MUMBAI: Successful AC-140, Oct 28

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pttx01

Registered Users (C)
Flew in to Mumbai on Oct 17. Medicals at Lilavati on Oct 21. Interview on Oct 28. I will break up the story into MEDICALS and INTERVIEW

MEDICALS
Arrived at Lilavati at 7:20am. Lilavati is terrific. Centrally airconditioned. Very clean. The visa section is off by itself in the OPD (Out Patient Department). The guy in charge is named Manish. Very very organized gentleman. Thoroughly professional. Very courteous. 21 people for the immigration medicals. 5 employment based cases and the rest family based.
Take your PASSPORTS AND ORIGINAL APPOINTMENT LETTER they have to stamp the original letter so you HAVE TO TAKE IT.
1. Fill out Lilavati forms - 15 minutes (my wife and I together).
2. Waiver of all injections and x-ray for my wife (pregnant). Also we had taken all innoculations in the US last year.
3. Nurse took blood pressure.
4. Everyone else was hoarded in one after the other to take their shots (since they were from India, they all would need the vaccinations anyway).
5. After a 2 hour wait, taken in to see Dr. Milan Sangha (lady). Very nice lady, asked a lot of questions regarding the immigration process and why we in the US came to India to process.
6. Recommended that I take the tetanus injection since I'd last taken one in '96 (over 5 years ago).
7. went back to Manish, he got a nurse to give me the tetanus shot.
8. bye bye and came back at 4 to pick up the reports (which they gave us at 5!). Luckily, thanks to the airconditioning, we weren't uncomfortable, just tired as hell.
Cost/medical Rs.745 blood work, Rs.220-xray and Rs.195 med exam. Didn't charge my wife for the X-ray since she didn't have one. Paid for the above with my credit card. Paid for the tetanus with cash (they don't accept credit cards for vaccines).


INTERVIEW
On Oct 23, went to My own studio which is more or less opposite the consulate. Got the rush order deal for Rs.400 for the pics. 4 for my wife and 4 for me.

Oct 28
Appointment time at 8:15. Got there at 7:30. They let us in after checking the appointment letter. Security is like some max security prison. Several checks, etc. Got into the consulate at 7:45. Went straight to window 1 and paid $335/head (AC140, hadn't paid the $260 in the US). Then went to window 10. Windows 9, 10, 11 and 12 deal with Immigrant visa cases. 10, 11 and 12 take the papers for verification and 9 has the american who does the interviews. They laid out from left to right 9-10-11-12 and are at the far right of the consulate. The lady at Window 10 asked us to be seated and we would be called. She also struck off our name on her list so she knew that we showed up. About 2 hours later around 10:30, the gentleman at window 12 called us in for doc verification.
Made me sign a letter saying that I was going back to work for the same employer. The letter looked rather weird. Typewritten on bad paper.
My lawyer had given us form OF230-I instead of DS230-I. Luckily we had DS230-II. The guy was very nice, he said, this form is old, Don't worry though, i'll give you the right form and you can fill it up right now and come back to give it to me. In the meanwhile, let me take your other documents. Very very nice gentleman. Checked everything. Only asked for the papers that were requested in the appointment letter.
Same for my wife. Asked us to sign across one of the photographs.
We left counter 12 and went to fill out DS230-I. About 10 mins later went back and handed them to him. About 45 mins later we were called to Counter 9. There was an Indian lady and an American lady there. American asked "Do you speak English", we said "Yes". "Raise your right hand, take the oath -- everything in your app is correct to the best of your knowledge. I am cancelling your nonimmigrant visas, your immigrant visas are approved, congratulations (big smile). Now take this receipt (fee receipt) and DON'T LOSE IT, come back at 3 to pick up your paperwork." Total interview time around 15 seconds.
Left, went to colaba, had lunch at Delhi Darbar (we were dying to eat Mughlai). and then chilled out for a few hours. Went back at 2:30. They made us wait till 4:30 to give the papers. Sooo irritating. But who cares. All done. Flying back on friday night (nov 2 morning). Excellent trip. Mumbai has been a little hot, but has cooled down significantly in the past 3 days.
Good luck all, I will be happy to answer questions.
regards.
PTTX01.
 
