Tourist Visa for Ukraine resident

[anm8tr]

Hi,   


I had a quick question, what is the cost for a US tourist visa for a Ukraine citizen? And what is the criteria for receiving one? I have a story that goes with this one, but I wanted to ask this question first before posting the rest.


Thanks for any information

[ML]

http://ukraine.usembassy.gov/visas.html

Go to this website and read.  You will have many questions about the visa, not just the cost, so take an hour or so and read everything on this official website.

[Muzh]

Quick question, anm8tr.
 
Are you planning on getting the lady you are communicating with a visa to visit you?

[LAman]

Hmmm......this kinda reminds me.....I wonder what I am going to buy first when I win the next lottery.....

[anm8tr]

Quick question, anm8tr.
 
Are you planning on getting the lady you are communicating with a visa to visit you?

Actually I am glad you asked! I have kind of a strange situation. I recently met a woman through AFA, we have been corresponding for 3 months now, but in her recent letters she has expressed an interest in visiting together. So I asked her what she had in mind and she said that she would like to come see me in the states, so immediately a warning flag went off and I asked her why she thought she could get a tourist visa and she replied that she traveled quite frequently to European countries for her work and said it would be easy for her. So I received an email yesterday stating the cost was $480 for a 2.5 week visa. So I wrote her back and asked her if she had the $480 or did she expect me to send it to her. She wrote back, apologized and stated she did not have the money at the moment and would not ask me for it, and that is was my decision. Then she stated that I could come to Odessa to visit her instead if I wanted.


Does this sound legit to anyone here? I am not sending her $480.00 and I have not even addressed the plane ticket issue either.


Any advice is appreciated.


Thx

[ML]

There is an entire sub-forum here devoted to Scammers.  Check it out.

This is one of the prototype scams, i.e. the money for visa and then money for plane ticket.

Move on.

[anm8tr]

That is what I thought until she asked if I could come to Odessa. So I should write her off completely?


Thx

[ML]

http://singles.ru/
http://www.luckylovers.net/
http://www.rbrides.com/
http://www.ukrainedate.com/
http://www.allsinglerussiangirls.com/
http://freepersonals.ru/
http://bride.ru/
http://fdating.com
http://www.1vipdating.com/
http://freeukrainianwomen.com/
http://okfreedating.net/
http://luckylifepartner.com/

Go to the above free and monthly cost ($19-30) websites.  Make up a nice profile of yourself.  Use the search engines to find about 800 - 1,000 women who are in the age range you want and have other education, etc., parameters that you desire and are in a single target geographical area.

Send a generic but well written introductory message to all.

Of those  who reply, filter out all who make you worry in any way or give you concerns.

Send second generic but well written letter to all.  Modify it a bit to answer any questions that an individual woman may have asked.  Yes, this takes a lot of time.

Repeat these procedures over about 6-8 emails and you will have narrowed down your list to 15-30 gals.  You can continue to use a generic letter for each successive mailing, but be sure to modifiy it a bit to answer specific questions any gal may have asked and to ask specific questions of your own related to the family, interests, jobs, etc., of each individual woman.  Yes, this takes a lot of time, but each week you will be cutting your list down. 

Plan your trip and start scheduling the women into time slots.

If you follow the above procedure, you will no longer have the need to ask us questions about scammers, etc., as you will have filtered out all scammers.  And if any of the women you are writing to give you any sheeeeet or cause you any concern at all, or ask for money for ANYTHING you simply drop them off your lists and continue on.

[ML]

That is what I thought until she asked if I could come to Odessa. So I should write her off completely? Thx

Yes.  She will simply try another tactic on you.

[anm8tr]

Damn! I knew she was too good to be true!


And thanks for the link too!



Thx!   


Surprising though, she has a vkontakte profile and we are both friends on that and it seems legit. I also Googled her name and email and it came up clean. she does some modeling and even has quite a few photos online with various ad agencies. So would someone like her with a large public profile, jeopardize her reputation for $480 ?

[Faux Pas]

Actually I am glad you asked! I have kind of a strange situation. I recently met a woman through AFA, we have been corresponding for 3 months now, but in her recent letters she has expressed an interest in visiting together. So I asked her what she had in mind and she said that she would like to come see me in the states, so immediately a warning flag went off and I asked her why she thought she could get a tourist visa and she replied that she traveled quite frequently to European countries for her work and said it would be easy for her. So I received an email yesterday stating the cost was $480 for a 2.5 week visa. So I wrote her back and asked her if she had the $480 or did she expect me to send it to her. She wrote back, apologized and stated she did not have the money at the moment and would not ask me for it, and that is was my decision. Then she stated that I could come to Odessa to visit her instead if I wanted.


Does this sound legit to anyone here? I am not sending her $480.00 and I have not even addressed the plane ticket issue either.


Any advice is appreciated.


Thx

anm8tr


A serious case of putting the cart before the horse. There are a number of flags raised with your story. Like scenarios have definitely happened before. No one could tell you if this woman is legit or not because nobody here knows her or your communications with her. Are you feeling lucky? I ask because in roughly 95% of these cases it is not to be.


If I were you, I would just plan to make the initial meeting with any woman from the FSU, in the FSU. Most sincere women wouldn't even mention coming to visit you on a tourist visit because most sincere women know the process and the difficulty of it.


The fact that you met her on AFA raises a whole host of other questions. If this lady lived across town, would she come over to your house for the first meeting? Are you really feeling lucky?

[tfcrew]

..... and stated she did not have the money at the moment and would not ask me for it, and that is was my decision. Then she stated that I could come to Odessa to visit her instead if I wanted.


