biggish data

India-US citizenship & etc !

QUOTE (christera22 @ Jun 23 2008, 03:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Great !! some other things i needed to know..may be layman`s question but I am not really aware of these :
a)1st we are given 2 yr conditional green card.Then 10 yr unconditional green card. Then when we have to apply for naturalisation ?? How long does it take and is it optional or mandetory ??

Applying for naturalisation is not mandatory; you can remain GC for long stretches (also true of Canada PR, though this is tangential subject).

Length of time taken depends on several factors including which state you reside in (which decides the Service Centre and Local Office to which the forms are sent--and where you have to go for "milestones")

QUOTE (christera22 @ Jun 23 2008, 03:02 PM)

Before naturalisation are we called Permanent resident and then after naturalisation as citizen ??

correct

QUOTE (christera22 @ Jun 23 2008, 03:02 PM)

c) So you mean with a OCI we can move freely to India at any time and come back to USA.Is it given to everyone or is it like may or may not be ?

Thanks !!

There are some restrictions on who can get OCI; generally available for:

India-born, naturalised to Canada or US
US-born children of India-origin parents (but not those whose parents are both citizens of India)

The cost of filing for OCI is $275.00.

Saddle Bronc

Male

6/23/2008 14:28

India-US citizenship & etc !

QUOTE (christera22 @ Jun 23 2008, 01:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (CherryXS @ Jun 23 2008, 01:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (christera22 @ Jun 23 2008, 12:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (silent @ Jun 23 2008, 12:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

India doesn't allow dual citizenship, but PIO and OCI(overseas Indian citizenship) are replacement for dual citizenship.

With OCI you can travel in and out of India anytime you wish for and you can also work here, other than government jobs or things like you can't run for any political position, but you can buy land and other sorts of things.

But basically its you who needs to decide do you want to give up your Indian citizenship or not, you only hand over your Indian passport after you have been granted citizenship of any other country, in your case it would be of USA.

Check this site for further knowledge--> http://***removed***/nri/dual.html

Thanks so much for the reply..I was wondering ..
a)That means its upto me whether I diposit my Indian Passport or not !! And then I can keep on renewing my passport here in USA ??

Also wd there be any restriction with OCI that I can live for so many year in India ??

c)and so with OCI i wdnt need any visa to go to India , Just to carry my my OCI card with my Indian passport ...right ??

d) In this link http://***removed***/nri/overseascitizenshipindia/ its said " You do not get a Indian Passport " ...what does that mean...i thought I will keep on renewing my passport here in usa !!

Pls extend your help ...Thanks !!

On point C, partly wrong.

You cannot get OCI while on Indian passport, only after naturalisation in another (of a selected list; US and Canada are on it) country. When you naturalise in another country, you must surrender your Indian passport to the Embassy. Basically, you can renew your Indian passport so long as you do not naturalise to any country other than India.

True however, that with OCI you can visit India at will.

Thanks ................ So
i) Its mandetory to surrender Indian passport after Naturalisation ??
ii ) And what do you mean by naturalisation ?? I am actually new to these terms .

Naturalisation generally means taking citizenship of another country

QUOTE (christera22 @ Jun 23 2008, 01:42 PM)

iii ) So basically after naturalisation I have to surrender my Indian Passport and apply for OCI.Then after I get OCI during travel I just need to carry my OCI card and american passport .Right ?

Correct on having to surrender Indian passport; the OCI app is optional (but a good idea, as it is a one-time--one OCI app is cheaper than two PIO apps or three 10-year visas)

QUOTE (christera22 @ Jun 23 2008, 01:42 PM)

iv) Before naturalisation I just need to carry my green card and Indian passport to visit India .....and i need no Indian Visa ??

correct

QUOTE (christera22 @ Jun 23 2008, 01:42 PM)

Thanks for th helping !!

ur welcom

Saddle Bronc

Male

6/23/2008 13:44

India-US citizenship & etc !

