CHENNAI-MAY 2003- Experiences
- Thread starter Raju595
- Start date
Lister Labs
Hi Folks,
Reached Chennai Sunday afternoon.
I had to change the hotel from the originally planned Crystal
Residency to ParK Hotel.
This place costs roughly $ 80 a day. But decent and within a stone's throw from the Consulate.
Went to the Lister Labs this morning. Normally the auto drivers
stop at the main lab. As indicated in this forum earlier the lab
where they attend to Immigration cases is actually 4 buildings
down the road. There will be a small sign and does not have the
look of a professional place.
Anyway, had the blood samples drawn and x-rays taken for
myself and wife. Children upto the age of 15 are exempt from
lab tests. The payment is Rs. 600 per person. I will be going this
evening to collect the lab reports. I have the physician's appointment tomorrow morning with Dr. Raj Kumar.
On the whole everything pretty straight forward and smooth.
Will post when I can.
Raju
Hi Folks,
Reached Chennai Sunday afternoon.
I had to change the hotel from the originally planned Crystal
Residency to ParK Hotel.
This place costs roughly $ 80 a day. But decent and within a stone's throw from the Consulate.
Went to the Lister Labs this morning. Normally the auto drivers
stop at the main lab. As indicated in this forum earlier the lab
where they attend to Immigration cases is actually 4 buildings
down the road. There will be a small sign and does not have the
look of a professional place.
Anyway, had the blood samples drawn and x-rays taken for
myself and wife. Children upto the age of 15 are exempt from
lab tests. The payment is Rs. 600 per person. I will be going this
evening to collect the lab reports. I have the physician's appointment tomorrow morning with Dr. Raj Kumar.
On the whole everything pretty straight forward and smooth.
Will post when I can.
Raju
Rajeev Kumar
Registered Users (C)
Raju,
Why did you have to change your hotel? Just curious as I was planning on staying at crystal residency as well!
Why did you have to change your hotel? Just curious as I was planning on staying at crystal residency as well!
Re: Raju,
It was not up to the standard that I expected. But not too bad.
The rate at Rs. 1300/- per day is quite reasonable, and it is
within a short walking distance of a hotel called Saravana Bhavan
which offers good veg. meals and breakfast items.
The move I made was a major one but there are other hotels
within the price ranges of Rs.2000/- or so.
Some names , Sindhoori Hotels, Breeze Hotel and you should find
some more names on the net.
Raju
Originally posted by Rajeev Kumar
Why did you have to change your hotel? Just curious as I was planning on staying at crystal residency as well!
It was not up to the standard that I expected. But not too bad.
The rate at Rs. 1300/- per day is quite reasonable, and it is
within a short walking distance of a hotel called Saravana Bhavan
which offers good veg. meals and breakfast items.
The move I made was a major one but there are other hotels
within the price ranges of Rs.2000/- or so.
Some names , Sindhoori Hotels, Breeze Hotel and you should find
some more names on the net.
Raju
Physician visit....
Hi Guys,
Time: 11.50 AM 20th May 2003 - Park Hotel - Chennai
Today morning we went for the physical at Dr. Raj Kumar's.
Nice gentleman. US educated. Speaks our language.
Everything smooth. Collected the report in a sealed packet.
But before placing them in the packet, he has shown the report
and reassured us that there are no issues.
Some pointers:
Still some candidates are coming without some of the required
items:
For Doctors visit, please carry:
1) Your Passport
2) The Interview letter that comes in Packet 4 ( the yellow sheet)
3) The lab report
4) A passport style photograph. ( you would have pasted another
photo on the lab report)
5) Your vaccination records ( if any )
Fee: Rs.600 per adult , Rs. 350/- for child and amount for any
extra shots.( Carry roughly Rs.4000/- in cash with you. )
His clinic (house) is the last one in Club Road. Carry a water bottle because it is hot and there are no places nearby to buy water. Be prepared for a wait of 1 1/2 to 2 hours because he
writes up the reports only after checking all applicants.
