US Citizen & Ukrainian Wife STILL IN UKRAINE - HELP!!

[tgijeff 0]

Hello,

 

As the subject suggests, we're in a bit of a conundrum. I am a US citizen currently living in Ukraine with my wife, who has never left the country (although, has a valid passport). We have the means to cross the border via a bus and get into Poland - no issues there. However, the issues arrive once we get into Poland.

 

Basically, we've contacted and e-mailed every source available saying that I want my wife to come back to the US with me via a spouse immigrant visa. The most information we received was that we had to cross the border and request an "expedited I-130 visa". A redditor also suggested that we seek "Direct Consular Filing" which supposedly would make the process faster? I digress.

 

Our #1 concern is how long it would take and what steps are necessary for my wife to get a visa to come to the United States. We're currently working on finding a place to stay. But, obviously, if this will take her more than 3 months, I cannot stay in Poland because a US passport only allows me a 90-day visit and we *cannot* be separated. Once again, she has never left Ukraine in her life and she has never been on her own. It is adamant that I remain by her side at all times. This will be a very scary journey for the both of us.

 

Does anyone have a general idea as to how long it would take her to get an expedited visa? We've looked at the calculator on the website for non-expedited, tourist visa waits - but that doesn't apply to our situation. Once again, we're trying to get an expedited spouse visa and no one has been able to even give us a hint at if it will take less than 90 days. I imagine there are other people going through what we're going through and we really would love to know what the current situation is like in Warsaw and what steps people have taken across this journey to get into the United States. We really need to leave Ukraine as soon as possible (obviously). I just do not want her stranded in Poland.

 

If anyone has any idea, we would be so grateful a response.

 

Thank you!!!

[powerpuff 6,712]

~ Topic moved from Bringing Family Members of US citizens  to Regional Discussion: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus ~ 
 

Warsaw embassy has announced a while ago that Frankfurt will be the designated post for Ukrainians seeking visa services. 
 

From their announcement, this bullet point would apply to you:

• If you have not yet filed a petition but wish to do so, you may contact U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt to inquire regarding possible local filing (this applies only to U.S. citizens filing petitions for their spouses, unmarried children under 21 and parents).  Both the petitioner and the applicant must be present in Germany.

More in this post below:

 

 

 

 

[tgijeff 0]

We have been reading so much conflicting information about this, though. For example, we've read about people doing this all in Warsaw and then having to visit Frankfurt for a day for an interview and that was it. We can never seem to get a direct answer. Once again, our #1 concern is how long this will take if it's expedited and if anyone has any general idea. That link you provided doesn't say anything about how long it will take.

[powerpuff 6,712]

5 minutes ago, tgijeff said:

We have been reading so much conflicting information about this, though. For example, we've read about people doing this all in Warsaw and then having to visit Frankfurt for a day for an interview and that was it. We can never seem to get a direct answer. Once again, our #1 concern is how long this will take if it's expedited and if anyone has any general idea. That link you provided doesn't say anything about how long it will take.

You should only rely on official sources, not on what someone said. On Warsaw website they do not provide any timeframes (“US. Consulate Frankfurt will respond to you as soon as practicable with any guidance it can provide you.”). Which is understandable given the amount of people they probably have to process. You won’t find a direct answer because the is all a very new situation and consulate staff cannot handle everyone at once fast.

 

  And just to note, you are not expediting because you do not have a petition filed at all. You’re filing a petition from scratch at Frankfurt consulate. People you mentioned that had to travel to Frankfurt for a day to interview probably already had their petitions at Warsaw consulate transferred from the US. So yes, it makes sense that they had to just do the interview part in Frankfurt. 
 

At this point all you can do is follow official instructions from the Warsaw consulate and write an inquiry to Frankfurt asking that you’d like to submit a petition for your spouse locally. In the meantime you need to make your way to Frankfurt as that’s the requirement. You can try to explain to them that you would like this to be processed within 90 days but keep in mind they do not have to grant that, especially if they don’t have the capacity. Keep in mind there are many, many others is similar circumstances going through Frankfurt. 