QUOTE (christera22 @ Jun 23 2008, 12:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (silent @ Jun 23 2008, 12:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks so much for the reply..I was wondering ..
a)That means its upto me whether I diposit my Indian Passport or not !! And then I can keep on renewing my passport here in USA ??

Saddle Bronc

Male

6/23/2008 12:30

QUOTE (anish and lijy @ Jun 27 2008, 01:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

just my opinion.... POE at JFK and ATL ... i don't think will make huge differences ... as i read somewhere in Visa Journey .JFK is the only POE that will stamp your passport so you can work ASAP without going through AOS.. VJ member ELW did this as I read somewhere …. .

Temp EAD only applys to K-1; but OP's case is K-3, so

on temp-EAD.

Also, OP lives in Atlanta area; so landing at ATL means his wife clears, and is basically done--no issues of catching onward connexion...

Saddle Bronc

Male

6/27/2008 13:16

Anish&Lijy, I think I understand hurryup's logistical issue; he wants a flight which comes straight-in to ATL--so that customs/immigration clearance is done @ end-journey.

I have the exact same issue flying to Calgary, so I cannot use Air Canada for such a flight.

Saddle Bronc

Male

6/27/2008 8:29

OK, Orbitz actually turned out to be lousy when I plugged in the airports (the fare it came up for the TRV-ATL one-way using DXB-LGW intermediate stops was $6,300)--so I tried the airline sites directly for a "dummy" departure date of 2008/07/07.

For wife:

Emirates TRV-LGW (via DXB) lv 2008/07/07 21:55 arr 2008/07/08 07:20 fare Rs. 24,275 (about $625)
Alternate TRV-LGW (via DXB) lv 2008/07/07 04:45 arr 2008/07/07 19:35 fare Rs. 24,275 (about $625)
Delta LGW-ATL, lv 2008/07/08 11:00 arr ATL 15:30; one way, £622 ($1,244), return (dummy date 2008/07/14) £631 ($1,262)

shell-out of about $1,900

For yourself, add fare of $2,221 for ATL-LGW return-fare departing flight 2008/07/07 17:25, return flight 2008/07/08 11:00

Total fare: roughly $4,100

Edited by CherryXS, 25 June 2008 - 01:27 PM.

Saddle Bronc

Male

6/25/2008 13:26

Try googling with keywords "airfare", "air travel", ...; there are lots of such sites, such as Orbitz, Expedia, LastMinuteTravel, ...

Or, just DO the booking(s) on one of those sites.

Saddle Bronc

Male

6/25/2008 8:20

QUOTE (A.J. @ Jul 10 2008, 01:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (CherryXS @ Jul 10 2008, 01:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (A.J. @ Jul 7 2008, 03:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (CherryXS @ Jul 7 2008, 02:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (A.J. @ Jul 7 2008, 02:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (CherryXS @ Jul 7 2008, 02:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

convenient if you're flying to Delhi, but not otherwise (as all of the nonstops fly only to IGI)

Fair enough. My wife flew to Kolkata via Paris and Mumbai and encountered no problems at all in transit at Mumbai. It was smooth and effortless.

What was the load factor like at Mumbai when she went through?

I don't know.

Or, perhaps you simply never bother on this issue, unlike some (myself being the most obvious example).

What issue?

The load factor of Shivaji Airport as a whole, and its ripple effect on flight connexions.

Saddle Bronc

Male

7/10/2008 13:30

QUOTE (A.J. @ Jul 7 2008, 03:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (CherryXS @ Jul 7 2008, 02:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (A.J. @ Jul 7 2008, 02:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (CherryXS @ Jul 7 2008, 02:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

convenient if you're flying to Delhi, but not otherwise (as all of the nonstops fly only to IGI)

Fair enough. My wife flew to Kolkata via Paris and Mumbai and encountered no problems at all in transit at Mumbai. It was smooth and effortless.

What was the load factor like at Mumbai when she went through?

I don't know.

Or, perhaps you simply never bother on this issue, unlike some (myself being the most obvious example).