A request from the good doctor. Once you make an appointment
please come in at the appointed hour or cancel in advance. On his
side he assured me he would stick to the appointments ( i.e. he
would not turn anyone away. ) . Do not take your appointment times too seriously. Come early.
Here is his email address and you can henceforth make the appointments by email:
venkatraman_rajkumar@vsnl.net
I am leaving for Tirupathi within the new half hour. Will come back
to Chennai on 22nd.
Good luck.
Raju
Hi Guys,
Time: 11.50 AM 20th May 2003 - Park Hotel - Chennai
Today morning we went for the physical at Dr. Raj Kumar's.
Nice gentleman. US educated. Speaks our language.
Everything smooth. Collected the report in a sealed packet.
But before placing them in the packet, he has shown the report
and reassured us that there are no issues.
Some pointers:
Still some candidates are coming without some of the required
items:
For Doctors visit, please carry:
1) Your Passport
2) The Interview letter that comes in Packet 4 ( the yellow sheet)
3) The lab report
4) A passport style photograph. ( you would have pasted another
photo on the lab report)
5) Your vaccination records ( if any )
Fee: Rs.600 per adult , Rs. 350/- for child and amount for any
extra shots.( Carry roughly Rs.4000/- in cash with you. )
His clinic (house) is the last one in Club Road. Carry a water bottle because it is hot and there are no places nearby to buy water. Be prepared for a wait of 1 1/2 to 2 hours because he
writes up the reports only after checking all applicants.
A request from the good doctor. Once you make an appointment
please come in at the appointed hour or cancel in advance. On his
side he assured me he would stick to the appointments ( i.e. he
would not turn anyone away. ) . Do not take your appointment times too seriously. Come early.
Here is his email address and you can henceforth make the appointments by email:
venkatraman_rajkumar@vsnl.net
I am leaving for Tirupathi within the new half hour. Will come back
to Chennai on 22nd.
Good luck.
Raju
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi All,
I came to Chennai on 16th night and went to lister labs on 17th morning. Just blood sample and x-ray work. Took 30 minutes. Collected reports at 4.30 same day.
My appointment was with Dr. Mathai Thomas. Nice Gentlemen. Very friendly.
The physical test took 5 minutes for each of us. The report process took 20 minutes for each. Dr. Mathai Thomas works on saturdays also. Everyday from 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm so that we can do the entire medical check up process on single day.
I am staying in Crystal residency. Rate is 1,050/- rupees for double occupancy A/c room. Room is okay(considering the money we are paying). Hotel is diagonally opposite to consulate, walkable distance.
My interview is on 22nd. I will post the news asap.
Thanks,
Puliraju
I came to Chennai on 16th night and went to lister labs on 17th morning. Just blood sample and x-ray work. Took 30 minutes. Collected reports at 4.30 same day.
My appointment was with Dr. Mathai Thomas. Nice Gentlemen. Very friendly.
The physical test took 5 minutes for each of us. The report process took 20 minutes for each. Dr. Mathai Thomas works on saturdays also. Everyday from 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm so that we can do the entire medical check up process on single day.
I am staying in Crystal residency. Rate is 1,050/- rupees for double occupancy A/c room. Room is okay(considering the money we are paying). Hotel is diagonally opposite to consulate, walkable distance.
My interview is on 22nd. I will post the news asap.
Thanks,
Puliraju
Rajeev Kumar
Registered Users (C)
Puliraju,
Raju has posted that the Crystal residency is 'not up to the standard'. I would appreciate if you can shed some light into the state of affairs at the hotel- future CPers will benefit from your description- the hotel info on this forum is scarce to say the least! Other May CPers/Past CPers with experience at other hotels as well, please jump in. Thanks.
Raju has posted that the Crystal residency is 'not up to the standard'. I would appreciate if you can shed some light into the state of affairs at the hotel- future CPers will benefit from your description- the hotel info on this forum is scarce to say the least! Other May CPers/Past CPers with experience at other hotels as well, please jump in. Thanks.
