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Global Expat Forum: Jeb Bush talks about his foreign bride:
On Tuesday on the Jimmy Fallon show presidential candidate Jeb Bush spoke about the first meeting between himself and his future foreign bride,
Columba. " It was love at first sight. I spoke little Spanish and she spoke little English, but when you are in love you can overcome those barriers pretty
quick. There's another language that matters the most."
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American businessman and politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is the second son of
former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush, and the younger brother of former President George W. Bush.
Bush met his wife while in Leon, Mexico helping to build homes. León is a city in the Mexican state of Guanajuato. They married a few years later in Austin,
Texas, and now live in Coral Gables, Florida.
Is there a difference between Jeb Bush's Foreign Bride and so called Mail Order Brides? Feminists and women rights groups have argued for years that men
who travel across boarders for love take advantage of women that come from lower economic regions. In 2005 the Tahirih Justice Center and Senator
Cantwell pushed legislation regulating foreign brides, stating that men take unfair advantage of women in foreign counties. The law (IMBRA ) requires
marriage brokers to run background checks on all men that seek a foreign bride. Bush's wife was underage at the time they met and came from one of the
poorest areas of central America. Did Jeb Bush then take advantage of his future wife Columba? After all she came from poverty and Jeb Bush came from a
powerful, wealthy family.
Kenneth Agee, Marketing Director of A Foreign Affair, a company that specializes in foreign bride match-making says, "Absolutely not! In our society and
most societies women are always looking to find a better way of life. It is instinctual for females to find the best possible suitor for having a family, just like
it is instinctual for men to be attracted to certain physical aspects of women. How would marrying into wealth make you a victim? The notion that men have
economic control of women, at best, would not last long after marriage. It is equally invalid to say women have a control over men because of their beauty.
The truth is, a negative situation can happen no matter where you meet and has more to do with character than economics or location. Personally, my wife
is from Russia, is very strong-willed, and would never let herself become a victim. I find this to be true of most foreign women. I'm sure Jeb Bush would
agree. Contrary to the opinion of Terra Justice Center, an INS study showed there were fewer issues with cross-border marriages than domestic marriages.
In fact they have a much higher success rate"
And Jeb Bush is not the only candidate with a foreign-born wife. Candidate Donald Trump is also currently married to Melania Trump, a former model from
Slovenia. Donald Trump's first wife, Ivana, is from the Czech Republic.
Marrying foreign women is becoming a trend for the elite. FOX News CEO Rupert Murdoch is married to Wendi Deng Murdoch from Jinan, China, with a 38
year age difference.
Yet feminists continue to argue that men seek foreign brides only because they lack the necessary social skills to find someone in the US. This is clearly not
the case, as these successful men do not lack socials skills.
Society has changed greatly over the years and love has no borders. Looking worldwide for love is becoming the norm now. Each week companies like A
Foreign Affair take dozens of men to countries all over the world where they attend social events, meeting hundreds of beautiful women and models, who
like themselves are serious about finding true love and marriage. These men are from many varied walks of life: doctors, CEOs, policemen, businessmen,
you name it. You don't have to be a Bush or Trump to see the advantage of looking abroad for real love.
With two candidates, Jed Bush and Donald Trump, both married to foreign brides, we could see our first foreign-born First Lady in the White House.
Peru: Foreign Dating Reality show Casting Call:
Looking to meet a nice foreign lady, now is you chance to meet a beautiful women and be a star of a new hit TV show.
A Foreign Affair is working exclusively with a major television network to produce an ongoing reality show that depicts the International dating process through the eyes of the men and women participating in our group Romance tours. We are very excited to be working with the Network to produce this show that will depict how the tours really work, while at the same time focusing on the relationships that are forged as a result of the tours. After our discussions with the producers we are confident that the Network will portray the subject of International Dating in a positive, balanced, and objective manner.
If you are a single man interested in International Romance/Dating and already considering or will consider joining one of our Romance Tours to any of our destinations, (Ukraine, Latin America or Asia,) and would like to participate in this Reality Show we would love to hear from you!
We are very excited about this opportunity to work together with the Network to make this show a reality, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a few lucky men,
Please fill out the form at loveme.com/castingcall/ or A Foreign Affair Casting Call
Travel expenses may be covered by TV network and or A Foreign Affair International Dating Service, Compensation will be discussed on an individual basis.
A Foreign Affair Casting Call
Peru: Foreign Dating Reality show Casting Cal:
Looking to meet a nice foreign lady, now is you chance to meet a beautiful women and be a star of a new hit TV show.
