Visa Help - Russia

[Lane 0]

Hi there, 

 

I was hoping someone could give me some advice on spousal visa options/requirements. My fiancé is Russian and I’m currently staying with him in Russia. My lease in the US is up at the end of June and I won’t be resigning, I also quit my job to stay in Russia for a few months with my S/O. 
 

Now we’re facing a few options on what to do next. We could go the online marriage route through Utah, we’re already together in person so it should be okay with filing for a spousal visa. We could go get married somewhere like Georgia since I need to leave the country for a day due to my visa. We could also apply for the fiancé visa and go get married in the US. I’m not sure if anyone has tried completing the spousal visa with an online marriage through Utah and if it was pretty smooth? 
 

I really don’t want to have to leave my S/O and go back to the US. It makes me nervous to leave Russia without at least being legitimately married, is there a way to file everything for the spousal visa online or was there a step that needed to be physically done through mailing? Also I was hoping for any advice on staying with an S/O outside of the country while waiting for either type of visa to be processed. 
 

Thanks so much for taking the time to read, we’re super lost and appreciate any advice :) 

[pushbrk 12,569]

10 minutes ago, Lane said:

Hi there, 

 

I was hoping someone could give me some advice on spousal visa options/requirements. My fiancé is Russian and I’m currently staying with him in Russia. My lease in the US is up at the end of June and I won’t be resigning, I also quit my job to stay in Russia for a few months with my S/O. 
 

Now we’re facing a few options on what to do next. We could go the online marriage route through Utah, we’re already together in person so it should be okay with filing for a spousal visa. We could go get married somewhere like Georgia since I need to leave the country for a day due to my visa. We could also apply for the fiancé visa and go get married in the US. I’m not sure if anyone has tried completing the spousal visa with an online marriage through Utah and if it was pretty smooth? 
 

I really don’t want to have to leave my S/O and go back to the US. It makes me nervous to leave Russia without at least being legitimately married, is there a way to file everything for the spousal visa online or was there a step that needed to be physically done through mailing? Also I was hoping for any advice on staying with an S/O outside of the country while waiting for either type of visa to be processed. 
 

Thanks so much for taking the time to read, we’re super lost and appreciate any advice

You could look into marrying in Georgia but foreigners getting married in the FSU countries tends to be problematic even if one is a citizen where the marriage is attempted.  Two foreigners can be even more problematic.  The Utah Zoom marriage process has worked for many.  Going the fiance visa route means your S/O will be stuck in the USA for year or so without the ability to work or come and go from the USA.  Spouse visa solves all that.

[anna4614890 31]

You can register your marriage in Russia… 

Your S/O can check all information about documents requirements on web site МФЦ or Zags ( загс) ( you need a document that you are single, you can not receive it in embassy in russia currently but you can go to Armenia or somewhere else pretty easily).

You can register marriage with foreigner only in that city which home address in your Russian passport. ( It was like that when I googled about it, maybe something has changed)

[Dashinka 24,110]

From what I heard the online Utah marriage route is fairly smooth, and since you are already together, you meet the "consummation" (being together in person after marriage) requirement.  You should be able to complete the I130 online once you have the marriage certificate in hand.  As to staying outside the US as the USC, when it comes time for the spousal visa interview, you will need to show intent to re-establish domicile back in the US.  I agree with @pushbrk, I would not go the K1 route.

 

Good Luck!

 

Maybe @millefleurwill weigh in.

Edited April 25, 2022 by Dashinka

[pushbrk 12,569]

2 minutes ago, Dashinka said:

From what I heard the online Utah marriage route is fairly smooth, and since you are already together, you meet the "consummation" (being together in person after marriage) requirement.  You should be able to complete the I130 online once you have the marriage certificate in hand.  As to staying outside the US as the USC, when it comes time for the spousal visa interview, you will need to show intent to re-establish domicile back in the US.  I agree with @pushbrk, I would not go the K1 route.

 

Good Luck!

 

Maybe @millefleurwill weigh in.

Two issues to solve.  Domicile, as Dashinka mentioned, and financial sponsorship.  If you quit your job and don't have a pile of cash, you'll need a qualified joint sponsor.

[Dashinka 24,110]

1 minute ago, pushbrk said:

Two issues to solve.  Domicile, as Dashinka mentioned, and financial sponsorship.  If you quit your job and don't have a pile of cash, you'll need a qualified joint sponsor.

Yeah, forgot that all important I864. 

 

[millefleur 5,043]

3 hours ago, anna4614890 said:

You can register marriage with foreigner only in that city which home address in your Russian passport. ( It was like that when I googled about it, maybe something has changed)

I don't think this is true anymore. Might need to double check with ZAGS to verify.

 

3 hours ago, anna4614890 said:

Your S/O can check all information about documents requirements on web site МФЦ or Zags ( загс) ( you need a document that you are single, you can not receive it in embassy in russia currently but you can go to Armenia or somewhere else pretty easily).

