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Chennai Medical and Interview Process

Hello,

For those of you who are a little curious about Chennai, here is our story of the week!

We stayed at Crystal Residency Hotel (they have a website, check them out) on the 1st and 2nd - they have 24 hour checkout and we just happened to arrive at 6:40AM on the first, so the timing was perfect! For a double AC room it was 1600 rupees a night + taxes with good room service and free breakfast included. The best thing about them is that they are close to Lister Labs (5 minutes by auto if they know the way), 10 minutes from Sanjan John by auto, and 5 minutes walk to the Consulate - just find the underground subway close to the hotel to cross Anna Salai road.

Lister Labs - 1st Floor (A/C!!). (Required forms: Passport, Interview Letter and Medical Cover Letter from Packet 4)

Guard asks for purpose of visit and will then give you a token number and sticky tag with 'Customer' on it. Go to the reception area and wait for your token number to be called. Ask for the consent letter from the receptionist for the blood (HIV) test. Fill in the basic data like name, passport number, case number, DOB, date of interview and sign it and return the form to the receptionist.

There are 3 different cabins where they take blood samples. Look at the screen on the wall for your token and cabin number for the blood sample taking. Once in the cabin, they will ask for your passport and enter details into a computer from the passport. You pay the 800 rupee fee when in the cabin. They will then take your blood sample(about 1/2 a syringe worth) and then ask you to wait in reception.

Very quickly, they will then call you for the x-ray. (They asked Ritesh to remove his t-shirt, don't know about women!) After that, it is back to reception while they make sure the image is clear - this is NOT a report on your health, just purely for making sure the image is good. Once that is verified, you will get a receipt and ask you to come back at 4:30. There is NO USE going anytime before 4:00, because they start giving them back at 4:00. Give them your receipt, and then they quickly return your x-ray and blood sample results in a sealed envelope.

Dr. Sanjan John (Not A/C, Ground Floor in a residential area) Required Docs: Passport, Interview Letter/Date, X-Ray, Blood Reports - Sealed, Vaccination Records)

The appointment with Sanjan John can be set the same day, he does not take 'appointments' as it is a 'walk-in' clinic, but it doesn't hurt to call him on the same day. The office is more like a house than a clinic.

1) Give the receptionist your report and complete the form provided by the office with basic details.
2) Weight and Height taken
3) Wait for some time, you will be called in to the Dr. (no token system)
4) Dr. explains your reports from the lab.
5) Give the Dr. your vaccination records
6) Dr. completes the medical history form with you and takes blood pressure.
7) Based on your vaccination record, Dr. will give you shots as needed, the 'td' (a type of tetanus shot) is NOT available in India, so he gives that. Ritesh also was given a 'varicella' shot. These shots were 1400 and 1500 a piece.
8) Dr. puts the reports in a brown envelope UNSEALED - the Consulate does NOT allow sealed envelopes inside!
9) Take a copy of these reports for your records (and the x-ray) for use in the US!!
10) Total cost was 3600 rupees - CASH! 700 for Consultation, the rest for vaccinations. HAVE CASH ON HAND FOR THE EXAM AND IF YOU DO NOT HAVE SHOTS!!
11) Note: X-ray NOT required for the Consulate!

INTERVIEW DAY:

While the Consulate opens earlier for business, we got there at 7:30. If a guard says that only the Applicant is allowed in, politely tell them that you are the spouse and a USC and you are allowed in! Make sure you have that yellow interview letter and passport ready. (Same for USC on the passport) There is a guard window outside who will look at your interview letter and passport and approve you to go in. Then it is security check time. Do NOT carry ANYTHING in except documents and a wallet if possible. I didn't carry a purse in - too much hassle!! They do a complete check of your bag of docs and yourself.

If it is earlier than 7:45, you wait in a NON A/C area where other people will be queued for different visas, this is NOT our area. Around 7:45, a Consulate staff member takes the group of Non-Immigrant (including long-term visitor visas) and Immigrant Visas (including K and CR/IR) to another building to the back and right of the initial building. There are two waiting areas - the one farthest back has the general non-immigrant visa applicants, and the first area is for immigrants. He will then take your yellow letter and put it in one of the windows, asking you to sit in the first row or two out of three. (The extra non-immigrant visas will eventually fill up the back row and be shifted into the other room as space permits, do NOT sit in the back row!)

At 8:00, the first round of interviewers move to the windows. These are Indian staff members. There are three windows for us - 9, 10, and 11. You will be standing at a counter with a glass wall in between you and the interviewer using a microphone to speak and an opening to slide your papers through. There is also an electronic finger printing machine.