A Foreign Affair is working exclusively with a major television network to produce an ongoing reality show that depicts the International dating process through the eyes of the men and women participating in our group Romance tours. We are very excited to be working with the Network to produce this show that will depict how the tours really work, while at the same time focusing on the relationships that are forged as a result of the tours. After our discussions with the producers we are confident that the Network will portray the subject of International Dating in a positive, balanced, and objective manner.
If you are a single man interested in International Romance/Dating and already considering or will consider joining one of our Romance Tours to any of our destinations, (Ukraine, Latin America or Asia,) and would like to participate in this Reality Show we would love to hear from you!
We are very excited about this opportunity to work together with the Network to make this show a reality, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for a few lucky men,
Please fill out the form at loveme.com/castingcall/ or A Foreign Affair Casting Call
Travel expenses may be covered by TV network and or A Foreign Affair International Dating Service, Compensation will be discussed on an individual basis.
A Foreign Affair Casting Call
United States: 90 Day Fiance Casting Call:
Surviving the 90-Day Fiancée
An Interview with
International Relationship Expert John Adams
By Joseph Foster, 1st World View
Just when you thought there was no more new “reality” to be uncovered along comes “90-Day Fiancée”, TLC’s new series designed to showcase the drama that takes place during the 90 days that international couples have to either marry or have the fiancée go back to his or her country. The stakes are high which can make for some pretty interesting drama, which of course TLC is certainly hoping for. We all know that there are varying degrees of reality in the so called reality shows, so we thought we would reach out to one of the experts in the field in order to illuminate what really happens during this very interesting 90-day fiancée period. John Adams, CEO of A Foreign Affair, (http:www.loveme.com) has spent the last 20 years working with couples from all over the globe going through the 90-day fiancée visa process. More importantly, he and his Russian wife Tanya, went through the process some 15 years ago, which makes Mr. Adams one of the leading experts as to what can and does happen during that all-important 90 days:
1WV: Thank you for joining us for this interview. You are considered one of the leading experts in the world or International Introductions, can you share with us a little about your background and how you came to work with International couples going through this 90-day Fiancée Visa Process?
Adams: Thank you for inviting me. About 20 years ago three of us started a company called A Foreign Affair to introduce men here in the states and even other countries to foreign women. We started in Russia and quickly expanded to the Ukraine and then Colombia, Philippines and China. We are currently in well over 10 countries and numerous cities throughout the world. We provide full service introductions including communication via the website and actual tours where we take men to the various countries to meet the women. Obviously quite a few of these relationships develop to the point where the couples wish to marry. The most common way to accomplish that is to apply for a K-1 visa, or as it is commonly called, a Fiancée visa. We supply the men with a kit so they can do the process themselves or they can hire an attorney to assist them. I was lucky enough to meet my wife, Tanya, about 17 years ago and we went through the 90-day fiancée visa process and were ultimately married on day 89! Not an easy process for the couple, so I can see why TLC started the show. Actually the production company working on the show has reached out to us for couples who may be interested in appearing on the show and we have sent them several candidates, although I am not sure if they have used any of our couples to date. It is a very private, and can be a very difficult process so it takes the special couple who is willing to share what they are going through with the world.
1WV: What are the requirements to start a Fiancée visa?
Adams: First, you must have met sometime within the last 2 years. You just can’t write letters to someone overseas and then invite him or her over and expect to get the visa; there must be a personal meeting somewhere within 2 years of filing the petition. The petitioner (the one filing for the fiancée to come over) must be single and earn at least 120 percent or more of the Federal poverty level. The beneficiary, (the foreign fiancée) must also be single, and must undergo a police background check, as well as a medical test. There must be proof of a real and on-going relationship, such as photos together, letters, phone records, etc. etc.
1WV: How long does the process take and where does the 90 days factor in?
Adams: It depends. The USCIS is the Federal agency in charge of the process. I have seen K-1 petitions go through and the beneficiary receive the visa as soon as 4 months and as long as two years. I would say that the average is about 6 to 8 months for the entire process. Once the fiancée is issued the visa he or she has 6 months to use it and enter the United States. Once the Fiancee enters the US a new clock starts and he or she now has just 90 days to marry the person who submitted the petition (the fiancée cannot marry someone else and still say in the country, it must be the original petitioner)
1WV: It seems like 90 days is not enough time, you can barely plan a wedding in that time, do they grant extensions for couples who need more time?
