RUSSIAN FIANCE CANT TRAVEL POLAND & ISRAEL WAR

[Greenplanet1 1]

Hello friends, 

 

we have this approved K1 fiance petition, and we are at the last step. My fiance is from Russia, and she cant travel to Poland because of the schengen block. All other embassies are not taking our case, as they only take cases from residents of that country. The only embassy which can take our case is Israel and they are in war and not operating currently. 

 

Please anyone can help me with any advice on where to go or what to do? Anyone in similiar situation?

[JPLaw 6]

Right now the chatter in the Telegram chats is that Kyrgyzstan is accepting transfers (at least from Russians scheduled in Israeli) it may be worth writing them if you haven't tried already. 

 

Alternatively, I also think it's worth considering trying to get a Schengen visa through France or Spain since those countries are known to be more lenient than most. It's a massive pain but the embassy in Poland works quicker to interview than most. For example, Poland has been able to schedule within 1-2 months while countries like Georgia take an additional 7 months after NVC to schedule. The idea would be to enter schengen through the visa issuing country and quietly travel to Poland from within the Schengen zone. Not possible for everyone (myself included) but a good option for many folks.

Edited November 4, 2023 by JPLaw
Additional timing context.

[powerpuff 6,697]

*** Topic moved from K1 Progress Reports forum to Regional discussion: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus ***

[JayFromTexas 69]

On 11/4/2023 at 5:21 AM, JPLaw said:

Right now the chatter in the Telegram chats is that Kyrgyzstan is accepting transfers (at least from Russians scheduled in Israeli) it may be worth writing them if you haven't tried already. 

 

Alternatively, I also think it's worth considering trying to get a Schengen visa through France or Spain since those countries are known to be more lenient than most. It's a massive pain but the embassy in Poland works quicker to interview than most. For example, Poland has been able to schedule within 1-2 months while countries like Georgia take an additional 7 months after NVC to schedule. The idea would be to enter schengen through the visa issuing country and quietly travel to Poland from within the Schengen zone. Not possible for everyone (myself included) but a good option for many folks.

What was it not possible for you? I have a CR1 application in the process and we will be needing to solve the interview challenge in the next few months.

[JPLaw 6]

16 hours ago, JayFromTexas said:

What was it not possible for you? I have a CR1 application in the process and we will be needing to solve the interview challenge in the next few months.

 

The economics of applying just didnt make sense for us - we both live outside of Russia and the costs and time of traveling to apply for the Schengen with the risks of scheduling issues made us decide to stay put in Georgia's long line. 

 

We spoke with 3 visa agencies in Russia that help facilitate getting a Schengen and 2 of them told us that because our financial proof would only be my US bank records (wife has no income and shares my cards w/o name on account) we would have problems getting a visa in the first place. Idk if that's true - but a weird repeated problem they highlighted. Also because Schengen applications in RU are processed based on where your RU spouse is registered there are some additional costs or longer waits when they're registered outside the major cities.

 

Honestly, it seems like most people can coordinate getting the visa and Poland appointment just fine. It looks like the way to go if the logistics can make sense for y'all - just a stressful hassle.

[BenNomad 88]

20 hours ago, JPLaw said:

We spoke with 3 visa agencies in Russia that help facilitate getting a Schengen and 2 of them told us that because our financial proof would only be my US bank records (wife has no income and shares my cards w/o name on account) we would have problems getting a visa in the first place. Idk if that's true

If you are talking about third-party agencies that assist you in preparing your Schengen application, I would highly recommend staying away from such agencies. From what I've read on Forum Vinskogo, many people have been duped or simply been given wrong information. Apply yourself at the official visa center that you'll find a link to on the country's own consulate website. VSF Global serves as the application center for many Schengen countries, but some countries like Germany, Italy and Greece have their own visa centers (but sometimes located in the same place as VSF Global). As a U.S. citizen, you can be the financial sponsor for your spouse, and that information is entered in the visa application itself. Using U.S. (or any other foreign) bank accounts is good. My wife got a Schengen visa to Greece with me as the sponsor, and she didn't present any financial information about herself. Keep in mind that even the staff at official visa centers will tell you sometimes it's better if you have this or that, when it's actually not necessary. For example, they asked for my U.S. birth certificate (as the sponsor) but said it was "optional" (in other words, completely unnecessary).

 

Not sure if fiancees can be sponsors for a Schengen visa, though I suppose anyone could be a sponsor theoretically. They required our marriage certificate, so I think you have to prove the relationship somehow.

 

Germany requires a 3-month history of bank statements. I would say for a Schengen, to be safe, be able to show a balance of at least $8-10K USD or the equivalent. But that's not to say the decision is completely based on finances, or that a "weak" financial case will automatically be rejected. They also consider the risk of the person staying in the EU, and proof that the intended purpose of travel is legit (good travel plan, bookings, etc). 

 

As for what region in Russia you can apply in, check the country's consulate website or contact the official visa center for their rules. Germany has 4 or 5 visa centers in Russia and you can apply at whichever one you want. 

 

Edited November 8, 2023 by BenNomad

[ah-no 27]

We are going to try Italy, then move to Poland. @BenNomad I can't find information about applying directly, really. These agencies looked "official". Not sure.

[BenNomad 88]

15 hours ago, ah-no said:

We are going to try Italy, then move to Poland. @BenNomad I can't find information about applying directly, really. These agencies looked "official". Not sure.

