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Comment by TheOsiris | Hacker News Reader

this story is made up, folks. immigration 101: L2 visas are granted for 1-year initially and then for 2-years afterwards. so the OP's claim that his wife went back to the embassy after just 6-weeks of getting her visa is nonsense.

also, we're supposed to believe that his Belarussian wife, who went to visit her parents in Belarus, who has a Belarussian passport is now alone and in an unfamiliar Belarus? (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6353620)

this makes zero sense on all levels. There's never a state dept official that's this stupid and unprofessional. they can be rude nut never this far. saying a passport is fake by just looking at it and accusing someone of lying like that would never happen. I've had my fair share of interactions with state dept officials

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L2 visas are granted together with L1-A/B visas which are 3+2+2 or 3+2 years respectively, not 1 year initially.

And you cannot get a US visa in Belarus: "We apologize for the inconvenience, but due to the decision by the Belarusian government in 2008 requiring the U.S. Embassy to reduce its diplomatic staff from 35 Americans to 5, the Embassy was technically forced to suspended full visa processing services indefinitely. Residents of Belarus whose applications do not fall under the above categories should make arrangements to apply for a nonimmigrant visa at another post."

Is this 3+2+2 time new or something? My dad got 2 separate L1's (separate companies different years) and first one was always 1 year. My uncle just got his 2 or 3 years ago, and was also granted a 1 year L1.

It looks like L1 visa has different rules for citizens of different countries. If your dad is from Mexico, that might be the reason why he got it for 1 year. For citizens of Belarus it's 3+2(+2).

I'm sorry, but you are wrong. L1A are granted for one year and then you have to renew it on a yearly basis.

as someone who dealt with L1/L2 visas for myself and my wife and someone who knows OP, his wife and his story in person, i can assure you that this story is absolutely TRUE. period.

getting visa in US embassies abroad after having it approved in US is a complete MESS. This is well known fact for almost anyone who dealt with it. There are tens of scary stories that international founders (including YC founders) could share about that.

Also stating that someone is lying without clarifying details does not make one look smarter (although might bring some quick carma here)

my contact info is in profile. Vlad Gurgov

The process of getting a visa is a complicated beurocratic mess, it's not that simple as you are saying.

Both L1 and L2 visas are linked to your blanket petition. Petition is another document, issued by USCIS for 1 year. You can't get a visa, which expiration date is longer than your petition expiration date. My petition was approved in August 2012, but I received it in fact only in spring (after more than 6 months). And then, when I received it, it took several more months to make final preparations for the movement, so we were able to get a visa for her only in June (which expired in August according to petition expiration) and moved to the U.S. right away after that.

And again, petition has been extended already, but I only received it in August, even though it has been extended since April.

And there's no consulate in Belarus. You have to go to Russia to pass interview and stay there in a hotel for about a week to wait for your passport to be returned.

If you were already in the country while your visa was approaching its expiration, why couldn't you have set up an INFOPASS appointment at a local USCIS office?

From wikipedia:

Application to an L-1 visa begins with the filing of a petition with the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) on Form I-129, along with supporting documentation showing that both the U.S. company and the foreign parent, subsidiary, affiliate or branch meet the qualifying factors set forth in the law and regulations.[6] Notice of approval of the Form I-129 is given by the USCIS on a Notice of Action, Form I-797, and using this as the basis of the application, the alien may apply for visa issuance at a consulate or embassy of the United States in the country having jurisdiction over their residence.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L-1_visa

Agreed. This is absolute nonsense. You don't go back for another visa every time you leave the country with an L-2.

Shame on OP, not only for lying, but doing such a piss-poor job at it.

Shame on HN for blindly upvoting this garbage. I thought we were better than reddit.

Please read here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6355561

Just commenting on the L2 and visa matter...

L2 is just the status that you are in (similar to H-1B).

How long you can stay in the US is determined by the date on the I-94. How often you can re-enter on a visa depends on the single/multiple entry on your visa stamp. If you happen to have a single entry visa, then of course you would need to make another consular visit to get a new visa if you wanted to come back to the US.

Remember, the I-94 date trumps whatever duration you have on your consular visa stamp. If the date on your I-94 says leave tomorrow... then, in most cases, that is the best course of action to take.

Not only that, but the U.S. Embassy in Belarus does not process immigration visas, nor has it for several years...

http://minsk.usembassy.gov/non-immigrant_visas.html

Right. That's why if your parents live in Belarus, you have to go to another country, like Russia, to have an interview and then stay about a week in a hotel, waiting for your passport. You can't go back to Belarus, because they keep your passport at the embassy and not giving it back to you right away, even if you passed interview and your visa was granted.

dangit, I wanted to hear about the business.

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