Can I move to the US without an employer or relatives?

Yes: EB-1A and EB-2 NIW are self-petitioned immigrant petitions; O-1 needs an employer or an agent. They are the only routes to a green card without a job offer and without a lottery.

Where is the interview if the Moscow embassy issues no visas?

Per the State Department instruction (updated Jul 15, 2026, checked Sep 30, 2026): work, student and tourist visas for Russians not resident elsewhere - in Warsaw or Astana, immigrant visas for residents of Russia - in Warsaw (IR-5 also Almaty and Tashkent). If you live in another country, apply there; at another consulate the visa is harder to get and the fee is not refunded. Each post is covered on the consulate pages.

How much money do I need to move to the US?

Government fees only: O-1 - I-129 $530 + $300 Asylum Program Fee and a $205 consular fee; a green card through EB-1A or NIW - I-140 $715 + $300 Asylum Program Fee, then the I-485 $1,440 inside the US or $345 to the State Department plus the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee on the consular route; premium processing $2,965 is optional. Lawyers, translations, the medical, travel to Warsaw or Astana and the first months of living are extra: see the costs page and the first-year guide.

Which visa do I need to move to the US permanently?

An immigrant visa: it is issued on an EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, employer (EB-2, EB-3) or family (I-130) petition, or on a DV lottery win; after entry you are a permanent resident with a green card. O-1, H-1B and L-1 are temporary work visas: you live and work in the US on them and get the green card through a separate petition, often from inside the country through the I-485.

What do I need to move to the US?

A basis - an approved petition (O-1, EB-1A, NIW, employer or family) or a DV win; then the DS-160 or DS-260, the fee and an interview in Warsaw or Astana. An immigrant visa also needs police certificates and a medical with an embassy-designated doctor. Immigrant visas were not issued to Russians from Jan 21, 2026; on Aug 24, 2026 a court vacated the pause, the appeal is pending.

How many criteria do you need to meet for EB-1A?

At least three of the ten USCIS criteria. But meeting criteria is not enough: the officer additionally evaluates the case as a whole (final merits) and must see sustained acclaim and that you are among the best in your field. In the community's experience, a denial is possible even with 5 or more criteria counted if this second part is not proven.

If I met 5 criteria, is the visa guaranteed?

No. Meeting criteria is only the first stage. Next the officer looks at the case as a whole (final merits): you need to show sustained acclaim and a position at the top of the profession. It happens that the criteria are formally met, yet the officer writes that the applicant is not extraordinary enough. The outcome depends largely on the strength of the evidence and on the officer.

What is final merits, and why are cases denied even with three criteria?

Final merits is the final evaluation of the case as a whole after the individual criteria are checked: the officer decides whether you demonstrate sustained acclaim and belong to the top of the profession. That is why, even with three or more criteria counted, a NOID may arrive demanding proof that you are really at the top of your field.

Moving to the US

How to move to the US from Russia in 2026: routes, timelines, money

Updated: September 30, 2026Author: Alina Kanametova

Key answer

In short

There are three roads from Russia to the US in 2026: on your own achievements (O-1 as a work visa, EB-1A and EB-2 NIW as a green card without an employer), through an employer (H-1B with a lottery, L-1 by transfer) or through family. The pause on DV lottery visa issuance was lifted on Aug 28, 2026; the DV-2027 entry dates are not yet announced. The interview is outside Russia: work visas in Warsaw or Astana, immigrant visas in Warsaw. The State Department paused immigrant visas for Russians from Jan 21, 2026; a court vacated the pause on Aug 24, 2026, the appeal is pending.

