Moscow Embassy
Nov 22nd 2001, 1:07 am
#1
Guest
Posts: n/a
Moscow Embassy Update.
I (USC, male) went to the Moscow embassy with my fiancée and son-to-be on
Monday 21 Nov.
We went to the East Gate, as specified, and proceeded to stand in the cold for
hours. They start out asking for people with green invitations. Those are the
spouses. Then come the white invitations, which are the other relatives, I think.
Then the green fiancée invitations. Everyone is there for the cattle call at 8 AM,
but we got to stand for hours. I was not allowed in, and I am pretty good at talking
my way into things.
I stood outside, and over the next two hours, watched several women come out, most of
them unhappy. It seemed there were problems with their paperwork. Finally, my lady
and her son came out, and - success!
We had every kind of paperwork imaginable, sorted into envelopes of stuff they asked
for and things they didn't. They asked about none of it, and took it all. My opinion
is that we impressed them with the tonnage. YMMV.
The questions from the male questioner:
1) How old is your spouse?
2) How old are you?
3) One other easy one I don't remember.
We left the embassy area at about 11:00 PM.
We returned to the North Gate at 4 PM as directed. It is at the back of the Embassy
compound, and a full city block away from the main (South) Entrance. Make sure you
know where it is ahead of time. Roughly, you go back to area of the East entrance,
around a building past several piles of scrap metal (I am not making this up) and
then zig-zag through an old apartment complex, scoot down a steep icy embankment, and
then walk for a while longer. Finally you see another door at the end of the wall,
which, in fact is also facing east, but is at the North-east corner of the compound.
There, we stood in another scraggly line and waited for another hour, and finally got
our passports.
We're back in the US now, and all are in a bit of shock, but it is great. I was of
absolutely no use whatsoever at any time, but the moral support was greatly
appreciated. I also was able to talk my way into the foreigner's line when we cleared
customs in Denver, and was also able to be in the interview there. That may have been
because I speak Russian and offered to translate (they accepted.) I don't know.
Questions at Denver customs:
4) What is the purpose of your trip to the US?
5) When do you plan to get married?
6) Do you understand that you have 90 days to get married?
We were treated with courtesy throughout, but the senseless 8 AM and 4 PM
cattle calls were completely unnecessary and could have been handled with
rolling call times.
In Denver, they said they could not give her a work permit, but that we could get one
on the same day at the INS office in Denver. They gave us a sheet with the address
and such on it.
We'll find out if that is true.
***************************************
Wednesday, I took my new family (sweet words) to pick up my little dog from the
kennel. We then took off for the Mountains ( I live at the base of the Front Range of
the Rocky Mountains) and they were so blown away that I took them on up for a look at
the Continental Divide. We topped it off with a little visit to an old mining down on
the way back down. They are both sleeping now, and both have stomach-aches, but are
doing well, and we are enjoying ourselves.
I love Russians. They bring such a fresh perspective to everything...
Chris Bart Banjoman [email protected] Arvada, CO
P.S.: We'll have a book out next year on all of this. Drop me an e-mail if you want
to be notified when it comes out.
I (USC, male) went to the Moscow embassy with my fiancée and son-to-be on
Monday 21 Nov.
We went to the East Gate, as specified, and proceeded to stand in the cold for
hours. They start out asking for people with green invitations. Those are the
spouses. Then come the white invitations, which are the other relatives, I think.
Then the green fiancée invitations. Everyone is there for the cattle call at 8 AM,
but we got to stand for hours. I was not allowed in, and I am pretty good at talking
my way into things.
I stood outside, and over the next two hours, watched several women come out, most of
them unhappy. It seemed there were problems with their paperwork. Finally, my lady
and her son came out, and - success!
We had every kind of paperwork imaginable, sorted into envelopes of stuff they asked
for and things they didn't. They asked about none of it, and took it all. My opinion
is that we impressed them with the tonnage. YMMV.
The questions from the male questioner:
1) How old is your spouse?
2) How old are you?
3) One other easy one I don't remember.
We left the embassy area at about 11:00 PM.
We returned to the North Gate at 4 PM as directed. It is at the back of the Embassy
compound, and a full city block away from the main (South) Entrance. Make sure you
know where it is ahead of time. Roughly, you go back to area of the East entrance,
around a building past several piles of scrap metal (I am not making this up) and
then zig-zag through an old apartment complex, scoot down a steep icy embankment, and
then walk for a while longer. Finally you see another door at the end of the wall,
which, in fact is also facing east, but is at the North-east corner of the compound.
There, we stood in another scraggly line and waited for another hour, and finally got
our passports.
We're back in the US now, and all are in a bit of shock, but it is great. I was of
absolutely no use whatsoever at any time, but the moral support was greatly
appreciated. I also was able to talk my way into the foreigner's line when we cleared
customs in Denver, and was also able to be in the interview there. That may have been
because I speak Russian and offered to translate (they accepted.) I don't know.
Questions at Denver customs:
4) What is the purpose of your trip to the US?
5) When do you plan to get married?
6) Do you understand that you have 90 days to get married?
We were treated with courtesy throughout, but the senseless 8 AM and 4 PM
cattle calls were completely unnecessary and could have been handled with
rolling call times.
In Denver, they said they could not give her a work permit, but that we could get one
on the same day at the INS office in Denver. They gave us a sheet with the address
and such on it.
We'll find out if that is true.
***************************************
Wednesday, I took my new family (sweet words) to pick up my little dog from the
kennel. We then took off for the Mountains ( I live at the base of the Front Range of
the Rocky Mountains) and they were so blown away that I took them on up for a look at
the Continental Divide. We topped it off with a little visit to an old mining down on
the way back down. They are both sleeping now, and both have stomach-aches, but are
doing well, and we are enjoying ourselves.
I love Russians. They bring such a fresh perspective to everything...
Chris Bart Banjoman [email protected] Arvada, CO
P.S.: We'll have a book out next year on all of this. Drop me an e-mail if you want
to be notified when it comes out.
