Anna is Finally home!!!

Yesterday after spending 8 hours driving to Seattle and almost 4 hours waiting at the SeaTac international airport Anna's flight arrived. I was not completely sure she was even going to be on the flight because I had not spoke with her since she left her hometown to board the bus with the two children to Moscow.
My 9 year old son went with me because he was anxious to meet Anna and the children. I also spent over an hour on my phone talking over Skype with Alan Dein with the BBC4 Radio Network so he could record the event for a future episode of "Don't Log Off". In fact he captured audio of the moment I saw Anna for the first time after her arrival and he was even able to speak briefly to Anna as we walked to the Baggage Claim. I wanted to get video of the event but everything happened so quickly I was unable get any pictures or video of her arrival. I had to quickly end my conversation with Alan and immediately attend to Anna's luggage.
Hopefully you will hear much of our conversation on a future episode of Don't Log Off. Alan seems to have big plans for this episode. In fact he has almost 4 hours of conversation to build the entire story from.
After leaving the airport, my original plan was to get a hotel and stay around Seattle before the long drive home but Anna and the children were eager to get to their new home. I can't blame them. They spent over 3 days traveling with very little sleep.
Needless to say we came home at 8:30 this morning and spent many hours trying to catch up on sleep. In fact Anna and the children are still sound asleep as I am making this blog entry. Hopefully we will be able to get some pictures taken together in the next few days so we can share them with our readers.
The next thing that Anna and I will need to do is start to plan our wedding. We have 90 days from July 23rd to get married so she can stay here. Unfortunately we don't have a big budget so we will try to do what we can with what we have. We may even try to find some companies to sponsor products or services for our wedding in exchange for a full blog entry dedicated to advertising their products and services. So if you know anyone in the business of providing wedding supplies and/or services, please have them contact us at annabryan1955@gmail.com or you can submit a comment or suggestion directly on our blog.
Thanks for reading. Your comments and suggestions are welcome (Just don't try to criticize my writing skills because I already know they are terrible :)).

The Last Day

Today passed by like a blur for me. I could hardly focus on my job as I anticipated Anna's arrival and the trip to Seattle tomorrow. Not to mention I spent the day worrying about Anna and the children. I have not heard anything from her since she was preparing to leave for Moscow. I tried calling her on the phone but her phone doesn't appear to be working.
Last time we spoke she was hoping to find a place with internet access so she could send me a message on Skype and letting me know they are alright. But she must not be able to find a place because I haven't heard from her yet. I will try calling again when I know she will be at the airport. Hopefully her phone will start working again before she leaves. It would be nice to be know she is safe and on schedule. If I don't hear from her today I will have to call Aeroflot Airlines tomorrow to verify she was on the plane.
Today I had another interview from BBC 4 Radio in London. This time I spoke with Alan Dein's producer
Laurence Grissell. They are very interested in our story and he promised to have Alan call again in a few days after Anna is here.
Now I am getting things packed and ready for the trip. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, my younger son and I will be going to pick up a rental car. He has been looking forward to meeting Anna and the children and he wanted to go with me tomorrow. We need to pick the car up at 8:00 and take the 8 hour drive to pick her up. I only hope I can sleep tonight. Only one day to go until Anna is here!
I don't know if I will have the time to send a blog entry tomorrow before I leave so if you want to stay updated you can follow me @privetanna on twitter.

She's on her way!!!

Today Anna had to wake up very early because she and the two children had to take a taxi to the bus stop first thing in the morning.
Carrying three bulging suitcases, Anna and the two children left the only home they have known to begin the three day journey to come here. I can't even begin to imagine the apprehension she feels right now leaving the only life she has ever known to come start a new life with me in America.
Currently Anna and the children are on their way to Moscow on a bus. They are probably roughly halfway there right now. They will spend a day in Moscow before heading to the airport late in the evening on Monday. Anna didn't want to take any chances and decided it would be better to spend the night at the airport so they won't stand the chance of missing their flight that leaves Moscow at 10:15 on Tuesday morning. It is better safe than sorry.
Meanwhile, I am continuing to get the house ready for their arrival. Today I made reservations to rent a car so I can drive to Seattle to pick her up. I will pick the car up on Tuesday morning at 8:00 A.M. and begin the 8 hour drive from Boise to Seattle to pick her up and finally take her home. Her flight arrives just before 10:00 P.M. at the Seattle airport. I plan to meet her just as she exits customs and take her home from there. We will probably stop at a hotel on the way home to try to get some sleep before the 8 hour drive because I am sure they will be very tired after the long flight here.
In only 3 short days Anna will be here! I can't wait!

Six more days of the Final Countdown.

Today was a very busy day for Anna. She continued to pack her bags and cleaned house. She needs to do a deep cleaning of the house because her mother will be selling the house when she leaves.
As if that is not enough, Anna  had to file legal documents to delegate power of attorney to a good friend so she can take care of a few legal matters after Anna leaves. Then she had get some documents translated.
After that she had to stop by the bank to deal with money issues.
She is also searching for a padlock so that she can hang the lock on a bridge in her hometown. It is customary in Russia for couples to write their names on them and hang them on various bridges among other places. In fact there is a iron trees over a bridge in Moscow that are almost completely made up of "love locks". I took a picture of Anna standing next to them while I was there.

Anna has promised to hang our lock on a bridge near her house. On one side it will say "Bryan Loves Anna!" and on the other it will say "Hello Anna!". It will be written in Russian. She told me she will take a picture of it for me after she attaches it permanently to bridge. Then she will throw the key into the lake. I will be sure to put a picture on the blog after I get it from Anna.
Needless to say Anna was very tired when we spoke and the lack of sleep has not been helping her. We both have had difficulty getting a good nights sleep the past few weeks. We are both very nervous. Both of our lives are changing very rapidly  and it is hard for us to keep up with everything.
While Anna is busy working doing all those things I am very busy writing this blog. It is a difficult job but someone has to do it. But to my credit I am also working on installing laminate flooring in one of the spare bedrooms. I want to be done with it before Anna arrives. There is so much to do and so little time. It's almost hard to believe she will be here in six days.

Day 8 of the Final Countdown to Anna's arrival.

Today I was able to schedule some time off of work so I can take two weeks vacation for when Anna comes here. Fortunately I have a good boss who was very flexible on such short notice. I have a great job and my boss is not half as bad as everyone else says he is. :) In fact I have excellent coworkers. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to work with.
Me and my two children are still working on getting the house ready while Anna continues to pack things and trying to gather all the documents she will need when she gets here.
Tomorrow is her last day at work so she will be having a go away party at the office. Hopefully she will not need to work a full day because Anna is expecting her mother to come stay with her in the afternoon. She will spend the next few days with Anna helping her pack things and help Anna with the children. She will also see Anna off to the airport on Tuesday to say goodbye.
The next few days will be very busy for Anna and I as . Tomorrow I will try to reserve a rental car. I decided I will rent a car. Purchasing additional plane tickets was too expensive and my friend was unable to transport us in his plane on that day because he had prior engagements so renting a car was the only option I had left because I don't want to drive my car that distance without getting new brakes installed.
I plan to leave early on Tuesday so I have plenty of time to reach Seattle before Anna's flight arrives. Then we plan on renting a hotel and driving back the following morning because I am sure Anna and the children will be very tired after spending over 24 hours on a plane or in an airport. We may even be able to do some sight seeing on the way home.
Time is passing quickly now and tomorrow will be seven more days until she crosses the threshold of her new home. I can't wait!

