2/ Traditional Russian values and culture is very much based around the family unit. It’s for this very reason that western men are far more likely to find an adoring wife who seeks marriage and commitment rather than a casual arrangement. The primary reason and goal for Russian women to engage the services of such agencies is with marriage in mind. Generic online dating sites are very much geared for casual hook ups, and so for men who also seek something more long-term, such as a beautiful wife, Russian women would seem like the ideal solution.   

 
3/ Now that the Internet has become an international tool of communication, regardless of race or culture, accessing Russian matchmaking services is simple. Out-dated terminology such as “dial a bride” or “mail order brides” are a thing of the past in terms of the process for western men to become involved. Seldom does a matchmaking agency mail out catalogues of Russian women. Today, contact is established much faster than ever before, exclusively online. 

 
4/ Employing the services of a Russian matchmaking agency provides potential husbands with speed and convenience. Any reputable agency provides convenient payment options such as Pay Pal and credit cards thus enabling their members to initiate contact with stunning Russian beauties instantly. Customer support is very much geared for the English language, and translation services are also part of the service should language barriers present issues.  

 
5/ Unlike the old times, the women who use Russian matchmaking services are pre-screened, meaning for every scam you may hear about, there are thousands more successful outcomes by comparison. The vast majority of Russian women who have registered with such agencies are not simply looking for a visa, what they are looking for is a better life and a good man to share it with. Contrary to public perception, the vast majority of Russian women are not looking for a husband to support them financially, not at all, these women are generally well educated and have careers or qualifications.

6/ In America, the largest market for western men and Russian matchmaking services, visas will not be issued until couples have met face-to-face and can provide documentation pertaining to their relationship. As a means to comply with U.S immigration requirements, Russian matchmaking agencies facilitate visits to meet their clients in person.

7/ The concept of Russian matchmaking agencies or online dating sites still hold, and probably always will hold a level of scepticism. Even so, statistics continue to show that the levels of men engaging such services continues to escalate. Although not entirely accepted by society as a legitimate way to find your soul mate, the end goal of any respected matchmaking agency is for their customers to find love, and the means by which this is achieved should be irrelevant.

About the author: Matt Fuller is a matchmaking and dating sites consultant and is a contributing author for Russian-Women-Info.com

Thousands of single men in developed countries are turning to marriage agencies in the hope of finding a mate.  These agencies act as a go-between, cashing in on a very lucrative industry by introducing men and women from various countries for dating or marriage purposes.

Known by several names like international marriage agencies or international introductory agencies, international marriage broker (IMB), or the somewhat derogatory mail-order bridge agencies, these organizations make money by selling the contact details of the women to their male members. 

If you’re considering engaging the services of a marriage agency to help you find a potential lifetime partner from, let’s say Russia, Thailand or the Philippines, there are some things to take into account to ensure that you don’t get ripped off by bogus marriage brokers. Only a select few marriage agencies are backed up with credible customer reviews based on real life experiences, so make certain you research which services are legit, and which one’s are not.

The most common way with which some marriage agencies or brokers scam their male clients is by selling fake profiles of women to them, using photos or images of women  culled from the Internet. Another ploy is to pose as companies looking for female models and have photos of these women fill their online catalogues which they then sell to the male members.

There are also risks on the part of the women.  In 2010, Vietnamese authorities became alarmed at the growing number of Vietnamese women being sent to foreign countries as mail-order brides after a woman was murdered by her mentally unstable South Korean husband a week after she arrived in his country.

Vietnam remains one of the most popular sources of wife material in Asia. It is estimated that 90 percent of Vietnamese and South Korean weddings were brokered by illegal marriage agencies and that so far, about 40,000 women have been sent to South Korea as mail-order brides.

In 2006, the U.S. Congress enacted into law the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (H.R. 3 402). This law requires the male clients of marriage agencies to fill out a criminal and marital background questionnaire prior to obtaining the contact details of the female members. The agency then checks the men’s information against the database of the National Sex Offenders Public Registry.

Marriage agencies are required to translate the questionnaire into the woman’s native language and provide her with a copy. The woman must express permission that she would like to communicate with the male member before any contact could commence.

The following are some red flags to watch out for when dealing with a marriage agency:

1. The agency is using a P.O Box number instead of a verifiable mailing address.
2. The agency is using a premium rate telephone number.
3. The agency does not allow you to visit its office.
Even still, marriage agencies remain as one of the most common matchmaking platforms known today. When dealing with any matchmaking or online dating service, you should ditch your rose colored glasses and do not make any decision until you have applied due diligence and have verified the history and background of any matchmaking service.   

