Tourist Visa

[Bruce]

Yesterday I was speaking with my wife about the girl who she knows who lives in the San Jose area.  She knows this girl because her family knows her family and they are the same age and had grown up together.  They lived in the same apartment building one flight apart.  My wife's parents are friends with this girls parents, hence my wife is asked to call her by her mom.  This is the girl who completed medical school in Russia but really lived her former life as a young prostitute.  A guy from San Jose married her.  The guy who is half Asian and half Caucasian -  she two and a half heads taller; he double her width etc.  She medically unable to have children due to her former career.  He, stupid enough to have sent her alot of money while she was on her way here; while she took his money and lived a lavish life plus even sent some of her boyfriends (I guess these were legitimate ones) home on his taxi money.  Never the less, it is now actually 4 years after their marriage and he is paying her way to a lavish life of luxury and travel while she finishes her medical education here - first TOEFEL, then foreign medical school grad exams now residency; forget cooking - she is too busy with her girlfriends and probably boyfriends, studying -  all the while waiting for her permanent green card and her own high income.  I guess the occassional sex is soooo good for him he is grateful to pay her way through everything.  When she travels back to her home city she comes in all designer white clothes.............I guess showing off her cleverness. 

My point is - she told my wife how one of her friends recently came to visit her in San Jose on a two week travel visa - a young 25 year old supposedly prostitute looking ie. good looking young girl.  She convinced my wife they (two week travel visas) are highly possible these days.  Could this possibly be true?  My answer to my wife is that the girl probably was very rich and had property etc.  What do you think about the realities of this?  If it is true - it is good news for guys wanting to bring a girl over for a visit prior to committing etc.

[Admin]

Bruce,

I haven't heard anything to suggest that travel restrictions are becoming more lenient.

I do occasionally hear about young women from the FSU that somehow manage to get short-term tourist visas.

I always ask HOW they did this - and the previous process (working through an educational institution) has all but been eliminated (or so I've been told).

In this instance, I suggest you ask everything you can about the process this young girl used to get a tourist visa. If it turns out to be something successful, I know my wife and I have a number of her friends we'd like to help get over here for a visit.

Thanks,

- Dan

[Bruce]

I'll try to get to the bottom of this.  Probably it is all a bunch of tales.

[Dave]

i have talked to a few ladies there recently who have said they would be able to get a tourist visa. the 2 that i spoke to are both attractive and about 25 yrs old. i too heard that getting a visa would be very difficult but the more i talk to ladies who are actually asking for visas, the more im thinking it is possible. neither lady asked for money to help with the expenses of the visa so i am thinking it is legit. one is trying to make plans for a trip end of feb so i guess ill know for sure then.

[Goombah]

I sure hope somebody can get to the bottom of this.  I've rejected a couple of beautiful, literate, ladies because they talk of friends getting tourist visas and just returning from the USA.  Figured they were absolute liars - but I'm not beyond trying to make up for my mistake if thats the case.

Kevin C.

[LookingForRW]

The chance of her getting a tousit visa (TV)is the same as the powerball lottery odds.

Why are they talking and telling you about getting the TV?Just b/c they havnt asked for $ yet,doesnt discount this "favor" in the future.Whats the point of trying to convince you and or your wife of the TV?Why should you care?

Now if she can get someone to sponser her on a H1-B  or other ,maybe.

 

[Dave]

the reason the lady i was talking about was looking into a tourist visa was because i told her i wouldnt be able to go see her until the summer. she wanted to see me sooner so she checked into the possibility of coming here.

[andrewfi]

According to this reference: http://www.eng.yabloko.ru/Forums/Main/posts/1362.html only about 25% of visitor visa applications are refused, although this is a rate some five times greater than for Russians wishing to visit the UK. Looking at the numbers issued sliced by age, from the US Gov site  there si not a huge difference between the numbers issued to young women and men, or between young and older people. Unless the numbers of women applying is very high compared to all other groups, it looks as though young women are not penalised overly harshly. Perhaps the interviewers in the embassies are simply good at picking out girls going to the US on false pretences?

The US Visa Waiver Program is only offered to countries where rejection rates are lower than 3%.

For all visas issued by the US to Russians, more than 30% overstay or never go back home.

