So I have been in contact with my lady for almost a year now and preparing for my 2nd trip to visit her again this summer. Next year or so I would like to arrange for her to visit my country and to see how I live and what to expect if she comes to like and approve of my local surroundings. So basically getting her feet wet before she gets thrown in so to speak.
I am asking for advice on the best/safest/cheapest and overall right way to go about bringing a Ukraine citizen to United states for non permanent stay (maybe 2 weeks tops) basically instead of me taking a vacation to see her, she comes to visit me. It is by far much easier to plan and travel outside of the states then into. So what kind of problems should I be wary of and what are the steps I should take to make this as painless as possible for us both.
I think this is a great way and opportunity to give her a taste of my life style. I do not wish to expect her to be overly joyed by going through the whole process of becoming a permanent residence and then in the end be disappointing in what is her new life.
So is my request in the realm of possibility? and what would be the best/1st place for me to start this process?
I agree with your concept -- it is what I (and probably many other guys) would prefer to do, if I had a serious marriage prospect. It would be especially valuable, if she has never been to the US, because the reality is likely to be very different from what she pictures.
But therein lies the rub. If she HASN'T already seen the US, then the odds are against her getting a visitor visa. If the two of you don't mind spending the time, and I am sure some money as well, there is no harm in trying -- as far as I know, if the US denies a visitor visa for the usual reason (applicant is considered a risk for working/staying in the US illegally), this will not be prejudicial for an eventual fiance visa.
When you are from Ukraine (and many other low-income countries), the State Department assumes that you have bad intentions in coming to the states, and the applicant must convince them otherwise. Of course, there is much information available on visa websites.
My now wife was denied a "sponsored" visa (J-1), even though she had all the right documents, she had a job offer for the summer, and even though this is the easiest visa for a student to get (she was a student at the time).
She was denied with the excuse that she did not know enough English to work in the USA. A stupid excuse because I have seen many of those with a J-1 who do not speak a word in English.
Try it, but unless she has a lot of money and ties to Russia, she will be denied because she is single.
If I/we want to proceed with her visiting me in my home land, then she/we (when I visit) can make the trip ourselves to submit the tourist visa application?
She is turning 20 this month and will be completing her 2nd year at her university. Though I do not think it should matter but I am turning 25 next month. Back to the point of the matter though. She is a "student" so she would be best to submit for the (J-1) visa as FSULover pointed out?
She lives in Nikolaev and again that is where I plan to spend time with her next I visit, where is the closest location/place/address for us to go in order to start this process?
And any idea the starting cost? and perhaps total cost?
Oh and if it matters. She has a "2" on a English level 1-5 but... I would say its more like a "0" so if that has any means of hampering this situation. Though after our first meeting she said she is very interested in learning English now but cannot at that point as she has already classes she has been scheduled to take. Now I do not know if she is being 100% serious or just saying that to be nice and make me feel good.
(having an interrupter is nice and works to get the conversation across).. but its the feel of understanding one another through our own voices that gets lost and mumbled, so it becomes increasingly hard to by sound alone feel like she is being truly genuine.
Well thanks again for the help.
Look forward to hearing more information on what I can do and how to do it.
J-1 can only be applied for through special organizations that have agreements with the US government (her University should have the information) and only after she has a confirmed job offer for the summer.
She needds to ask friends who already did it. That is the best way to get the right information.