Matt Fuller is a contributing author and writes about a variety of topics relating to online dating sites and relationships.

Especially when communicating long distance with your Russian woman, it’s very important to discover if there is a possible compatibility between the two of you. Below I have some simple but important tips for you to keep in mind:

• Most online or long distance dating problems occur because either the two of you are not compatible or you are not communicating enough. Other problems may be because the two of you just are not right for each other.
• Communication is the most important thing when you are dating. Most problems occur because the two of you are having difficulty expressing your feelings or you aren’t being clear about what you want.
• When you both communicate with each other properly it is clear to both of you if you are compatible and have the same likes and dislikes.
• You cannot force a relationship if the two of you are too different or you have different goals for the relationship.
• It is important to communicate about what you need and want from your relationship so you both are satisfied and you are not having disagreements about things.
• Another thing that can cause problems with online dating is if the two of you are not compatible. Communicating properly will tell you if you are or not.
• Compatibility can be difficult if one person in the relationship is needier than the other person. If one of the people wants their space and the other is very needy then it can make it difficult for dating.
• Online dating problems occur when communication skills are not up to par. You have to be comfortable with the person you are with so you can talk to them.
• Being comfortable and being able to communicate will show you how compatible the two of you are. If you don’t have these two things then you might just consider a good friendship.

Irina

By Elena Solomon, Soulmades.com.au

These days you seldom meet a single person who never tried online dating – unless they aren’t Internet users.

Since you are reading this, I assume you ARE online – so this information can be crucial for your online dating success.

Most people placing personal ads on Internet dating sites seem to do everything to RUIN any of their chances for success. Are you one of them?

Here is how to ruin your online dating campaign:

1. Choose a sleazy user name

Dating sites usually display your user name in your personal profile. So, if you choose something like “hurdcoreXXX” or “badgirl_69″, you are sure to mess up your chances dramatically.

2. Write a timid message

Every day I see people writing in their messages things like, “I hate this part but here it goes”, “I never know what to write here” or simply “Ask me”. Your personal message is the only thing in your profile that is UN-structured – the rest are usually just tick boxes. Make sure you don’t say anything interesting here, so no one will feel compelled to learn more about you.

3. Don’t have any partner requirements

Your requirements for a partner say VOLUMES about YOU. If you do not have any requirements for a partner, you will sound absolutely desperate. No one is attracted to desperate people.

4. Don’t upload a photo

Most users of dating sites search for profiles with photos. If you do not upload your photo, no one will find your ad. It will also severely damage the chances of your “Hi’s”, “Virtual Kisses” or “Smiles” being answered.

5. Don’t pay for premium membership

Usually online dating sites will allow you to place your personal ad for free, but to write to other singles, you have to buy a subscription. Although the price of subscription is cheaper than the price of a movie ticket and popcorn, you should not be tempted. By sticking with the free membership, you ensure you cannot contact anyone. Also some sites place ads of premium members on top of the search results. If you do not pay, your ad will appear on the page 247 of the search results – which will make it nearly impossible to find.

6. Don’t contact other members

Most online dating services will allow you to contact other members for free by sending a “Hi”, “Virtual Kiss”, “Icebreaker” or “Smile” – an expression of interest, to which the other member can respond. Don’t send any of those to anyone, or they may just answer positively. Think only about how bad would you feel if they rejected your advances.

7. Don’t change anything in your ad

Don’t attempt to change anything in your ad. If you change something, it may just start working. Keep with what doesn’t produce any results.

8. Don’t login to the website – ever

Once you placed your personal ad, immediately forget about it – and forget your user name and password, too. Don’t login to the website again. If you do, your ad may jump to the top of the search results and someone may write to you. Don’t take this risk. Just place the ad and forget about it.

If you follow this simple guidance, I can GUARANTEE that you will flawlessly ruin any chances for success with online dating sites and your love life will stay just the way it is!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elena Solomon has been involved in online dating since the early days of WWW. She is the exclusive dating consultant of Soulmades.com.au – Internet personals for singles seeking love, romance, relationships and fun.

Elena is the author of “12 Simple Rules for Success in Love, Life and Online Dating“.

But many of these rules are corresponding with each other. Therefore we have created a list with most asked questions which apply for almost every western country.

Can we apply for a fiancée visa if one or both of us is divorced?