Final Countdown... 9 days until Anna is here!

Today Anna told me some great news. She finally received her passport with the visas.  It was a big relief because both Anna and I have been concerned that her passport would get delayed and we would need to change the reservations. Not to mention it would have cost an additonal $600.00 to make any changes in the schedule. So fortunately we are on schedule and she will be flying out of Moscow early in the morning on Tuesday the 23rd.
Now it is just a matter of Anna tying up all the loose ends before she leaves. There seems to be an endless number of things she needs to do before she leaves. Unfortunately she doesn't have a lot of spare time. She is still working full time and her last day will be Wednesday.
Today she was able to order the transcripts from the schools her children have been attending so we can have them when we are ready to get them registered for school. She has also spent a lot of her time packing things. Unfortunately she won't be able to take everything with her on the plane so she is trying to prepare some packages to mail ahead of her.
We are both very excited that we have overcome the final hurdle. Now we know there are no other obstacles that stand between us and Anna and I finally have a definite timeframe.
We are down to nine days before she arrives to her new home.

It's the Final Countdown... 10 days until Anna is Here.

This weekend has been very busy for Anna and I. Anna was exhausted after she had spent all day packing her suitcases. She is having a difficult time trying to decide what she should take with her. It is sad that she cannot take everything with her. She is leaving so many things behind because all she can take is 3 suitcases and a few carry on bags.
I can't imagine how difficult it must be for Anna to be forced to pick and choose between the things that she has accumulated over the years. I am sure many things are very sentimental to her. She has a long history there that will come to an end on July 23rd when she will begin her new life in America. She is moving away from her mother, sister and other relatives that she  has spent her entire life with.
This is a very stressful time for Anna. Two years ago she would have never considered leaving Russia and now she is leaving the only home that she has known in all her life to come to start a new life in a strange place surrounded by strangers that don't speak her language. Even though she has spent many hours practicing her English she will still have difficulty communicating with people. I can't even begin to even try to imagine the anxiety she is experiencing right now with the anticipation of the uncertain future. I just hope she will take some comfort knowing she will have a neighbor that speaks Russian.
Meanwhile, I have been busy preparing the house for Anna and the children. I have been trying to keep the house clean and finish some projects that I have been working on. Today I worked on one of the spare bedrooms installing a new floor that I started working on 3 years ago and never finished. Hopefully I will be done within the next few days so that I can get it furnished. I am hoping that I can have it completely furnished by the time they arrive. Maybe my friends at the Main Street Auction will have some good deals next weekend because I will need some bed frames and dressers for their bedrooms. I really want to have it done by the time she arrives. Today my good friend Bob took me to Costco and purchased some new mattresses for the children as a wedding gift to us. Thank you Bob!
It is interesting to look back over the past two years and see how much our lives have changed. Both our lives changed considerably when we met on Badoo in September of 2011. Neither Anna or I could have ever imagined all of this. All I know is that after I met Anna, my life has not been the same. All the goals I had set in life became irrelevant and replaced with new goals starting with spending the rest of my life with Anna.
She has inspired me in so many ways. I never knew I was a poet until she inspired me to write 26 pages of poetry in a poem called "The Never Ending letter". She has also inspired this blog. "Hello Anna!" is gaining a lot of attention worldwide. I once told Anna that I would stand on the roof and announce to the whole world how much I love her. This blog is my rooftop and I stand up on it and shout it loudly.
Tomorrow will be nine days until Anna finally comes home. Provided that the passport comes in time. We have our fingers crossed.

Getting down to the wire...

Today after some minor difficulty with www.expedia.com and my bank, I was able to make the flight reservations for Anna and the children. With Anna's passport due to arrive next week, we decided I would book the flights for them.
It was very difficult to find prices that we could afford on our budget. We searched various websites, some in Russia. In fact last week Anna had found the best prices online on a  Russian website so I was prepared to wire her some money to purchase the tickets. But the next day the tickets were no longer available.
It was difficult to find a flight with only one stop at a price we could afford. Anna did not want to have more than one stop. Can you blame her? I can't. It will be difficult enough for her to drag her two children halfway across the world in 24 hours.
Finally I was able to find some tickets that we could afford through Expedia using Aeroflot-Russian Airlines. With her current reservation her flight leaves Russia on July 23rd. It leaves early Tuesday morning from Moscow and has a five hour layover in New York before she leaves for her final destination in Seattle. When all was said and done it cost me almost $3,000.00 for their tickets.
I just hope her passport arrives in time or I will have to pay an additional $200.00 per ticket to make any reservation changes. So we are hoping the passport arrives early next week.
Now, while Anna tries to tie up any loose ends in Russia, I need to make additional arrangements to meet her and the children at the airport in Seattle when she flies in. I am having difficulty deciding what to do. I don't really want to take my car for that long drive so I am trying to decide whether I should rent a car for the drive there and back or I could fly there and rent a car to drive back. My friend has offered to fly me in his private airplane there and fly us all back. But it really depends on the weather in Seattle on that day. I am considering taking him up on his offer and renting a car just in case the weather turns out to be bad. But I have not decided yet. I need to decide soon though because she will be here in 11 days. After all the waiting we had to go through over the past year, time seems to be passing quickly now. In fact it is moving faster than Anna and I were prepared for. We had originally hoped to get a flight a little later in the month to give Anna more time to take care of things but there were no tickets within our price range through the end of the month. We had to take what we could get.
Needless to say, Anna and I will be very busy within the next couple of weeks. I will be busy preparing the house for their arrival while Anna packs up everything she has to come here. We can't wait for it all to be over. It has been exhausting for both Anna and I.
Please feel free to comment.

