I/O,
I was merely making the point, with a little jrst, of the hazards of doing things too quickly. I made this very mistake some 5.5 years ago and I will always warn others not to try the same ..... not that they listen :)
Let us hope that you are smart enough ("clever" as the desired trait is most often translated to in profile descriptions) to do your own fiance visa application without the aid of an attorney at $2,000+ Its not that difficult to do the whole works by yourself.
Martin_UK: Yeah...point taken and understood. They often don't listen, but I have a funny feeling this guy might just get closer to the mark than many. I raised a rukas on another forum some time ago when I entitled a thread "Dumb Trip Wonders" dedicated to the dimantling of those who take a week, meet a hottie and file a visa app. Gaaaaaaaaawd you should have seen the poor sad sacks line up for a hammering. LOL Was like shooting fish and a tube. What a hoot.:-) Half of them are probably lined up in a Thai hospital for there shot of penicillin now. :-)
Jetmba: Yes it is, but better he is prepared for then worst and then targets the best.
Adman: Yes it does something different every five minutes. Bit like the plans some of these guys who start this caper.:-)
Actually misspelled words serve a function on this forum. If you can remember how and that you misspelled them. Becomes much easier to look up a past reference in the archive section.
Recently someone quoted me and I knew darn well that the words had been taken out of context but it would have taken forever to find the exact thread. In the quoted cut and pasted section I had mistyped "Rusiian". A quick search of that misspelled word brought the required thread right up.
THATS why my spelling is so attrocious. And you guys probably thought I did it accidently.
I/O - if anyone spends a little time on the visajourney.com website they will find that immigration attorneys are constantly messing up the paperwork themselves or that it sits on a desk in some office comepletely missing some remote embassy's deadline. A good many people who hired attorneys mention there that they regret that they ever did.
An attorney's desk is just another remote and unrequired stop for you paperwork to make in a long and already drawn out process. The more places your paperwork has to go - the more opportunities for it to be lost or misfiled. The process is pretty straight forward to do on your own, not to mention a lot less epensive.
If, heaven forbid, you should need an attorney later - you can always get one.
Jetmba: Yes I agree. I probably didn't make my point well, I was pointing to him being prepared financially for the worst. I've just seen too many get so far and then not have the "Dough To Hoe The Row", then everyone gets hurt.
I/O Regarding having the appropriate amount of "dough", I find that one of the least anticipated expenses one enounters has nothing to do with bringing her over. It has to do with what to do with her once she's here.
I was fortunate that mine spoke excellent English. But many can't. So there would be required classes and complete dependence on you until she was able to communicate. That requires money as well as considerable time.
As a bachelor living in a very upscale but small apartment - a house was neccessary of course. I had not made the arrangements when she came over in July of 2005. I had expected to - and it wasn't a matter of not being able to afford it or anything - but an unexpected and devastating family tragedy had my mind on other things.
There was a matter of diet. Whle hediet thas used to did not include any particularly expensive ingredients - it was altogether different from what anyone else tends to eat. Borcht and blini are not exactly staples or even available in any local market here. She could barely cook and wasn't pleased with anything I knew how to cook. We ate out a lot. In fact at nearly every meal.
She loved shopping and would have prefered to go everyday (and just about did). Not being able to drive however, required ME to spend a lot of time at the mall. Certainly much more than the one to two visits I would prefer to make (if I can help it) anually.
I am not indepedently wealthy and eventually it probably would have been required that she work. She had no particular skills that were employable. And she was certainly not interested in doing anything menial.
Don't simply worry about FINDING her and bringing her over. You better make sure that you have the "dough to roll in the hole" once she's here.
Ohhhhhhhhh yeah. And then some. And then kids. And then dental. And then trips home. And then phone calls. And then time off work. And then and then and then and then. I've been belting the keyboard for a while now trying to take some of these wish seekers for a walk down reality street.
I've said too many times to count. The only way to save yourself a bit of money is time. Best spent before, not during. Just that one extra trip first can reveal something. No need to be the "Energiser Bunny" of tripping, but many is never too many IMHO.
Working and profession is something I have a few thoughts about, but probably better in another thread. Yes these ladies are real alright, but there is a real deal to go with this also.
Better read the fine print. You are financially responsible for them for 10 years and divorce does not relieve you of this responsibility. Unless she moves back to her home country.
Anyone who uses a $2000 attorney is crazy. It's an absolute waste of money. Just like some of BS spewed on this forum. It's not that difficult here in the states gentleman. Well, if you are honest.
