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Registered Users (C)
I completed the CP interview process yesterday ( June 21st ) and thought that I\'d jot down a few issues based on my experience.
PCC: This was a massive headache because of the conflicting pieces of information from all over. We took along a) the PCC from the Indian consulate in NY, b) printout of the e-mail from Mumbai consulate saying the Mumbai police station PCC is not required and c) the PCC issuance denial letter from Mumbai police station. Because of b), it seems like c) wouldn\'t be required, but the CP document collector ( called CPDC henceforth ) asked me if I had c) with me ( though she didn\'t seem to insist on it ) and then took it from me and filed it.
Medical: We chose Lilavati because everyone had good things to say about this hospital. I must say that I was very impressed with the hospital ( better than some of the hospitals I see in New York ). The process was smooth and systematic. The staff is friendly and very professional. The whole process takes about 3 hours. Be prepared to get pricked in at least three places - one for blood test and one injection on each arm. If you are healthy enough, you\'ll be done the same day and can pick up the report the same evening. Remember to take along the passport photos and enough cash and be there at 7:30 am sharp.
Birth certificates: My birth certificate (BC) had only my parents first names and my wife\'s BC had her father\'s old name. So, we decided to get supplemental birth affidavits. This was a painful process because the typist has to get all the facts, including spellings, right. After 6 days, spanning over the weekend, we got the correct versions of the affidavits. The so-called lawyer we worked with was quite troublesome. Anyway, we ended up not using the affidavits because the CPDC didn\'t have a problem with our BCs. The CPDC will verify that the photocopies match the original BCs and will return the originals back to you.
Marriage certificates: Have one copy of the marriage certificate in your spouse\'s document file. The CP document collector will verify that the photocopies match the original.
Demand drafts: The fees have gone up, but if you\'ve applied when it was $260 + $65, that\'s all you need to make it out for. We paid the $260 x 2 from the US, so we only prepared two Rs. 65 x 49 DDs. If you\'ve also paid the $260 DD in advance, make sure you bring the receipt with you.
Photos: The photos that we got from the US were not good enough, after I saw the detailed instructions, even though the US photographer assured me that he knew what he was doing. The size and the posture were slightly incorrect. We got 4 more copies from "My own studio", situated about 50 metres south of the consulate. Same day service ( in 5 hours ) costs Rs. 200 for a set of 4. The posture seemed correct and the photos were square in shape, but the instructions say that the length is more than the width. The photographer told us that the square one is the correct one at the consulate here. We trusted him and the CPDC didn\'t have any problems with it ( but we had also asked the photographer to give us 4 more rectangular photos each, just in case - only an extra Rs. 100 each ).
Overnight stay: We stayed at Shalimar Hotel at Kemp\'s corner. It cost us Rs. 4000, including tax. This may sound expensive, but it\'s worth it, expecially because there are too many bottlenecks ( late in waking up, torrential rains, broken down cabs/cars in this monsoon season ) if you are coming from North Bombay. The hotel is comparable to hotels in America and Europe of the same price range. Ths staff at Shalimar is very considerate and the room is decent. A nice breakfast with dosas, sausages and omelletes ( plus the usual fruits, creal, muffins, milk, juice ), is complimentary. Plus we had a very good workout at their small gym first thing in the morning ( I would highly recommend this to relieve the anxiety before the CP appointment ).
CP appointment: My appointment was at 9:30 am. We were t
PCC: This was a massive headache because of the conflicting pieces of information from all over. We took along a) the PCC from the Indian consulate in NY, b) printout of the e-mail from Mumbai consulate saying the Mumbai police station PCC is not required and c) the PCC issuance denial letter from Mumbai police station. Because of b), it seems like c) wouldn\'t be required, but the CP document collector ( called CPDC henceforth ) asked me if I had c) with me ( though she didn\'t seem to insist on it ) and then took it from me and filed it.
Medical: We chose Lilavati because everyone had good things to say about this hospital. I must say that I was very impressed with the hospital ( better than some of the hospitals I see in New York ). The process was smooth and systematic. The staff is friendly and very professional. The whole process takes about 3 hours. Be prepared to get pricked in at least three places - one for blood test and one injection on each arm. If you are healthy enough, you\'ll be done the same day and can pick up the report the same evening. Remember to take along the passport photos and enough cash and be there at 7:30 am sharp.
Birth certificates: My birth certificate (BC) had only my parents first names and my wife\'s BC had her father\'s old name. So, we decided to get supplemental birth affidavits. This was a painful process because the typist has to get all the facts, including spellings, right. After 6 days, spanning over the weekend, we got the correct versions of the affidavits. The so-called lawyer we worked with was quite troublesome. Anyway, we ended up not using the affidavits because the CPDC didn\'t have a problem with our BCs. The CPDC will verify that the photocopies match the original BCs and will return the originals back to you.
Marriage certificates: Have one copy of the marriage certificate in your spouse\'s document file. The CP document collector will verify that the photocopies match the original.
Demand drafts: The fees have gone up, but if you\'ve applied when it was $260 + $65, that\'s all you need to make it out for. We paid the $260 x 2 from the US, so we only prepared two Rs. 65 x 49 DDs. If you\'ve also paid the $260 DD in advance, make sure you bring the receipt with you.
Photos: The photos that we got from the US were not good enough, after I saw the detailed instructions, even though the US photographer assured me that he knew what he was doing. The size and the posture were slightly incorrect. We got 4 more copies from "My own studio", situated about 50 metres south of the consulate. Same day service ( in 5 hours ) costs Rs. 200 for a set of 4. The posture seemed correct and the photos were square in shape, but the instructions say that the length is more than the width. The photographer told us that the square one is the correct one at the consulate here. We trusted him and the CPDC didn\'t have any problems with it ( but we had also asked the photographer to give us 4 more rectangular photos each, just in case - only an extra Rs. 100 each ).
Overnight stay: We stayed at Shalimar Hotel at Kemp\'s corner. It cost us Rs. 4000, including tax. This may sound expensive, but it\'s worth it, expecially because there are too many bottlenecks ( late in waking up, torrential rains, broken down cabs/cars in this monsoon season ) if you are coming from North Bombay. The hotel is comparable to hotels in America and Europe of the same price range. Ths staff at Shalimar is very considerate and the room is decent. A nice breakfast with dosas, sausages and omelletes ( plus the usual fruits, creal, muffins, milk, juice ), is complimentary. Plus we had a very good workout at their small gym first thing in the morning ( I would highly recommend this to relieve the anxiety before the CP appointment ).
CP appointment: My appointment was at 9:30 am. We were t