Adams: There are no extensions, at least I have never heard of one in the 20 years I have been doing this. The 90 days is a very hard number and it comes very fast, trust me, I speak from personal experience. The short time limit is what puts a lot of artificial pressure and stress on the relationship that really should not be there. Granted if a couple is doing a Fiancee visa they should be as close to positive by the time they file that this is something they both wish to do, but there are a lot of factors that go into it that can complicate the process.
1WV: What are some of those factors?
Adams: Well, like what I affectionately refer to as the “dirty underwear” factor. Because of the distance between them, many of these couples have not lived together or have been able to spend a ton of time face to face prior to him or her coming here, maybe a week here or a couple weeks there, and that time is usually much more like a vacation than what real life will be like. Yes, most couples will use skype or E-mail to communicate daily, but it is not the same as being around each other on a 24/7 basis and dealing with mundane chores like doing laundry, or cleaning the house. Not all couples will live together during that 90 day period prior to marriage, but in my experience almost all do. That can be a real eye opener for one or both of the couple, it isn’t always what was expected. A lot has to do with how honest each person was about what their life style really was like and what they really expected out of the relationship. If there is any disconnect it is really going to be magnified during this process.
Some couples have no problem whatsoever. They are married within a few days or a few weeks of arrival and move on from there. Others however, are more complicated and this is where the drama comes in. These are the situations where normally one, or even both, couples are still not 100 percent sure and are using the 90-day fiancé period as a sort of “test drive” to see what life is really going to be like. That is where the problems - and the drama come in. The issue is that both individuals are well aware of what is going on and both constantly feel as though they are being judged and evaluated, which may be the case. The most drama and stress occurs in situations where one person is committed and ready to walk down the aisle and the other is still somewhat hesitant. This is where the excuses to delay will begin. No one wants to come out and say, “Well let me think about this for a while”, so we make up excuses to delay moving forward all the time evaluating every move and every word and every action and of course the stress level continues to increase as the 90 day deadline looms ever closer.
1WV: What are some other factors that come into play during the 90-Day Fiancée process:
Adams: One huge factor is children. If either person has a child, especially the beneficiary, it can be extremely stressful. Now you are introducing a third (in some cases even more) person and personality into the equation. With domestic second marriages, dealing with the children and everyone adjusting is difficult enough, just imagine bringing a child who may not speak English to a totally new home in a totally new and strange country. Not easy. The child will impact the dynamics of the relationship, sometimes in a positive way, sometimes in a negative way. In a lot of cases the couple did not spend a lot of time with the child when getting to know each other in the beneficiary’s country and in most cases did not live with the child. The age of the child does not really matter there are challenges associated with very young children and different challenges associated with older children, the challenges are there.
Another factor that can really throw a monkey wrench into the works is ex-spouses. I recall a case where the man had his fiancée come from the Ukraine and was living in his condo, the only problem was that his ex-wife lived in the condo next door. The man and his ex-wife were on good terms so the ex-wife would just let herself in and start making coffee like she lived there. I knew the woman from the Ukraine, great woman, and she told me that she just could not deal being that close to his ex-wife all the time, and she didn’t think it would ever change, actually she thought it would get worse after the marriage, so she went back the Ukraine - single.
You really never know what the factor or factors are going to be until you are in the middle of it. I had one client who lived in Los Angeles and thought the woman from Colombia was going to love the LA area because a lot of people speak Spanish. But as soon as she arrived she really did not like LA at all and wanted to go back to Colombia. He ended up moving there and marrying her and living there.
1WV: So it does sound like the 90-Day Fiancée Visa Process can produce quite a bit of drama which should be good for TLC. Do you have any advice for anyone that may be contemplating the process?
Adams: Realistic expectations. Both have to be very honest about who they are, what they want, and what they are willing to give. The more honest up front, the less drama on the back end. If you are going to do the fiancée visa and survive the 90-day fiancé visa period you have to want to be married. Don’t do it and think, “ we will see what happens”, or 90 days is a long time I’m sure it will work out. I will tell you from experience those 90 days go by like a wink of an eye, and you want that time of your life to be joyous and happy, not stressful and dreadful. So if you are not sure then put it off until you are and if that point never comes than you probably should not have done it in the first place. The last thing you want to do is to bring your fiancée here and have him or her ready to commit and you get cold feet and have to send him or her back, that is one of the most difficult, most stressful of tasks you will ever encounter. Try to spend as much time as you can with your fiancée before he or she comes over. I was lucky enough to live with Tanya for a couple months in Russia so that helped us quite a bit, but even still it was a hard process.