Congratulations pttx01 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy yourself....... And please update your post with the POE details.

Have Fun.
 
Congratulations !

Hello pttx01:

Congratulations !

You made it.

And thanks for posting your experience so quickly.
I am going today Oct 30th and it helped me relax a bit :)

Thank you.

Vasu
 
Congratulations!!

Congratulations pttx01!!

Enjoy your post-gc life. Thanks for the posting.

gcOgc
 
Just the X-Ray. In case you can't take the X-ray (pregnancy) then sometimes they might ask you to do the PPD (skin) test. My wife's was waived as she had the test last year.
 
Photographs for medical

Hi PTTX,

One quick question. What are the specs for the photographs reqd for medical. Will the standard passport size photographs (as in our passports) be ok or do they have to be the same as those reqd for CP interview?

Thanks,
Amit
 
yes standard passport photos are fine for the medical, you do not need the special 3/4 view photos that are required for the green card.
PTTX01
 
DEAR pttx01
IF THE MEDICAL IS DONE FOR I485, COPIES OF THAT WOULD HELP IN ANYWAY? LIKE THE TB TEST OR XRAY REPORT ETC?
ALSO PLEASE CONTACT ME AT DEV28@yahoo.com if you do not mind I have a few more questions. thank you
 
Yes, take all the 485 paperwork as they will waive all the vaccinations. If you don't take proof of immunization from the US, then they will make you take all the vaccinations again. Unfortunately you will have to take the X-ray again. If you have a pregnant spouse, they will waive all vaccinations and waive the X-Ray as well.
 
dear pttx01
can u answer any of these queries for me please?
1.What is the advantage of waiting for 824 for approval than going for AC140 with its receipt, if any?
2.How do you prove that pending AOS will cause loss of opportunities-do you have to have an offer which is significantly better?
3.What happens if AC140 is :
A) not accepted at the consulate
B) accepted but then denied ( I have 1.5 yrs on my H1 left)

may be out of the line but i will still ask you..
4.WHAT IS THE BETTER OPTION IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO CHANGE THE EMPLOYER:
AC21 OR GC WITH AC140 IF ONES' AOS IS PENDING FOR A FEW MONTHS, LET'S SAY 2 TO 3 MONTHS?
USING THE AC21, YOU COULD BE SAFE RIGHT AFTER THE 180 DAYS BUT ONCE YOU GET GC USING AC140 (OR WAHTEVER MEANS FOR THAT MATTER), IT' MOSTLY ADVISED TO STICK WITH ORIGINAL EMPLOYER FOR 6 M AT LEAST PRESUMINGTHE JOB EXISTS? ALSO WHAT IF YOU FILE FOR 824 TO WITHDRAW AOS AND APPLY FOR CP USING AC140, BUT IT EITHER GETS DENIED OR GETS ACCEPTED AND THEN REJECTED?
SOMETIMES I FEEL IT IS HOW THE PROBLEM IS PERCIEVED THAT MATTERS IN ANSWERING THIS QUESTION:
IF YOU ARE QUITTING, IT IS PROBABLY BETTER TO USE AC21
AND IF YOU ARE ANTICIPATING THE EMPLOYER MAY KICK YOU OUT, IT IS BETTER TO HAVE GC IN HAND AT THE EARLIEST, THEREFORE AC140 IS BETTER. CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG.
ALSO IF YOU ARE NOT SURE HOW THE AC21 WOULD BE VIEWED BY INS BECAUSE OF CONCURRENT FILING, YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHOOSE AC140 BEFORE QUITING THE JOB.
thanks
 
1.What is the advantage of waiting for 824 for approval than going for AC140 with its receipt, if any?

