MARRIAGE TO RUSSIAN NATIONALS (FIANCÉ VISA)
By law, a fiancé petition (visa) can only be filed in the United States at an office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). The petitioner must be a U.S. Citizen.FIRST STEP: PETITION
The fiancé petition (Form I-129-F) can be obtained from the INS Regional Service Center or local INS office in the U.S. closest to your residence. When the INS office sends you the petition, they will also include two G-325-A biographic information forms. You must fill out completely both the petition and biographic information forms. Please note that failure to mention any previous marriages on these forms will result in the petition being returned to INS from the relevant Embassy for re-adjudication. You should also receive an affidavit of support (I-134) from INS. If you do not, you may request one from them. Your fiancé can also forward to you the one he/she will receive from the Embassy once her/his case is being processed. Your fiancé will be required to present the original of the Form I-134 and supporting financial documents at the time of his/her visa interview. When submitting Form I-129-F for approval, be sure to include all of the following documentsPhotocopy of your U.S. passport identification page (plus a copy of your naturalization document if you are a naturalized citizen);
Photocopies of any death certificates of a previous spouse that you or your fiancé may have and photocopies of any divorce decrees terminating a previous marriage that you and your fiancé may have, with translations;
Two passport-size photographs of both yourself and your fiancé, attached to the bottom of the G-325 biographic forms;
A photograph of you and your fiancé together to prove you have actually met in person.
PETITION APPROVED
INS will notify you and forward the petition to Moscow for all fiancés residing in Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. For residents of Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Latvia, the petitions will be forwarded to the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, for residents of Estonia, to the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, and for residents of Moldova, to the U. S. Embassy in Bucharest. It usually takes approximately 6-8 weeks to reach Embassy Moscow*. To expedite matters, the Petitioner may also request the INS office to send a telegram to us confirming approval of the Petition.NOTIFYING YOUR FIANCÉ
As soon as U.S. Embassy Moscow receives the Petition, a computer name check is generated. The name check takes 16 working days. After the name check clears, the Embassy in Moscow can schedule the applicant for an interview. Currently, the period between receiving the Petition and scheduling the interview is usually 4-6 weeks. Upon receipt of the approved I-129F petition, U.S. Embassy Moscow sends a letter and information sheet to the Beneficiary outlining the steps to be taken to apply for an Alien Fiancé visa, called a "K" visa.SCHEDULING: VISA INTERVIEW AND MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS
Before the interview, the Beneficiary must complete a medical examination in Moscow at an Embassy-approved medical facility, information about which is included in the information packet. Given the uncertainties of the post-Soviet mail system, many applicants find it easier to come straight to Moscow to pick up application forms and instructions, once they know that their approved petition has been received. In addition, applicants are welcome to set their visa interview appointment dates by calling the Immigrant Visa Unit of the Embassy in Moscow any working day between 9 am and 12 pm at 095 728 5000 ext. 5588. Fiancés may come to the Embassy any afternoon between two and four p.m. to schedule their interviews and pick up a set of application forms and instructions. Since it takes 30 hours to receive the results of the medical examination, some fiancés choose to remain in Moscow from the time they take their medical exam until the date of their interview at the Embassy. The fee for the medical exam is $100.00 or $150.00 payable in rubles depending on a clinic. All children of an alien classified K-1 must be listed on the K visa petition. Failure to do so will cause a delay in visa issuance. The children (under 21 years old and unmarried) also must be at the interview. The child of a K-1 principal alien may be accorded K-2 status if following to join the principal alien to the U.S. even after the principal alien has married the American citizen Petitioner, and acquired lawful permanent resident status. The cut-off date for issuance of a K-2 visa is 1 year from the date of the issuance of the K-1 visa to the principal alien. After 1 year, and provided that the alien qualifies, the filling of an immediate relative or second preference petition would be required. The visa application fee is $45 per person; there is no issuance fee. If the Beneficiary's interview is successful, the "K" visa will be issued in the afternoon of the day of the interview. The "K" visa is valid for a single entry during a 6-month period.DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE INTERVIEW
The Beneficiary must provide:A valid international passport with a photocopy of the first page.
An original birth certificate with photocopy and translation into English.
Police certificates from the local police department. The Beneficiary must present police certificates from any place(s) of residence for 6 months or more since attaining the age of 16: original and translation into English.
If applicable, evidence of termination of any prior marriage: original, photocopy and translation into English.
An accompanying child requires a valid passport (or may be included in the parent's passport), a birth certificate and a medical examination. If a child is 16 years of age or over, police certificates are required.
Two photos of passport size for the visa.
Two photos of passport size for the medical exam.
There is an application fee of $45 (or the ruble equivalent) per person, payable at the Embassy on the day of interview. No credit cards, no travelers’ checks: cash only.
Documents confirming relationship: photos of Petitioner and Beneficiary together, letters to each other, phone bills, emails...
Results of the medical examination in sealed envelope.
The Petitioner must provide: Affidavit of Support Form I-134. The child/children (under 21) must be listed in Affidavit of Support.
Employment letter with salary information and/or a copy of tax returns (Form 1040) for the last year.
