Patta Hara
Registered Users (C)
Immigration photos - Kumar studios. South Ex
medical - went to Dr. Jain in South Ex. Gave one passport size photos with appointment letter & passport. He gave 2 shots (MMR & tetnus). blood was drawn & the xray were done at Defence Colony The medical reports were given same evening. (Dr Jain is relatively dry and does not like small talks that you are so accustomed to in US doctor’s office)
Interview: Met justaskforks and hailswamy at the embassy. The interview was just a very expensive courier service – me delivering docs that FedEx could have done at a fraction of the cost . No questions were asked.The “document collector officer girl”(DCOG) was very courteous.
This is a run down of the process –
· You get in a line outside the Embassy at around 7:45. (The non-immigrant queues that would go for miles are not there anymore; even they get interview appointments else the work is done via courier services.)
· You are let in around 8:15 in groups of 10-12 as you go through the security. Bags were allowed.
· Once in you are asked to sit in waiting area. Then you are asked to form a line to go to the DCOG who will take your appointment letter and give you a small sheet with the fee that is applicable to you circled. Try to be ahead in this line as she does put a serial number on top of the sheet she gives you. This number comes handy at the time of fee payment. I was surprised/relieved to see that she had marked both application fee and issuance fee on my sheet. ( I was under the impression they take issuance after the interview)
· Then you sit and wait in front of the cashier’s window that opens after 9 am.
· Meanwhile guards direct all to the main waiting area. The consular office asks all Immigrants visa applicants to stand and do the “right hand thingie” to take an oath. After that back to waiting in front of the cash window.
· The window opens and guard asks first 10 people to line up and rest to keep sitting.(this is the number DCOG had put on the top of the fee payment sheet.
· At Delhi they take USD cash for immigrant visa. It is advisable to carry some banknotes of small denomination. I had $100 and $20 bills only, I had to wait for change of $10.
· After the payment you wait in the main waiting area until your number is called at the two windows that process IV visas.
· At the window DCOG first asked for my papers
DS 230 I and II, Birth certificate (copy), Marriage Certificate copy, Employment letter, IRS 9003
Then asks for the wife
DS 230 I & II, Marriage & Birth Certificate copy, IRS 9003 (Returned I-134)
· Then were asked to come at 4pm to pick passports
· Arrived 4:15, sat in the waiting hall for over 2 hours with Hail Swamy and spouses. It was stressful wait, from 5pm all the embassy staff started trickling out going home.
· Our packets were given at around 6:30 pm. The counter person asked us to carry it and the X Rays in hand baggage and not check in. Separate Yellow Envelops for self and wife with the Visa approval sticking out from the cut corner. Confirmed all was correct on the visa approval and thanked our stars (MAKE SURE YOU MAKE A COPY OF THE VISA APPROVAL, it is a full sheet of paper like your 140 approval but much colorful)
POE: Arrived in Dallas, TX Dec 29th 2001. Did not fill in a Landing car I-94, stood in the citizens/residents queue. The immigtration officer put the A # in her system after she swiped one of my old visas and asked us to go to another room. Another officer made us sign a card & took print of right index finger on 2 places on the same card. He handed over our passports showing the stamp (I-155). He told us to expect the card in 6-8 months. He did not take the X rays. I was hoping for a ceremonial “Welcome to America” from him but he did not say it L
medical - went to Dr. Jain in South Ex. Gave one passport size photos with appointment letter & passport. He gave 2 shots (MMR & tetnus). blood was drawn & the xray were done at Defence Colony The medical reports were given same evening. (Dr Jain is relatively dry and does not like small talks that you are so accustomed to in US doctor’s office)
Interview: Met justaskforks and hailswamy at the embassy. The interview was just a very expensive courier service – me delivering docs that FedEx could have done at a fraction of the cost . No questions were asked.The “document collector officer girl”(DCOG) was very courteous.
This is a run down of the process –
· You get in a line outside the Embassy at around 7:45. (The non-immigrant queues that would go for miles are not there anymore; even they get interview appointments else the work is done via courier services.)
· You are let in around 8:15 in groups of 10-12 as you go through the security. Bags were allowed.
· Once in you are asked to sit in waiting area. Then you are asked to form a line to go to the DCOG who will take your appointment letter and give you a small sheet with the fee that is applicable to you circled. Try to be ahead in this line as she does put a serial number on top of the sheet she gives you. This number comes handy at the time of fee payment. I was surprised/relieved to see that she had marked both application fee and issuance fee on my sheet. ( I was under the impression they take issuance after the interview)
· Then you sit and wait in front of the cashier’s window that opens after 9 am.
· Meanwhile guards direct all to the main waiting area. The consular office asks all Immigrants visa applicants to stand and do the “right hand thingie” to take an oath. After that back to waiting in front of the cash window.
· The window opens and guard asks first 10 people to line up and rest to keep sitting.(this is the number DCOG had put on the top of the fee payment sheet.
· At Delhi they take USD cash for immigrant visa. It is advisable to carry some banknotes of small denomination. I had $100 and $20 bills only, I had to wait for change of $10.
· After the payment you wait in the main waiting area until your number is called at the two windows that process IV visas.
· At the window DCOG first asked for my papers
DS 230 I and II, Birth certificate (copy), Marriage Certificate copy, Employment letter, IRS 9003
Then asks for the wife
DS 230 I & II, Marriage & Birth Certificate copy, IRS 9003 (Returned I-134)
· Then were asked to come at 4pm to pick passports
· Arrived 4:15, sat in the waiting hall for over 2 hours with Hail Swamy and spouses. It was stressful wait, from 5pm all the embassy staff started trickling out going home.
· Our packets were given at around 6:30 pm. The counter person asked us to carry it and the X Rays in hand baggage and not check in. Separate Yellow Envelops for self and wife with the Visa approval sticking out from the cut corner. Confirmed all was correct on the visa approval and thanked our stars (MAKE SURE YOU MAKE A COPY OF THE VISA APPROVAL, it is a full sheet of paper like your 140 approval but much colorful)
POE: Arrived in Dallas, TX Dec 29th 2001. Did not fill in a Landing car I-94, stood in the citizens/residents queue. The immigtration officer put the A # in her system after she swiped one of my old visas and asked us to go to another room. Another officer made us sign a card & took print of right index finger on 2 places on the same card. He handed over our passports showing the stamp (I-155). He told us to expect the card in 6-8 months. He did not take the X rays. I was hoping for a ceremonial “Welcome to America” from him but he did not say it L