DO NOT SEND HER MOENY. EVEN IF YOU HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR A YEAR IT IS STILL PROBABLY A SCAM. Just type in "Russia women scam" into Yahoo and see how widespread This problem is. I know a man who married the Russian women he met online, she came to the US, lived with him for two years, and then once the greencard was permanent, left him and took his savings. There are also many cases when she is supposed to arrive and doesn’t, and even when men pay for her ticket only to find that the ticket broker was in on the scam too. If you want to risk what is 95% sure to be fake (think about how hard it is to really fall in love over the internet and telephone to someone you don’t see in person. I’m sure you are thinking about the economic advantages you offer as well, but even so, women are women wherever they are, and it is very hard to fall in love like that), take extra precautions. DON’T hire a travel agency to do this for you. Do it yourself. Find the airline (www.sidestep.com or www.hotwire.com can help you find good flights and good rates) and then buy the ticket online or call the airline directly (you should be able to put it in her name).
Make it a non-refundable, non-transferable ticket (these cost less anyway). If it is an e ticket, you can send her the information. I wouldn’t do an e-ticket out of Russia however, she might have problems in the airport. Instead, I would have the tickets sent to your house, and then send them to her using DHL or some other secure line. She gets to you, you never have to explain to her you don’t trust her and you are protected (at least your money is, if not your heart). Yes, you will lose the money if she doesn’t come, but if you explain that it is non-transferable and non-refundable she may back out before you buy it (put it in terms like “darling, I want to make absolutely sure that you can come on these dates, as if you have to change you schedule at all I lost the tickets and have to buy new ones), she might back out in advance, and if not, at least the scam artists who tried to take advantage of you won’t get anything.
If she tries to tell you that they ticket system doesn’t work that way, and that you must go through a broker or a Russian company or buy the tickets in Russia, she is lying. I used US and sending it to me in St. Petersburg. I never saw any money, and the only people that did were my mother, her credit card company and Delta Airline. If she tires to tell you she has to pay an exit charge or some other tax, she is also lying – the only things that must be paid for are the ticket (the price of which includes any exit fees, which aren’t that much anyway) and the visa application fee. It is 100 USD for fiancée visas and 100 for non-immigrant (tourist) visas as well. If she asks for anything else, she is lying. If she isn’t coming on a fiancée visa, she is also lying – if she is coming to marry you and live with you permanently, this is the only visa to get. It will make getting her green card and the legal issues of your married life much easier, even if getting a tourist visa is a little easier up front..
Also tell her (and this is an issue even if she is honest because it can take a while to get the visa. Often a few months. Even the US government instructions on applying for the visa advise this) that the US visa must be in place first, because you want to make sure she can leave on the days of the non-refundable, non-transferable flight. This will also mean that she has to go the US embassy and convince them of her veracity. If she doesn’t, or says she did but doesn’t ask you to send the supporting documents or talk convincingly about the interview (both of which she needs to get a visa), then it is a sign that she is not acting honestly (following this paragraph are the instructions for applying for a fiancé visa to the US. If she isn’t following those steps, she isn’t serious about coming as your fiancée.. It also gives the US embassy a chance to screen her, and they see a lot of scams. They may let her through anyway even if they just suspect, but it is at least a little safeguard.
Instructions for the fiancée visa:
According to U. S. immigration law, I-129F Petition for Alien Fiance(e) may be filed with and approved by one of the BCIS (Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services) offices in the United States. The petition may not be filed or approved by overseas BCIS offices or U. S. Embassies and Consulates. In order to file I-129F Petition the petitioner must be a U. S. citizen. I-129F must be filed with BCIS district office having BCIS jurisdiction over the petitioner's current or intended residence in the United States.
Information regarding the procedure of filing I-129F Petition and documents to be submitted can be found on BCIS web page at www.immigration.gov Form I-129F can be obtained at any BCIS Regional Service Centers or the closest to the petitioner's residence BCIS office in the United States.
Approved I-129F Petition will be forwarded to the appropriate U. S. Embassy and the petitioner will be notified of I-129F Petition approval.
Once interview at the Embassy has been scheduled, the beneficiary is provided via mail with an invitation letter and information sheet outlining the steps to be taken.
Online Immigrant Visa Appointment Schedule Information makes it possible to obtain information regarding interview dates for those already scheduled. The information can be also received by contacting the Embassy Visa Information Service.
Please Note: The American Citizen petitioner may not attend the interview with his or her fiance.
Instructions and List of Documents for Fiance(e) Visa Interview
•Please read through these instructions before the interview and follow them carefully because they are the most complete available. All documents should be supplied ON THE DAY OF THE INTERVIEW.