Warsaw Almaty Astana Belgrade Yerevan Tbilisi Istanbul Tashkent

129approval stories

68 daysmedian to EB-1A approval

40 daysmedian to O-1 approval

12consulates for the interview

The routes: who fits, how long, how much

Route	Who fits	Timelines	Money	Result
O-1	proven achievement, an employer or agent	median 40 days over 53 stories	fees from $530 + $300 Asylum Program Fee, premium $2,965	a work visa; the green card by a separate petition
EB-1A	3 of 10 criteria, no employer	median 68 days over 68 stories	fees from $715 + $300 Asylum Program Fee + I-485 $1,440	a green card outright
EB-2 NIW	the three Dhanasar prongs, no employer	median 173 days over 7 stories	fees from $715 + $300 Asylum Program Fee	a green card, queue by the bulletin
H-1B / L-1 through an employer	a job offer; H-1B has a lottery, L-1 needs a year with the company abroad	by the lottery cycle and the employer	the employer pays	a work visa
Family (I-130)	a spouse, parent or child of a US citizen or resident	by category and the bulletin	I-130 and consular fees	a green card
DV lottery	born in a country on the State Department list; the pause on DV visa issuance was lifted on Aug 28, 2026	DV-2027 entry dates not yet announced (as of Sep 25, 2026)	-	a green card if selected

Timelines are medians over community approval stories, fees come from the site's USCIS fee registry; everything else depends on the case.

How much money the move takes: government fees by route

Government fees for moving to the US by route
Route	USCIS	Consulate (State Department)
O-1	I-129 $530 + $300 Asylum Program Fee; premium $2,965 optional	$205
EB-1A / EB-2 NIW	I-140 $715 + $300 Asylum Program Fee; inside the US + I-485 $1,440	$345 + $235 Immigrant Fee
H-1B / L-1	the employer pays	$205
Family (I-130)	the I-130 fee per the USCIS schedule	$325 + $235 Immigrant Fee

On top of the fees: lawyers and translations - the full estimate; health insurance and the first months in the US - what health insurance costs; travel to the interview - Warsaw and Astana: booking and timing. Consular fees per the State Department table as of Sep 30, 2026.

The order of steps

1. Pick the route: achievements (O-1 / EB-1A / NIW), an employer or family - the 5-question matcher.
2. Assemble the evidence and the petition - the step-by-step knowledge base.
3. File with USCIS, wait, answer an RFE if one comes - the RFE guide.
4. Go through the consular stage in a third country (NVC, DS-260 or DS-160, medical, interview) - consulates.
5. Enter and settle the first year: SSN, taxes, insurance, school - the first year in the US; separately - what US health insurance costs.

Relocation stories from Russia

What the chats ask about moving to the US

7×how to move to the usa?
4×how can a fisherman move to the usa?
2×How can a world champion in fishing move?
2×How to move for an IT professional?
2×Share the latest news and information on the suspension of new immigration visa issuance - what's the news since the last update, what opinions and insights are there from chat participants: what are the chances that acceptance will resume, when will it resume? As a separate section - summary of official information.
1×When entering on an immigration visa, is the I-94 provided at the border?

Where people go wrong - from the chats

mistakeA common problem is a case getting stuck while OPT, offers, I-20, and other documents have limited validity, which means waiting for a consular decision can put the entire relocation plan at risk.
mistakeA common problem is making relocation plans without accounting for the fact that a visa or waiver may arrive in 1-2 years, when the family has already settled in another country.

Rules and tips from the chats

tipIn academia, a temporary or visiting position may be processed faster than a full permanent appointment, so a phased entry is sometimes considered for relocation through a university.
tipFor O-1, it may be helpful to prepare evidence of future employment and intent to collaborate in advance, but a full offer is not always realistic, especially before relocating.
tipFor the consular stage and relocation, prepare police clearance certificates, translations, translator certifications, and other documents in advance, because in some countries they may be harder to obtain later.
ruleBefore choosing a visa category, it is important to check whether family members can be included, because not all visas allow a full relocation together with dependent family members.
tipWhen there is a long delay with one visa, applicants sometimes consider alternative routes, such as another country or a talent program, so they do not have to put a career and family relocation on hold.
common questionPeople often compare F-1, B-1/B-2, EB-3, and EB-1 as ways to relocate, trying to choose the cheapest or fastest option, but they do not always account for refusal risks, status limitations, and requirements for further legalization.
ruleEB-2 NIW is usually not a fast process: adjudication can take about a year or longer, whether you file from inside or outside the U.S. You need to plan work, status, and relocation with the long wait in mind.
ruleWhen an immigrant visa has already been issued, many consider it prudent to enter for activation as soon as possible, since rules, checks, and requirements may change, and delaying entry creates a risk of losing the opportunity to relocate.

