Dear All!
This portal has been such an useful site for discussions and last minute help. Thanks.
I entered NY "as an immigrant" on the 30th April. Here is my CP experience at Mumbai.
8:00 am: Reached consulate.
8:10 am: Was told that my shoulder bag will not do. Rushed to Raj-travel (a few 100 feet away from cons.) to deposit the bag; transfered all documents into a plastic bag (painful).
8:25am: Entered, and SHOWED fee receipt at counter-1. Guy asked me to sit by counter-10thru13.
*It is a first-come-first-serve, and since I was last to enter (cos of the bag) for the IV, you guessed it, I was the last to be interviewed that day
**Take your fee receipt (the one you sent to NVC/St. Louis)
1:00 pm: Desi fellow calls me at counter-12. Asks for DS 230I and II, medical-report (Leelavati), Birth Cert and employment letter. Asks for copies and takes them.
*PCC SF 11/15/02, updated version obtained again (out of paranoia!) 4/1/03. i had to request an expeidited processing (thru email) cos i was leaving India 4/7! **Had two affidavits, from my dad and uncle, cos b.c. didnt have my name! ***Had all documents in folders and organized + copies. ****Leelavati was quite good and not too expensive either.
1:10 pm: Desi fellow asks me to sit down again.
1:20 pm: Called at counter-9. 1 desi (for translation) + 1 firang.
Q: desi: do you speak english?
firang: you better. otherwise i am rejecting you!
A: yes!
Q: you got a phd?
A: yes..
Q: what did you do for your phd?
A: "blah...."
"STOP. can you see i didnt understand anything..!!"
i smiled!
(there was a bunch of funny stuff which i will pass here)
Q: you are in the same category as einstien (i was on eb1). that shouldnt be!
A: i smiled.
Q: okay. raise your hand. say all documents are true!
A: raise hand.
"congrats. i am doing you a favor. your visa is approved"
desi: we cancelled your H1. come and collect your IV at 3:30 pm.
3:35 pm: was HOT and humid and dusty. waited till 4:20 and picked up my stuff.
-----------
POE/NY-JFK
1. entered the permanent resident/citizen line
2. the officer stamped my pprt and asked me to enter the room and hand documents in the order he gave em to me.
3. 30 minutes later, finger print and signature were collected. the guy stamped my pprt with the temp I551.
4. THAT WAS THAT.
-----------
Advise/Suggestions:
1. For interview have all your documents in ORIGINAL. i saw quite a few family-based applicants rejected (and some crying) cos they didnt bring the original!
2. Keep documents in order, and know where they are in your big bunch of documents. Have a copy of each original with its original.
3. Take whatever you can. More-the-Merrier! That way you will feel confident.
4. Dont take a shoulder bag or a back pack to the interview!
5. Read the things at immihelp.com
6. and yes, make sure your pprt is valid for atleast 8 months afterward. immihelp.com says 6 months. it is wrong.
point 6 was the one that scared me the most. thinking 6, i didnt bother. when i saw it was 8 it was too late (mine was valid for 8 months and 10 days or something!).
Good Luck!
This portal has been such an useful site for discussions and last minute help. Thanks.
I entered NY "as an immigrant" on the 30th April. Here is my CP experience at Mumbai.
8:00 am: Reached consulate.
8:10 am: Was told that my shoulder bag will not do. Rushed to Raj-travel (a few 100 feet away from cons.) to deposit the bag; transfered all documents into a plastic bag (painful).
8:25am: Entered, and SHOWED fee receipt at counter-1. Guy asked me to sit by counter-10thru13.
*It is a first-come-first-serve, and since I was last to enter (cos of the bag) for the IV, you guessed it, I was the last to be interviewed that day
**Take your fee receipt (the one you sent to NVC/St. Louis)1:00 pm: Desi fellow calls me at counter-12. Asks for DS 230I and II, medical-report (Leelavati), Birth Cert and employment letter. Asks for copies and takes them.
*PCC SF 11/15/02, updated version obtained again (out of paranoia!) 4/1/03. i had to request an expeidited processing (thru email) cos i was leaving India 4/7! **Had two affidavits, from my dad and uncle, cos b.c. didnt have my name! ***Had all documents in folders and organized + copies. ****Leelavati was quite good and not too expensive either.
1:10 pm: Desi fellow asks me to sit down again.
1:20 pm: Called at counter-9. 1 desi (for translation) + 1 firang.
Q: desi: do you speak english?
firang: you better. otherwise i am rejecting you!
A: yes!
Q: you got a phd?
A: yes..
Q: what did you do for your phd?
A: "blah...."
"STOP. can you see i didnt understand anything..!!"
i smiled!
(there was a bunch of funny stuff which i will pass here)
Q: you are in the same category as einstien (i was on eb1). that shouldnt be!
A: i smiled.
Q: okay. raise your hand. say all documents are true!
A: raise hand.
"congrats. i am doing you a favor. your visa is approved"
desi: we cancelled your H1. come and collect your IV at 3:30 pm.
3:35 pm: was HOT and humid and dusty. waited till 4:20 and picked up my stuff.
-----------
POE/NY-JFK
1. entered the permanent resident/citizen line
2. the officer stamped my pprt and asked me to enter the room and hand documents in the order he gave em to me.
3. 30 minutes later, finger print and signature were collected. the guy stamped my pprt with the temp I551.
4. THAT WAS THAT.
-----------
Advise/Suggestions:
1. For interview have all your documents in ORIGINAL. i saw quite a few family-based applicants rejected (and some crying) cos they didnt bring the original!
2. Keep documents in order, and know where they are in your big bunch of documents. Have a copy of each original with its original.
3. Take whatever you can. More-the-Merrier! That way you will feel confident.
4. Dont take a shoulder bag or a back pack to the interview!
5. Read the things at immihelp.com
6. and yes, make sure your pprt is valid for atleast 8 months afterward. immihelp.com says 6 months. it is wrong.
point 6 was the one that scared me the most. thinking 6, i didnt bother. when i saw it was 8 it was too late (mine was valid for 8 months and 10 days or something!).
Good Luck!