Another interview with Alan Dein

Today after I spoke with Anna, I spoke once again to Alan Dein with the BBC 4 radio network in London for an upcoming episode of "Don't Log Off". It was the third time I had spoken with him.  The last time we spoke was almost six months ago. You can listen to one of our brief conversations on an episode titled "Hopes and Dreams" on his website.
Today we spoke for about 30 minutes and had a good conversation. He is very interested in our story. He asked me many questions about my ongoing relationship with Anna and our future plans. I told him about our experiences during this long drawn out process that Anna and I have had to go through. I also told him our plans for the future. He seemed surprised to learn that she will be coming here so soon. He told me to keep him up to date with the latest news and he is looking forward to talking to Anna and I after she arrives.
Hopefully you will be able to hear some of our conversation in a future episode of Don't Log Off.
Things are happening fairly quickly now and we expect Anna to get her passport back from the US Embassy in Moscow with the visas inside. Yesterday she called the Embassy and they told her that they were still "processing" (I have really grown to hate that word) the visas but today she received an email from the embassy saying "Your visa is in final processing. If you have not received it in more than 10 working days, please see the webpage for contact information of the embassy or consulate where you submitted your application.". We hope this means that she will receive her passport within the next week.
We are already getting prices for 3 plane tickets from Russia to Seattle and we are considering having her and the children here before the end of the month. The prices for tickets seem to be going up every day so the sooner she gets the passport the less it will cost us. At least I hope...
Both Anna and I are very excited and everything seems so surreal for us. We are both finding it difficult to believe that this is finally happening . It is happening fast too.  Anna still has a lot to do there in Russia and we are hoping she will be here within 3 weeks. There seems to be too much to do and too little time to do it for Anna especially.
Our waiting period will soon come to an end and we will finally be able to begin our new lives together. It has been a long, drawn out process and we are looking forward to it coming to an end.

Home Sweet Home

Finally after almost four long days in Moscow followed by a twelve hour bus ride, Anna returned home. It had been four very long days and I could not communicate with her.
I did manage to talk to her once on the phone. I could not understand most of what she said but she told me she was okay and told me the children said hi. We spoke very briefly before ending our conversation. I was glad to know her and the children were okay. I was getting so worried.
I was very surprised to get her call on Skype. I was expecting her to be home a day later. I thought she had told me her interview was on July 2nd but she had it on the first of July.
I was playing pool inside my garage with a friend when I received her call. I had to apologize to him as I sent him quickly home.
I was so excited to see her. It felt like an eternity since I had seen her.
She was very tired after the long bus ride. She told me that she and the children had done a lot of walking around the city. She also told me they had difficulty sleeping in the hotel room because the bed creaked.
Then she proceeded to tell me about the interview. The interview was 4 hours long and there were nearly 400 people in the embassy at the same time. The person conducting the interview asked her many about us. They asked about how we met and where we met. They asked her questions about me. She was also asked why she wanted to marry an American man and why she thought I wanted to marry a Russian woman. She told them that she asked me this question, but didn't receive a definite answer. I told her that I had no choice but to find her in Russia. If Anna lived in Africa, I would have went there. If she was from Australia I would have met her there. In fact Russia is the only place in this world I could have found Anna. I think I told her this once before but she may have forgotten.
We are both very excited. Now all we need to do is wait for her to receive the visas and schedule her flight home. She still has many things to do before she can leave. There is a lot of packing that she needs to do among many other things that have to be done before she can leave.
Now we are trying to find affordable plane tickets for her and the children and we are trying to decide if she should fly into Boise or if I should go to meet her in Seattle. I have a friend who may be able to fly me there in his private plane to meet her at the Seattle Airport. Then Anna and the children can fly with us back home.
We are still exploring all the options and trying to work out all the details. If you have a suggestion, please feel free to comment.

Sleepless in Russia

Anna had a difficult time sleeping last night while she anticipated the busy day today.
After getting very little sleep she had to go to work a full day before she could return home to prepare the children for the long bus ride to Moscow. She only had about 5 minutes in the evening to talk on Skype. She had to be on the bus at 6:00 PM.
It is approximately a 12 hour bus ride from where she lives to Moscow. In fact while I make the blog post she has probably already arrived to Moscow. Then she will need to be at her appointment for a medical examination at 8:00 AM Moscow time and that is 9:00 PM Mountain time here. Her and the 2 children need a medical exam prior to the interview. They will need to bring the results in a sealed envelope to the interview with them.
Due to the fact that it is Friday, she will have to wait until early next week to have her interview. So she will have to stay in Moscow over the weekend with the 2 children (God Help Her). Fortunately she was able to find a good hotel at an affordable price and it is at a central location.
After her interview she should receive the visas. I am not sure how long she will have to wait but I hope she gets them on the Fourth of July. It will give me another reason to celebrate the upcoming holiday.
But unfortunately I will not be able talk to her on Skype while she is in Moscow. I may be able to send some text messages to her but she was certain her phone would not work. She will try to find a new sim card that will allow it to work temporarily while she is in Moscow. But at this time I have not received a reply from her yet. I could call her on the phone but we still have difficulty understanding each other even after I have been learning to speak Russian and Anna is learning English.
Hopefully I hear from her soon. I want to hear she arrived or I may start to worry. It saddens me that I was unable to be there with her to help her but I was could not afford to fly there to be with her at this time. I have been trying to save a little bit of money so that we can cover the extra expenses when she gets here. But I am sad I couldn't be there with her. She should not have to do this alone. At least her mother agreed to meet her in Moscow during the weekend so she will have someone to talk to.
Fortunately it will all be over soon. In fact she may be able to catch a flight out of Russia as early as the 18th of July. This is the day Anna chose so she could have plenty of time to tie up all the loose ends and give her employer two weeks notice. I know she will be here very soon but patience has never been my strong point so I want her here yesterday. Until she is here, I am "Sleepless in Idaho".

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Finally good news from Moscow!!!

Today Anna told me she was finally able to call the Embassy in Moscow to schedule her interview. She has it scheduled for the first week in July. Who knows, she may even get the visas on the Fourth of July.
We are both very excited to get the news but there is still much to do. Anna still has to fill out numerous forms and gather many documents that she will need for her interview. She also needs to get a complete medical examination for her and the children. She will need to bring the results of the examination with her to the interview.
She is also getting prices for the plane tickets here. She is hoping to make reservations for the third week in July, but she still needs to wait until after the interview to make any reservations. But we are trying to plan everything as much as we can. I am trying to make arrangements to meet her in Seattle, Washington so that she does not need to try to navigate that huge airport to find a connecting flight to Boise. I plan to drive there and pick her and the children up at the airport and take her home from there.
Now we will just need to wait for her interview and it is all downhill from there. Hopefully she will be on her way here within the next month. I can't wait to see her again.

A Mountain of Paperwork.

Anna has been very busy working on gathering all the necessary documentation as well as paying all the necessary fees for the visa. In fact Anna had to pay nearly 25,000 rubles ($740.00) for 3 visas. Now she is waiting for the official receipt of payment from the U.S. Embassy so she can call to finally schedule her interview.

We are hoping she will get it scheduled this week and hopefully she can get in early this next month. But until she has her interview there are mountains of paperwork she needs to fill out and sign so she can bring them to the interview with her.

One of these forms is the Form DS-230 Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration. It consists of two parts. Part one is Biographical Information. They need to know everything about her, her parents, her children, her second cousin's best friend's sister's pet gerbil and the number of hairs on everyone's head. But seriously, she has to provide a lot of information.

The second part of the form is a sworn statement. I could not help but laugh as I read through the questions. They are 12 simple yes and no questions and of course all applicants are warned if they answer yes to any of the questions they will be denied the visa. Many of the questions are quite laughable so I am posting the questions here on the blog for everyone to get a laugh out of them.

