“It was scary to get out of the car.” Russians are trying to get to the United States. What dangers await them there?

Kletchenkova: U.S. consulates in the CIS countries are biased against tourists from the Russian Federation

The United States of America continues to be a desirable destination for Russians, despite the huge number of obstacles that stand in the way of tourists. Wild queues to register at consulates, expensive air tickets and interrogations at the border — travelers are ready to overcome all this in order to finally get to their cherished country. However, many people are sometimes disappointed by what they have to see upon arrival. What you need to be prepared for and how to get to America in 2024, figured out.

Not everyone will be given a visa

At the beginning of 2024, the US State Department published data on the share of refusals of tourist visas to Russians. The American authorities reported that from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023, this figure reached 39.49 percent, while in the 2022 fiscal year it was refused only in 26.18 percent of cases, and in 2021 – in 29.42 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of visas issued to Russian citizens has increased significantly. In 2022, 29,882 entry documents were approved for compatriots. In 2023, this number has almost doubled.

54 371

the Russian received a visa to the United States in 2023

Visa experts also note that Americans have not become more picky about Russians. According to them, the main thing is not to make a mistake with the choice of the country and the embassy for the interview. As a rule, domestic travelers consider the closest diplomatic missions for these purposes, but this does not always play into their hands.

The head of the Glavvisa company, Daria Kletchenkova, in an interview with Lenta.” noted that representatives of the American consulates in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and other CIS countries are indeed more biased towards Russian tourists. But this does not mean that it is impossible to get a visa there.

“Besides, it has become easier now than, for example, in January-February,” she explained. — But I would certainly not recommend applying there. It’s better not to take risks, spend a little more money and go to a place more loyal to Russians.”

In which countries is it easiest to get a US visa?

At the same time, the specialist stressed that it is almost impossible to provide statistics on visa refusals and approvals in a particular country.

“Let’s say there is a visa application center that records tourists for interviews exclusively in Kazakhstan or Poland,” Kletchenkova continued. — The company warned you that only about 30 percent of its clients received a visa to the United States, the remaining 70 were denied it, so at the moment the probability of obtaining it is extremely low. Obviously, this does not reflect reality at all.”

As the expert pointed out, this also works in the opposite direction: if today all applicants from Russia suddenly received an American visa in Armenia, then it is extremely rash to expect that a similar situation will happen again tomorrow.

However, there are still countries where at the moment Russians have a better chance of getting the coveted sticker in their passport. Among them are Indonesia, Qatar, Bahrain and Romania. In these countries, an interview can be conducted with an interpreter

At the same time, Kletchenkova gave important advice to all travelers. “If you find out that, say, Indonesia is willing to give visas to Russians, the best thing you can do for yourself and your case is to go there the day after tomorrow,” the specialist stressed.

According to her, there is no need to delay and plan an interview trip to this country in six months, because during this time the recording may end there or the consul may change.

“The consuls are watching whether you’re nervous or not.”

Successful experience in obtaining a US visa in Indonesia with a “Ribbon.” shared Polina, a resident of Moscow. The girl said that she had previously had an American visa, but it ended about three years ago. Therefore, a Russian woman vacationing in Bali decided to get it again.

“I have a cool travel history, many other visas (Schengen, British),” Polina said. — I discussed my case with the visa consultant, collected all the necessary documents, bought tickets to Jakarta, signed up for an interview at the embassy and paid the visa fee. The big problem with applying in Indonesia is that you need to pay for it online, but for some reason it is not always possible to do so. Therefore, tourists often have to go to the bank on their own and make a cash payment.”

There are no queues for interviews at the US consulates in Indonesia at all, and this was a big plus for the tourist. She flew to it five days after paying the fee. For comparison, in many CIS countries, travelers wait for six months, sometimes even nine months, just to sign up for an interview.

The answer to the case is given immediately after the interview, and within four to five working days the passport is sent by mail from Jakarta to Bali, which is also quite convenient.

“The questions the consul asked me were pretty standard,” the traveler pointed out. — She was interested in the purpose of the visit, the states that I plan to visit, and my work. Very often, during an interview, they do not look at the documents that you have brought at all. It is important for interviewers to monitor your behavior, how you answer questions, whether you are very nervous or not, how naturally you behave, and also how logically your answers are structured.”

What should you pay attention to when filling out the questionnaire?

Experts unanimously declare that 90 percent of success in obtaining a visa depends on how well the questionnaire is drawn up.

Tourists are encouraged to fill in the column related to their place of work in particular detail. “A few years ago, we did not do this, we only indicated the name of the company and the position of the applicant,” says Daria Kletchenkova. — Now special attention is being paid to this. Get rid of vague formulations.”

