Wedding Rings

[Phil757]

Anyone know of a good place to buy wedding rings in Kiev?

[Jack]

ahhhh, so one week wonders still exist.

[Phil757]

Yes they do. We have be emailing and skyeping for four months. She is great and I couldn't ask for more.  We found rings and the wedding is Tuesday Feb. 21,2012

[mendeleyev]

Phil, sorry to hear.

I'm serious. I wish you good luck and hope for the best but (and I've yet to be proven wrong) experience tells me that emails and skype don't count for much in the real world.

Again, I wish you nothing but the best.

[SMS60]

What kind of assets you have?

[Vinnvinny]

What kind of assets you have?

At least one ring .....

[Vaughn]

Anyone know of a good place to buy wedding rings in Kiev?

Less than 3 hours later....
 

We found rings and the wedding is Tuesday Feb. 21,2012

Have you two met yet ?
 
 

[Anotherkiwi]

Less than 3 hours later....
 
Have you two met yet ?

Vaughn, that's not worthy - he's already posted photos in his other thread of them together.

[viking]

Seems kinda fast to me but wish you good luck. Suggest you go online and print out the forms you will need to petition for a CR-1 visa for her and have her sign multiple copies before you leave. You still have a lot of work ahead of you. Post some wedding photos.

[Vaughn]

Vaughn, that's not worthy - he's already posted photos in his other thread of them together.

I stand humbled - and apologize. Based my question on so many "months of Skype and e-mail", and never noticed Phil's Kyiv thread.

[Gator]

Hi Phil757,
Congratulations on finding the love of your life.     Please forgive our skepticism about the speed of your decision.   You know what is best, so I will ignore the emotional decisions, and I wish you and your fiancee the best of everything.
 
It is imperative that you  analyze the administrative matters other than rings. 
1.  To obtain the official marriage certificate needed for your bride's petition to immigrate to Americam, your marriage "ceremony" must be conducted at the governmental bureau referred to as ZAGS.
2.  In the past, ZAGS rules required foreigners to have been in Ukraine for three weeks prior to taking the oath.  After that  there is a waiting period before getting the certificate.  Perhaps the ZAGS rules have changed.  Then again, bribes can work.  Mendeleyev summarized this for Russia in another thread:
http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?topic=12073.msg254556#msg254556
 
3.   Obtaining her spousal visa from the USCIS and the US State Dept. is a long and somewhat complicated process.  A spousal visa (CR-1)  is now taking about 10-12 months if a) all of your documents are in order and b) you do not get randomly selected for administative processing. 
 
4.  To obtain the CR-1 visa you first must file a !-130 pettition.  This is a very good "how to" guide:
http://www.visajourney.com/content/i130guide1
You should join visajourney.com
I don't know how long you will stay in Kiev after the wedding, yet as Viking said you should obtain all of the documents then.  If not, she can alwys send them to you later by FedExpress.e.
 
In contrast to a fiancee visa (K-1), a CR-1 requires much more evidence.  A K-1 requires only that you have met at least once in the past two years.  In contrast, pay attention to the following requirements for Evidence of a Bona Fide Marriage for a I-130:
 

1.	Documentation showing joint ownership or property; or
2.	A lease showing joint tenancy of a common residence; or
3.	Documentation showing co-mingling of financialresources; or
4.	Birth certificate(s) of child(ren) born to you, thepetitioner, and your spouse together; or
5.	Affidavits sworn to or affirmed by third parties havingpersonal knowledge of the bona fides of the maritalrelationship (Each affidavit must contain the full nameand address, date and place of birth of the person makingthe affidavit, his or her relationship to the petitioner ofbeneficiary, if any, and complete information and detailsexplaining how the person acquired his or herknowledge of your marriage); or
6.	Any other relevant documentation to establish that there is an ongoing marital union.

 

5.  Most of the I-130s are sent to the California Service Center  (where you reside has no bearing).  Approval is now taking about 7 months, but it could be as little as 5 months.
http://www.visajourney.com/content/times
 
6.  After approval by CSC your petition is sent to the National Visa Center, and the NVC review takes 2-3 months.  Here is the NVC flow chart:
http://www.visajourney.com/examples/NVC_Process_Flowchart_v1-2.pdf
7.    When you complete the NVC steps, an interview at the US embassy in Kiev will be scheduled for your bride (should be less than two months).
 