It's slightly trickier than that. You need the document saying you are free to marry and then it has to be authenticated in Moscow at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I have a thread on this here:

 

3 hours ago, pushbrk said:

The Utah Zoom marriage process has worked for many.  Going the fiance visa route means your S/O will be stuck in the USA for year or so without the ability to work or come and go from the USA. 

The more interesting question here is whether Russia recognizes a Zoom marriage. I'm going to assume no. Obviously for the US side, it's totally fine. But if OP wants to wait out the I-130 process in Russia and get any benefit from being married to a Russian, the authorities there may not view the Zoom marriage as legitimate. OP should ask the local ZAGS to find out.

[millefleur 5,043]

**Moved from IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures to RUB regional forum**

[pushbrk 12,569]

1 hour ago, millefleur said:

I don't think this is true anymore. Might need to double check with ZAGS to verify.

 

It's slightly trickier than that. You need the document saying you are free to marry and then it has to be authenticated in Moscow at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I have a thread on this here:

 

The more interesting question here is whether Russia recognizes a Zoom marriage. I'm going to assume no. Obviously for the US side, it's totally fine. But if OP wants to wait out the I-130 process in Russia and get any benefit from being married to a Russian, the authorities there may not view the Zoom marriage as legitimate. OP should ask the local ZAGS to find out.

Good point.  Not US immigration related though.

[Lane 0]

7 hours ago, millefleur said:

I don't think this is true anymore. Might need to double check with ZAGS to verify.

 

It's slightly trickier than that. You need the document saying you are free to marry and then it has to be authenticated in Moscow at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I have a thread on this here:

 

The more interesting question here is whether Russia recognizes a Zoom marriage. I'm going to assume no. Obviously for the US side, it's totally fine. But if OP wants to wait out the I-130 process in Russia and get any benefit from being married to a Russian, the authorities there may not view the Zoom marriage as legitimate. OP should ask the local ZAGS to find out.

Thanks so much for the advice! If we were to go the authentication route through Zags and see if it’s possible, what type of benefits would it provide? Would it help at all with the US spousal visa, or just help in general for me staying here and maybe obtaining dual citizenship? 

[Lane 0]

10 hours ago, pushbrk said:

Two issues to solve.  Domicile, as Dashinka mentioned, and financial sponsorship.  If you quit your job and don't have a pile of cash, you'll need a qualified joint sponsor.

Thanks for letting me know! The financial responsibility is the first part of the spousal visa application and the domicile is towards the end at the interview or I need to have them both figured out before starting the application process? 

[Dashinka 24,110]

38 minutes ago, Lane said:

Thanks for letting me know! The financial responsibility is the first part of the spousal visa application and the domicile is towards the end at the interview or I need to have them both figured out before starting the application process? 

The I864 and showing proof of intent to re-establish US domicile come near the end, but you need to be considering it at the beginning.  If you already know you will need a joint sponsor for the I864, it is better to start working on that now rather than wait until your spouse is ready to interview and needing to scramble to find another sponsor.

 

Good Luck!

[Simplytex 387]

11 hours ago, millefleur said:

The more interesting question here is whether Russia recognizes a Zoom marriage.

Me again - my fiance checked with her old boss at Zags, and Russia has no way of verifying whether it was Zoom or not, etc. In our case, the plan is to perform the ceremony on Zoom, have Utah County Clerk prepare a certified copy and apostille, then (somehow) send it to her in Russia. She can then use the certified copy + apostille to register the marriage in Russia, which will allow for her to update the name in her domestic and international passports.

 

4 hours ago, Lane said:

If we were to go the authentication route through Zags and see if it’s possible, what type of benefits would it provide?

So, I've looked into that - and at least for my situation (I'm in Texas), its basically impossible at this point to provide the right paperwork to perform a marriage in Russia/via Zags. Zags would require either:

1. A document from the embassy saying that I am clear to get married, problem is that the embassy isn't making these documents anymore; or
2. Documents from my Secretary of State/State Vital Statistics records showing any records of prior marriage and divorce - problem is, that in Texas these records only get added to the State register after 4 years, so right now my previous divorce which is less than 4years old, doesn't show up in the State records, and while technically I can provide the District court records, we thought that this was going to be more trouble than it's worth.

And more to your point, there is literally no difference for either the Russians (according to my fiance's old boss) between performing the ceremony through Zags in Russia, versus having the wedding done outside of Russia and then recording it later with Zags; but also no difference to USCIS immigration (as long as the marriage is 'consummated' - you can't perform an online/proxy marriage and never meet afterwards, but doesn't sound like an issue in your case.)

 

My only thought for you would be, the Russians might scratch their head a little if they cross-check your travel vs the wedding dates (ie, you are physically "in Russia" but claiming to be married "in America" - would be recommended to go to Turkey, Dubai, wherever... That's what we are doing, at least.)