Absolutely. Be prepared to submit certified copies of all divorce decrees pertaining to the prior marriages of either fiancé.

How long will it take to get my fiancée here?

The time it takes to obtain a fiancée visa, from application through entry, is likely to be several months (4 to 6). The time varies depending on the petitioner’s state of residence and what country the beneficiary is from. Also, criminal background checks, waivers, and errors/omissions during the application process may extend the processing time.

My foreign girlfriend has kids. Can they come too?

Unmarried sons and daughters (under 21) of successful approval beneficiaries can apply for visas too. However it is important that if your girlfriend is divorced she needs a legalized written and signed approval of the father of the children that he has no objection that his children will move to your country.

When Fiancée Visa interview will be arranged?

Visa applications for fiancées need to follow the usual procedure, thought the types of forms and some of the other requirements may differ. In this case, you and fiancée will need to present evidence of your relationship, such as photographs, airline tickets, and many others. After the consulate has reviewed your application, you will be notified for a schedule of interview. In this regard, you fiancée must attend, bringing original copies of documents specified. If dependents of the fiancée are 14 years old and above, they need to come to the interview as well.

Minimum requirements for a Fiancée visa

• You must be a citizen of your country
• You have met your Fiancée in person within the previous two years.
• You need prove that you have a serious relationship (like airline tickets, letters, emails, photo’s, bill’s, etc.)
• Both you and your Fiancée are legally free to marry.
• You need to have a place to live (renting a house or having your own house)
• You need to have a permanent job
• You meet certain minimum income requirement (check the immigration website of your country)
• Your Fiancée does not have a criminal record.
• Your Fiancée has not violated your country’s immigration laws

Do I have to send in my original birth certificate, passport, or naturalization certificate?

Copies of these documents are sufficient. You can contact the county clerk where you were born or divorced, and get a certified copy of your birth certificate or divorce decree.

Can my fiancée visit me during the application?

No she can’t. She needs to stay in her country until she will receive an invitation for an interview. But you can visit her as often you want.

Fiancée Visa Interview Tips

Note that not all questions will be asked, and in every case, the length of the interview varies. The best thing to do during the interview is to answer questions honestly and stay calm because if you will be offensive the consulate officer may ban your application. When all things go well, you and your dependents may receive the Visa within the same day. This is assuming that you have paid the necessary Visa fees as well as submitted all needed forms and documents.

What will they ask?

She will be asked when and how you two met, how long have you known each other, if your Fiancée speaks your language or at least English (in order to have a solid proof that you two could communicate somehow), if you and her have any interests in common; where she is going to reside in your country.; about how many people live with you (petitioner) at the moment. They also might ask your Fiancée about your biographical facts, your religion, your job, etc.

Other questions can be like:

• Will your US citizen fiancé be coming to visit you soon?
• Do you know your boyfriend’s family? How many siblings does he have?
• Have you made your wedding plans yet? If so, when are you getting married?
• Do you plan on working once you arrive in your fiancé’s country?
• Have you and your girlfriend travelled together? If so, to where? When?
• How did you two first meet? When? If you met online, what is the name of the website?
• Have members of your family met your fiancé?
• Where will you live when you move to your fiancé’s country?
• What does your fiancé do for a living?
• When was the last time you were both together?
• When and where did the engagement happen? Was there a ring?
• If you were “friends” first, when did the romance begin?

Age difference

As they say in Russia, “Lubvi vse vozrasti pokorni”, meaning that age does not matter for love. But remember, that the interviewing officer is not Russian born; therefore, if there is a big age difference (20 years and more), the officer will be questioning your relationship much harder. Make sure that your Fiancée gives direct and honest answers.

Language barrier

There are a lot of different ways to communicate with each other besides speaking directly in your language or Russian (a sign language, for instance). However, the interviewing officer’s first concern would be if your Fiancée speaks your language or if you speak her native language by checking your ability to communicate with each other. Of course, the ideal answer would be that your Fiancée speaks some of your language or at least taking some classes of your language (in some countries, like The Netherlands, the applicant needs to do a basic language test); or that you speak her language or at least making some efforts to do so.

Grounds for denial include but are not limited to: prior criminal history, terrorist affiliations, health problems such as tuberculosis or insanity.  The consultant will also be looking for signs of a potential “sham” marriage, or visa fraud.  The consulate takes visa fraud very seriously.

For our American friends:

If you need any assistance for a K1 Fiancée or K3 Spouse visa then I recommend you to use a package or all-in-one immigration service.