In other words, a K-1 visa is faster and simpler.  I hope this helps. 
 
Good luck.

[Phil757]

Gator thanks for all the info.  I have been on here and VJ for months. And as someone posted read until your eyes bleed.  I have done my home work and arrived in Ukraine with all the documents. We have a date at ZAGS for Tuesday Feb. 21st at 11am,  All the papers have been translated and notarized. All my paper work was accepted and thanks to this forum we are good to go.  One thing I haven't figured out is how to add her to some of my bank accounts or other accounts in the USA, maybe someone can offer some inside info. I thought about the fiancees visa but decided that it might be quicker but she will arrive in the USA with most of her paper work complete. Thanks to all for the help.  Phil

[Gator]

Phil,
You came prepared, so your decision was not as quick as it seemed with the wedding rings question.  But how prepared are you?
 

One thing I haven't figured out is how to add her to some of my bank accounts or other accounts in the USA, maybe someone can offer some inside info.

It is easy to add her name to your bank account.  However, it is not just having her name on an account; having some history with it is important. The USCIS will want to see monthly statements, so this will add more time.   
 
Brainstormingsprinkling ideas:  buy a car jointly in Kiev (she could learn to drive while awaiting her visa),  lease an apartment jointly for a year in Kiev for your future visits.   
 
The affidavits by friends and witnesses seemingly are important.  I would think VisaJourney forum would have many threads about this.
 
 

[ML]

Based on the items required, it seems to me you are going to have a foreign wife on paper only.

Just adding her name to your bank accounts will do very little currently.
Going the route of joint ownership or leasing is going to cost you a lot of unnecessary bucks.

1.	Documentation showing joint ownership or property; or
2.	A lease showing joint tenancy of a common residence; or
3.	Documentation showing co-mingling of financial resources; or

Why are you trying to make this so difficult for yourself compared to the easier K-1 route?

The CR-1 route works best for those men who are actually living in the foreign country.

Not to be negative, but it almost seems like you are rushing to marry her so that someone else won't marry her first.  Or that you can't believe she agreed to marry you, and you want to complete the act before she changes her mind.  In this latter  case, she can change her mind anyway . . . after the marriage, which will result in ______.  You  can fill in the blanks.

[onlyFSU4me]

Based on the items required, it seems to me you are going to have a foreign wife on paper only.

 After they get married in Ukraine don't they take the marriage certificate to the US embassy in Kiev and get it notorized? Then to Ukrainian Foreign Affairs and do the same? That is how it works with us canucks and after this is done it is a recognized marriage according to the Cdn government.




 By the way Phil, congrats and i wish you and your lady all the best!

[Hammer2722]

So, you are marrying already? Have you been to her home town and met her family and friends and how she interacts with them?????????? 

[Wayne]

Congradulations, since you are probably married already! Thanks for sharing your story.
 
Your wife will become a permanent resident of USA at the moment she enters the country. She will need to take care of a lot of business while still in Ukraine for the CR-1. The paper work depends upon many things, such as if she or you were married before, if she has a child, etc. You will need to send the documents to NVC and they will schedule the visa interview. The CR-1/Cr-2 are different from the K-1/K-2 in how they are processed by NVC.
 
Getting "certified" copies of documents in Ukraine can be very difficult! You might need apostiled documents.

[Vasilisa]

Congratulations!!!

[Phil757]

Thank you. Now I have to wait for her to get here.  How is the dating scene for you.  I was reading some of your thread and hope things work out.  I never had much luck on match or any of the other ones. Try more then one site. Plenty of Fish is free but I think it is more of a hookup place for the younger crowd. I had one lady tell me I was to honest. Phil

[Phil757]

Just a small update.  Her interview is Nov.27,2012.  She and her son should be here the second week of Dec.

[newjason]

That's greaT to hear Phil.
it should be a very merry Christmas at your house this year!

I wish the best to you both.


Jason

[Phil757]

Thank you Jason.

[Wayne]

Your wife and son will need to get all the medical tests done in Kyiv before their interview at the special clinic. They will probably need vaccinations and, perhaps, dental work.
 
Then, you need to think about the task of moving their things to USA.
 
How will they communicate with family and friends back in Ukraine?
 
When they get to USA, go to the local social security office right away and make their applications. Go to the secretary of state office and apply for identification cards or driver's licences when you get the social security cards.
 
Good luck!