United States laws governing the issuance of visas require each applicant to state whether or not he or she is a member of any class of individuals excluded from admission into the United States. The excludable classes are described below in general terms. You should read carefully the following list and answer Yes or No to each category. The answers you give will assist the consular officer to reach a decision on your eligibility to
receive a visa.

Except as Otherwise Provided by Law, Aliens Within the Following Classifications are Ineligible to Receive a Visa.
Do Any of the Following Classes Apply to You?

1. An alien who has a communicable disease of public health significance; who has failed to present documentation of having received vaccinations in accordance with U.S. law; who has or has had a physical or mental disorder that poses or is likely to pose a threat to the safety or welfare of the alien or others; or who is a drug abuser or addict.
2. An alien convicted of, or who admits having committed, a crime involving moral turpitude or violation of any law relating to a controlled substance or who is the spouse, son or daughter of such a trafficker who knowingly has benefited from the trafficking activities in the past five years; who has been convicted of 2 or more offenses for which the aggregate sentences were 5 years or more; who is coming to the United States to engage in prostitution or commercialized vice or who has
   engaged in prostitution or procuring within the past 10 years; who is or has been an illicit trafficker in any controlled substance; who has committed a serious criminal offense in the United States and who has asserted immunity from prosecution; who, while serving as a foreign government official, was responsible for or directly carried out particularly severe violations of religious freedom; or whom the President has identified as a person who plays a significant role in a severe form of trafficking in persons, who otherwise has knowingly aided, abetted, assisted or colluded with such a trafficker in severe forms of trafficking in persons, or who is the spouse, son or daughter of such a trafficker who knowingly has benefited from the trafficking activities within the past five years.
3. An alien who seeks to enter the United States to engage in espionage, sabotage, export control violations, terrorist activities, the overthrow of the Government of the United States or other unlawful activity; who is a member of or affiliated with the Communist or other totalitarian party; who participated, engaged or ordered genocide, torture, or extrajudicial killings; or who is a member or representative of a terrorist organization as currently designated by the U.S. Secretary of State.
4. An alien who is likely to become a public charge.
5.  An alien who seeks to enter for the purpose of performing skilled or unskilled labor who has not been certified by the Secretary of Labor; who is a graduate of a foreign medical school seeking to perform medical services who has not passed the NBME exam or its equivalent; or who is a health care worker seeking to perform such work without a certificate from the CGFNS or from an equivalent approved independent credentialing organization.
6. An alien who failed to attend a hearing on deportation or inadmissibility within the last 5 years; who seeks or has sought a visa, entry into the United States, or any immigration benefit by fraud or misrepresentation; who knowingly assisted any other alien to enter or try to enter the United States in violation of law; who, after November 30, 1996, attended in student (F) visa status a U.S. public elementary school or who attended a U.S. public secondary school without reimbursing the school; or who is subject to a civil penalty under INA 274C.
7. An alien who is permanently ineligible for U.S. citizenship; or who departed the United States to evade military service in time of war.
8. An alien who was previously ordered removed within the last 5 years or ordered removed a second time within the last 20 years; who was previously unlawfully present and ordered removed within the last 10 years or ordered removed a second time within the last 20 years; who was convicted of an aggravated felony and ordered removed; who was previously unlawfully present in the United States for more than 180 days but less than one year who voluntarily departed within the last 3 years; or who was unlawfully present for more than one year or an aggregate of one year within the last
   10 years.
9. An alien who is coming to the United States to practice polygamy; who withholds custody of a U.S. citizen child outside the United States from a person granted legal custody by a U.S. court or intentionally assists another person to do so; who has voted in the United States in violation of any law or regulation; or who renounced U.S. citizenship to avoid taxation.
10. An alien who is a former exchange visitor who has not fulfilled the 2-year foreign residence requirement.
11. An alien determined by the Attorney General to have knowingly made a frivolous application for asylum.
12. An alien who has ordered, carried out or materially assisted in extrajudicial and political killings and other acts of violence against the Haitian people; who has directly or indirectly assisted or supported any of the groups in Colombia known as FARC, ELN, or AUC; who through abuse of a governmental or political position has converted for personal gain, confiscated or expropriated property in Cuba, a claim to which is owned by a national of the United States, has trafficked in such property or has been complicit in such conversion, has committed similar acts in another country, or is the spouse, minor child or agent of an alien who has committed such acts; who has been directly involved in the establishment or enforcement of population controls forcing a woman to undergo an abortion against her free choice or a man or a woman to undergo sterilization against his or her free choice; or who has disclosed or trafficked in confidential U.S. business information obtained in connection with U.S. participation in the Chemical Weapons Convention or is the spouse, minor child or agent of such a person; or who has ever engaged in the recruitment of or the use of child solders.

I found many of the questions quite amusing. I am curious as to how many people would honestly answer yes to any of those questions, especially knowing it will disqualify them from getting a visa.

I am confident that Anna can answer no to all those questions so I am sure she will not have a problem.
Anna will call the embassy tomorrow and try to schedule the interview.



The End is in Sight

Yesterday, Anna informed me that she finally received the package I mailed her over 1 month ago. Soon after she received the package, I was sent an email from the US Embassy in Moscow acknowledging that they received our documents from the Department of State. Within the email they gave us instructions on how to proceed.
Here is the email I received from them:

Dear Petitioner:

Please resend the letter to your fiancé(e).

Dear Applicant:

We are pleased to inform you that the Immigrant Visa Unit of U.S. Embassy Moscow has received your approved visa petition and that your case is ready for processing.

You should now visit http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ru to complete the following steps: 1) arrange payment of the $240 visa fee; 2) enter an address to which the visa will be delivered; and 3) schedule your interview appointment.  Once you pay the fee and specify the delivery address, you may schedule your interview for any available appointment slot.  Please ensure that the date you select falls within four months of the date on which the visa petition was approved.  Failure to do so may impact the validity of your visa petition.

All applicants for fiancé(e) visas must comply with the processing requirements detailed at http://moscow.usembassy.gov/iv-fiancee.html. This page provides the most accurate and complete information needed to prepare for your interview including a list of required documents.  Thank you.

Immigrant Visa Unit

U.S. Embassy Moscow

Dear Petitioner:

Please resend the letter to your fiancé(e).

Уважаемый заявитель!

Мы рады сообщить, что Отдел иммиграционных виз Посольства США в Москве получил Вашу одобренную петицию и готов продолжить рассмотрение Вашего дела.

Пожалуйста, зайдите на сайт http://www.ustraveldocs.com/ru ,  чтобы узнать как: 1) оплатить визовый сбор $240; 2) указать адрес, по которому будут доставлены Ваши визовые документы и 3) назначить собеседование. После оплаты и регистрации адреса доставки Вы сможете выбрать любую доступную дату собеседования в течение четырех месяцев  со дня одобрения петиции.