I/O,
'Dumb Trip Wonders', I like that, it might have applied to me that time 5+ years ago but atleast I didn't set out on the trip with a 'dumb trip' in mind.
There's a guy from around this forum, we have chatted offline, and having met a lady he mentioned to his 'US' lawyer that he was going back to see her again. The lawyer spoke to him as if he were stupid questioning why he would want to see a lady twice when he only needs to see her once to file for a visa.
None of us ever did set out with Dumb ideas in mind. We knew it all.......Not. Seems things havn't changed much. They gotta learn the hard way.
I sorta went in sideways as it were, because I went to Russia for a very nother purpose first up. Fortunately I had gotten the heads up on the old days because a really good friend spent a good deal of time there 30 years ago and although many things had changed, much of the same still applied. Was a kinda new experience when I struck a "Honey with a brain" :-)
I wonder how many of the wish seekers will ever get to sleep on the open deck of a boat 40 miles north east of Irkutsk in the middle of Baikal after smoking fish with a few broken boards and the only thing to keep you warm is the half empty empty vodka bottle you share with a couple of Russian fisherman who speak about as much English as I did Russian. Now THATS Russia on the inside LOL. Geez I musta been/am mad.
You simply MUST get to know the place a bit to have some idea of what you are shooting for. I continue to be staggered by these scams and stick ups that everyone talks about. Honestly, I've simply never seen it. Maybe luck, or maybe I'm just too fugly for these guys to come near me.:-)
However, I guess if you stand on the street in your Nike's, Levis and striped Ralf Lauren Polo, you do sort of stand out as "Bash Me" bait a bit LOL.
harantis..... $4200!! What a rip!! Lets compare my other trip costs in the last 17 months.....
Ukraine... $4200... (11 days)
Peru.. $2600 (9 days), $2250.. (8 days)... used agency 1st time
Panama.... $2100 (8 days)
Philippines... $2750 (10 days)... $3300 (14 days)
My point concerning cost is that FSU is by far the most expensive place.
I have done my own K1, and have done 4 more for others. Never a problem any time, but it does take a little longer after 9-11. I just helped a friend send one out 3 weeks ago and he already got his case number in the mail. All the costs and paperwork are all old hat to me.
So now i return to the title of this thread, are these women real??? I still say no!! My point has always been that the FSU is the LAST place one shoud look for a wife. And on top of that, it really is not a good idea to bring one back with you no matter where she is from. I plan to move out to where ever i find my love and i have the experience in world travel to pull it off.
I/O... i just dont know what to say to you, because you say it all. Because i come up with well thought out arguments, you resort to personal attacks on myself and other peoples of the world. I could go tit for tat with you for weeks, but what else is there to show the newcomers to the website. You have refered to my girlfriends as hookers or fugly. How would you feel if i announced to the world that your wife was nothing but a worn out barwhore, you would be pissed and rightly so. How can you call yourself polite?? I am happy you found your second half. By your own admission, she would "spread my guts". This certainly is not how i would like my soulmate to be. You are angry at the world and by the way you put it, she probably is too. Anyone who wants an angry wife shoud consider the FSU, cuz they got plenty!! I will not stoop to anymore personal attacks, it accomplishes nothing except to cover up the fact that this whole FSU salespitch is not real.
My life does not revolve around anger, i do not seek an angry woman and i think that most men do not want this either. Add this to the list of reasons i have stated above and the only reasonable conclusion is that these women on this site ARE NOT REAL.
100% not real? maybe 50 or 70 or 80% not real I cant argue. But 100%? Not true dude. Ive met 8 girls from this site over the last 3 years and I can assure you they were ALL real, oh and by the way they were all polite too.
The lady I eventually DID spend a week with in Latvia, I met through fiance.com. Breaking all the rules, I made my first contact with her through an internet cafe in Riga, AFTER I had already arrived.
She was one of the most beautiful, sweet and wonderful women I have ever met in my life. But alas, she was a little too young - and I didn't realize it at the time but I was actually in love with the Moldovan lady who THOUGHT I had broken up with. (Brought the Moldovan over on the fiance visa less than a year later.)
But the Latvian lady I met on fiance.com was indeed VERY REAL!
At the end of the day, when someone is "Not Up to The Mark" it is all too common for them to try to dismiss something as worthless before they take time for some serious introspection. 'Sway it is.