Cases from the community

EB (category not specified) · unknown · outcome not stated

The applicant has been waiting for a decision in an employment-based immigrant category for about a year and a half; a tourist visa decision has also been pending for a long time. The move is planned only a few months after possible approval.

What they did: Continues to wait for a decision and keeps a backup relocation plan.

O-1 · IT/technology · outcome not stated

The applicant first found a U.S. employer and worked through an agent, then after relocating and working for more than a year received several options for continuing O-1, including an option through a large employer.

What they did: Considered refiling or continuing the case through an agent or a large employer.

Questions and answers on the site

Distilled from the public community chats, anonymised; corpus as of June 2026. These are participants' observations, not legal advice and not USCIS statistics.

Frequently asked questions

Can I move to the US without an employer or relatives?: Yes: EB-1A and EB-2 NIW are self-petitioned immigrant petitions; O-1 needs an employer or an agent. They are the only routes to a green card without a job offer and without a lottery.
Where is the interview if the Moscow embassy issues no visas?: Per the State Department instruction (updated Jul 15, 2026, checked Sep 30, 2026): work, student and tourist visas for Russians not resident elsewhere - in Warsaw or Astana, immigrant visas for residents of Russia - in Warsaw (IR-5 also Almaty and Tashkent). If you live in another country, apply there; at another consulate the visa is harder to get and the fee is not refunded. Each post is covered on the consulate pages.
How much money do I need to move to the US?: Government fees only: O-1 - I-129 $530 + $300 Asylum Program Fee and a $205 consular fee; a green card through EB-1A or NIW - I-140 $715 + $300 Asylum Program Fee, then the I-485 $1,440 inside the US or $345 to the State Department plus the $235 USCIS Immigrant Fee on the consular route; premium processing $2,965 is optional. Lawyers, translations, the medical, travel to Warsaw or Astana and the first months of living are extra: see the costs page and the first-year guide.
Which visa do I need to move to the US permanently?: An immigrant visa: it is issued on an EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, employer (EB-2, EB-3) or family (I-130) petition, or on a DV lottery win; after entry you are a permanent resident with a green card. O-1, H-1B and L-1 are temporary work visas: you live and work in the US on them and get the green card through a separate petition, often from inside the country through the I-485.
What do I need to move to the US?: A basis - an approved petition (O-1, EB-1A, NIW, employer or family) or a DV win; then the DS-160 or DS-260, the fee and an interview in Warsaw or Astana. An immigrant visa also needs police certificates and a medical with an embassy-designated doctor. Immigrant visas were not issued to Russians from Jan 21, 2026; on Aug 24, 2026 a court vacated the pause, the appeal is pending.
How many criteria do you need to meet for EB-1A?: At least three of the ten USCIS criteria. But meeting criteria is not enough: the officer additionally evaluates the case as a whole (final merits) and must see sustained acclaim and that you are among the best in your field. In the community's experience, a denial is possible even with 5 or more criteria counted if this second part is not proven.
If I met 5 criteria, is the visa guaranteed?: No. Meeting criteria is only the first stage. Next the officer looks at the case as a whole (final merits): you need to show sustained acclaim and a position at the top of the profession. It happens that the criteria are formally met, yet the officer writes that the applicant is not extraordinary enough. The outcome depends largely on the strength of the evidence and on the officer.
What is final merits, and why are cases denied even with three criteria?: Final merits is the final evaluation of the case as a whole after the individual criteria are checked: the officer decides whether you demonstrate sustained acclaim and belong to the top of the profession. That is why, even with three or more criteria counted, a NOID may arrive demanding proof that you are really at the top of your field.

Where next

Consulates for the interview

Warsaw Almaty Astana Belgrade Yerevan Tbilisi Istanbul Tashkent

Sources

This page is reference, not legal advice; rules, fees and timelines change - verify on uscis.gov.