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С уважением,

Отдел иммиграционных виз

Посольство США в Москве

Anna and I are both very excited to get the news. In fact today Anna logged into the US Embassy's website and paid the fee for the visa. Next week she will call to schedule her interview. Hopefully she can have the interview soon and she can finally buy the airplane tickets and I hope she will be here before the end of the summer. She has a few other things she needs to wrap up in Russia before she can finally come here but she still has plenty of time to get everything done.
It is nice to finally be down to the step of our journey. It has been a long arduous process that I would not wish on anyone. But fortunately we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The wait will soon be over and Anna and I will finally be together soon.

Another obstacle tries to come between us!

After the entire ordeal with the USCIS and the time we waited for the National visa center to transfer our documents to the US Embassy in Moscow we thought we were home free. But if it wasn't for bad luck, we would have no luck at all.
It seems that anything that can go wrong will always go wrong in our situation.
Anna sent me a link to a news release about a mail embargo imposed on international mail coming into Russia. It seems our letter is among 500 tons of mail that has been put on hold. http://rbcdaily.ru/society/562949987180153. The site is in Russian so you can use google translator to translate it. Or you can read a similar article on this site http://themoscownews.com/russia/20130411/191431278/Mail-embargo-issued-at-Sheremetyevo.html
This embargo occured shortly after I mailed a package to Anna. She needs the documents in the package I sent to her for her interview at the embassy. Now it seems that package is buried at the bottom of a 500 ton pile of mail.
I only hope she gets the package soon or I will have to send the package again using another carrier. And of course it will cost an arm an a leg. We will give it until the end of this next week until I get another package ready to send her. Hopefully we won't have to resort to that option.
Once again we have to wait for things that are beyond our control. We hope this whole ordeal will be over soon so we can finally begin our lives together.

Coming Down the Home Stretch.

Finally, after almost a month of the National Visa Center(NVC) holding our documents hostage while they "processed" our documents, they informed me that they forwarded the documents to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
Unfortunately though, I can't say the same for the Russian Customs. Anna checked the tracking number of the package I sent her and it still indicated that Customs still had the package. I hope they release it soon because Anna will need it for her interview.
But at least we have made another step forward and now Anna can communicate directly with the U.S. Embassy and schedule her interview. Hopefully it won't take her too long to get an interview. We both are very excited to know that we can finally start to make preparations for her to come here.
In fact Anna has even mentioned purchasing some suitcases for the trip. But she is not certain of the color she wants to buy. She has not decided yet. Maybe you can help her decide. Just post a comment suggesting a color and I will pass the suggestion on to her.
This is the very last step of the process and we are very much looking forward to this process ending. After her interview she will finally be able to purchase the 3 visas and make reservations for her flight home. I can't begin to say how much we are both looking forward to that day. It has been almost 10 months since she kissed me goodbye at the airport in Moscow and I can't wait to see her again.

From one government bureaucracy to another.

After waiting 6 Months at the California Center of the USCIS our paperwork was transferred to the National Visa Center (NVC) which is a division of the Department of state. The NVC is supposed to "Process" our paperwork which includes putting it on someone's desk and waiting for 2 weeks to a month to transfer the documents to the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
They seem to serve no other purpose than to make us wait longer. In fact, I called the NVC last week asking them if they did any actual processing of the documentation there. They told me "No, we just wait.". Here seems to be another good use of taxpayer money, NOT!!!
We hope that within the next week all our documents will be transferred to the US Embassy in Moscow so that at least some type of processing can happen. At least after that Anna can call the embassy and schedule her interview.
We are also waiting on the Postal Service to deliver all of the documentation that I was required to send Anna for her interview. I mailed it on May 2nd and the U.S. Postal Service processed it through the sort facility in Los Angeles, California on the 6th. Today I called the USPS and they told me they cannot provide tracking information for the package. Even with a tracking number they provided, they are unable to track it now for some reason.
But fortunately Anna is very resourceful and she managed to track the package down in Russia. It is currently in Russian Customs. Hopefully it will not remain there as long as Anna's letter to me. It was tied up in US Customs for over 10 days.
We hope all of this waiting will end soon and Anna can purchase the visas and plane tickets and finally come here.

The package is in the mail.

After our petition was approved, I had to prepare many documents to send to Anna.
The U.S. Government required me to sign an I-134 Affidavit of support and I had to send a copy of the entire package I submitted with our initial request.
They also required bank account information and my last year tax returns. I don't know why they require all this information but the U.S. government requires this information for some reason. Fortunately, I was able to redact any personal information because I don't have a lot of faith in the U.S. Postal Service.
Anna and I discussed the options we had to send her the papers. I had 3 options available. The first option was to send the papers using the normal postal service. $20.00 to send the entire packet to her regular mail. No tracking number and we don't know if it will even arrive. $45.00 would have given us delivery confirmation. But the U.S.P.S. would still not guarantee delivery.
For $145.00, I could have sent the package containing 20 pages of documents to her with the ability to track the location of the package but they are still unable to guarantee delivery..
After discussing it with Anna, she told me we will choose the cheaper option. Hopefully the package won't get lost in the mail and she will get it in time for her interview with the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
In fact, Anna and I have wagered a bet. I told her she will receive the package from me before the Department of State (National Visa Center) transfers the documents to the embassy in Moscow.
I hope my package arrives first because I don't want to lose this bet.

Finally our NOA2 Arrived

Yesterday I finally received our official NOA2 in the mail. It was called:

I-797, Notice of Action

Notice Type: Approval Notice 

Valid from 04/23/2013 to 08/22/2013

Consulate: KIEV (Are you kidding me? She lives in Russia not Ukraine)

The Letter said 

The above petition has been approved, and forwarded to the listed consulate. Please contact the consulate with any questions about visa issuance, or if you would now like them to forward the petition to a different consulate. The petitioner can also file a Form I-824, Application for Action on an Approved Application or Petition, to request that we notify another consulate of the petition approval for visa processing purposes. THIS FORM IS NOT A VISA AND MAY NOT BE USED IN PLACE OF A VISA.

When the person this petition is for enters the U.S. based on this visa, he or she will be admitted for ninety (90) days in order to marry the petitioner, and based on that marriage file for adjustment to permanent resident status on form I-485. The form to apply for adjustment can be obtained at any local USCIS office or USCIS forms center. Please attach a copy of this notice to the adjustment application when you file it.

 If the petitioner and the fiancé(e) do not marry within these 90 days, status will expire, and he or she will be in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Action if he or she does not depart. An extension cannot be granted. It is requested that the petitioner inform his or her local USCIS office if he or she determines that the marriage will not take place within the 90 day period. Please attach a copy of this notice to any correspondence about this case.

Notice: Although this application/petition has been approved, USCIS and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reserve the right to verify the information submitted in this application, petition and/or supporting documentation to ensure conformity with applicable laws, rules, regulations, and other authorities. Methods used for verifying information may include, but are not limited to, the review of public information and records, contact by correspondence, the internet, or telephone, and site inspections of businesses and residence. Information obtained during the course of verification will be used to determine whether revocation, rescission, and/or removal proceedings are appropriate. Applicants, petitioners, and representatives will be provide an opportunity to address derogatory information before any formal proceeding is initiated.

