Consulate Review: Moscow, Russia
Review Topic: K1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
September 23, 2016 |
| Embassy Review : |
I was really nervous about both medical and interview because we're a same-sex couple (both women), and because I'm not totally out, and because Russia has become really homophobic in the past few years. But everything went very well! At medical, I don't think they even knew the details of my petition. Everything and everyone there was strictly professional. My interview also went very well, and I'll try to tell it in as much detail as I can, so that other same-sex couples can have some references.
I was interviewed in Moscow on September 16th, 2016. My appointment time was 9:15. I got there much earlier and got in around 8:40. The security guards were polite and attentive.
Once inside, they directed me to a small hall #5. It was already full of people, maybe 15-18 in total. The hall was so small that with that few people inside it felt like it was overcrowded lol There were two windows there with Russian ladies behind them who took my documents (passport, birth certificate, police clearance, 2 passport style pictures, and financial docs of my fiancée). I did notice that the lady was a little tense while looking at my file but I also admit that I might have imagined that given my nerves and because I expected to be treated differently. Then the lady wanted to take my fingerprints, and that's when her computer froze. I joked to myself that it probably couldn't bear all the gayness :P (I'm your typical Chandler Bing from 'Friends', making jokes when I'm nervous). The lady asked me to step aside and wait. In 5-7 minutes the computer was working again, and the lady asked me to come back, and took my fingerprints.
Then the waiting began. There was a restroom right next to the hall, but I didn't see any water fountain or snack machine that I read about, I suppose that could've been on the first floor, but nobody dared to come downstairs fearing to miss their interview (there's no voice announcement, you must watch the monitor on the wall). What amused me is that the toilet in the bathroom was American style lol I truly felt like I was in another country.
I think I was called into the interview room at around 10:40 (I didn't have my cellphone with me to check the time, but I was out of the Embassy by 11, and my interview and exiting couldn't have taken more than 20 minutes). I was so glad the interview was conducted in a private room because that wasn't clear from the reviews I'd read. It was a really small room with several chairs in front of a window. The consular officer (CO) was behind the window, he was in his 40s I suppose, very friendly and nice. He greeted me in Russian, but I replied in English, and we chitchatted for a bit in English. Then he asked me to raise my right hand while he sworn me in in Russian. Once that was out of the way, he proceeded to ask me questions in English. At the time I thought he asked me relatively few questions, but when I was reciting them later to my fiancée I realized he asked me a LOT of questions. Here they are:
"Where did you meet your fiancée?"
"Is it a free site? Did either of you have to pay for anything?"
"And why did you go online to date? Why not date locally?"
"So how did you come to register on that site?"
"And so you went and registered?"
"When you guys first started talking, what did you like about your fiancée?"
(I remember blushing and saying "everything" lol)
"And when did you meet?"
Here, I asked him if he meant online or in person.
"Online".
"So you guys started exchanging messages. And when did you decide to meet in person?"
"And where did you meet each other?"
"Cancun? Good. How long did you stay there for?"
"And you went there again?"
"Very good. Did K. ever go to visit you in Russia?"
"So when do you plan on going there?"
"And when you're there, what are you going to do?"
I said that first we were going to get married.
"Do you know when yet?"
"Anything special planned? Or will you guys go to the court house?"
"Will your parents want to try and be there for the ceremony?"
"How do they feel about you going away? Are they okay with that?"
I told the CO how things with my parents stand at the moment, but I guess I focused more on my mom, so his next question was about my dad.
"Ah... So does he know you're going at all? Did you tell him you're leaving soon? Or does he not know at all?"
"Oh... Do you have any siblings? Brothers or sisters?"
"What does K. call you?"
For a second I got confused and wanted to say she calls me 'babe' mostly. :D But then I realized he meant the confusion with my name, and explained how it works (I have a Russian name and an adoptive English name that I've picked for myself more than 10 years ago when I first came online; it stuck, and by K.'s own choice - and with my absolute permission - that's what she calls me). As per rules, the CO had to clarify that further, though:
"Have you ever used that name in any official documents, ever signed anything with that name? Because if that's so, we'll need another police clearance..."
"No? Okay. Have you ever hacked anything with that name?"
I'm sure my eyes were like saucers when I heard the question.
"So what do you use it for? Like blogging? Ah, okay."
"Have you ever been married? Could I see your internal passport, please?"
In Russia, they stamp our passports when we get married and get divorced, so I guess he looked for any stamps like that.
"So where are you going to live when you get there?"
"Does your fiancée rent? Does she own a house? An apartment?"
I think that was all the questions, as far as I can remember. I'm sure the order isn't exactly correct, but my brain was so foggy when I exited the interview room, I'm surprised I managed to remember anything at all. lol
At the end of the interview the CO said that everything looked good there and that my visa was approved. I was so overwhelmed with so many different emotions by that time that I welled up and started crying. That's when he asked me one more question!
"Is it happy tears or sad tears?"
I told him it was absolutely happy tears, and thanked him heartily.
I want to note that I felt very comfortable talking to the CO. He didn't make any remarks about me or my fiance being gay, he didn't seem to treat me any differently. It was like a no big deal to him, and I felt safe and comfy throughout the questioning (except for the expected nervousness). At the end, I felt like he was really happy for my fiancee and I getting our visa approved.
To sum up, I agree with many others on here that the COs probably make their decision before they interview us. At the interview, they don't as much listen to what you say, but watch your reaction to questions and your body language. Afterwards, I honestly felt that my answers were too short and weak. Before the interview, I pictured myself saying all those wonderful stories about our relationship and adding little cute details to make the CO see our relationship is genuine. But I was SO nervous that I wasn't even able to say the town my fiancée resides in correct; I mean I stumbled so hard, it came out as something completely incomprehensible, so the CO had to ask me again. lol
Anyway. Today, September 23rd, I got my visa. Just FYI: on my visa, under annotation it says our WAC number and then it says "Petitioner: [Last name, First name]" - and that's FINE! If you expected to see "Fiancé(e) of..." like I did, don't worry, the other is also correct.
(updated on October 1, 2016) |
| Rating : |
Very Good |
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ver 5.0