Saddle Bronc

Male

7/10/2008 12:41

QUOTE (A.J. @ Jul 7 2008, 02:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (CherryXS @ Jul 7 2008, 02:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

convenient if you're flying to Delhi, but not otherwise (as all of the nonstops fly only to IGI)

Fair enough. My wife flew to Kolkata via Paris and Mumbai and encountered no problems at all in transit at Mumbai. It was smooth and effortless.

What was the load factor like at Mumbai when she went through?

Saddle Bronc

Male

7/7/2008 13:46

QUOTE (A.J. @ Jul 7 2008, 11:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (A.J. @ Jul 7 2008, 10:01 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My advice: if you're an Indian citizen and do not have an unexpired plastic green card, DO NOT transit through London.

Use Paris instead.

Oh, or better yet, fly nonstop. Air India has nonstop flights to India from Newark and JFK, which render any transit visa questions moot.

Thank God for the 777.

convenient if you're flying to Delhi, but not otherwise (as all of the nonstops fly only to IGI)

Saddle Bronc

Male

7/7/2008 13:00

QUOTE (Kiki&me @ Jul 7 2008, 01:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

AJ, what is an I-551 stamp?

The passport stamp you get when you activate a consular-issued Green Card at POE/PFI.

QUOTE (Kiki&me @ Jul 7 2008, 01:51 PM)

How did you tackle the situation? Did they make you fly back from London or re-route you? My wife and I will be flying through London with her freshly printed K3 visa. Tickets have already been bought so we don't have a choice now. Should that be ok? Their website says it is ok to transit through London as long as we had a valid visa to the US and proof of onward journey.

Saddle Bronc

Male

7/7/2008 12:59

I'm surprised you didn't put Frankfurt or Schipol (Amsterdam) as alternatives.

Saddle Bronc

Male

7/7/2008 11:54

Visitor's visa rejected third time

QUOTE (second stage @ Jul 17 2008, 09:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My brother-in-law who is a Permanent Resident has been sponsoring his mom(who is a widow) for Visitor's visa and she was denied a visa the third time a month ago...Everyone is quite upset..

She does need an interpreter since she is not fluent in English...

I believe she had sufficient property and assets to show she has ties at home...

Being a US Citizen, I want to step in and sponsor his mom.

Unfortunately, you can't. However, if your BIL naturalises it becomes much "easier", as he can then do so.

(Pras would also like her mum to come over--so we're filing I-751 this coming Monday 2008/07/21, and counting down days till she can submit N-400).

QUOTE (second stage @ Jul 17 2008, 09:32 PM)

Would it be possible for me to attend her interview in person if she were to go the fourth time? would that make any difference? Does Chennai consulate allow petitioner's to accompany the applicants?

Anyone with similar cases, please share your experiences..Thanks for your replies..

It's certainly possible to attend--and your presence may at least make her less nervous.

Edited by CherryXS, 18 July 2008 - 07:04 AM.

Saddle Bronc

Male

7/18/2008 7:03

Indira Gandhi International (New Delhi)

QUOTE (A.J. @ Aug 8 2008, 11:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the input, guys.

Indiaheart - it'll be Indian Airlines to Air India. Same or different?

Even they don't know.

This is one of several reasons I prefer going through Chennai--the "Anna" (international) and "Kamraj" (domestic) terminals are basically adjoined @ 90^o, so one has to drag overloaded luggage a maximum of about 250 m to transfer international/domestic (unlike the 6 km between domestic and international at Mumbai, or similar at Delhi on busses).

Saddle Bronc

Male

8/11/2008 14:32

K1 or K3

QUOTE (rogerbhai @ Aug 21 2008, 01:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

...

QUOTE (CherryXS @ Aug 21 2008, 11:12 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

IMO, the choice should be between K-1 and CR-1 (K-3 don't even bother--entire concept behind this is FUBAR). For AandLKC--yes, one can do DCF in ISB.

