Is Marrying A Russian Woman A Legislative Nightmare?

Many people are afraid that soon after your Russian wedding, you will be inundated with administrative work, and Visa hassles. Although there is some paperwork to file and deal with, it is relatively easy compared to what people think it will be like.

Years after your Russian wedding, you will only remember the day and the excitement of getting married rather than all the hassles you will deal with after. The hardest part of marrying a Russian woman is the questions that you will get from your friends about whether the woman is using you to get her citizenship in your country. They may assume she just wants to leave Russia and will do anything to get out. Only you will know the truth.

There is no question as to why you have married a Russian woman. It could be that you saw her for the first time on vacation or maybe even on a dating website, but either way, you have fallen in love with her and want to marry her. Being in love strongly outweighs any problems you have with the paperwork you have to file after the wedding.

First you should understand what the "Finance Visa" is, also called the K-1. This document allows your sweetheart to stay in the United States for a limited time period, during which the marriage should occur. Usually it is for 3 months, which is enough time for you to get to know here, and make the big step.

This paper is a non-immigrant Visa, and will allow your fiancee to stay with you, but as soon as you legalize your relationship, then you will be required to prove that you live together and are a functional family. In order for you to have the initial K-1 Visa, you, as the future husband, is expected to submit a Petition for Alien Fiancee, from I-129F.

This form is used to petition to bring your fiancee, and any children she may have, to the United States for marriage. For the children, you need to fill out petitions for forms K-3 for your future spouse and K-4 for the children she has. If you have these Visas, then they can enter the United States and complete the processing involved for permanent resident status. Do not be afraid that your new family will not be able to integrate fully into American society, because anyone holding K-3 and K-4 Visas can accept employment in the United States by obtaining an Employment Authorization Document.

It may sound very complicated, but it is actually simple. All you have to do is to follow the guidelines for filling out every document, and there are agencies that can help you out with this if you need them to. There are special attorneys that will look after your Visa processing and will update you regularly on the outcome. Of course they do cost money, but it will save you time when dealing with all the paperwork. In addition, many of them have websites in which you can see updates and the progress that you are making with the Visas.

You should enjoy your marriage, and let others deal with the formalities.