I came across information that, for Russian citizens, a US visa can be issued for 2 years, but when you enter they stamp your status for 3 years. How is that even possible? I thought the visa validity period and the allowed length of stay were the same.
Visa and status are different documents — people often mix them up. With a Russian passport, an O-1 visa is now issued for a maximum of two years — that’s the issuance rule for Russians. But the status at entry is stamped for three years; the petition was approved for three. That’s how it should be 
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Ah, it really throws you off at first — when I got mine I was poring over the I-94 and the visa for probably five minutes. The visa is just permission to enter; CBP, when you cross the border, looks at the petition and issues the I-94 for its term — three years means three years. So a visa expiring in two years doesn’t mean you have to leave, just don’t exit with an expired visa without a new stamp)
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The validity shown on the visa stamp is determined by the reciprocity schedule — a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and the specific country. For Russia it’s 24 months, for Romania 60 months — hence the difference in the stamps; it’s not an officer’s whim. Practically, one thing matters: leaving the U.S. with an expired visa requires a new visa stamp for re-entry, even if the I-94 is still valid.
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If you leave — you need a new stamp; if you stay — you’re bound by your I-94. That’s all you need to know.
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For Russians this means using a third country every time they leave — U.S. consulates in Russia have long since stopped operating. A colleague had their O-1 stamp changed in Yerevan. It took about ten days including the wait — you had to book well in advance; the queues there are long.
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In Yerevan, yes — a colleague got her O-1 stamp changed — it took about ten days including waiting. You had to book well in advance; the queues are serious. So any trip out is a separate operation, not something you do spontaneously. Better to know ahead of time than to panic later trying to find slots.)
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