Successful (but harrowing) stamping experience at mumbai

S

slice

Registered Users (C)
I changed from F1 to H1 last year and wanted to get my visa stamped on my dec visit to india. Inteview was at 10:30 dec 15. I went there armed with the following

1. Interview letter
2. Photograph - 2 no (many consulate need only 1 photo to be glued on DS-156
3. Employer comprehensive letter for H1 holder, ex employer letter. web site links etc
4. DS-156 (one photo attached) - new one 2 inch by 2 inch photograph
5. I-797 (H1 approval Notice), I-129, LCA
6. Principal aliens passport copy
7. Bank statement (3 months)
8. Pay stubs (6 months)
9. W2 - statement (last 2 years)
10 Employer office photos ( 5 nos )
11 Applicant original passport
12 DS-157
13 Questionnaire
14 Original marksheets, transcripts

I thought it would be open and shut case. Boy, was I wrong!

For some reason, the lady taking the interview was in a furious mood. Not sullen, mind you, not irritated, not merely angry. She was stark raving mad. She kept interrupting me and kept snapping her fingers while I was answering. On several occassions she yelled at me. She kept talking away from the mic (and talked real fast at that) and it was really difficult to hear what was going on. She wouldnt repeat her questions/remarks. At the end of the interview, she mumbled something vaguely into the mic and started to walk back. I am pretty good at spoken english, so its not like if that was the handicap at any point. When I asked her to please repeat herself, she barked "this interview is over" and put the headset down.

I got my visa and passport by mail next day, but not before feeling all worthless and insulted (and a sleepless night).

All said, I was luckier than the guy before me, whose papers she flung at the window, tore his questionnaire to pieces in front of him and when he offered a floppy (dont know why, I couldnt hear from the distance), she ripped the floppy into pieces with her bare hands and thew it away. Phew!

I am not kidding about any of this. I am really outraged by the treatment meted out to us. Dont give your damned visa if you dont want to, but there's no need to insult anyone. Its not like we are doing anything illegal. I wonder if there's anyone higher up I can report this to.

Btw, The other guy taking the interviews seemed pretty decent. I could her laughter and giggles from the neighboring counter.

slice
 
Slice,

Sorry to hear about your harrowing experience but glad to hear that you got your visa.

BTW what is the Questionnaire you are talking about? Item #13 in your list.

Thanks.
 
The questionnaire is something you are required to take for you interview. Its availbale at the visa-services.com website. Its a simple questionnaire, but extremely important. All my questions were based on it.

slice
 
I sympathise with your experience, I have lived and traveled extensively throughout many places and one thing I have finally learnt is never to argue unnecessarily with a government officer, simply because they have immense power, they know it, and can wreak havoc with it. The main reason being that they are in fact glorified clerks and are also not well paid (comparatively speaking) and accountability to superiors and others is informal. I have on the whole had mixed experiences with all sorts of visa officers from all kinds of countries, the Americans are hit or miss, I have had visa officers really go out of their way to help me when I needed a visa urgently and at other times found them to be very backward, rude, racist and bordering on illiterate. By the way, I have found the same experience at out own Indian High Commissions and Embassies for new passports, extra books, revalidations etc., some officers appear to have bribed their way to the embassy they are posted at, others are very good and kind. Fact of the matter is folks, visa officers are the lowest level amongst government officers, they are not recruiting the brightest and best people for this job, so what kind of behaviour we poor unfortunates have to suffer at their hands is a result of this. Also, strategically speaking, it is not in many countries interest to have an efficient and fast immigration service, if getting visas and greencards was that easy and fast, there would be quadruple the number of people applying, and receiving, such benefits. The whole idea is to frustrate and intimidate the potential applicant so that only the really determined, desperate or fool-hardy are willing to plunge into the black abyss of immigration, the more they deter and discourage, the better for them they think. This is after all a simplistic view of the process but having socially met a senior immigration official from an European country, he admitted that yes, that is the case, but its also a case of managing numbers at the end of the day.

As far as your experience at the Mumbai consulate is concerned, unfortunately complaining will have zero effect, they are not obliged to address your concerns. Till the day that we will be treated respectfully and with dignity…..we wait.
 
But still i can say .. We should bring this matter to the focus of the top guys ..
Send a bling complaint to state dept


Originally posted by yabadoo
I sympathise with your experience, I have lived and traveled extensively throughout many places and one thing I have finally learnt is never to argue unnecessarily with a government officer, simply because they have immense power, they know it, and can wreak havoc with it. The main reason being that they are in fact glorified clerks and are also not well paid (comparatively speaking) and accountability to superiors and others is informal. I have on the whole had mixed experiences with all sorts of visa officers from all kinds of countries, the Americans are hit or miss, I have had visa officers really go out of their way to help me when I needed a visa urgently and at other times found them to be very backward, rude, racist and bordering on illiterate. By the way, I have found the same experience at out own Indian High Commissions and Embassies for new passports, extra books, revalidations etc., some officers appear to have bribed their way to the embassy they are posted at, others are very good and kind. Fact of the matter is folks, visa officers are the lowest level amongst government officers, they are not recruiting the brightest and best people for this job, so what kind of behaviour we poor unfortunates have to suffer at their hands is a result of this. Also, strategically speaking, it is not in many countries interest to have an efficient and fast immigration service, if getting visas and greencards was that easy and fast, there would be quadruple the number of people applying, and receiving, such benefits. The whole idea is to frustrate and intimidate the potential applicant so that only the really determined, desperate or fool-hardy are willing to plunge into the black abyss of immigration, the more they deter and discourage, the better for them they think. This is after all a simplistic view of the process but having socially met a senior immigration official from an European country, he admitted that yes, that is the case, but its also a case of managing numbers at the end of the day.

As far as your experience at the Mumbai consulate is concerned, unfortunately complaining will have zero effect, they are not obliged to address your concerns. Till the day that we will be treated respectfully and with dignity…..we wait.
Click to expand...
 
Kishuibm

I agree with you to an extent but remember, until complaints build up to the level that they are un-ignorable, nothing will be done. There will always be the odd visa officer who will be totally out-of-order and will behave that way. Best to write to the Consul-General or Ambassador of that country, that usually is more effective.

Yabadoo
 
Thanks for your support
But evantuvally what we want is .. a simple respect .
and more over we are not doing anything wrong .. So whoever got this type of behaviour they should certainely write some complaint about this .. and i am pretty sure they will take that information pretty positive and we will get justice..
Originally posted by yabadoo
Kishuibm

I agree with you to an extent but remember, until complaints build up to the level that they are un-ignorable, nothing will be done. There will always be the odd visa officer who will be totally out-of-order and will behave that way. Best to write to the Consul-General or Ambassador of that country, that usually is more effective.

Yabadoo
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