Absolutely everything should be understood from the questionnaire: what the company does, with whom it cooperates, what duties you personally perform, what processes you manage. Also, do not underestimate or overestimate income

Daria Kletchenkova Head of Glavvisa Company

In general, the consuls paid special attention to the factors that connect Russians with their homeland. In addition to work, of course, this is family, study — it is important to talk about them in super detail.

The questionnaire should describe in detail the purpose of the trip and the places that the traveler is going to visit. However, it is better to choose popular tourist locations. The rule works in this matter — the simpler the better. Moreover, it is very important to specify the dates of arrival and departure, the full route of the trip, so that the consul can see that it has been fully thought out.

“If the consul asks about the purpose of a trip to America, it is important to answer in as much detail as possible,” said Polina, a Muscovite. — Tell them that you want to visit certain cities that you have long dreamed of visiting, explain why. It’s cool if the dates of the trip fall on the concert of some star. You can say that you have been listening to it since childhood and have always dreamed of getting there.”

Regardless of how the consul behaves, you need to answer confidently, the girl pointed out. It happens that they intentionally do not look into the eyes or communicate not very interested. “But this does not mean anything: the consul can be super cheerful, open and involved in dialogue, but at the same time refuse a visa, or he may be completely uninvolved, but at the same time approve it,” the Russian woman warned. “It was the same for me.”

“I was interrogated as a dangerous terrorist”

However, getting a visa to the United States is only half the battle. A traveler from Russia, Marina, in conversation with Lenta.” reported that she received a visa in Kazakhstan, despite the persuasions of her friends not to do so. After she was finally approved, the documents of the compatriot were sent for additional verification for unknown reasons.

“They could give me my passport in a day, in a week, although there were cases when tourists did not return it for several months,” she explained. — But I was more lucky, the documents were returned 10 days later. During this period, I stayed in Kazakhstan, which, of course, entailed unplanned expenses and loss of time.”

According to the Russian, it seemed that all the difficulties were over, and it was a small matter: buy tickets, book a hotel and go on a long-awaited vacation.

But how wrong I was. It was only later that I found out that getting a visa does not guarantee entry into the country

Russian Marina

Upon arrival in America, tourists go through customs control. If, for example, in Europe, as experts point out, this is a formality, then in the United States this procedure determines how long you will be approved to stay in the country and whether you will be approved at all.

“The customs officer at the airport asked about every detail of my vacation,” Marina complained. — And then I carefully checked the documents confirming my words: the hotel reservation, the amount of cash, the return ticket. An employee of the airline found out if I have friends in the country, where exactly I plan to go. I was interrogated as a dangerous terrorist. Without knowing English, I had to explain everything literally on my fingers. In fact, I passed the second interview.”

safety

Not everyone will be able to stay safe and sound in this country. At the end of last year, analysts from Renaissance Insurance Group and Ozon Travel conducted a study and found out which states Russians consider the most dangerous for tourism. More than half of the respondents (53 percent) gave the palm in this anti-rating to the United States. Russians interviewed by Lenta.“, told what exactly surprised them unpleasantly on their trip to the USA.

“In Los Angeles, the hangout was right on the street”

Travel blogger and traveler Ruslan

Beloved by many, Los Angeles shocked us, it turned out to be the dirtiest and generally repulsive city we had ever visited. There are a large number of abandoned plots of land and buildings in which homeless people often live. By the way, they are, in fact, the business card of the metropolis.

There is a famous area in the city called Skid Row. For me personally, there are two of the scariest streets in the world — she and the street of drug addicts in Athens. You walk through them and see homeless people using drugs in front of you. We didn’t even get out of the car at Skid Row. At some point, an uncontrollable animal fear takes hold of you. I had a headache all day after this trip.

The main danger lies in the fact that homeless people in this area often have conflicts with each other, in the midst of which they can scratch passers-by with a blade or nail, touch them with a knife or even spit at them.

There is a huge chance of catching some dangerous disease on Skid Row. Roughly speaking, this is a hangout right on the street

Ruslan Khosroev travel blogger and traveler

“A harmless habit almost cost me my life”

Georgy, a resident of Moscow

When I first arrived in the USA, my friend and I decided to have lunch at a cafe. There were no empty tables, so we sat at the entrance to the restaurant and waited for the waiters to call us. A policeman passed by and greeted us. Out of habit, I stood up to greet him.

For some reason, the law enforcement officer decided that I wanted to attack him, reached for a gun and started shouting: “Stop, stop.” My friend, who has been living in the country for about 20 years, was able to pacify him. He explained to the police officer that in this way I was just showing him respect. Only then did the police officer calm down, laughed, and we even took a picture with him as a souvenir. It turns out that a harmless habit almost cost me my life.