 

For Italy it depends on where the applicant is registered. If you're registered in Moscow, use VMS (italy-vms.ru) and if you're in the St. Petersburg region, use VMS in St. Petersburg. Everyone else has to apply at an Almaviva center. I don't think I can post a link here but on the "italy-vms" site you can find details under the news section. 

Edited November 9, 2023 by BenNomad

[ah-no 27]

6 hours ago, BenNomad said:

 

For Italy it depends on where the applicant is registered. If you're registered in Moscow, use VMS (italy-vms.ru) and if you're in the St. Petersburg region, use VMS in St. Petersburg. Everyone else has to apply at an Almaviva center. I don't think I can post a link here but on the "italy-vms" site you can find details under the news section. 

OK, Almaviva. Got it. That's the one I was looking at earlier. My wife is leaning towards using an agency (and people in her company are all about that) -- so if we visit that site you mentioned, are there going to be resources/discussions to convince her otherwise?

[BenNomad 88]

On 11/9/2023 at 5:34 PM, ah-no said:

OK, Almaviva. Got it. That's the one I was looking at earlier. My wife is leaning towards using an agency (and people in her company are all about that) -- so if we visit that site you mentioned, are there going to be resources/discussions to convince her otherwise?

Have her look at Forum Vinskogo (Винского). There are many "we told you so" comments directed at people who used agencies and later regretted it. If you make your own travel arrangements (airline tickets and hotel bookings) it's going to look a lot more authentic (to the consulate) than if you do it through an agency. The travel planning is the most time-consuming part, but it's not that hard if you have an idea of how to plan a trip for yourself. Besides the bookings, you need to print out proof of your finances, passport copies, marriage license, take photos and buy travel medical insurance. Would she really want to trust all of that to an agency? I did all the paperwork for my wife and she printed everything and went to the appointment. The visa center should also be able to help fill out the visa application itself for a small fee, but it's not hard to do yourself online (to be filled out in English - at least in our case). I'll admit, it was a lot of paperwork, but there's nothing really difficult about it.

[TBoneTX 45,265]

12 hours ago, BenNomad said:

Besides the bookings, you need to print out proof of your finances, passport copies, marriage license, take photos and buy travel medical insurance.

Great advice.  If insurance against trip cancellation or interruption is offered, strongly consider buying that, too.

[barbieland 8]

Tour agencies can have different appointment slots available than what's available to you as an individual. So it's only worth trying an agency if you can't get an appointment on your own, in my opinion. Which can happen depending on what region you live in and how in demand appointments are. In that case, it might be better to get an appointment first before commiting to a specific country if you're on a time crunch. On a whole, the paperwork for an EU tourist visa is very easy and straightforward. It's only a few pages and the American spouse/fiance/family member can help fill everything out correctly in Latin letters. Tour agencies aren't necessarily bad as my Russian in-laws have only ever used agencies for visas and have never had any problems. In fact, the in-laws think we're a bit stupid for doing it on our own. But for something this important, you'd definitely want to triple check everything before any agency submits it.

[ah-no 27]

Is there any point to using myself as a sponsor? She was rejected for a month long UK visa (too long I realize now) and they noted that I was a sponsor but basically said, "we look at the main applicant's ability to finance the trip", or some such thing.

[barbieland 8]

11 hours ago, ah-no said:

Is there any point to using myself as a sponsor? She was rejected for a month long UK visa (too long I realize now) and they noted that I was a sponsor but basically said, "we look at the main applicant's ability to finance the trip", or some such thing.

The UK is not the EU, so there could be different requirements on that. For our EU visa application, we submitted both a sponsor letter and bank statements of the applicant. The visa center accepted both without any problem. Having proof of a way to pay outside of Russia can never hurt, since Russian Bank cards no longer work outside of Russia (i.e. my spouse will pay with their American credit card). Also might depend on the relationship. If it's your spouse, should probably sponsor and book hotels in both names, as it could seem a bit odd to go on vacation without your spouse. If it's a fiancé, might not be worth it, as we had to submit proof of relation (marriage certificate). I think the directions said for none-family sponsors, the sponsor letter had to be notarized. Lastly, depends if the Russian applicant can actually afford it on their own. If they don't have a million plus rubles chilling in the bank or a very high salary, should probably add a sponsor letter. This is just my opinion though, so take it with a grain of salt.

[ah-no 27]

5 hours ago, barbieland said:

The UK is not the EU, so there could be different requirements on that. For our EU visa application, we submitted both a sponsor letter and bank statements of the applicant. The visa center accepted both without any problem. Having proof of a way to pay outside of Russia can never hurt, since Russian Bank cards no longer work outside of Russia (i.e. my spouse will pay with their American credit card). Also might depend on the relationship. If it's your spouse, should probably sponsor and book hotels in both names, as it could seem a bit odd to go on vacation without your spouse. If it's a fiancé, might not be worth it, as we had to submit proof of relation (marriage certificate). I think the directions said for none-family sponsors, the sponsor letter had to be notarized. Lastly, depends if the Russian applicant can actually afford it on their own. If they don't have a million plus rubles chilling in the bank or a very high salary, should probably add a sponsor letter. This is just my opinion though, so take it with a grain of salt.

Well, it's my spouse, and she has her own foreign (Georgian) bank accounts. They have enough money. I'm just not sure if the sponsor letter can help/hurt i.e. if it's obvious we plan to go to Poland