[Crazy Cat 41,893]

1 hour ago, tgijeff said:

Hello,

 

As the subject suggests, we're in a bit of a conundrum. I am a US citizen currently living in Ukraine with my wife, who has never left the country (although, has a valid passport). We have the means to cross the border via a bus and get into Poland - no issues there. However, the issues arrive once we get into Poland.

 

Basically, we've contacted and e-mailed every source available saying that I want my wife to come back to the US with me via a spouse immigrant visa. The most information we received was that we had to cross the border and request an "expedited I-130 visa". A redditor also suggested that we seek "Direct Consular Filing" which supposedly would make the process faster? I digress.

 

Our #1 concern is how long it would take and what steps are necessary for my wife to get a visa to come to the United States. We're currently working on finding a place to stay. But, obviously, if this will take her more than 3 months, I cannot stay in Poland because a US passport only allows me a 90-day visit and we *cannot* be separated. Once again, she has never left Ukraine in her life and she has never been on her own. It is adamant that I remain by her side at all times. This will be a very scary journey for the both of us.

 

Does anyone have a general idea as to how long it would take her to get an expedited visa? We've looked at the calculator on the website for non-expedited, tourist visa waits - but that doesn't apply to our situation. Once again, we're trying to get an expedited spouse visa and no one has been able to even give us a hint at if it will take less than 90 days. I imagine there are other people going through what we're going through and we really would love to know what the current situation is like in Warsaw and what steps people have taken across this journey to get into the United States. We really need to leave Ukraine as soon as possible (obviously). I just do not want her stranded in Poland.

 

If anyone has any idea, we would be so grateful a response.

 

Thank you!!!

I think If she can get to the US border, you are home-free (Mexico). An expedited visa is not fast.  It just means you are moved ahead of others who have been waiting.....and there are a LOT of people requesting expedites and DCF.  In my opinion, you should contact the US consulates in Poland and Frankfort for instructions.  

There are some great members here who will see this thread since it is in the RUB forum.  Good luck. @millefleur is watching this area, as well as other great VJ members. 

Edited March 22, 2022 by Crazy Cat

[tgijeff 0]

16 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

I think If she can get to the US border, you are home-free (Mexico). An expedited visa is not fast.  It just means you are moved ahead of others who have been waiting.....and there are a LOT of people requesting expedites and DCF.  In my opinion, you should contact the US consulates in Poland and Frankfort for instructions.  

There are some great members here who will see this thread since it is in the RUB forum.  Good luck. 

I'm from New England - is the process on the Canadian border similar to the Mexican border? If so, could you link us to a source, if possible? It's much appreciated.

[millefleur 5,046]

2 hours ago, tgijeff said:

I'm from New England - is the process on the Canadian border similar to the Mexican border? If so, could you link us to a source, if possible? It's much appreciated.

The problem with the Canadian border is that she needs a visa to enter Canada. She can enter Mexico without a visa. There's no official source because USCIS for some reason does not want to acknowledge this publicly but there are trustworthy news reports that Ukrainians are being let into the US via the Mexican border:

 

4 hours ago, tgijeff said:

A redditor also suggested that we seek "Direct Consular Filing" which supposedly would make the process faster?

DCF would be the fastest option. You need to contact each consulate individually and ask if you can file the I-130 directly with them. If I were you, I would contact Frankfurt as that is now the new embassy for USC relatives from Ukraine. We have a whole forum here dedicated to that:

https://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/82-direct-consular-filing-dcf-general-discussion/

 

4 hours ago, tgijeff said:

Does anyone have a general idea as to how long it would take her to get an expedited visa?

Timelines vary but if you look in the RUB forum many people have managed successful expedites. @texastincup is one. You can also find more threads here:

https://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/98-russia-ukraine-and-belarus/

 

In terms of not being able to stay longer than 90 days in Poland: is there no special extension available for someone in your situation?

 

[Boiler 45,538]

Canada is considered by the US as a safe country so generally speaking the US sees no need for people to flee from Canada. I have not come across any reports on that route working.