I checked the timeline and it looks like K3 was a tad quicker than K1.. Can you please elaborate on why K3 should be avoided?

Basically, as I said the concept behind K-3 (a non-immigrant visa issued so that USC's spouse can hurry-up-and-wait until visa numbers are available) is FUBAR.

Saddle Bronc

Male

8/21/2008 13:20

K1 or K3

IMO, the choice should be between K-1 and CR-1 (K-3 don't even bother--entire concept behind this is FUBAR). For AandLKC--yes, one can do DCF in ISB.

Saddle Bronc

Male

8/21/2008 11:12

Pakistani Birth Certificate For Beneficiary For DS-230 (CR1) Was Rejected

Can you make a phone call (or use snail-mail) to whichever office in Multan it falls under?

(sorry, can't offer any better suggestions than that--especially as my own BC, where the name is spelled differently than on my ID's, was accepted easily at Montreal Consulate in 1999).

Saddle Bronc

Male

8/29/2008 13:03

Travel after K1 visa approval

QUOTE (SuprSta1 @ Sep 8 2008, 01:04 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (DanielParul @ Sep 6 2008, 05:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (CherryXS @ Sep 5 2008, 12:42 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Another option, assuming that the K-1 visa is approved AFTER 2009 June (ignore if approved prior to that): as there is a 180-day deadline to activate the visa, your fiancé may then be able to remain in India until after his sister's wedding; then you can travel there for it (and travel to US together).

Took the words right out of my mouth.
Go there to attend the wedding and bring your fiancee to the US with you after that. She has 180 days to enter after she gets the visa. Once she enters she will need Advance Parole to reenter till she gets her greencard

Ok, so what I'm getting is that if we get the visa approval and he comes to the States and we get married... we will have to wait until he gets his greencard before we can travel to India for a visit? We would only stay a couple weeks and then come back to the States.

No. If you choose to file "package" I-485 after the wedding, you can leave/re-enter the US after you get Advance Parole (usually this occurs earlier than GC approval)

QUOTE (SuprSta1 @ Sep 8 2008, 01:04 AM)

Also, lets just say that we dont get visa approval until March... we would still only have 180 days for him to come to the States on the K1 visa, right? That wouldn't work out with the timing because that would put us at Sept for him to come to the States and the Wedding is in December.

I appreciate all your thoughts.

Thanks again!

~ Joanna

Joanna, the 180-day interval I mentioned is only the deadline to activate the visa--if the visa is approved in March, then it may be good for him to make the trip to US between March and May. AP will generally be approved in far less than 7 months.

Saddle Bronc

Male

9/8/2008 8:06

Travel after K1 visa approval

QUOTE (SuprSta1 @ Sep 5 2008, 01:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So my fiance's sister is probably going to be getting married in December of 2009 and I'm tring to figure out if we will be able to travel back to India for the Wedding. According to the other time-lines I've seen we should have visa approval by then (cross my fingers) and already be married. Does anyone know if there are conditions for being able to leave the country after we are married? Do we have to wait until his status is adjusted?
His family is very intent on us being there for his sisters wedding and I would love for us both to be able to go back to visit as well.

Thanks for your help in advance!!

~Joanna

Saddle Bronc

Male

9/5/2008 12:42

Indians: Your Experiences with Tourist Visas to the U.S.?

Update: my MIL got the visa today!

Saddle Bronc

Male

9/12/2008 8:12

Indians: Your Experiences with Tourist Visas to the U.S.?

Update: my MIL got the visa today!

Saddle Bronc

Male

9/12/2008 8:12

Indians: Your Experiences with Tourist Visas to the U.S.?

Update: my MIL got the visa today!

Saddle Bronc

Male

9/12/2008 8:12

Indians: Your Experiences with Tourist Visas to the U.S.?

Can we include family members wishing to visit?