•Children immigrating with you must also be present at the interview.
•Please note that no one may accompany applicants into the Embassy's visa waiting room. This includes American citizens, attorneys, sponsors, friends, and family members.
•Each applicant should bring all the required documents.
•Copies and translations of each document into English are required. Translations must be notarized only when the original is in a language OTHER than Russian. (e.g. a translation from Ukrainian into English must be notarized, translation from Russian into English does not need to be notarized).
•Payment. Please pay the application fee ($100 dollars for each applicant) ON THE DAY OF THE INTERVIEW only after an Embassy employee instructs you to do so. We accept dollars and rubles. Credit cards are not acceptable.
•It is necessary to submit the original DHL airway bill for express delivery of your visa after the interview.
Tickets. We strongly advise not to buy tickets or make any final travel arrangements before you receive a visa.
List of Documents for Fiancé (e) Visa Interview
1.Biographical form DS-230 filled out in English (part 1 and part 2). A separate form must be filled out for immigrating child over 16 years of age.
2.Filled out DS-156 + supplement DS-156K. Ds-156 and DS-156K must be filled out in Russian. DO NOT SIGN DS-156K. A separate DS-156 must be filled out for immigrating child. No DS-156K supplement is required for immigrating child.
3.International Passport with a photocopy of the first page and the page with information about immigrating child if the child’s name in included in the parent’s passport.
4.Original birth certificate, photocopy and translation into English.
5.Police certificates in all names as well as all dates of birth ever used. Police certificate must contain references to each place (subject to the jurisdiction of the Russian Federation) in which the applicant lives or has lived for more than six months since attaining the age of 16. This includes localities where applicants have lived during university studies. If the applicant was on military service, he/she should bring the certificate from the local draft board. If an applicant has lived abroad for more than one year, a police certificate must also be submitted from the country in which he/she lived. Police certificate validity is one year since the date of issuance.
6.Evidence of termination of prior marriage(s) (if applicable), original, photocopy and translation into English.
7.One color non-glossy full-face photo 50x50 mm for visa. The eye level should be between 28mm and 35mm from the bottom. Another two pictures will be required for medical examination.
8.Visa application fee of $100 (or ruble equivalent) for each applicant
9.Documents confirming relationship: photos of Petitioner and Beneficiary together, letters to each other, phone bills, airplane tickets, emails, etc.
10.Results of Medical Examination in a sealed envelope. The medical must be taken at one of the embassy-designated medical centers. It takes 2 days to complete the medical examination.
11.Financial documents from the petitioner – a US citizen: please note, that Affidavit of Support (form I-134) is not required, but may be requested. The document must be notarized. Please submit financial documents to show that the applicant will not become a public charge in the United States. Such documents may include, but are not limited to:
- Most recent year tax returns (form 1040) or tax transcripts from IRS
- Copy of bank account
- Earnings and leave statement
- W-2 forms
- Letter from employer
Attention! If the immigrating parent does not have a document showing he/she has full legal custody of the child, the child immigrating with the parent may be required to submit the other parent’s notarized statement that he/she gives full permission for the child to leave Russia for the purpose of immigration to the United States meaning the stay is permanent and not temporary.
All original documents must be accompained by photocopies and English translations. If the original documents are in Russian, there is no need to have the translations notarized.
If an applicant is required to provide additional documentation after the interview with an American consular officer has taken place, the documentation may be submitted to the 221G box at the Embassy North Gate between 2.00PM and 4.00PM on any working day or mailed to the Embassy.
K2 Visas for Children of Alien Fiance(e)s
All children (under 21 years old and unmarried) of an alien classified K1 should be listed on I-129F Petition for Alien Fiance(e). Children also must be present at the interview. The child of a K1 principal alien may acquire K2 status even after the principal alien has married American Citizen Petitioner and acquired lawful permanent resident status in U. S. A marriage certificate of the principal alien along with the rest of the required documentation must be provided for the child's visa interview in this case. The cut-off date for issuance of a K2 visa is 1 year from the date of the K1 visa issuance to the principal alien.
Once found qualified for visa issuance, alien fiance(e) and her child(ren) receive nonimmigrant visas in their international passports. K1 and K2 visas are valid for one entry into the U.S. at any time within the next six months. The beneficiary also receives a visa packet to present to the immigration officials at the U.S. border. After entry to the U.S., Alien Fiance(e) has 90 days to either marry the petitioner or come back to country of residence. In case Petitioner and Beneficiary get married, the Beneficiary may then contact BCIS to adjust status to that of legal permanent resident.