Folks:
I had a successful CP interview at the US Embassy in New Delhi today in the EB4 (Special Immigrant: Religious Worker) cateogry. Here's a recap of the experience with the medicals and with the Embassy itself.
Medicals
I did these at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi. The appointment was a week before my interview at 2 pm, and was made painless over the phone from the US, when my interview date was announced. I arrived at 1:20 pm (too early!), and was called at 2:15 pm to pay the fees (Rs. 1450). They asked for the appointment letter, two photographs and my passport during the visit. The tests were done very professionally and courteously, and the medical examination did not involve stripping. The X-ray tech said that I could check with her 15-20 minutes after my X-ray to see if everything was ok (and it was
) The only complaint was that one has to wait a lot -- I was done only at about 4:20 pm or so. There is a cafeteria just outside the test area. So, be sure to take some music or a book! They gave me the results back in 2 days, at which time one can see the whole report, since they ask you to make a photocopy (Re. 1 for each side) before sealing the envelope with the report and the X-rays. I'd recommend this hospital if one is not in a hurry. Everything is under one roof (unlike some of the other places in Delhi), and as I said, everything is very professional.
Name Check
I emailed the Embassy immediately on arrival in India so that they could do the FBI name check. As far as I know, New Delhi is the only US mission in India that requires candidates from overseas to inform them on arrival before initiating the name check. Other missions do the name check on their own. This can create delays if one arrives too close to the interview date, since it takes about 5 business days to process most name checks. The emabssy acknowledged my email exactly a week after I'd sent it! (They tend to be slow in the acknowledgement department. I could never get through to any human person on the phone, either from the US or from India. No one answered any of the numbers listed on the website, so my preferred method of communication had been email). I had arrived two weeks prior to my interview, so I didn't anticipate any trouble.
Interview
My appointment time was at 10:00 am and I arrived at about 9:40 am and was let in without any troubles. The Embassy has a storage locker (free) just inside the building where one can leave a mobile phone (this is, obviously, quite useful!). The security personnel were quite courteous. Inside, they took my appointment letter and asked me to wait. At 11:00 am I was asked to come to a counter for document collection, by an Indian gentleman, who was also very polite. Documents taken: Passport, DS-230 Pt. II, PCC (from Indian Embassy in Washington), copy of birth certificate (original returned to me), copies of my I-797s (for the R-1 visa I'd been working on to date), notarized employment letter (only one original taken), baptism certificate (well, mine was a religious worker case; also, my last name is not a standard "Christian" Indian last name, so I guess he wanted to be sure I was legitimate!), and tax-transcripts for the past 3 years (he asked for returns, I gave him the transcripts, no questions asked). He then asked me to go pay the balance of the Immigrant Visa fee at the cashier, which I did, in US cash ($45).
I then waited till about 2:00 pm, before being called again. The waiting area is comfortable, air-conditioned, and has a rather overpriced snack and drink stall. The consular official was a lady of Indian origin, who showed me the DS-230 Pt. 1 which was part of the packet that the NVC had sent to the Embassy and asked, "Is this your case?" ("Yes"). She then administered the oath and took my fingerprints and then asked me what my work involved, and when I had arrived in India. And then, "Congratulations, you've got the visa!" That's it!
I went to the courier desk, filled out the form and paid Rs. 441 cash. (I'm having my passport couriered to family in Bombay, since I'll be flying back to the US from there). They gave me a receipt with a case # and phone numbers to call in case there is a problem. I then went out and called my family with the good news!
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I would like to thank the hosts of this wonderful forum -- the information exchange here is simply invaluable, without which I could anticipate many more hitches and potholes in the journey, and also to everyone on here who contirbutes! Now for the return journey and the POE experience.
Best wishes to all those here -- especially those facing or dealing with retrogression. Everyone -- do lobby your representatives to change the laws!
I had a successful CP interview at the US Embassy in New Delhi today in the EB4 (Special Immigrant: Religious Worker) cateogry. Here's a recap of the experience with the medicals and with the Embassy itself.
Medicals
I did these at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in Delhi. The appointment was a week before my interview at 2 pm, and was made painless over the phone from the US, when my interview date was announced. I arrived at 1:20 pm (too early!), and was called at 2:15 pm to pay the fees (Rs. 1450). They asked for the appointment letter, two photographs and my passport during the visit. The tests were done very professionally and courteously, and the medical examination did not involve stripping. The X-ray tech said that I could check with her 15-20 minutes after my X-ray to see if everything was ok (and it was
) The only complaint was that one has to wait a lot -- I was done only at about 4:20 pm or so. There is a cafeteria just outside the test area. So, be sure to take some music or a book! They gave me the results back in 2 days, at which time one can see the whole report, since they ask you to make a photocopy (Re. 1 for each side) before sealing the envelope with the report and the X-rays. I'd recommend this hospital if one is not in a hurry. Everything is under one roof (unlike some of the other places in Delhi), and as I said, everything is very professional. Name Check
I emailed the Embassy immediately on arrival in India so that they could do the FBI name check. As far as I know, New Delhi is the only US mission in India that requires candidates from overseas to inform them on arrival before initiating the name check. Other missions do the name check on their own. This can create delays if one arrives too close to the interview date, since it takes about 5 business days to process most name checks. The emabssy acknowledged my email exactly a week after I'd sent it! (They tend to be slow in the acknowledgement department. I could never get through to any human person on the phone, either from the US or from India. No one answered any of the numbers listed on the website, so my preferred method of communication had been email). I had arrived two weeks prior to my interview, so I didn't anticipate any trouble.
Interview
My appointment time was at 10:00 am and I arrived at about 9:40 am and was let in without any troubles. The Embassy has a storage locker (free) just inside the building where one can leave a mobile phone (this is, obviously, quite useful!). The security personnel were quite courteous. Inside, they took my appointment letter and asked me to wait. At 11:00 am I was asked to come to a counter for document collection, by an Indian gentleman, who was also very polite. Documents taken: Passport, DS-230 Pt. II, PCC (from Indian Embassy in Washington), copy of birth certificate (original returned to me), copies of my I-797s (for the R-1 visa I'd been working on to date), notarized employment letter (only one original taken), baptism certificate (well, mine was a religious worker case; also, my last name is not a standard "Christian" Indian last name, so I guess he wanted to be sure I was legitimate!), and tax-transcripts for the past 3 years (he asked for returns, I gave him the transcripts, no questions asked). He then asked me to go pay the balance of the Immigrant Visa fee at the cashier, which I did, in US cash ($45).
I then waited till about 2:00 pm, before being called again. The waiting area is comfortable, air-conditioned, and has a rather overpriced snack and drink stall. The consular official was a lady of Indian origin, who showed me the DS-230 Pt. 1 which was part of the packet that the NVC had sent to the Embassy and asked, "Is this your case?" ("Yes"). She then administered the oath and took my fingerprints and then asked me what my work involved, and when I had arrived in India. And then, "Congratulations, you've got the visa!" That's it!
I went to the courier desk, filled out the form and paid Rs. 441 cash. (I'm having my passport couriered to family in Bombay, since I'll be flying back to the US from there). They gave me a receipt with a case # and phone numbers to call in case there is a problem. I then went out and called my family with the good news!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I would like to thank the hosts of this wonderful forum -- the information exchange here is simply invaluable, without which I could anticipate many more hitches and potholes in the journey, and also to everyone on here who contirbutes! Now for the return journey and the POE experience.
Best wishes to all those here -- especially those facing or dealing with retrogression. Everyone -- do lobby your representatives to change the laws!
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