Edited April 26, 2022 by Simplytex

[millefleur 5,043]

54 minutes ago, Simplytex said:

Me again - my fiance checked with her old boss at Zags, and Russia has no way of verifying whether it was Zoom or not, etc. In our case, the plan is to perform the ceremony on Zoom, have Utah County Clerk prepare a certified copy and apostille, then (somehow) send it to her in Russia. She can then use the certified copy + apostille to register the marriage in Russia, which will allow for her to update the name in her domestic and international passports.

Thanks for that info! Looks like the tricky part with that is sending the physical Apostille to Russia, since no mail services from the US are currently shipping to Russia.

 

58 minutes ago, Simplytex said:

My only thought for you would be, the Russians might scratch their head a little if they cross-check your travel vs the wedding dates (ie, you are physically "in Russia" but claiming to be married "in America" - would be recommended to go to Turkey, Dubai, wherever... That's what we are doing, at least.)

Is it easier now to get married in Turkey or Dubai? What about Serbia? I agree that marrying physically somewhere outside of Russia is probably going to be easier.

 

1 hour ago, Simplytex said:

A document from the embassy saying that I am clear to get married, problem is that the embassy isn't making these documents anymore; or

In theory, this could still be obtained by the USC at any US Embassy that offers US Citizenship Services. I guess you could get it done at another Embassy and then get it translated to Russia and then take it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow....but that's still kind of a huge pain and would require lots of travel.

 

1 hour ago, Simplytex said:

Documents from my Secretary of State/State Vital Statistics records showing any records of prior marriage and divorce

Is the divorce certificate not enough?

 

5 hours ago, Lane said:

Thanks so much for the advice! If we were to go the authentication route through Zags and see if it’s possible, what type of benefits would it provide? Would it help at all with the US spousal visa, or just help in general for me staying here and maybe obtaining dual citizenship? 

Being married would just give you extra cushions as a spouse of a Russian citizen in case something happened with the authorities/at the border. It could also help you apply for residency in Russia depending on how long you need to stay there. The marriage doesn't have to take place in Russia though, I personally just wasn't sure about how the Zoom marriage would be viewed by Russian authorities but see what @Simplytex said above about it.

[Simplytex 387]

47 minutes ago, millefleur said:

physical Apostille to Russia, since no mail services from the US are currently shipping to Russia

Yeah, that was my thought as well. There are a few private courier companies though, I inquired with one called CDEK and they seem to still be operating - I just haven't asked for the price yet... 💀

 

48 minutes ago, millefleur said:

Is it easier now to get married in Turkey or Dubai? What about Serbia? I agree that marrying physically somewhere outside of Russia is probably going to be easier.

 

Ah - I meant, if doing the Utah online marriage, to be out of Russia. Not necessarily to do the wedding by Turkish/Georgian officials (still would have to deal with embassy stuff etc.) I guess its a trade-off - deal with the Turkish/Georgian process of local marriage and have a document in hand, or, do the online Utah marriage and having to figure out how to send the document to Russia.

 

In our case, we aren't in a particular rush to get her documentation updated on the Russian side of things - it would be a 'nice to have' - but more critically, we want to get the I-130 filed, and for that all I need is a PDF of the Utah certificate of marriage.

 

51 minutes ago, millefleur said:

Is the divorce certificate not enough?

 

In my case, the District Court doesn't issue a 'certificate', its just the court document/final decision paper. This we felt would be very confusing to Zags because Zags manager said "The American needs to provide a document from the Texas state government Department of Heath and Vital Statistics" (How they knew this exact department, I have no idea, my fiance says her boss pulled out some big book of documents lol!) The problem is, in my situation, the marriage license is issued by the county, the divorce agreement signed by a district judge, and the State of Texas would only show the marriage on their record search since it hasn't been 4 yrs since the divorce - I don't want to go down that rabbit hole of trying to get all those documents translated and explain the US judicial system to just get approved to marry (which, btw, you must register intent to marry, and only in exceptional circumstances can you then marry sooner than 60 days - usually you have to pick a date further out.)

 

So, maybe the situation would be different for someone else where they could have a marriage/divorce record issued by their state govt - but again, they would run into the issue of trying to get a certified copy + apostille of those documents sent to Russia (if they didn't bring it themselves - which as OP is currently in Russia, I assume they can't.)

 

2 hours ago, millefleur said:

Being married would just give you extra cushions as a spouse of a Russian citizen in case something happened with the authorities/at the border. It could also help you apply for residency in Russia depending on how long you need to stay there.

Both true! It definitely is situational, but I would guess for many folks who are trying to emigrate from Russia instead of staying longer, the primary benefits would be 1) updating passport and other documents with married name - the marriage must be registered in Zags before this can happen, and 2) the border issues as you mentioned.