To most people a relationship is a relationship. You find someone you like and then you start building on something that could lead to marriage or a committed relationship. Well that is not the case if you are an American and trying to build a relationship with a Russian Woman.

First Tip – Dress: If your lady was born in a Russia or a former Soviet State, then I can guarantee you that they will have very unique needs and ideas of life. Particularly in how they go about dressing and taking care of themselves. They invest in their looks and dress. You may find that your lady will often change many times throughout the day to suit the environment she is in. Don’t let this bother you. It is actually a benefit for the man. His lady will always look her best.

Second Tip – Money: Your lady will ask you for many things that are needed and some that are not needed. It is the culture. The man is the provider and the woman is the protector of the family. For an American man this might seem shocking that your lady needs so much. And you might wince at the empty feeling of your wallet. The best way to handle this situation is to communicate with your lady to ensure she really needs the items she is asking for. What you never want to do is be rude to her or just plan out say NO. She is being respectful to you by asking, be respectful to her to and ask why she needs these items. If you can’t afford it, then explain it to her. If she really loves you, she will understand.

Third Tip – treat your lady as a lady should be treated: There is a cultural thing about Russian women that I found odd when I first met my wife. She would never respond to any of my comments or gifts. She would smile and be excited, but never really respond as most American girls do. We talked about this and I learned that it is the culture not to respond to those comments. I can tell you that the lady does enjoy the comments and gifts, but she will never respond in a way that will let you know.

Fourth Tip – Flowers and Gifts: Your lady will never ask you to give her gifts or flowers. Yet it is expected and does not look good if you do not do this. Flowers are expected for almost every Russian Holiday. And to make things a bit more complicated, flowers must be presented in odd numbers. For example if you send a dozen roses to your lady ensure the count is 11 of 13. You only send an even number flower count to a funeral.

Fifth Tip – Finally getting to the USA: No matter how much your lady loves you, if you bring her to the USA from another country she will be depressed. This depression may last up to a year. Russian women tend to have a strong bond with the culture of their country and with the life style. I can assure you that the life style here in the USA is nothing like Russia or the former Soviet States. Don’t get upset with her, just try to be there for her and comfort her.

Keep your cool and understand that your lady will be adjusting to you and your country. The worst thing you can do is overreact and the best thing you can do is just comfort her as best you can. It takes awhile, but things do and will calm down.

Art Saborio is a specialist in both the “K1 Fiance Visa” and “Permanent US Immigrant Resident Adjustment of Status Process” for the new non immigrant spouse. He has written many exclusive articles on these subjects, as well as, products.harticles on the relationship differences between an American Man and a Russian Woman. His articles and information has helped countless couples find happiness together here in the USA. Please join us at K1 Visa Experts for more important information on the process of bringing your fiance to the USA. For more free articles on Russian American relationships visit http://www.russianwife.straightanswers.net

The video below is Lugansk, Ukraine. This is where my wife lived in the Ukraine.

One thing that we knew we needed was a guide that spoke English. We did not speak Russian or Ukrainian. It would have been impossible for us to communicate with anyone but ourselves. I heard that it was easy to find a guide through the Internet. I did a search and found many Ukrainian guides, both men and women, eager to show us around the country. I contacted a few of these guides and was either not impressed with their understanding of English or not comfortable with how they wanted to show us around the country. After visiting a few websites, I came across a profile of a guide that was flexible and understood what we wanted to do in Kiev. She was more than happy to take us around.

She was more of what I was looking for in a guide and was very flexible with dates and agenda. We sent emails back n forth a number of times to get more information from each other. As we conversed through email and phone calls I started to realize that she was more than just a guide. I was starting to find that I had a lot in common with her. Our conversations would often times turn to family, love and life in general. She had a unique view of life and family that I found intriguing.

As the trip drew closer, my friend decided he did not want to go. It made me a little nervous to be traveling to a former soviet republic alone, but I had already made the commitment to experience something new and exciting that year. There was no turning back for me. I was also very interested in meeting my guide who started to become more of a friend and possibly more.

Finally the day came where I needed to make my final arrangements. I left on the very early 6 am morning flight from San Diego to Atlanta. From Atlanta I was going to take an Air France plane to France and then finally a Ukrainian Airlines plane to Kiev, Ukraine. I chose the less expensive way to fly which turned out to be the longest route to take. Even though the route was the longest it seemed much shorter than I expected. It must have been the excitement of it all that made it seem so short. I had a very short layover in Atlanta.

The Air France flight was very nice. I flew economy and it was equivalent to flying first class in the USA. So I did have a nice time on that flight. The food was great and the service outstanding. Once again I think it was the excitement of flying to somewhere that I have never been because the flight did not feel as long as I thought. Before I knew it I was in Paris, France. The airport in France was very confusing. There was major construction going on to accommodate more planes. Signs were not where they were supposed to be and in the end I needed to ask for assistance to find my way to my next flight. In France I had a three hour layover. And to make things worse, there was nowhere to sit down. I had to stand up or sit on the ground. All the seats were in the boarding area and you were only allowed in this area if your flight was ready to pre-board. So it was not a comfortable experience for me.

For some reason it was also difficult to find out where and when your flight was going to board. The display boards were only showing flights for the particular terminal you were in and not for all flights. It was impossible to understand their logic. I had to continue to ask about the status of my flight over and over again to ensure I was not missing it. Finally about 20 minutes to the time that my plane was going to leave, I was told that I was in the wrong terminal. There are terminal buses that run from one terminal to the other. So I had to rush and hope that I would not miss the flight. I arrived at my boarding gate and was one of the last ones to board.