OK, my MIL was denied a tourist visa in November 2006 after applying for a visa interview--due to not having the supporting documents. Pras' (oldest) brother phoned her to tell about the interview ONLY TWO DAYS prior--you try getting the docs to US consulate in that time (DHL takes longer than that to deliver US to India). We've made the second and 2 ¹/₂th attempts this year.

This time we inititally received the phone call about the interview about a fortnight prior, and priority-mailed the docs over. Even by three days prior, docs had not arrived in Chennai, so we cancelled the interview, and sent another set by DHL. The DHL set arrived, and we later found out that the mailed docs had never left US shores (they were returned without explanation a fortnight AFTER the cancelled interview). MIL has a new interview appointment next week.

Saddle Bronc

Male

9/6/2008 9:26

Going to Pakistan

Followup: found the following info for Delhi-Lahore bus.

Cost is (Ind) Rs. 1,500--which includes complimentary breakfast, lunch and evening tea.

http://dtc.nic.in/lahorebus.htm

Edited by CherryXS, 16 September 2008 - 09:23 AM.

Saddle Bronc

Male

9/16/2008 9:22

Going to Pakistan

QUOTE (~Dream Love~ @ Aug 25 2008, 07:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (CherryXS @ Aug 25 2008, 04:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, you will need visas for both. I have heard that visas can be issued at border if you take train or bus--but in interest of "safe rather than sorry", I'll recommend getting the Pak visa from here.

Alternatives to flying:

trains
- Shamjautha Express, Delhi-Lahore
- Thar Express Jodhpur-Karachi
busses
- Delhi-Lahore "friendship bus"
- Amritsar-Lahore bus

Wow! This sounds complicated! I hope I can do this, maybe I better reconsider my decision to go both places.

Actually, NOT complicated; basically you've been shown the alternatives of flying, road and rail.

Saddle Bronc

Male

8/26/2008 9:43

Going to Pakistan

trains
- Shamjautha Express, Delhi-Lahore
- Thar Express Jodhpur-Karachi
busses
- Delhi-Lahore "friendship bus"
- Amritsar-Lahore bus

Saddle Bronc

Male

8/25/2008 6:46

PCC

Sounds like a (not so) subtle message of "start negotiating our bribes".

Edited by CherryXS, 27 June 2008 - 11:49 AM.

Saddle Bronc

Male

6/27/2008 11:49

Question about Brining over Family for Wedding on Travel Visa

I looked at the I-134. It has section for "spouse and children accompanying or following to join person"--so, this would work for his parents (on his sister, it may depend on her age).

Saddle Bronc

Male

10/21/2008 14:00

Filling for a K1 (Need some advise)

Nishi....

Are you open to the idea of a fancy betrothal ceremony in India and an ultrasimple US wedding?

Saddle Bronc

Male

10/30/2008 9:41

Traveling with two foreign passports

QUOTE (Brad and Vika @ Nov 3 2008, 08:17 PM)

...What a mess

Anoter detail for you; I'd actually posted on VJ asking this question between the naturalisation interview (March 2005) and swear-in (April 2005).

(true that I had an "option" of sorts, asking for a delay of swear-in until after the trip--but that would be an opening for Sod's Law***, so the swear-in would have either been DURING the scheduled trip or sometime in 2006)

***in Americanese, "Murphy's Law"

Saddle Bronc

Male

11/5/2008 8:07

Traveling with two foreign passports

QUOTE (atk_721 @ Nov 1 2008, 08:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (CherryXS @ Nov 1 2008, 08:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Probably already answered (in practice) about a bazillion times.

The Pakistani (since Pakistan allows true-dual citizenship, where a Pakistani who naturalises to UK, Canada or US can still use a valid Pak passport) can simply use the Pak passport to enter/exit at Pakistan's airports and the US passport to re-enter US.

(my dad at UCalgary had a Lahorite Christian colleague who did the equivalent lots of times)

I am confused because I dont know which passport they would stamp at entry/exit.By US law we have to get US passport stamped but it wont have a PAK VISA.Do they only stamp Pakistani passport and US passport is just used to get back here.