One other thing, this is not a fantasy, this is real life and as you know real life is not perfect. Nor is your fiancée going to be perfect. Perfect only happens in movies and in books, the rest of us have to deal with real life. All too often I see men who are searching for this romanticized fantasy of what they think married life will be like, and sometimes life may be like their ideal, but not all the time, actually that would probably get boring. Relationships are full of ups and downs, wins and losses, good and bad, and the 90 Day Fiancée Visa Process has a way of magnifying everything the good and the bad.
Joseph Foster
1st World View
Global Expat Forum: US Dollar Shores Up Against The Ukrainian Hryvna:
There’s one sure benefactor of the current political – economic crisis in Ukraine. Here’s a hint: It’s not Yanukovich, the recently deposed President who absconded to Russia with literally billions of Ukrainian hryvna belonging to the country’s financial reserves. Yanukovich, however wealthy he may currently be, is a wanted man who will ultimately be handed over to The Hague for trial. Unfortunately, it’s also not the Ukrainian people, who no sooner shed enough blood to unseat a number of corrupt high officials then woke to an occupied Crimea. Russian-armed “protesters” occupying the regional airports and parliament buildings will be embedded there a long time unless Ukraine takes violent countermeasures. Bad, bad idea.
The one immediate benefactor to Ukraine’s turmoil is George Washington. Or rather, George Washington’s image. On the dollar bill.
According to an article from the UK media source Euronews:
“Ukraine’s currency, the hryvna, fell to a new record low against the dollar on Thursday. It has been falling in value for weeks due to the political and economic uncertainty in the country. But the decline accelerated after parliament stripped President Viktor Yanukovych of his powers on Saturday. Ukraine’s central bank said it was not going to buy the hryvnia to support it – anyway it is running out of foreign currency reserves to do that.
Economists believe devaluation is justified given the country’s economic circumstances. Ukraine’s new Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said securing a loan agreement with the International Monetary fund is vital for the country to stabilize the hrynia. He told parliament: “We need immediately to sign an agreement with the IMF. As soon as a deal on an IMF program has been signed, money will come for our reserves
At one point in the last week, the hryvna exchanged at a rate of twelve – twelve US dollars! I suppose a further benefit to the decline of the hryvna is that with so many Russian roubles previously invested in the Ukrainian economy and the military exercises now being conducted on and near Ukrainian soil, the rouble appears to be falling along with it.
From the Moscow Times, February 14th:
“The Russian currency continued its recent slide Wednesday, reaching its lowest level against the dollar since 2009 and recording a historic minimum against the euro. The euro was worth more than 49 rubles during morning trading, while the dollar rose to 35.59 rubles, its highest level against the ruble since March 2009, according to data from the Moscow Exchange.
The ruble has led 2014 declines by emerging market currencies. This year the currency has lost over 6 percent of its value against the euro-dollar basket, the benchmark used by the Central Bank.
Russian officials have denied that the authorities are deliberately allowing the ruble to weaken in order to raise export revenue and stimulate the country's flagging economy.”
Despite gains by the dollar against both currencies, it’s doubtful John Kerry will gloat over the phone to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as they discuss the political crisis in Crimea. Though the dollar always fairs well against the rouble, Russia has invested billions of roubles in America’s economy, a sticking point in negotiations over Russian aggression campaigns like this one, and the 2004 invasion of Georgia.
Businesses specializing in tourism and travel, such as Phoenix, Arizona-based A Foreign Affair, see an advantage coming to the hundreds of men it will accompany to Ukraine this year. “Obviously, we feel tremendously for the people of Ukraine. Yet, clearly, with these kinds of gains, Americans will simply get more for their money in cafes, restaurants and shopping malls and will see better prices for hotels and airfare options.” Says Bud Patterson, A Foreign Affair Vice President. “I can just see guys’ eyes light up at the currency exchanges.” Good news for A Foreign Affair this is, as many of its clients will visit Ukraine in pursuit of it’s greatest natural assets – millions of beautiful, marriage minded women.
American ex-pats looking to purchase real estate or start business ventures might encounter a bureaucratic snag here or there, but Ukraine’s growing interest in the dollar should encourage investor brevity. What remains to be seen, is whether or not anticipated loans from the International Monetary Fund and additional loans from the US and UK to restore Ukraine’s reserves will return the dollar to it’s previous levels.
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