Anna and I were pleased when we finally received the notice. Both of us have been collecting documents and preparing for Anna's interview at the US Embassy in Moscow (Oh wait, they are sending it to KIEV Ukraine. The Federal Government at it's best!). 

We hope she will have her interview within the next few months. After that, she can purchase the Visas and plane tickets and finally come here. We will finally be together again, but this time neither of us will have to leave again. Here is a photo we took on my last day in Russia.

And now the moment we've been waiting for....

Finally, after over a year and a half of since the day we met and over 3000 pages of written correspondence between us. We waited 6 months and 2 days from the day our petition was received by the USCIS for any information from them. The letter I sent to my senator and congressman seemed to work and our voices were finally heard.
Today, as I spent my lunch hour talking with Anna, my Senator's office called me and told me they had good news regarding our petition. They informed me they received an email from the USCIS informing them that our petition was approved yesterday.
It is interesting that my Senator's office called me with the good news long before I heard the good news from the USCIS. Today after I returned home from work I waited for nearly 2 hours, At precisely 6:30 P.M. I finally received the official notification from the USCIS in an email message.
I cannot begin to describe how happy both Anna and I were to hear the news. Finally, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and we can begin to plan our lives together.
Perhaps it takes an act of Congress and a fax from a Senator to finally get action from this organization or perhaps we were just getting impatient and if we waited they would have approved it anyway. I don't know which is true. I have my theory, but you can be the judge.
This is the email I received today:

***************************************
*** DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL ***

The last processing action taken on your case

Receipt Number: ************

Application Type: I129F , PETITION FOR FIANCE(E)

Your Case Status: Post Decision Activity

On April 24, 2013, we mailed you a notice that we have approved this I129F PETITION FOR FIANCE(E). Please follow any instructions on the notice. If you move before you receive the notice, call customer service at 1-800-375-5283.

For approved applications/petitions, post-decision activity may include USCIS sending notification of the approved application/petition to the National Visa Center or the Department of State.  For denied applications/petitions, post-decision activity may include the processing of an appeal and/or motions to reopen or reconsider and revocations.

If you have questions or concerns about your application or the case status results listed above, or if you have not received a decision from USCIS within the current processing time listed*, please contact USCIS Customer Service at (800) 375-5283.

*Current processing times can be found on the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov under Check Processing Times.

*** Please do not respond to this e-mail message.

Sincerely,
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
*******************************************

While Anna and I are pleased to hear the good news, we feel sorry for the many other couples continue to wait for any information pertaining to the case. In fact there are people still waiting after filing their petition in July of last year.
I hope the investigation continues into this organization because I think it needs to become more organized and make some improvements. Today I read a message on a forum by someone saying that they never thought they would ever find a government organization that was even worse than the DMV. I tend to agree.
Immigration reform is long overdue.

A letter to my congressman and senator.

Both Anna and I have been very frustrated with this process that seems to go on indefinitely for us while many other people who filed after us are getting approved. I tried calling the USCIS and was unable to get anywhere with them. So tonight, I decided to write letters to one of my state congressman and my state senator.
Here is the letter I sent to them.

Dear ______________,

I am writing you today because I am among thousands of other frustrated U.S. Citizens who are customers of The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Among the many other U.S. Citizens, I submitted a petition I-129F (Petition for Alien Fiancé) along with the $340.00 fee they charge for this "service".  My petition was received by the USCIS on October 22, 2012 and was subsequently transferred to the California Service Center (CSC).  At that time the USCIS advertised a 5 month average decision on petitions of this nature.

After waiting for a period of 5 months, I decided to call the USCIS to determine the status of our petition. They were unable or unwilling to give me any information on the status of our specific case and I was informed that the expected processing time had increased to 7.5 months.  Meanwhile  the CSC has advertised on its website for over four months that it has been processing petitions that it received on July 18, 2012(It is still the date they advertise today).

At the same time the Vermont Service Center (VSC) is processing these applications within 5 months. In fact many people are indicating that their petition that was filed after ours has already been approved. This is frustrating to say the least. We had no choice as to which center processed our petition.

My fiancé and I have spent many hours on the internet researching this issue and have discovered many forums that may indicate that the CSC has ceased processing I-129F petitions to focus on the "Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Process(DACA)" which was implemented due to an executive order given by President Barrack Obama. You can read more information here regarding this issue http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/421247-i-129f-delay-at-the-csc-a-comprehensive-analysis-of-the-data/.

Today I checked the average processing time for the I-821D (DACA) petition and it appears to be 6 months for CSC to reach a decision on this petition. Keep in mind this petition has existed for less than a year.

This could explain why the California Service Center has slowed down, if not ceased processing the I-129F petitions. While I have no problems with the DACA program in particular, I do have a problem with it taking precedence over other petitions. It appears that the CSC has been overwhelmed with these new applications for the I-821D petition (Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and has been unable to process the I-129F petitions.

While that may be a problem, it appears the agency has another problem. Today my Fiancé showed me a forum entry that was posted yesterday by someone that claimed their I-129F petition that was submitted in December was approved yesterday by the CSC after only 4 months and 1 day. Here is a link to the forum topic she showed me http://www.zaokeanom.com/forum/topic7887-180.html. The forum is written in Russian, but the message was translated as  “We received our NOA2 yesterday! I cannot believe we ended up waiting for only 4 months and 1 day!” “Be patient everyone and GOOD LUCK!! California worked well last week”

Today, I decided to contact the USCIS to ask them why someone who filed in December was approved before someone who filed in October. They could not answer the question and told me the average time has increased to 9 months for the CSC. So, it seems the CSC of the USCIS is not only favoring the I-821D petition. It may also be favoring people that may have deeper pockets than me or I need to find someone out there that can expedite the process, which I believe is a crime. Honestly, I don't know what is causing this delay but I am afraid I will call in 30 days and learn the average time has increased to 12 months.

I am not the only one who is frustrated with this situation. It appears that someone has even submitted a petition to the white house to intervene in this apparent rogue government organization.  You can view the petition at https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/expedite-processing-i129f-petitions-meet-current-government-processing-goals-5-months/rp6yP4Jw

I know you are very busy but I hope you will find some time in your schedule to research this problem.

If necessary, I can provide you with my case number.

Thank you so much for your consideration.

Respectfully,
Bryan

Immigration reform is here. U.S. citizens to the back of the line and Illegal Aliens to the Front!