The Ukrainian Airline flight from Paris to Kiev was comfortable, yet service was none existent. By the time I had gotten onto this plane I was very tired and fell asleep. As a rule, never fall asleep on a Ukrainian Airline. If you miss something, like food, drink or immigration documents, you will never have a chance to get them again. Try to ask and you get a rude remark or ignored; stay awake.

It was a quick 2 hour flight to Kiev. Surprisingly the flight was smooth and the landing was just as good. Since only the larger airline companies are allowed to pull up to the tarmac, our plane parked away from the terminals. A nice, large bus came up and picked up all the passengers. It was a very short ride to the Boryspil International Terminal B. There you are immediately greeted by passport control. Now if you arrive at peak time, then prepare for a two to three hour wait before you reach any passport control desk. I was lucky and flew in late. I missed the peak time. No one was standing in line but me. My wait time was minimal.

As soon as I passed through passport control, I was easily able to find my luggage. There is a little small area to collect your luggage and it is impossible to miss. Now with my bag in hand, I made it up and out into the main heart of the airport. I exited the double doors and I immediately saw her. She was even more beautiful in person than her pictures. We gave each other a very light hug.

I found a currency booth and exchanged some money. We quickly  found a taxi and were off to the hotel. I was staying at the Hotel Ukraine, which I do not recommend. Terrible hotel to stay at and rooms are very old soviet style. Save yourself the headache and rent an apartment.

I had a room for myself and a room for my guide/friend. After getting settled, we walked around town and then it was time to retire for the night. I tried to give her a hug good night, but she was not comfortable with hug, She even backed away not allowing me to get too close to her.

The next day she was at my hotel room door at 9 am to accompany me to breakfast. The morning meal still had that old soviet era feel. Everyone sits around one large table. There are no private tables like in the USA. Everyone was silent at the table and I felt strange talking. I did not want to disturb anyone, so I remained silent.

From there we started our tour of Kiev. The tour lasted many days. There was so much interesting history to see. Each day I would try to hold her hand or get closer to her and she would refuse me. I continued to learn more about her and her culture. After a week in Kiev, she returned to her home city and I followed. I spent another week there with her and then prepared to return to the USA.

We parted with a hug. I left Ukraine with a better understanding of the people and culture, yet a romantic connection I did not make. From my point of view, it was clear to me that she was not interested in a relationship. I thought she may have only wanted a friendship and nothing more. But as time went on our friendship turned into something more.

It was not until the second meeting where we became closer and ventured into serious talk of relationships, marriage, a life together and starting the K1 Visa Process.

In The End…

It took three more years before we were finally together. Now for those that only want to meet a Russian or Ukrainian girl and then get married, three years might sound like a long time. For us three years was just enough time to really get to know each other. I am glad I took the time, because I do not believe our marriage would have been as strong without this detailed understanding of each other. I think it really helped develop a strong bond and helped us in the long run. The K1 Visa process can be trying on a relationship. It does not lend itself to romance. Having a strong bond will get you through this together.

For all intent and purposes, this sounds like a great idea. Your potential spouse will be able to see the USA before they make a permanent relocation. You as the sponsor will have a good idea what it might be like to live with this person; especially if that person gets a 6 month visa to the USA. You will have a very nice three to four month living arrangement before he or she will have to leave the country. Another plus would be your potential spouse being able to meet your family and friends.

Now let us take a look at how the USCIS sees the application for a tourist visa… The USCIS has their own ideas of what a tourist visa might mean to your potential spouse. It means that your fiance might marry you and not return to their country. Or they could just disappear all together and violate the expiration of their B2 visa.

How do you get around the USCIS concerns? These methods that I am going to explain, does not work all the time. It is a bit of a “hit or miss method” and depends heavily on how well you document the effort. Keep in mind all the methods below require documentation that is convincing enough for the USCIS to feel comfortable in giving your fiance a visa.

If your fiance is from a country where the USA has an immigration agreement wavier program, most of the time a visa is not needed to enter the USA. All your fiance will need is a valid international passport. Google the country of your potential spouse and see if they have a visa waiver agreement with the USA.

If your potential spouse does not fall under the wavier agreement, here are a few things you can do to help increase your chances of your fiance getting a B2 tourist visa.

The First thing your fiance needs is $50,000 in a local bank. The Immigration service see this as a good reason for a person to return to their own country. They know the laws of the country and understand that a bank would not allow all that money to be withdrawn at one time. If your potential spouse does not have $50,000 in a local bank, then it is not wise to put your own money into a local bank for them until you check the local laws. Most countries have a limit on whom and on how much money can be taken out of the country at one time. If you ever wanted to take your money back, it may not be possible. For example, a Ukrainian bank will only allow a non citizen to take $10,000 out of the country. The rest cannot be touched and must remain in the bank or used for purchases within the country.

Secondly your potential spouse should be a homeowner. Even if they just own a condo or an apartment, it looks a lot better if they own property. Being a property owner is a good reason for a person to return to their own country. Most will not just walk away from a home they own for a life in another country.

The third way is for your potential spouse to have a child. If they were to leave that child behind with a grandparent or other family member, there is a good chance of that person returning to their own country.

The fourth and final way depends if your potential spouse is an avid traveler. If your potential spouse has traveled all over Europe and into a number of other western countries, then it is a very good chance that they will be allowed to travel to the USA. They have shown a good track record of traveling with the intent of returning to their own country.

These are the best ways to try and secure a B2 tourist visa. Even if you have all the pieces in place, all the T’s crossed and the I’s dotted, there is always a chance of being denied. Yet not having any of these things as described above will almost always guarantee a denial. Make sure your fiance has at least one of the four specified above.