I can' t think of anything. If your consulate accepts AC140, then it really makes no sense to go for the 824.

2.How do you prove that pending AOS will cause loss of opportunities-do you have to have an offer which is significantly better?

You don't really need to prove anything like this, esp if it is Mumbai. Colin Powell issued a cable to consular posts advising them to accept AC140 cases since the INS work gets processed faster at the applicant's cost. Look at www.immihelp.com for an example of a good letter to send to the consulate.

3.What happens if AC140 is :
A) not accepted at the consulate
Nothing, you wait for the 824 approval and then they will get the case through the normal NVC procedure, but I was EB3 and Mumbai accepted it, it is very rare that they would deny an AC140 case, if you ever had a visa issued by that consular post or if that is your home post, they will accept the case.

B) accepted but then denied ( I have 1.5 yrs on my H1 left)
The thing that most people don't know about consular processing is that they have NO discretion in these cases, they HAVE to issue it unless there is fraud (usually in family based cases) or you don't have documentation (in which case you can go back with the docs the next day). So there is virtually no chance of being denied. Far fewer chances than the AOS getting denied.

may be out of the line but i will still ask you..
4.WHAT IS THE BETTER OPTION IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO CHANGE THE EMPLOYER:
Definitely AC21 because you want the portability. Even when you get your green card, it is recommended by most lawyers that you stay in your job for at least 6 months. This is because when you apply for your citizenship, the INS will say "The green card was for FUTURE employment and you got it and then bailed from the company who sponsored you" So in effect you had no intention to stay with that employer, therefore fraud, therefore we revoke your GC". There is no statute of limitations in immigration law, so if you did get your GC and bail, they could hassle you in the future. If you are intending to change jobs, I'd say do AC21 and change using portability. Then you won't have to worry about this.

Even if the employer is planning on kicking you out, I'd say if you are past 180 days, go for AC21 so this way you have your EAD to find another job and also stick around. If you switch to CP and don't get it before getting kicked out, YOU ARE OUT.
good luck!
 
Dear pttx01
few more queries but before that, please help us out by coming back to this forum..
1. reconfirm yours was ac140 please
2.can you give me your attorneys name, mine is not confident . my email address is dev28@yahoo.com i would really appreciate if you can help me out please.
3.What about PCC and Company financial documents: for mumbai, did you take from local embassy and how long did it take to get PCC; did you have to take company's financial statements?
4.did you take sailor's permit too?
5.What were the initial documents you included to the consulate? Did you include Packet 3 in the initial package to consulte or waited till they sent it?
6.How long did it take from the time your attorney sent the initial package to the time you heard the response from the consulate and, from that time to recieving your packet 3? I guess you filled your pkt 3 and took it with you to the initerview? how long after they sent the pkt 3 was your interview scheduled, a month or so later?
I know i have asked a lot of queries but you know that you arre m y God now. Help me.
Thanks a great deal! If you feel it is easier to have me call you, I shall. You could give me your number at dev28@yahoo.com
dev
 
Last edited by a moderator:
1. reconfirm yours was ac140 please
Yes EB3 AC140
2.can you give me your attorneys name, mine is not confident . my email address is dev28@yahoo.com i would really appreciate if you can help me out please.
My attorney is pretty useless, but that's a long story, finally they did what was required.
3.What about PCC and Company financial documents: for mumbai, did you take from local embassy and how long did it take to get PCC; did you have to take company's financial statements?
PCC from the Houston consulate took me about a month to get. I took a print out of the company's statements as we stopped printing out annual reports.
4.did you take sailor's permit too?
Form 2063, but no, I did not take it and it wasn't required anyway.
5.What were the initial documents you included to the consulate? Did you include Packet 3 in the initial package to consulte or waited till they sent it?
I-824 receipt, and packet 3 (DS-230 part I).

