Hey folks:
First of all -- I just want to say just how wonderful this forum is! There's so much good information here, and it's awesome that so many people want to share their experience with others.
Now some background before my questions:
I'm applying for permanent residency as an EB4 Special Immigrant - Religious Worker. Not a very common category on here, it seems. My I-360 was apparently approved in Dec. 2003, but TSC failed to inform me, or update their case status website about my case, and the cust. service didn't give us any information until the time frame on the receipt notice had expired (Nov. 2004). Which is when we found out that the case had been approved Dec. 2003. My attorney submitted an 824, requesting that my case be sent on to the NVC for CP. With some pushing from a congressional office, it turns out that my 824 was approved last week (or so the TSC's website claims). So ... I'm finally in the CP pipeline.
Q1) What happens next? If I've understood correctly, the NVC should contact me in a month or so (or longer. I think in my case it's always going to be "or longer!
). According to immihelp they will send a letter asking if I want AOS or CP. I then send that back and they then send me the DS-3032?
Q2) Where does one actually specify that the CP should be done in Mumbai (the closest post to my permanent address in India)? I have a feeling (I'll need to look through the copies) that in my original I-360, my attorney might have put down New Delhi.
Q3) Obtaining Indian PCC. Could someone share their experiences with the Embassy of India in Washington (I'm in their geogrpahical jursidiction). I've read here that it takes 4 weeks for a passport issued in the US? Is it advisable to apply in person? (DC is at least a 7 hour drive away).
Q4) I never did get an approval notice for my 360. Will this be a problem? My attorney doesn't think so, since the approval will be communicated to the NVC. Filing another 824 to get a 797 is impractical -- the TSC's average processing time for these is 525-675 days!
Q5) This is probably the most nebulous and paranoid question. I guess EB4 CP petitions are relatively rare. EB4 Religious worker petitions of someone who converted to Christianity (a long time ago), but has, what to an Indian would seem to be a "Hindu" name, might even be rarer. On Immihelp it says that at the interview, one's papers are first checked by an Indian official. Obviously, everything I'm doing is well within the purview of American law. (And the DHS has given me R1 non-immigrant status for 5 years.) But maybe this might get me additional scrutiny? As I said, a rather paranoid question!
Anway -- any thoughts and input would be very gratefully received. And good luck to all on here!
First of all -- I just want to say just how wonderful this forum is! There's so much good information here, and it's awesome that so many people want to share their experience with others.
Now some background before my questions:
I'm applying for permanent residency as an EB4 Special Immigrant - Religious Worker. Not a very common category on here, it seems. My I-360 was apparently approved in Dec. 2003, but TSC failed to inform me, or update their case status website about my case, and the cust. service didn't give us any information until the time frame on the receipt notice had expired (Nov. 2004). Which is when we found out that the case had been approved Dec. 2003. My attorney submitted an 824, requesting that my case be sent on to the NVC for CP. With some pushing from a congressional office, it turns out that my 824 was approved last week (or so the TSC's website claims). So ... I'm finally in the CP pipeline.
Q1) What happens next? If I've understood correctly, the NVC should contact me in a month or so (or longer. I think in my case it's always going to be "or longer!
). According to immihelp they will send a letter asking if I want AOS or CP. I then send that back and they then send me the DS-3032? Q2) Where does one actually specify that the CP should be done in Mumbai (the closest post to my permanent address in India)? I have a feeling (I'll need to look through the copies) that in my original I-360, my attorney might have put down New Delhi.
Q3) Obtaining Indian PCC. Could someone share their experiences with the Embassy of India in Washington (I'm in their geogrpahical jursidiction). I've read here that it takes 4 weeks for a passport issued in the US? Is it advisable to apply in person? (DC is at least a 7 hour drive away).
Q4) I never did get an approval notice for my 360. Will this be a problem? My attorney doesn't think so, since the approval will be communicated to the NVC. Filing another 824 to get a 797 is impractical -- the TSC's average processing time for these is 525-675 days!
Q5) This is probably the most nebulous and paranoid question. I guess EB4 CP petitions are relatively rare. EB4 Religious worker petitions of someone who converted to Christianity (a long time ago), but has, what to an Indian would seem to be a "Hindu" name, might even be rarer. On Immihelp it says that at the interview, one's papers are first checked by an Indian official. Obviously, everything I'm doing is well within the purview of American law. (And the DHS has given me R1 non-immigrant status for 5 years.) But maybe this might get me additional scrutiny? As I said, a rather paranoid question!
Anway -- any thoughts and input would be very gratefully received. And good luck to all on here!