will move her, let them do their thing and you do yours.

[little immigrant 801]

6 hours ago, Rocio0010 said:

I’m sorry you’re in this situation. As others have stated, the most important thing now is to get her to safety, fast. 
I think you might have already thought of this, but also please tell her to take ALL her documents with her. Birth certificates, school records, graduate diplomas, etc. And to make several copies. 

And upload them to the cloud as well

[ah-no 27]

8 hours ago, slavaskii said:

My sentiment reading this thread is that (a) her relocating to the US soon, let alone before this crisis ends, is out of the question and (b) she has the means to get to a third country. My advice would be to get her to Kazakhstan, Turkey, or Emirates and wait things out there. She can figure out the whole expat situation once in those countries, but as of now the clock's ticking to get out of Russia. As you've identified, flights are all but gone unless you can afford $3-4k Turkish tickets and insane layovers. 

 

I too have heard the rumors about Russia going into martial law Friday, but I'm not entirely sure what that would entail. They're desperate for whatever revenue they can possibly get, so in a way I'd almost be surprised if they refused to let Aeroflot fly. I imagine that, if the intelligence is true, it would be a massive media blackout while they exert overwhelming force. But that's neither here nor there.

 

Point being, do not delay getting her a flight and planning a route through a land border as a backup plan. 

 

Edit: I also wanted to push back on the whole 'March 4th' thing I've been hearing. Mainly, because I don't want you to feel like it's too late if you can't get a ticket by then. I do believe this is more of a scare tactic to convince Russians to stay at home, but the full 'rumor' basically implies that the Duma will convene on Friday to consider a wide range of options, including martial law. The imposition of martial law in Russia does not immediately imply borders closing (see: Ukraine's own martial law), but will certainly be used to quell protests and various economic crises. Continue to explore your options. 

Certainly. Arrangements have been made already as of this morning. I also doubt the validity of the March 4th comment, but it's still indicative of how south things are going. I'm not willing to risk it.

Thanks for the advice.

Edited March 3, 2022 by ah-no

[ah-no 27]

8 hours ago, millefleur said:

I don't mean to be blunt but I doubt any of this is a reason for humanitarian parole (which is the refugee-type visa) or even an expedited spousal visa or fiance visa if you filed for those. There has to be a very, very specific threat to safety for humanitarian parole for an expedite to be approved. General fear of impending doom or even being a citizen of a country who is invading another country I'm afraid just doesn't cut it in USCIS's eyes, as unfortunate as the situation is. There won't be a specific reason for her to a get an expedited/fast visa to the US unless there is a material proof you can provide and then you'd have to apply for it and wait anyway.

 

Visa expedite info here: https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-guidance/how-to-make-an-expedite-request

 

Since she's your fiancee I doubt she'd qualify for humanitarian parole because she already has a path to the US via her US fiance. Her life would basically have to be in immediate danger for it be considered and even then it would take months due to the huge backlog the Ukraine and Afghanistan crises just unleashed onto the system.

 

If you're concerned about her safety, then find a way to move her to another country. The land borders between Russia and everyone (except Ukraine/anywhere near the ongoing war) are all open last time I checked. I know because one of my family members just crossed over the border on a bus a few days about into Estonia. She has a current Schengen visa, but nobody questioned her about social media accounts or anything like that? Of course it can change form day to day, but she had no problems and was able to travel just as before. So, I would calm down and start researching options before just assuming it's all hopeless and impossible, plenty of people are still moving across the border as of today.

 

There are non-Schengen countries she could go to, such as were mentioned like other post-Soviet bordering countries. The Schengen area is iffy and hard to get a work visa or long term residence permit in not to mention they are being overwhelmed with refugees right now. Post-Soviet and other bordering countries will probably be easier, but you'll need to do research. I think it's a good idea for her to move out and wait out the visa process outside of Russia, but in terms of the how/why/where, it is research you'll have to do yourself. If anyone here has an idea, I'm sure they'll be happy to help make suggestions.

 

These all sound like good ideas! As for "concrete information" - try the embassy websites of each country? Search for stuff like "how to be an expat in X country" etc etc. There are tons of blogs out there with all kinds of info about moving abroad to different countries and what is needed.

I never claimed (or asked) about any expedited services / refugee status, or anything like that. I never considered or mentioned such a thing. I don't think we're at that point by any stretch. (Although, it could go there for Russians, too, my main objective is to avoid such a scenario altogether) I was just responding to another poster who was questioning why I felt she should exit the country, why I felt she may not be safe to stay. Was not related to our process.

As for the residency point, I have tried to contract embassies, but no response thus yet. It can be a bit difficult, as is probably known. I wish the requirements for that were made clearer, but perhaps it's up to the embassy to clear it. Maybe I could try calling again. 


Thanks for the response.

Edited March 3, 2022 by ah-no

[Dashinka 24,489]

54 minutes ago, ah-no said:

Certainly. Arrangements have been made already as of this morning. I also doubt the validity of the March 4th comment, but it's still indicative of how south things are going. I'm not willing to risk it.

Thanks for the advice.

Good to hear, keep us informed.  I have a lot of family (through my wife) in Russia and we are watching things closely.  Unfortunately, they are not in a position to head out of the country (MIL is 86 and not mobile at all).  We were actually supposed to go to Russia this month, we decided to wait.

 

Good Luck!

[ah-no 27]

1 hour ago, Dashinka said:

Good to hear, keep us informed.  I have a lot of family (through my wife) in Russia and we are watching things closely.  Unfortunately, they are not in a position to head out of the country (MIL is 86 and not mobile at all).  We were actually supposed to go to Russia this month, we decided to wait.

 

Good Luck!

Thanks, hopefully everything holds stable enough there through Monday. I'm sorry to hear about your situation and your visit. I lived in Russia myself for years; this is a terrible, unjustified humanitarian tragedy. And I feel for anyone else who is going through something similar! Best wishes.

[millefleur 5,046]

2 hours ago, ah-no said:

As for the residency point, I have tried to contract embassies, but no response thus yet. It can be a bit difficult, as is probably known. I wish the requirements for that were made clearer, but perhaps it's up to the embassy to clear it. Maybe I could try calling again. 

Any country's embassy will not help you in this situation so there's no point to contact them directly by phone. It's better to just research on your own to see how to get permanent residency or a legal way to stay in those countries. All that info should be online, either on the embassy site or government websites, so that you can figure out if it's viable to stay in any of those countries long term. Maybe even try YouTube, there might be good resources there as well. Good luck!