 

As far as DCF Frankfurt is concerned, impossible to say how long it will take, seems the quickest option to get an immigrant visa. 3 or 4 months would have been my best guess in normal times, but there was a post a few weeks ago suggesting that an extra loop had been put into the process. Do not know how long that adds.

 

The big unknown of course is what resources have been allocated to Frankfurt to process such cases vs the significantly increased demand. History suggests demand will comfortably exceed processing capability. 

 

Unlike many countries the Administration has not implemented and specific policies for refugees from Ukraine.

[texastincup 52]

2 hours ago, millefleur said:

Timelines vary but if you look in the RUB forum many people have managed successful expedites. @texastincup is one. You can also find more threads here:

https://www.visajourney.com/forums/forum/98-russia-ukraine-and-belarus/

 

 

 

The NVC portion of the process has moved at light-speed compared to the USCIS one, at least for me. Once the case number was issued(PSC: NOA2 3/16/22; Sent to NVC 3/20/22; NVC case # assigned and Invoice # received 3/21/22) , I was able to pay my IV and AOS fees immediately rather than filing the DS-261 as the pinned post here suggests. My wife's USCIS NOA2 was sent to the NVC on 3/4/22 ad I have not heard from NVC on her case though.

 

All EU countries will extend stays for Ukrainians anyway.

 

https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/stronger-europe-world/eu-solidarity-ukraine/eu-assistance-ukraine/information-people-fleeing-war-ukraine_en

[tgijeff 0]

We contacted Germany's consulate. They got back to us very quickly. While they cannot tell us how long the process will take until we submit the I-130 in person, they sent us a checklist. We have 1 issue on the checklist pertaining to this bullet point (attached)

 

The most we have are pictures and chat logs. Due to her work, she rented me an apartment in Ukraine and we were going to get me a temporary residence permit during her break from work (she's an English teacher), but the war happened. So, the apartment is in her name. Essentially, she would live with her mother during the week and be with me on weekends (I had an online job for the US). Would pictures and chat logs be enough evidence? We, obviously, have everything else on the list (such as the marriage certificate, proof of my US citizenship, etc.).

[tgijeff 0]

Just now, tgijeff said:

We contacted Germany's consulate. They got back to us very quickly. While they cannot tell us how long the process will take until we submit the I-130 in person, they sent us a checklist. We have 1 issue on the checklist pertaining to this bullet point (attached)

 

The most we have are pictures and chat logs. Due to her work, she rented me an apartment in Ukraine and we were going to get me a temporary residence permit during her break from work (she's an English teacher), but the war happened. So, the apartment is in her name. Essentially, she would live with her mother during the week and be with me on weekends (I had an online job for the US). Would pictures and chat logs be enough evidence? We, obviously, have everything else on the list (such as the marriage certificate, proof of my US citizenship, etc.).

As I noted above, my other concern is what will happen if this takes more than 90 days - I would have to get deported from Germany, no? I cannot leave her alone. I suppose we could go to a neighboring country, but finding a place in Germany to stay (assuming we pursue this) would be difficult as it is.

[Boiler 45,538]

I would include evidence of why you can not leave her alone.

[millefleur 5,046]

5 hours ago, tgijeff said:

 

The most we have are pictures and chat logs. Due to her work, she rented me an apartment in Ukraine and we were going to get me a temporary residence permit during her break from work (she's an English teacher), but the war happened. So, the apartment is in her name.

Write a letter explaining the situation and include that. How long have you been married?

 

10 minutes ago, Boiler said:

I would include evidence of why you can not leave her alone.

I would also include this.

 

5 hours ago, tgijeff said:

As I noted above, my other concern is what will happen if this takes more than 90 days - I would have to get deported from Germany, no?

Not necessarily. They don't usually rush over and deport people just for a minor visa overstay. You'd probably end up with a fine that you'll have to pay when exiting, maybe some kind of ban in the worst case scenario but I've known USC's to overstay in the Schengen area and the most they got was a fine. By the way, not all countries in Europe are Schengen. Serbia and most of the Balkan countries are not. So, you can travel to one of these countries if you're close to the 90 day overstay. The UK and Ireland are also not Schengen.