Wondering if theres any Aussies here who can offer some advice about the visa process for our homeland? And at the moment I am in Europe and will be here for atleast this year, if that makes any difference!
Australia is the harderst place on the planet to get a ukrainian/russian woman into... the Moscow embassy will do anything to knock you back.. In summary you will need to go at least 2 times to meet your lady and spend lots of time...
If i was you also meet a girl in other european countries
Matt..really think twice about bringing an FSU WOMAN TO AUSTRALIA.
GENERAL REQUIREMNTS:
1. Must have known her at least 6 months before a personal visit and prove it.
2. Must go on 2 personal visits to her country and spend 3 months there at least.
3. Must have an income of $33,000 per annum for last 2 years verifieable with ATO records and must not have collected any Centrelink benefits during that time and have held the same job to prove income and employment stability. If you are self employed..its too hard..like trying to get a loan from a bank..they don't want to know you!
4. Must have never sponsored or married a previous foreign fiance.
5. Must have no kids from previous marriages under 18 years.
6.Be divorced if previously married before applying for a Fiance Visa.
7. SHE CAN NEVER VISIT AUSTRALIA ON A TOURIST VISA..THEY DO NOT ISSUE SUCH VISAS TO RUSSIAN/FSU WOMEN AT ALL
8. Its going to cost you 20 to 30 grand to do it and take about 2 years at least..12 months processing time for a fiance visa is common and the fees are $1500 including medicals, non refundable if it is rejected and an appeal will cost thosuands and take 6 months at least and you will need a good immigration lawyer to do the whole lot.
9. She must be 100% healthy and have 100% clean criminal record.
10. You will never get an FSU women with a kid into Australia..requires legal permission and documentation through the Russian courts..an expesnive and time consuming process and if the biological father does not consent the child leaving Russia then you are stuffed, mate!
I DON'T PERSONALLY RECOMMEND IT.
I DID THIS FIANCE VISA THING 16 YEARS AGO FOR A GIRL FROM FIJI AND IT WAS BLOODY HARD THEN..NOW IT IS 10 TIMES HARDER AND RUSSIAN/FSU WOMAN ARE RED FLAGGED AS POTENTIAL IMMIGRATION SCAMMERS/ECONOMIC REFUGEES AND THEY ARE SCRUTINISED AND GIVEN A HARD TIME.
FIND A LOCAL GIRL, MATT AND FORGET ABOUT THIS!
Its not written on the DIMA site..its an internal policy of our Moscow Embassy, which is the only post that processes fiance visa applications for the whole of the FSU.
Australian Embassies run autonomous from Australia in there decision making on visas..its up to the immigration officer in Moscow to make the decision on the visa and Russian/FSU women are given a hard time..I have talked to people who went throught the Moscow embassy for an Australian fiance visa for there Russian girl and the the embassy expects for you to have made 2 personal visits to her to convince them the relationship is genuine.
I have run across these problems myself..with my first foreign wife, DIMA in Australia told me I could not marry her in her country and when I went on the personal visit and applied for a Fiance Visa, they nearly did not give it to me because I did not marry her in her country first and I had to do a lot of convincing and explain that DIMA in Australia told me not to marry her first.
Whats written on the DIMA website are general immigration requirements..they don't make public the internal policies/decision making protocol run by our foreign embassies as they are run automonously and it depends on the country and the attitude of the immigration officers who make the local decisions on all visas...a friend in DIMA told me that.
A single airfare to say Kiev will cost from $2500 aud return up to $4000 from the east coast of Australia, Vanechka depending on the season..European summer is most expensive.
You pay for everything in Russia/FSU in US dollars..at an average exchange rate of 75 Australian cents per US dollar, it automatically makes everything about 30% dearer in aud and say an average cheap $80 usd a night Hotel room in Russia will balloon out to over $100 Australian dollars, factoring in the exchange rate.
When you add the airfares, hotel costs and expenses together, a single trip to the FSU for a month will easily cost $10000 aud.
Visit the Ukraine embassy website in Australia..you can get a standard tourist visa with a stay up to 90 days for Ukraine for an Australian as well as single/multiple entry visas.
I thoroughly looked into this Vanechka when I was corresponding with Elena of Kiev until I dropped that due to the fact I found her to be a lair and nothing more than an actress!
On income requirements, if you have kids under 18 from a a previous marriage, you will be paying child support from 17% to 36% of your income and DIMA will check all your records and know this when you apply as sponsor for a fiance visa and if you have only the minimal income of $33,000 p.a before tax, the immigration officer will decide you have too many child support liabilites to support a Russian wife..and the visa will get knocked on the head ( refused )..they do closely look at your income and work history and ability to support her before approving a visa...Moscow embassy will look for the smallest reson to deny it so you must have a high income and with no child support liabilites as they don't like it,if you got kids from another marriage under 18 years.
If you sponsored and married one foreign fiance, you only have one chance left for sponsorship/ marriage on a Fiance visa and the applications must be at least 5 years apart or 2 chances, 5 years apart if not previously married to a foreigner.
The minimum standard of service ( processing time ) for an Australian Fiance Visa in Moscow Embassy is 6 months and thats if all the paperwork is ok..6 months is a best case scenario..waits of up to 12 months are common or if the Fiance Visa quota of around 5,000 per year permitted is used up in any one year when you apply, the application gets pooled into the next years immigration intake so there will be delays. ( the Fiance Visa is 'a capped visa class"..only a certain number are allocated in the annual migration intake per year. )
Martin you are a bloody idiot!
Aussieman ... ok you have amended some of your info. Good info. Question for you. You originally mentioned that you have to spend 3 months over 2 trips to convince a fiance visa. Since you say you got inside info on this could you say do 2 trips for 2 weeks each?
Something doesnt make sense to me with dima... Its virtually impossible for an Aussie to get 3 months visas in ukraine based on an "invitation".... would a couple of trips totalling 1 month do it???
You got to go visit her in person, spend time with her and prove the relationship is genuine and you have intention to marry her in the US WHEN YOU APPLY FOR A K1 VISA (Fiance Visa)..its the only way..SHE WILL NEVER GET A VISITORS VISA TO THE STATES BUT IS WELCOME TO APPLY FOR IT AND LOOSE HER MONEY ($100USD).
The US K1 VISA IS ONLY VALID FOR 3 MONTHS,ONCE YOUR RUSSIAN LADY LANDS INTO A US PORT AND YOU MUST MARRY HER AND APPLY TO 'ADJUST HER LEGAL STATUS" IN THAT TIME OR SHE WILL HAVE TO LEAVE OR BE DEPORTED.
I received a refusal of the Australian fiancee visa 4 years ago in Moscow. The most terrible is the interview - it is like in Gestapo!
But finally I am here, in Australia (after the apeal, of course), already 3 years.
Say your fiancee not to tell to the immigration officer during the interview (in Australian Embassy for fiancee visa) about her previous relations with the men (ex-boy-friends), because it will be used against her and she will get a refusal. She has to be looking at the interview like she is virgin. It is my opinion after the interview. Though I also had a reson for refusal like this: " She (me) lives in the region of Russia where the life is difficult, that's way she probably wants to migrate on the financical reasons, but not really to marry". I lived at the time in Moscow, have high education, was working in Moscow and renting a unit. But in originally I am from Ekaterinburg. What is the terrible region with the difficult for the Immigration officer I did not understand - Moscow or Ekaterinburg?
I noticed the Australia is quite sly country... Sorry, those are Australian at the forum, but the conclusion has been made from attentie observation for 3 years that I live here....