6.How long did it take from the time your attorney sent the initial package to the time you heard the response from the consulate and, from that time to recieving your packet 3? I guess you filled your pkt 3 and took it with you to the initerview? how long after they sent the pkt 3 was your interview scheduled, a month or so later?
Consulate recd pkt3 and I824 receipt on Sept 3. Sent me email on Sept 16 saying interview was scheduled for Oct 28. This is unusual though as typically they take about a month or so to schedule the interview. The reason they did this quickly in my case is because I kept calling them and requesting a date in Oct (wife is pregnant).
 
I too had a sucessful interview on 28th october. I think pttx borrowed a pen from me.since he was talking about some wrong forms being filled by the lawyer..
Anyway I am back in the US and back to work.

If ur wife is pregnant better carry the pregnancy records during the medicals at hindujas else they make you take a pregnancy test..
 
Hey VVM1,
yes, I did borrow the pen from you... Good observation :).
Thanks for the pen by the way. It was really great that the officer didn't hassle us at all regarding the incorrect forms. He just allowed us to fill in the right ones there.
thanks once again.
 
P4 forms

pttx/vmm,

Congrats on your successful interviews!

I have an interview on Dec 11, and am planning to leave Dec 2 for India. Due to Thanksgiving holidays, I am not sure if I'll get the P4 sent by Mumbai before I leave.

Please could you tell me what forms/letters the P4 includes.

I believe we can get a copy of the appointment letter from the embassyvia walk-in , but can we get copies of everything else in P4 also?

Also, couple of questions on I-134:

The form asks (in item 7)-

You have life insurance in the sum of :

With a cash surrender value of :

Do you know what "cash surrender value" means ??

Also, the amount to be listed in life insurance is from my company's benefits or from some other place as well ?
Any suggestions ??

Thanks,

Amit
 
You are welocme pttx.Also congrats for ur baby. BTW my wife is expecting too :)

amitag,

Packet 4 contains

1) Appointment letter.


2)form DS230 part 1 and 2. You can get these forms online
at immihelp.com. These are fillable and u can fill them up online and take a printout. It looks neat and is very much acceptable.
The forms which the consulate sends are photo copies.

3) an instruction sheet regarding the essentials.

a)number of fotos(3 nos)
b)amount to be paid
c)the police clearance certificate(originals)
d)marriage certificate(2 copies)
e)birth certificates(1 copy for each member).
f)Original employment letter containing the essentials(notarized)

Carry the originals for verification.

I-134 has not been specifically mentioned for employment based case. but they do ask for it(get it notarized from ur bank notary).

Please get ur fotos from "my own studio" .it is a few yards on the opposite side of the consulate. the guy is real professional and his fotos are never rejected.he will give u 4 nos for 200 RS.

Amount to be paid by draft is RS (335*49) . i.e if you have not already paid the money in the USA.

Here is what I put in I-134:( I guess you are married)

You have life insurance in the sum of : 50,000

(ask ur HR.my company has a standard 50,000 + any thing you opt for additionally)

With a cash surrender value of : 0

(I don't think you need to really worry about it. They normally don't care about these numbers)

Do you know what "cash surrender value" means ?? :Don't bother

Also, the amount to be listed in life insurance is from my company's benefits or from some other place as well ?
Any suggestions ?? : Stick to just one reasonable value

I hope this helps....

All the best.:)
 
vvm1,
Thanks for the reply to amitag's query. This really helps me too. amitag's query was on this forum in some other thread for a while and remains unreplied even today. Yesterday, I talked to one of our HR Sr. Mgr and it seems he doen't know of the meaning of "cash surrender values" - he gave me a junk of papers and asked me to find it out - :).
Anyway, my attorney of course told me the salary is good enough and he has put "N/A" to all other asset etc. questions of I-134.Accord to him it doesn't matter. I'm still negotiating with him to put my assets to show the consulate how much is my assets- :) - just kidding !!!
cheers!!
Ranen
 
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