Good Morning!
Hi,
Raju from Tirupathi- 21st May - 10.30AM.
Nothing much to report. While in Chennai I have also got the
immigration style photographs from
Camera Citi ,
opp Chola Sheraton hotel.
This is about 10 minutes walk from the US Consulate.
The photographer knows his work and it costs Rs.100/- for
8 copies. You will not get any negatives.
Carry 3 to the consulate. Sign 2 of them on the from at the bottom.For Children just write their name.
I forgot another thing about my physicals. Dr.Raj Kumar has
given credit for the vaccination records we carried, and so we
did not take any shots.
About Crystal Residency, as I said earlier for the rate he is charging the standard is OK. So don't be too alarmed. Personally
I thought the maintenance was lacking a bit, because I saw few
bugs, and with a child I cannot take any risk.
June Cpers,
Don't worry too much about hotels at Chennai. You have plenty
of them all over the place and suitable for any budget.
There are luxery hotels from the price range of Rs.4500/- to
budget hotels charging roughly Rs.500 a day.
Distance from the US Consulate is not a factor because you can
take an Auto and be here in roughly 30 minutes from any place.
I will post a complete list of hotels, contact info. and their tariffs
in a few days and well in time for you to reserve your accomodations.
Just hang in there for a few days.
About me,
I came to Tirupathi yesterday and luckily had Lord's darshan
in the late evening.
Will report again from Chennai tomorrow.
Raju
Hi,
Raju from Tirupathi- 21st May - 10.30AM.
Nothing much to report. While in Chennai I have also got the
immigration style photographs from
Camera Citi ,
opp Chola Sheraton hotel.
This is about 10 minutes walk from the US Consulate.
The photographer knows his work and it costs Rs.100/- for
8 copies. You will not get any negatives.
Carry 3 to the consulate. Sign 2 of them on the from at the bottom.For Children just write their name.
I forgot another thing about my physicals. Dr.Raj Kumar has
given credit for the vaccination records we carried, and so we
did not take any shots.
About Crystal Residency, as I said earlier for the rate he is charging the standard is OK. So don't be too alarmed. Personally
I thought the maintenance was lacking a bit, because I saw few
bugs, and with a child I cannot take any risk.
June Cpers,
Don't worry too much about hotels at Chennai. You have plenty
of them all over the place and suitable for any budget.
There are luxery hotels from the price range of Rs.4500/- to
budget hotels charging roughly Rs.500 a day.
Distance from the US Consulate is not a factor because you can
take an Auto and be here in roughly 30 minutes from any place.
I will post a complete list of hotels, contact info. and their tariffs
in a few days and well in time for you to reserve your accomodations.
Just hang in there for a few days.
About me,
I came to Tirupathi yesterday and luckily had Lord's darshan
in the late evening.
Will report again from Chennai tomorrow.
Raju
Rajeev Kumar
Registered Users (C)
Thank you for the info Raju,
All the best for your interview!
All the best for your interview!
Raju - some questions
Hi Raju,
This question may have already been addressed earlier by you - please excuse me if that's the case- can you tell me what vaccinations you took in the U.S.
Also, is it necessary to get 2 birth affidavits (one from father , one from mother) - I have one that has both their names on it. Is that ok ?
Good luck with your interview .
Thanks,
Kant.
Hi Raju,
This question may have already been addressed earlier by you - please excuse me if that's the case- can you tell me what vaccinations you took in the U.S.
Also, is it necessary to get 2 birth affidavits (one from father , one from mother) - I have one that has both their names on it. Is that ok ?
Good luck with your interview .
Thanks,
Kant.
Re: Raju - some questions
I logged in from a private browsing center and I do not have all
the details. However this is what I remember:
MMR
Tetanus
There are some others but I do not remember. If you have time
I will post again from Chennai.
One affidavit is enough if it mentions the names in full for mother
and father.
Thanks.
Raju
I logged in from a private browsing center and I do not have all
the details. However this is what I remember:
MMR
Tetanus
There are some others but I do not remember. If you have time
I will post again from Chennai.