I'll explain it tangentially.

How about using the Pak passport to enter (and leave--when boarding return flight to US) Pakistan, and US passport only at re-entry in US?

Tangential personal experience here: I went on a trip to India in May 2005 shortly after I was naturalised (April 2005--I had to get expedited US passport for re-entry), using two Canadian passports (blank unexpired one, expired one with 10-year visa--Canuck passports are only valid 5 years, and the last trip I had made to India was in 1999 Dec/2000 Jan). Basically, i showed both Canuck passports on landing in Chennai (also on departure from there) and US passport when I landed back in US. In fact, I was specifically told at midflight (stopover at CDG) to do this.

(unfortunately, I cannot remember which passport/s I showed for boarding the flight to India at the US end)

Saddle Bronc

Male

11/3/2008 14:57

Traveling with two foreign passports

Saddle Bronc

Male

11/1/2008 19:41

Citizenship & EAD issues !! pls advice

For the OP.

It is true that India does not allow TRUE dual-citizenship (basically you naturalise outside of India, you can't carry Indian passport--in fact, the one you then hold will need to be sent to the Embassy or High-Commission of India).

However, India does have (with US, UK and Canada at least) a provision for "Overseas Citizenship of India" (OCI); for a US citizen, the cost of application is $275.00. Applicant (if accepted) will receive a small booklet and a pasted-in (to passport) certificate.

US Embassy Page on OCI

OCI Application site.

(applied for and received OCI in 2007)

Edited by CherryXS, 05 December 2008 - 11:56 AM.

Saddle Bronc

Male

12/5/2008 11:55

Is it safe to travel to Pakistan right now?

QUOTE (~Dream Love~ @ Dec 17 2008, 11:33 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

QUOTE (malishka36 @ Dec 13 2008, 01:35 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maya ~

Your message made me so happy ! We are waiting on our K-1 from Nepal as well. 7 months isn't that bad seeing how long others had to wait. I pray everyday for the process to be fast lol if there is such a thing. USCIS has had our app since 10/3. We have heard nothing since then. I havent seen my love since 8/1/08 but we do get to talk via web cam and email all the time. We hope since he has worked on a contract for the US DOD that maybe will help us out. We will see !! Good wishes to everyone who's waiting.. and for those that the wait is over for ... I'm jealous lol

Which message are you referring to?
M.

Probably, http://www.visajourn...h...t&p=2471145

Saddle Bronc

Male

12/17/2008 13:42

Waiting is driving me bananas!! What is the longest/shortest time anyone on here has waited for their fiance to get to the USA?

QUOTE (kaushalia @ Dec 10 2008, 12:07 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wow, this waiting is enough to drive anyone mad

I know my waiting time just seems long to me, and it has only been 1 year, 2 months, 3 days, and 10 hours since I last saw my baby in the New Delhi airport. So I was wondering what was the longest time anyone has waited before their fiance stepped on American soil?

I may be able to get closer to shortest time.

Prior to her entry into US, last saw my then-fiancée @ Nellore Junction 2005/05/28, left India from Chennai Airport 2005/05/31.

Total Time: 10 months, 7 days (see siggy).

Saddle Bronc

Male

12/12/2008 8:27

Hotels near Mumbai consulate

Better make plans for at least two extra days, queuedup; US Consulates are not unknown to delay send-out of visa-paper-packets.

Saddle Bronc

Male

3/17/2009 14:01

Hotels near Mumbai consulate

BTW, the closest of the Suburban stations to Breach Candy actually turns out to be....Grant Rd (2 stops further than Mahalaxmi, if going from Andheri).

Edited by CherryXS, 17 March 2009 - 12:43 PM.

Saddle Bronc

Male

3/17/2009 12:42

Fiance is British Citizen, But Indian Born

KnightAndMagpie, is delaying the interview (somewhat) a workable option?

(note: based on Sod's Law, the delay will be to a date which will not be convenient, but...)

Saddle Bronc

Male

3/18/2009 17:25