According to various sources it seems that USCIS has intentionally placed all I-129F petitions for K-1 Fiancé Visas on hold in the California Service Center("CSC") to comply with an executive order that was given by King-President Obama. This order resulted in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) and was implemented by the Secretary of the Department Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano.
You can read more information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Action_for_Childhood_Arrivals. Essentially the DACA was created as a method for children of Illegal Aliens to apply for visas and give them a pathway to citizenship.
This resulted in the CSC’s acceptance of a new type of application called the I-821D Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (herein after “DACA” applications).
After the California Service Center(CSC) was given the responsibility to process these new petitions, they chose to cease all processing of the I-129F petitions for not only the K-1 Visas which are Fiance visas. They also had to cease processing of the I-129F Petitions for the K-2 Visa which is for a spouse living abroad to devote all their resources to I-821D petitions.
In turn thousands of couples, including married couples have been put to the back of the line since July 18 applications which the USCIS has proudly advertised on their website for 4 months as the current processing date for K-1 and K-2 petitions. But while we are still waiting for them to process applications from July 19th of 2012, the CSC is processing August and Septembers applications for DACA.
It seems petitions requested by a U.S. Citizen are of lower priority than those requested by non-citizens of the U.S.. You can read more on this subject at http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/421247-i-129f-delay-at-the-csc-a-comprehensive-analysis-of-the-data/.
It is of my understanding that according to U.S. Law, all petitions for Visas are supposed to be processed in the order they are received but unfortunately this is not the reality. While Anna and I, among thousands of other couples wait for an indefinite period of time, the USCIS processes thousands of visas that were received after ours was received.
Fortunately there are others that are getting very frustrated with this process and they have started to petition the White House on this matter.
While I am not against children who were brought here illegally to have an opportunity to apply for citizenship, I cannot understand why our government gives them priority over United States Citizens who have been patiently waiting in line.
You can find the petition here https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/expedite-processing-i129f-petitions-meet-current-government-processing-goals-5-months/rp6yP4Jw.
Please sign the petition and help get the process moving again.

How long can this process continue? Forever?!

It seems like this process will last forever with the California Processing center that we were unfortunately forced to go with.
When I first heard that our petition was being processed by the USCIS California Service Center, I was rather excited because it was supposedly the quickest in processing I-129F petitions. It was advertised that they completed the process within less than 6 months.
Our petition was received on October 22, 2012.
Unfortunately, now it does not seems that the California is the fastest. After almost six months of waiting, the Vermont Service Center is advertising that they are currently working on October 2012 Petitions. I checked nearly two months ago that the California Center was still processing petitions that were submitted on July 18 2012. I checked last month and they had updated the information and they were processing July 18th applications. In fact this is the same day they told me they were processing when I called them two weeks ago.
Today, I checked again and they updated their website again yesterday for the 2nd month, indicating that they are still processing pettions that were submitted on July 18th.
How can it take 30 days to process petitions submitted on July 18th of last year while Vermont is processing October Petitions?  At this rate, Anna and I can look forward to our application being approved by this time next year. You do the math. If it takes them 30 days to process petitions filed on any given day, we can expect they will process 1 day of received petitions every 30 days. So in the next month we can "hopefully" expect them to process the July 19th date.
As the vermont Center processes October petitions currently, the California Center will process ours in (92 days until October 22nd) * (30 days it takes to process a single date of received petitions) days? I think that may be another year give or take a few days.
Oh, and to make matters worse, Anna sent me a link to a forum that indicated the California Service Center may have lost or severely destroyed 48,000 petition requests due to a "plumbing problem". Click here to read it for yourself.
I used to be optimistic, but I am guessing ours is one of those that were lost or damaged. I think Anna's original estimate of 120 years is closer to my estimate.
Needless to say, we are both extremely disappointed and frustrated (among many other couples waiting). But neither one of us will give up. In fact we have considered having me apply for a visa to Russia again and we could get married while I was there and then we both would live in Russia together. Both of us agree, it does not matter where we live. The only thing that matters is that we are together in the end.

A radio conversation on Immigration with Nate Shelman

Yesterday, on my way home from work, I tuned into AM 670 KBOI as I often do to listen to one of my favorite commentators, Nate Shelman. His topic of conversation was Immigration Reform which seems to be a very popular topic these days.
He was asking for people to call in to voice their opinion and as most of you know this is a very frustrating issue with me and Anna after almost six months of waiting for an approval of our I-129F petition for an Alien Fiance.
I must say I rather enjoyed the conversation even though he was rather skeptical and very pessimistic about my relationship with Anna. Unfortunately there is a stereotype that exists regarding foreign brides that come to marry someone here in the United States. This stereotype comes with good reason. Many foreigners in the past have come to America only to disappear shortly after the wedding. They were only motivated by the opportunity to come here to the United States. Nate addressed this point very well.
After a year and a half and nearly 3000 pages of correspondence through Skype, I know Anna quite well and I will never question her motivation. She trusts me and I trust her.
I think by the end of my conversation with Nate, he realized Anna and I may not fit into this category. In fact in closing to our conversation "Let me know when the wedding is. I might DJ it. If she sticks around long enough."
I am sure we will have an excellent DJ for our wedding! Thanks Nate!
I was able to download a copy of his podcast at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/nate-shelman/id602386970. Feel free to listen to his commentaries. As I said before he  is one of my favorite commentators.
I was also able to create an edited copy of the 5 minute conversation we had. You can download it and listen to it here https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BySiYH4DyME6ZkRvbUZZbnBSU1E/edit?usp=sharing
I can't say I like the sound of my voice on the radio but I enjoyed the conversation.

How slow can it go?...

Over five months have passed since Anna and I filed our petition and I am finally able to call the USCIS to check on the status. I must admit I was rather excited to be able to talk with a real person during the phone call, but I have to say it was disappointing to say the least.
Our expectation was always a five month average that we had been hoping would be the length of time we would have to wait. Unfortunately, my phone call revealed that the average time was not as accurate as advertised. :( I was told that the USCIS was working on applications submitted in July of 2012. Our application was submitted in October of 2012.
Needless to say, it will be at least another 3 months before our application is reviewed.
I can't even begin to say how disappointed we are and how much Anna and I wish things could happen more quickly. But, unfortunately government doesn't seem to be very efficient. Especially when it comes to legal immigration.
It seems Anna and I will continue to reside on separate sides of the planet until who knows when. There seems to be no end to our torment.

Hopefully one day soon the U.S. Government will approve our petition and we can finally begin our lives together. Until then, How slow can it go?...

Legal immigration vs. Illegal Immigration

There is so much talk in politics right now regarding immigration reform. It seems that everyone wants to make it easier for people to immigrate to the United States. Unfortunately, these talks only refer to the people that came here illegally and are already here in America. There is nothing said about how difficult and time consuming it is to come here legally.
It is sad that Anna could not have crossed our border illegally from Mexico because I think everything would be much easier and cheaper. The U.S. government requires so much money and so much time to come here legally, it seems easier to have Anna go to Mexico and come across illegally. In fact, it may be faster and cheaper to go that route than it is to go through the legal method. But unfortunately Mexico protects its borders and Anna is unable to go to Mexico.
I have to say it is beyond frustrating to try to bring her over legally. It cost me $340.00 just to file a request for her to come here as my fiance. We have heard nothing from the US government for 5 months. If they approve our petition (And that is a big IF), I will have to pay an additional $2500.00 after we are married just to get her and the children green cards so that she can get a job if she wants and her children can attend our schools.
It is unfortunate that she cannot cross the southern border illegally because I would not have to worry about all these things. It seems that illegal aliens (people who don't file for visa's and cross the border illegally) have it easy and these are the people our politicians cater to. It seems they can attend our schools for free and get jobs without having to wait 5 months and pay $340.00 for a chance at a visa. Most don't even pay taxes.
Is it immigration reform or is it amnesty? You be the judge. If it was immigration reform, they would make it easier to immigrate legally. But unfortunately all the talk is about making everyone that came here illegally, legal citizens. It doesn't make immigration easier, it only rewards people who did not follow the rules.
Anna and I are doing it the legal way and it is nearly impossible.
That is my rant. We are still waiting for forever!