 

At face value I see nothing w/ the invitation to go to Odessa.
Can you?....go to Ukraine?
I think it would be a blast.
I did it.
Guys that are in a hurry about things can get scammed.
Proceed slowly.

Regarding the particular question....

• 4
• 3  Pay the application fee. For most visitors the fee is US$140 or US$150, but ranges up to US$350 in some cases. You can pay online or send a check or money order to the address on form DS160. 
•   Locate a US consulate in your country and schedule an interview appointment. Availability varies from country to country, so be sure to schedule your interview several months before you plan to travel to the US.
• [/l][/l]

Read more:  How to Obtain a US Tourist Visa Number | eHow.comhttp://www.ehow.com/how_7284340_obtain-tourist-visa-number.html#ixzz1cbCPC3qE

http://www.ehow.com/how_7284340_obtain-tourist-visa-number.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask
[/list]

[anm8tr]

Thx that was the information I was looking for originally.


I know I got too far ahead of myself, and I just got finished reading the post on falling for the photos and I am guilty as charged


That was why I needed the feedback here to keep my sanity and head screwed on straight.


Thx again!

[Misha]

That was why I needed the feedback here to keep my sanity and head screwed on straight.

Thx again!

It is good that you were willing to listen to feedback. Many would have wanted to believe in spite of any and all feedback 

[Globetrotter]

The cost of a visa is about $100 and is valid for 3 months, and could be single or multiple entry.  I have "helped" 2 CIS girls get business visas, not tourist visas, which are extremly difficult to get.  Business visas for professionals...a doctor, and a psychologist and national emergency officer...can be done, as I "helped". 
 
There are travel agencies in Russia who specialize in getting visas, and know the ropes.  They told my squeeze what paperwork to have, had the US visa forms, courriered the whole package to the counsulate via "Pony Express" and was the go-between for contact for scheduling an interview.  Cost of such service can be $75-100.
 
So...........if your squeeze is a professional, and you can find a seminar here for her to attend, get her in contact with them and she gets an invitation to attend the seminar, you have begun the process.  Then, hopefully she has a friendly boss who will write a letter (your authorship) to the US Counsulate requesting she be granted a business visa for the seminar, and that he will be responsible for all expenses, you are further down the road.  After she submits her flat ownership and bank and salary papers, which is sent to the counsulate, and the officer thinks she is a good candidate for a visa, an interview is scheduled.  Both girls got multiple entry visas good for one year, were granted the visas at the interview within minutes, and both visited.  But....I had met the girls over there and knew them.  And....the cost of one seminar was $500...which I sent to her, and she paid it to the seminar people through the Bank of Russia.  I also sent $200 for the visa costs, cost of the overnight train trip, etc.  Then, $200 traveling money, and a $1000 air ticket.  Total cost of visa, seminar and air fare was about $2000, but is multiple for one year and easily renewable.
 
Also, it must look as if she is doing this herself, with your "fingerprints" nowhere in sight.
 
She was here last this summer for a month.  Did the big city tours, parties with family and friends, and a week in Arizona.  Anyway, that's how I did it, which took about a month in total time, and her doing lots of legwork in Russia...so it can be done.   
 
 

[Globetrotter]

anm8tr........sorry...to answer your question, yes, dump her as I think you are being played.  There is no such thing as a 2.5 week visa, as I stated all are valid for 90 days, and costs at most with the help of the travel agency is less than $200. 

[Turboguy]

she does some modeling and even has quite a few photos online with various ad agencies.

It is very possible the person you are communicating with is not the girl in the photos.  Lots of models have their photos lifted for use by scammers and unreputable agencies.
 
I do agree that there are enough red flags here to be concerned.  I will agree with others.  There is no 2.5 week tourist visa, only 1 and 2 year multi entry ones that were $ 100.00 and may have gone up to $ 125.00.  Traveling in Europe does help to make getting a visa easier but it is not a signifigant factor.  She could never be sure of getting on until it is in hand. 
 
There are lots of real and sincere women and I would suggest not sending any money and looking for a new picture to fall in love with, preferably from an agency other than AFA.

[Muzh]

anm8tr
 
I paid $60 for my MIL's 5 year multi-entry tourist visa. Not to mention I had to jump through hoops to bring an old woman who does not want to live in the US.
 
Now, imagine what is going to be the response of the US consular when a model babe goes for her interview (IF it ever gets to that) asking for a visa to visit her American boyfriend.
 
That's lesson #1

[anm8tr]

It is very possible the person you are communicating with is not the girl in the photos.  Lots of models have their photos lifted for use by scammers and unreputable agencies.
 

I was thinking just that, after I got her email, she sent tons of photos. I am not too happy with AFA at this moment. I do not believe they even check women's passports and they rely on the woman's agency to provide reliable information.

[anm8tr]

anm8tr
 
I paid $60 for my MIL's 5 year multi-entry tourist visa. Not to mention I had to jump through hoops to bring an old woman who does not want to live in the US.
 
Now, imagine what is going to be the response of the US consular when a model babe goes for her interview (IF it ever gets to that) asking for a visa to visit her American boyfriend.
 
That's lesson #1

That is what went through my head, but I fell for the old photo trick. The girl  has a profile on VK with quite a following of people. She has added me as a friend and contact but doesn't seem to want to reply to a few messages I sent to her there. I wanted to verify what she was who I was contacting, but why no answer was beyond me. I did Google her email address and it came attached to her name correctly with no record of complaints yet. I ran it through the scam sites too. But I was probably going to be the first victim.


I would never have sent her any money, but I didn't want to believe she wasn't sincere.