After a period of correspondence and you both confirm that there is a serious compatibility between each other, it’s time to suggest to meet each other.
But your first meeting needs proper preparation. Its’ not like meeting each other at a Starbucks shop. The only place I suggest to meet her is in her country. The reason is that you can get familiar with her roots and that she will feel more comfortable. But travelling for her (if she is from Russia and you from America, or UK) is almost impossible, due to visa difficulties.

Travelling to Russia or Ukraine is not a big deal for someone who lives in the Western part of the world. You need a passport, a visa, a hotel with visa support and an airline ticket, that’s it. And if you need some useful travel information for travelling within Russia, have a look here.

For information about visa, we have written a special topic about it: visit our Visa information topic.
If you look good then hotels in Moscow are not too expensive. Rates from about $70,- are not difficult to find. Visit this hotel resource which includes visa support (and airline tickets too).

Your first meeting should be at your hotel, or on the airport where she can pick you up. You can hire a car with driver (she can arrange that for you) which drives you to your hotel and your can start building your relationship.
If for one reason you want to outsource all these things, then I suggest to arrange your meeting by a certified agency who can do all the arrangements for you. You can give them your wish list and the only thing you have to do is travel to Russia and from the moment you arrive at the airport, everything (like transport, hotel, meeting arrangements, sight-seeing) will be arranged for you.

What do I have to take with me (presents)

It depends how big her (first-grade) family is, but here is my suggestion and what most men I know did:

• Bring flowers (Russian women love flowers!). No matter from how far you have to travel. You will find a way to keep them fresh during your travel time. Use a plastic bag with a wet piece of small towel and give it to the Cabin Attendant and ask her to give it a safe place during your flight. Or if you travel to two or more transfer airports, buy these flowers at the last transfer airport, every airport in Europe has a flower shop.
• Take something like a (not too strong) perfume or Eau-de-toilette as a welcome present.
• Also buy a piece of jewel (necklace is always good) for a romantic moment during a suitable stadium of your visit (if no romance will arise, you always can take it back home).
• And last but not least, take also some little presents for her parents, kids, brothers and sisters (if there are any). It is not necessary to buy something ‘expensive’ it is just the gesture that counts. Some chocolate, or a souvenir from your country, a nice T-shirt for her child(ren), younger brother, or sister. But do not exaggerate, don’t show yourself as the ‘rich guy’ from the West.

How do I act

Don’t boast about the things you have

Being ‘wealthy’ is not a main priority for Russian people. Having many friends, a cozy family and being healthy and happy is more important. So do not express yourself or compare things where ‘money’ is involved, people could get a wrong impression from you and you even could insult them. To have your own car, boat, TV or microwave is normal for the western culture, but for many Russians (especially the ones who live outside the main cities) an almost unreachable, luxury. So skip this part during your conversations with her family and friends, and try not to insult them by making jokes (with the best intents) of the general Russian life, when you visit Russia.

Respect her culture

Russia has beautiful art, history and beautiful (ancient) cities. Although they do not smile a lot (Russians only smile when there is a specific reason to do that), the people are real nice and kind to you. Especially those you will meet in person. Remember, your girlfriend will turn into an ‘important’ person when she introduces you to her friends and family. And the reaction of all people you meet will be like they are very happy for her. Always show your respect and integrity, to all the people you meet. After a few days you will discover the beautiful part if this country and her inhabitants and I am sure Russia will create an unforgettable impression for you too!

Open your heart to her country

When my husband travels to the little town where I used to live then he is exited to meet his Russian friends and family again. For me, Russia will always be my home-country. For my husband it became his second-home country and he loves it. He made many Russian  friends and I have more contact with my friends, then I had before I left Russia (Internet, Skype and Web-cams are magic-tools in this ‘small’ world). To be honest, I never ‘left’ Russia, I only moved to another place to ‘live’. Traveling from my current residence to Moscow is even shorter than traveling from Moscow to my original place of birth where many relatives still live. Even flying from New York to Moscow is almost as far (in travel time) as flying from Moscow to Irkutsk-Siberia (where I was

Your checklist before you go

• Passport (at least 3 month valid before due date)
• Hotel booking confirmation with invitation letter (needed for visa)
• a tourist visa
• Airline ticket
• Credit card (in almost every city in Russia there are ATM machines for cash draw with Master and Visa cards)
• Some cash (not too much!)
• Presents
• Flowers
• Photo camera
• Save every ‘evidence’ that you have visited Russia (see below)

Important information!