Waiting for forever...

It has been seven months since I visited Anna in Russia and almost five months since we submitted our I-129F petition for alien fiance with the USCIS. When we filed the petition, they stated on their website that it was an average 5 months for approval.
Today I checked and the average has risen to 5 1/2 months. It seems that the longer we wait, the longer they prolong it. How long can this go on? If the service was free, I might understand this, but this service did not come free and I had to pay $340.00 to submit this request. Anna tells me it will take 120 years for the process to end, but I have remained optimistic but now I think she may be right so it seems.
Both Anna and I are getting extremely frustrated while we still wait for any response on our petition.
Unlike most couples who can talk on the phone at their leisure, Anna and I are limited to the moments we can speak on Skype. During weekends we can speak for nearly 2 hours as we communicate over Skype.
Weekdays are limited to an hour, now cut short to 45 minutes due to some complications that have arisen.
Every day seems to be an eternity as we wait for our brief moment we can talk to each other. The sad part of this arrangement is the fact that Anna is tired and ready for bed when I can talk to her during the week.
In fact, Anna was so tired the past 3 days, I could not even talk to her because she was so exhausted from work and the constant demands of the children. Now it seems our conversation is limited only to 4 hours during a weekend. I can't say this is the best situation, but even though we are frustrated, it will not stop us. We hope that within the next month we will have our petition approved and that will enable her to apply for the visa to come here to America and finally be with me.
Obviously she cannot immediately come here after our petition is approved but at least I can say she will be able to apply for the Visa. We will have to wait for another 2 months before she can even get her interview. If all goes well during her interview at the U.S. Consulate in Russia, she will be allowed the Visa to come here as my Fiance.
The time seems to crawl as we wait and now each day feels like a year while we wait to see each other for a brief 45 minutes.  I hope soon our suffering will be over, because I must admit, this situation is nothing short of torture for us and it feels like we are waiting for forever...

A happy Valentines Day?

While most couples celebrate Valentine's day together, Anna and I celebrate our 17 month Anniversary on separate sides of the world. It was seventeen months ago, on the 14th day of September 2011 that I sent Anna the first message, "Privet Anna".
Unfortunately today also marks the second time we have to celebrate Valentine's Day separately.
I can't say that it was the best Valentine's Day for us, but at least we are one day closer to the day our petition is approved and hopefully we won't have to spend another Valentine's Day apart.
I will look forward to the day that I can bring home Anna's favorite flowers (Chrysanthemums) and a delicious box of chocolates on Valentine's Day. Perhaps, I can even convince her to go out for dinner to a nice restaurant.
Regardless of our unfortunate situation today, we both want to wish all of the lovers out there a Happy Valentines Day (С Днем Святого Валентина).

Stay Tuned and Don't Log Off!

Today after I spoke with Anna, I was immediately contacted by Alan Dein with BBC Radio for another interview for his latest episode of "Don't Log Off" in London. It has been nearly 9 months since I spoke with him. He interviewed me in May of last year just prior to the time I visited Anna in Russia.
He has been following our story and will continue to follow our story as it unfolds.
Today he called me on Skype at 4:00 P.M. Mountain time. Unfortunately we had some difficulties hearing each other in the beginning, but in the end we were able to talk.
For those of you who have not heard the episode you can find an archived copy on his website http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/dlo. Our story is told on the "Hopes and Dreams" episode that is archived in the Podcasts on his website.
Hopefully our interview will be broadcast in London within the next 2 months. So, stay tuned and "Don't log off.". You will be able to hear my interview on his website soon after it aires to thousands of listeners in London.
I hope the next interview will be when Anna is on her way here.

A conversation of a million words.

Because every word we have spoken to one another (minus the words we spoke when I was in Russia) has been translated through Google Translator and pasted into Skype, all of our words have been stored in Skype.
I backup our conversation every week by copying our conversation from Skype and pasting it into Microsoft Word for safekeeping.

Today, after a year and 4 months of correspondence, I noticed our correspondence is almost 2,600 pages in MS Word and contains over a million words shared between us. One million words that will one day be edited and added to our book.
I hope soon that Anna will finally be here and we can finish our book. I can't say it will be easy but I think we have a story that is unique and will generate a high demand for our future book. In fact I have spoken to numerous people who think this could become a good topic for a movie. And to be honest I have had two different people that don't even know each other confront me to tell me Brad Pitt should play my part in the movie.
While it is nice to dream of a future that comes with a best selling love story and a movie, it is of little importance to me. My only desire is to finally bring Anna and her children to be here to be with me. That is my goal and that is the only thing I desire and that is all Anna wants as well. Everything beyond that would be icing on the cake as they say.
I only hope that our correspondence will not reach two million words or 5,000 pages before she can come. But unfortunately we are still in the process of waiting. We are halfway from the average time it takes to get our petition approved. We have waited 2 1/2 months of the 5 month average waiting period. I hope it happens sooner but it is completely beyond our control.
I can promise one thing, once Anna and I find out the good news, you all will be the first to know.

Current Status, "Initial Review"

It has been more than 2 months since the USCIS received our petitition and we are still waiting on a decision. I would be pleased to even get a request for evidence from them. But we are on hold.
It is unfortunate that every time I log in to our account to check on the status of our petition. It still shows the status "Initial Review". According to the website, it indicates "During this step, USCIS initiates the background checks of the applicant/petitioner and identifies issues that may need to be addressed either during an interview or by asking the applicant/petitioner to submit additional information or documentation. USCIS reviews the applicant's/petitioner's criminal history, determines if there are national security concerns that need to be addressed, and reviews the application/petition for fraud indicators."
It seems that I have a background that requires more than 2 months to check.
So I decided to check on the statistics that exist on the approval of our I129f petition. It seems the average processing time is 5 months in the nation. Fortunately our petition is being processed by the California office. It averages 5 months while the other offices average 6 or 7 months to process.
After further review, I discovered that the California office received over 27,000 requests for an alien fiance in October. But they made a decision on 4,000 of them in the same month. So it seems they have many people that are requesting the same thing as Anna and I.
Now, as in the past 2 months we still wait. In the mean time, Anna is trying to sell any property she owns in Russia as well as any other assets that she cannot bring with her.
But I must admit, every day is an eternity as we wait for this process to end.