“Garbage is everywhere”

A resident of Dagestan, Farid

When I came to New York, the thing that shocked me the most was how dirty it was here. Garbage cans and bags are literally everywhere, they are lying around every house. At the same time, the city is constantly being cleaned, and I do not understand why garbage accumulates so quickly. This is a problem in both expensive and poor areas.

Because of this, there are a lot of rats in New York. And they’re not just on the subway. I would even say that there are fewer of them in the subway than on the streets. If you live in a residential area, in the evening, returning from work, the probability of encountering a rat is 95 percent. Maybe more.

PRICES AND SERVICE

“The waiters are putting on a show”

Travel blogger and traveler Ruslan

There are legends about high prices in the USA. The most expensive American states are those where Democrats are in power. Among them are New York and California, which are popular with tourists. A regular snack at a diner in these states can cost travelers a round sum. For example, you will have to pay about $ 15 (1,4 thousand rubles) for coffee and dessert in a cafe. And lunch in a restaurant can cost as much as $ 100 per person (9 thousand rubles).

Local waiters have taken a special place in my heart. In Russia, they “lick” you, and I don’t like it. And in America, they communicate with the visitor as with a “brother”. The staff in the States is very smiling, cheerful, charismatic and proactive. Even from the usual coffee serving, the waiters are ready to make a real show. They can also chat with you or even invite you to a party. Meanwhile, cleanliness in American establishments leaves much to be desired.

And it is also not surprising that the United States is a country with a huge number of people (about 40 percent of the population) suffering from obesity. Have you even seen their portions? They’re just huge, plus the Americans really eat them up. If in Russia they remember that gluttony is a great sin, then in America everyone seems to have forgotten about it.

“Everything in America is based on sugar”

A resident of Dagestan, Farid

High prices are a huge problem, especially in New York. Housing in the city has recently become much more expensive. For example, a normal studio apartment in the Brooklyn area can be rented for at least 2.5 thousand dollars per month.

Food in the city is also very expensive, but if you eat fast food, you can save money on the trip. Another thing is that this is not suitable for everyone. Let’s say a slice of pizza costs about $ 2-3, a can of soda costs $1.5. At McDonald’s, you can get a combo of a drink, a burger and potatoes for 10-12 dollars, but in restaurants everything is much more expensive.

$ 20-25

on average, it will cost one dish in a simple establishment in New York

One dish in an ordinary institution will cost $ 20-25 (about 2 thousand rubles), and if we talk directly about a good institution, then the dish will cost $ 35-40 and above. At the same time, the service in the establishments is much worse than in Russia.

You can also eat in supermarkets, sandwiches are sold here for 5-6 dollars, but I would not recommend constantly buying food in American stores, because everything here is super-harmful and there is a lot of sugar. In America, everything is based on sugar. And such food gets very quickly to a person from the CIS.

mentality

“Fake smiles scare Americans”

Alina, a resident of St. Petersburg

I really like the so-called “small talk”, which is often tied up with service personnel in the States. You can just stand at the checkout and the cashier will tell you about everything in the world. He will share the details of family life, recommend a movie, or even complain about a colleague. It is noteworthy that if you come to the same store an hour later, he will most likely not remember you.

Many people warned me before traveling to the United States that Americans like to fake a smile. I used to think that this was nothing more than an established stereotype. But it turned out to be a working story. At first, this habit even scares the locals a little. The smile on the face of a bartender, salesman or waiter can disappear in a second.

A resident of Dagestan, Farid

I’ve noticed that Americans are generally very welcoming. And it’s always uplifting. They also seem to be more patient. For example, when I was working in a store and could delay something, no one hurried me, even if there was a queue, but, on the contrary, they encouraged me and told me not to worry.

There is also no aggression and no hostility towards the Russians here. Everyone understands why you came, and moreover, people from the CIS are considered more, so to speak, upper class here than migrants from Africa or Asia. Therefore, the attitude towards us is very loyal

Farid is a migrant from Dagestan

Besides, I really like that America is a multicultural country. Therefore, here, for example, it is easier to relate to other religions. I can practice my religion, Islam, much more calmly than, for example, in Russia. I feel more comfortable here in this matter.

And anyway, when you come here as a tourist, you don’t notice many disadvantages. It is important to understand this. Travelers perceive New York in a completely different way, they do not pay attention to many nuances, because they do not live here. Therefore, the main advice that I can give to tourists is to schedule every second of your trip, walk a lot and enjoy the city. He’s really incredibly handsome.

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