(As opposed to “Immigration and Naturalization”…)This story has something to do with politics, but it has more to do with “human interest” stuff. I came across it at The Moscow Times and thought that it was definitely worth publicizing somehow.
As you can read, writer Paul Keegan and his Russian bride, Tatyana Rybushkin, plan to be married in New York City on June 17th. You would think that it would not be a big deal for her elderly Russian parents to obtain a visa so they could come over and attend the ceremony.
You would think that, but...
I didn’t check with the U.S. Embassy, but the site states that a B-2 tourist visa could be obtained for about $68 USD (presumably with any needed approvals already obtained, of course). I have to admit, though, that I don’t know a lot about this subject, and apparently the bride’s parents are having a problem meeting whatever eligibility requirement it is that must be met to visit our country.
And isn’t this a case of “the shoe being on the other foot”? Wasn’t it typical for other nationals to have a difficult time entering Russia in years past but a much easier time visiting or obtaining temporary residence in this country (oh, sorry…that darn “pre-9/11” mindset again).
I’m sure we all wish Paul and Tatyana the best and hope her parents are there to “give her away” in a few weeks.
By the way; in case you’d forgotten, I should point out that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration service (technically, that is the correct department name) is now listed as “a bureau in the Department of Homeland Security,” meaning that it ultimately falls under the direction of Mike (“City of Louisiana”) Chertoff (ugh…not a good sign, unfortunately).
No comments:
Post a Comment