During your visit, you must collect any evidence that you have visited her and her country. Collect all tickets (airplane, train, subway), bill’s, (taxi, restaurants, hotel voucher, anything) and make copies of your photo’s you shoot during your stay. You will need all this when you both decide to start the K1-fiancee procedure. All US authorities connected to the k1-fiancee visa procedure, will ask for it. They need all evidence that you both have indeed a serious relationship with the purpose to marry each other. So do not throw away any evidence that you have visited her and that you have been with her.

If you have made plans to visit your Russian woman in Russia, then you need a visa to enter Russia.
In this case there are two kinds of visa you can use:

1. Using a tourist visa you need (to hand over the Russian Embassy in your country):
   1. A hotel booking.
      Confirmation documents from your hotel:
   2. The voucher of your hotel booking or reservation documents.
   3. An invitation of the hotel (the hotel need to be registered at the Ministry of Foreign affairs and they need to send you their reference number).
   4. Copy from your health care insurance (must be valid in Russia).
   5. A recent passport photo (black-white or color) preferable not on shining photo paper.
   6. Most of the times the Russian Embassy in your country wants to see an airline ticket
   7. A filled up and signed (including the photo) visa request form.
2. Using a private visa your need:
   1. Send a copy of your passport to your inviter (the Russian woman you want to visit).
   2. Your inviter needs to request a copy from her employer statement.
   3. Your inviter needs to make a copy of her passport
   4. Your inviter applies for a private invitation at the nearest OVIR ofice (*)
      It takes about one month to receive the invitation and costs about USD 15,-
   5. Your inviter sends the original invitation to you
   6. Then you go to the Russian Embassy of your country and apply for a private visa using items 4 to 7 of the items listed under (1), including the invitation (see for an example the photo).

(*) OVIR

This is a department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is situated in almost all cities of Russia. Large cities even have more offices. This department is accommodated at the police station of the city/village you Russian woman lives.

For more information about visa, please visit our Russian visa information section.

Example of a private invitation. Please let your inviter check all fields for correct data before sending it to you.

Article written by Irina Sbitneva, owner of Russian Women Info.com

Maybe this title sounds obvious for you, but I wish that all men would put this title above their computer screens

It is by sending money men breed dating scammers. If all men stopped sending money, dating scammers would become extinct. This is why all decent dating agencies prohibit money requests and sending money from one member to another.

Scammers (especially the ones who have send beautiful pictures of beautiful looking women) are trying anything to get your money. Begging for that extra money to buy a visa, or they write you how expensive medicines are in Russia (which is not). Or their Internet access is cutoff because of late payments and now they need money for Internet cafe’s to contact you. Just don’t believe all this crap!

Remember one thing, a decent, serious Russian woman looking for a partner will never ask you any money for anything. Even when she is really broke, can’t feed herself or whatever, she never will ask (or even tell) you anything if she is in some financial unfavourable circumstances.
And if someone does, then stop your communication with her, she is probably a scammer.

If you like to read more about Russian Dating Scams and how to avoid or recognize psosible scam, then I suggest to read my mini e-book: How to protect yourself from online dating scams

Related article: Magic visas for online Russian brides

Write about the following subjects:

• your personal information (age, single or divorced, kids, smoking yes/no, etc.)

• about your work (not too comprehensive in the first letter)

• where you live (country, city, house, apartment, surrounding, etc)

• about your hobbies

• what you like (in general) but also what you dislike

• detailed description of yourself (character, qualities)

• and above all:

• the reason why you are writing ‘her’ (and not only because she has a nice face) and also try to describe the kind of woman you are looking for. Don’t give her the impression that she is ‘number 20′ of your ‘women’s list’.

• (Let) Translate this letter in Russian. Even when her profile said that her English is good. It is highly recommended to translate your introduction letter. You will be way ahead of those who are only using English and you will be certain that she indeed have understand your comprehensive introduction letter.

Don’t forget to send (attach) some clear pictures (2 or 3) of you, it’s always nice to see a ‘face’ when reading about a person. Especially women can ‘read’ a man’s face more than you ever will understand. Include at least 2 good quality photo’s. One close up, smile at the “little bird” and dress yourself properly. The second one must be as close as possible but with the full length of your body, also of course dressed in a proper way.

After you finish your first letter, let one of your best friends or members of your family read it and ask if they recognize ‘you’ in this letter.
Don’t exaggerate, just be yourself, never write things to impress the woman in a way you can never accomplish.