 

This is an interesting piece about the reality of the process:

http://wais.stanford.edu/ztopics/week100104/us_041001_questionablevisapractices.htm

Randy Black writes about the discussion regarding visa procedures at the US Embassy in Moscow:My knowledge is based on personal experiences from 1993 to 2003. Many elements of the process have changed since 9/11. One rule of thumb: It is counterproductive to fax, phone or email the Embassy in Moscow, the US ambassador, or other officials on behalf of an applicant. They interview and process thousands every week and simply do not have time or staff  to match a fax or phone message to a visa application. Assurances from friends, family members or associates in the United States do not affect the applicant's eligibility for visa issuance.
 
Here are thoughts and advice based on my experiences. There are many 'stories' floating around that accuse embassy clerks of verbal abuse and other mistreatment. I have personally seen more than one applicant for a visa subject to such abuse. There is no excuse for such rudeness.  Not all visa applicants must appear in person to gain a visa. For the vast majority who must, it is interesting to know that the immigration clerks interviewing prospective US visitors at our foreign embassies on behalf of the USA are in many cases NOT federal employees but are furnished by firms contracted to provide these services. Typically, they are recent college graduates who majored in areas such as international studies, languages, and so forth. They must be fluent in the language of the destination country since the interviews are conducted in that language. Some of these people are beginning what may become a career in the State Department. Others end up working as interpreters and translators for global corporations. Some are simply adventurous, multi-lingual individuals in search of excitement before settling back in the USA.
 
In the case of our embassy in Russia, many come from Stanford University, the University of Texas, Georgetown and other universities that have significant Slavic studies programs. They must pass all of the requirements that a regular embassy employee passes and be eligible for a security clearance. In Russia, they are salaried in the $25,000-$35,000 range (plus housing and one trip home per year at taxpayer expense) at the beginning and earn raises based on longevity, responsibilities and judgement. What does judgement have to do with this process and how is one judged? Good question.
 
All visas granted are automatically tracked. You're the immigration clerk and you grant Nikita a visa that is good for six months from a certain date. Nikita is "clocked into" the USA when he clears immigration at the US port of entry. When he departs, whether in a week or in six months, he is "clocked out" of the USA. If he leaves on time, you, as the immigration clerk in the US Embassy in Russia, get credit for good judgement. That fact affects you at contract renewal time and impacts your raise. Too many of the applicants you granted visas did not return on time or at all, and you are not granted a new contract. From my personal dealings with the US Embassy Moscow and the consulate in Yekaterinburg, I learned that the burn out rate of these immigration contractors is about 18-24 months. By then, they've had enough of the rat race. Rat race? During each short interview, the clerk must quickly scan the paperwork, ask three or four pertinent questions and make a quick decision based on the evidence, all the while knowing that nearly one third of the people standing in front of them are not being truthful, in fact, are lying.
 
Has the process improved in the past decade? Certainly.  The days of simply showing up at the Embassy and going through the process are long gone. That's good because I clearly recall getting in line n zero degree ice and snow at 4 a.m. in January 1995  with a Russian friend who wished to visit the USA for what turned out to be a 1 p.m. interview. Today, applications are made via express courier and interviews are set up in advance by appointment, also via express courier.  Here is the most current information from the US Embassy Moscow website:  http://moscow.usembassy.gov/consular/wwwhcm.html
 <<Applicants should submit their complete application through Pony Express, a courier service with offices throughout Russia. After submitting the application, many applicants will receive their passports in several days with the approved visa. Pony Express will deliver passports of all applicants who receive visas to the address indicated at the time the application was submitted. However, the majority of applicants will find it necessary to appear for an interview to discuss their visa application. Applicants requiring an interview receive the date and time of their appointment through Pony Express. As a result of our efforts to enhance border security, the majority of applicants will be required to appear at the Embassy for finger scanning. Appointments for finger scanning are scheduled by Pony Express when applications are submitted.

The interview: Each applicant should come to the interview prepared to explain his or her purpose in traveling to the United States. General answers like "negotiations" are not as helpful as "I am buying medical equipment for my firm. We have done business with the company in the U.S. for two years and here are copies of my previous orders." Applicants also should be prepared to explain how they will finance their visit to the U.S.  Applicants should bring the appointment ticket to the Embassy at the proper date and time to ensure speedy admission to the interview.