URGENT!! Help on Visa application

[mario123]

I am applying for a 6 month tourist visa at CGI Houston for myself, wife and 2 minor kids. I am driving down tomorrow morning and need urgent help on completing the appl:

1) Signature for minors: No info. whatsoever on what to do here. My kids are 3 and 6 yrs. old. Do I sign? Leave it blank? Make them sign?

2) Pictures: The appl. "instructions" say to "afix" 2 pictures but there is only ONE box on the form!! What do I do for the 2nd. pic? Staple it to the form? Stick it?

3) $60 Fee: Can I pay in cash? If not, do I write 4 separate checks for $60 each? ONE check for $240?

4) Any other fee that you are aware of?

5) Do they give the passports+visa back the same day? Has anyone had experience doing this at CGI-H?

I would appreciate any responses ASAP since I have to drive early tomorrow morning.

Thanks A LOT!!

 

[aabbcc11]

Have you tried finding the answers on the website of the CGI ?

 

[mario123]

Have you tried finding the answers on the website of the CGI ?

Yes, I looked all over CGIH's website and found nothing! That's why I' asking for help here.

 

[mant0478]

Mario,

Check out the following link from the SF embassy, http://www.cgisf.org/visa/visa_services.html , it has some information, hopefully it is the same for Houston.

From the information provieded, SF does not accept personal checks, only cash, money orders/Cashiers checks, the photos needs to be pasted/stapled, so I am assuming one is pasted and the second one is stapled.

I am applying for a 6 month tourist visa at CGI Houston for myself, wife and 2 minor kids. I am driving down tomorrow morning and need urgent help on completing the appl:

1) Signature for minors: No info. whatsoever on what to do here. My kids are 3 and 6 yrs. old. Do I sign? Leave it blank? Make them sign?

2) Pictures: The appl. "instructions" say to "afix" 2 pictures but there is only ONE box on the form!! What do I do for the 2nd. pic? Staple it to the form? Stick it?

3) $60 Fee: Can I pay in cash? If not, do I write 4 separate checks for $60 each? ONE check for $240?

4) Any other fee that you are aware of?

5) Do they give the passports+visa back the same day? Has anyone had experience doing this at CGI-H?

I would appreciate any responses ASAP since I have to drive early tomorrow morning.

Thanks A LOT!!

 

[Rama Bashyam]

I am applying for a 6 month tourist visa at CGI Houston for myself, wife and 2 minor kids. I am driving down tomorrow morning and need urgent help on completing the appl:

1) Signature for minors: No info. whatsoever on what to do here. My kids are 3 and 6 yrs. old. Do I sign? Leave it blank? Make them sign?

2) Pictures: The appl. "instructions" say to "afix" 2 pictures but there is only ONE box on the form!! What do I do for the 2nd. pic? Staple it to the form? Stick it?

3) $60 Fee: Can I pay in cash? If not, do I write 4 separate checks for $60 each? ONE check for $240?

4) Any other fee that you are aware of?

5) Do they give the passports+visa back the same day? Has anyone had experience doing this at CGI-H?

I would appreciate any responses ASAP since I have to drive early tomorrow morning.

Thanks A LOT!!

1 - I think I left it blank for my son (about 6 years ago) - not very sure, but you don't have to make them sign.
2 - Staple the other one (that is what I did when I applied at the Dallas camp 2 months ago).
3 - Cashiers check - You can get all in one Cashiers check payable to CGI-Houston. Make sure you right the cashiers check # at the bottom of the application.
4 - Nope - should refer to CGI website.
5 - At consulate, they should, because they gave the passports the same day when I applied at the Dallas camp.
Hope this helps.

 

[mario123]

mant0478 & Rama Bashyam - Thanks a lot for your responses. Unfortunately I had already left for the consulate this morning before reading your messages.

At any rate, I got the visas - no real issue other than the lack of formality or any sort of procdures at CGIH- basically it was a very strange experience:
- go into the cousular office and take a number (actually no one tells you to take a number nor are there any signs telling you to do so!)
- wait for about 40 mins.
- when your # is called - give the lady your app.
- they don't really care what you fill in the apps. You can write an essay on football and they will accept it as long as the $$$$ are given! I even asked the lady a few questions while I gave the appl. and she simply said don't worry about it.
- she then marked the appl. and put the appl + passports in a bin for the visa.
- at 4 pm you show up to pick up the passports, but...... ofcourse how could it go smoothly? You show up and just stand in the room. Do you take a number again? form a line? how many lines? no one knows!
- so by about 4:15 the room is full again with people coming to pick up visas, OCI, etc.
- the ladies behing the counter can see the confusion but do they care? Ofcourse NOT!
- so poeple start making random lines in front of the counters. Even though I was the 2nd person in, I ended up being towards the end of the line because I didn't want to rush the line!
- finally your turn comes, you pick up your stuff and off you go.