One affidavit is enough if it mentions the names in full for mother
and father.
Thanks.
Raju
I have attended CP interview this morning. Officer said "your visas approved. you will get documents in courier tomorrow".
It was so simple as other cpers posted. Submitted all documents first around 9.00 am. Called for interview by American Officer around 10.45 am.
Asked the following questions:
1. Which firm do you work?
2. How long are you with this firm?
3. What do you do (kind of work)?
4. How much money you would make once you immigrate?
(My current salary is less that what is mentioned in I-140 and labor. It was not an issue, it seems).
Asked my wife simple questions:
1. How long were you staying in usa/
2. What visa you are on? (H4 or H1)?
The officer had some doubts about my children's birth certs. I have obtained birth certs recently. the question was "why did you not obtain birth cets at the time of birth"? I told him that I did not bother. He smiled and said "I am bothered now". The officer gave back the original birht certs and took a photo copy for himself. I did not have a photo copy. He went inside and took photocopy on his own.
Young officer, very polite and friendly.
Came back to Crystal Residency immediately and started typing this mail. Now the time is 12.10 noon.
I want to post the quickest experience!! Hope I will have this record.
I will be going to Hyderabad to check my courier tomorrow. I will post the news once I see the packet.
Thanks for all cpers and Mr. Rajiv Khanna for maintaining this very very useful forum.
Puliraju.
It was so simple as other cpers posted. Submitted all documents first around 9.00 am. Called for interview by American Officer around 10.45 am.
Asked the following questions:
1. Which firm do you work?
2. How long are you with this firm?
3. What do you do (kind of work)?
4. How much money you would make once you immigrate?
(My current salary is less that what is mentioned in I-140 and labor. It was not an issue, it seems).
Asked my wife simple questions:
1. How long were you staying in usa/
2. What visa you are on? (H4 or H1)?
The officer had some doubts about my children's birth certs. I have obtained birth certs recently. the question was "why did you not obtain birth cets at the time of birth"? I told him that I did not bother. He smiled and said "I am bothered now". The officer gave back the original birht certs and took a photo copy for himself. I did not have a photo copy. He went inside and took photocopy on his own.
Young officer, very polite and friendly.
Came back to Crystal Residency immediately and started typing this mail. Now the time is 12.10 noon.
I want to post the quickest experience!! Hope I will have this record.
I will be going to Hyderabad to check my courier tomorrow. I will post the news once I see the packet.
Thanks for all cpers and Mr. Rajiv Khanna for maintaining this very very useful forum.
Puliraju.
sriram2003
Registered Users (C)
hello..
hi,
camera citi (opposite hotel chola) avoid it unless u are too patient
listerlabs : work done on 20th - did not meet anyone in our portal site though..
caution: it is 42 deg C hot here - carry water where ever u go and there is call taxis offering a/c cabs also - affordable rates. (try some : call taxi #s 22242169, 22245169 - 6 lines)
dr. vijayalakshmi - work done on 21st - had to wait till 11.30 though appointment was on 11.00 am : MMR was given and the report discussed as no problem b4 sealing -
now - nothing to do and even shopping is ruled out due to the heat
waiting for the interview on 28th..
guys - keep writing ur xperriences.
have a safe trip/
cheers,
sriram
hi,
camera citi (opposite hotel chola) avoid it unless u are too patient
listerlabs : work done on 20th - did not meet anyone in our portal site though..
caution: it is 42 deg C hot here - carry water where ever u go and there is call taxis offering a/c cabs also - affordable rates. (try some : call taxi #s 22242169, 22245169 - 6 lines)
dr. vijayalakshmi - work done on 21st - had to wait till 11.30 though appointment was on 11.00 am : MMR was given and the report discussed as no problem b4 sealing -
now - nothing to do and even shopping is ruled out due to the heat
waiting for the interview on 28th..
guys - keep writing ur xperriences.
have a safe trip/
cheers,
sriram