Thanks for the info Keyun. You might wanna read
http://www.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?t=164268 for the interview day experience. And for process after filing I-130 this is what I got from visajourney
http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?pg=dcf
Do keep me updated on your progress Keyun. Thanks...
One person's timeline on visajourney is as follows:
October 15, 2004: went to India
October 17, 2004: got engaged
October 23, 2004: got married!!!!
Dec. 22, 2004: went to U.S. Embassy, New Delhi-told to come back 9am the next morning
Dec. 23, 2004: filed I-130 at Delhi embassy
Jan 12, 2005: I came back to the U.S. :-(
Jan. 13, 2005: my husband went to Mumbai embassy personally to get packet 3
Jan. 15, 2005: sent out forms from packet 3
around the 2nd week of Feb: received interview date!!!! MARCH 18!!!!!
Feb. 16, 2005: sent out I-864 and other ppwk to my husband via DHL
Feb 20, 2005: husband received DHL pkg
end of Feb/beginning of March: went for medical
March 18, 2005 @ 7:30am: INTERVIEW!!!!!!!!!! Got Visa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 27, 2005: my husband comes to the U.S.!!!!!!
Here is how the procedure typically goes:
1- There is an initial “interview” where the USC and the foreign spouse appear to submit the I-130 and its attachments. Some Consulates accept these materials by mail, courier or in person with an appointment or only on specific days. Check the website of your Consulate for tips OR contact them directly to inquire.
2- The I-130 is adjudicated. There has been some public confusion over the use of the term “DCF”. Some Consular posts have been granted permission from Dept. Homeland Security to adjudicate (decide) I-130 petitions. This is “true” DCF. Some Embassy complexes include a DHS office on the grounds, and DHS staff approve petitions submitted there. This process is transparent to the end user and the result is the same. Once the petition is approved, the foreign spouse may apply for an Immigrant Visa. If the petition is not approved at this level, it may indicate a red flag with your case and the petition will be forwarded to a more senior DHS staffer (perhaps in another country).
3- The foreign spouse’s visa application will include The Packet Formerly Known As “3”. This will include DS-230 Part 1 (the visa application) and a checklist of required documents. It may include information about the medical procedure for your area and certainly instruction for the Affidavit of Support I-864. If you have all of the documents for the petition + visa application ready at your first visit to the Consulate (to file the I-130) you may persuade the Immigrant Visa workers to accept the visa application early and start a provisional file for you. It is certainly recommended that one be as over prepared as possible when pursuing DCF.
4- The foreign spouse has the final interview at which time the visa is issued, the US citizen spouse does NOT have to be present at the final interview.
5- The foreign spouse enters the US, and at the port of entry will receive in his/her passport an I-551 stamp which gives immediate permanent resident status. The status may or may not be “conditional” depending on the length of marriage at the time of entry. The actual green card will arrive in the mail a few weeks/months later. The foreign spouse receives immediate work and travel authorization from the “green card stamp”, and will only need to obtain a social security card before starting to work.