The Indian interviewer will pull up your file and call your name - we tried to see if there was some kind of system, but it was not completely consistent. (NOT first come, first served!) Obviously, different things will come up for different couples in the questioning process. Here is our list:

1) Demand Draft, MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE WEBSITE THE DAY BEFORE AS RUPEE RATES CAN CHANGE - THE DEMAND DRAFT MUST BE EXACT!! (Ours was 16, 800 for CR1, DCF)
2) Medical Reports
3) Because there is a 13 year age difference, she commented on that - but did it politely as the USC was present. (I can imagine it could have been rude if I was not there.)
4) She asked about our family members not being present at the ceremony/reception
5) She asked about how long I (USC) had been in India, where we work, where we live.
6) She asked where we met, and how our relationship evolved. (Everyone is asked that question - and if the marriage was arranged, they ask by whom and more details.)
7) Because this is a DCF process, and I have not been in the US, she mentioned that I may have to go first back to the US, and wanted us to supply our joint sponsor, even though we had assets well above the required limits.

8) Just some general chit-chat, quite friendly, and a review of the docs.
** She did ask the last time I was in the US, and held my passport for the Consulate officer to review as there are no stamps in a USC's passport when we go in and out of the US, but they can swipe it and see the dates.

Ritesh did his fingerprinting at the end, but some people did not have theirs done at this time.

After the fingerprinting, she gave a pink paper with a number at the top. (Half stays on our file for the Consulate Officer to call when ready.)

There are usually two time frames for interviews - 8:00 AM, and 9:00 AM. Those are about 15 minutes for each applicant and are done by the Indian staff member. In between the two rounds of interviews, a staff member explained that if you get the visa, you will receive it via courier, and that it will be a large gray bag with your passport inside, as well as a brown envelope with a corner cut out so you can see the tips of documents. This MUST NOT BE OPENED AT ALL or you MUST PAY THE VISA FEES ALL OVER AGAIN! This must be carried to the US POE. Also, if you have not already done your fingerprinting, it is done before 10:00AM.

The second round starts at 10:00 AM with an American. All of the interviews are done by 1 person only, rather than the 3 windows in the first round. Window 10 on our day! Again, there is no consistent system for calling the numbers. The consulate officer then takes one case at a time and reviews the information.

Questions:
1) Did you fill out the forms yourself? She seemed to be unhappy if people had had any agent do this for the person.
2) Do you swear to the truth of the information?
EVERYONE ASKED QUESTION 1 & 2!
3) She asked Ritesh about how we met, how our relationship evolved, when he proposed, etc. (And told me I was free to correct him if mistakes were made!)
4) She asked me about my job and what I do in India.
5) She also asked about his family not being in attendance.
6) She asked how I convinced him to go to Michigan as it is so cold there.

7) She asked what Ritesh would be doing for work and what I would be doing for work - did NOT seem concerned that I was not sure yet what I would do!
9) Then she said everything looks good, he must enter the US within 6 months of getting the visa.
10) Ritesh asked at that point if the joint sponsor I-864 was necessary and she went back into the stack and said NO, our assets, etc. was more than enough. We asked if we could have my Dad's Affidavit back, and she said SURE!

She also returned our proof of relationship, etc.

And that was all! We were done by 11:30, and we were about the 5th couple out of 8 for that day!

All in all, it was a great experience, the staff were friendly and helpful, and Chennai Consulate is AWESOME!

The only 221 g we saw was for a woman that simply needed to get copies of EVERY page of her husbands passport and courier it back through VFS. Her husband may have been an LPR, so the pages from his Indian passport might have been needed.

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/4/2008 0:59

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-HAW!

Oh AmanRam!! I am soooo sad now!!

I was thinking of you all day, and hoping that things went smoothly - especially since they screwed up so badly with your I-130 between USCIS and the Embassy.... This just makes me ANGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did they just say that when you submit those items they will issue the visa, or does she have to go back for another interview later?? I just do NOT understand what happened?? Were you able to be there, or did you have to go back to the US? I think the fact that I was there helped a lot, but they have to understand how THEIR screw-up might have prevented that! AARGH!!

OK, enough of my rant, it doesn't do you any good! Gather what they asked for, submit it, and you WILL GET THE VISA! And hopefully soon so that she can travel safely to the US and be with you for the birth of your baby! Make sure that she is emotionally ok with this, we don't want her to be affected right now! Ritesh and I are praying for you!!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/4/2008 11:40

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-HAW!

First off, we would like to thank everyone on this site for all of your help, wisdom, cheerleading and support!

We got back into Bangalore around 9 tonight and are soooo tired right now that we are going to crash out after a long couple of days of travel, medical check-ups and the visa interview. I'm sorry I don't have the energy to give a full report, especially for people who are interviewing tomorrow.

(GOOD LUCK AMANRAM AND KSHATRIYA!!!!) Just make sure you have your demand drafts in the correct amount as necessary, all the docs that are requested, and be confident!

It was a great and tiring day, and we are sooo happy to start prepping for the next phase of our journey together, what my Dad likes to call: "Get a job, nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah nah - get a jobbbbb"

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/3/2008 12:24

case completed

CONGRATS!!!

What are the timelines to get it to the consulate? What is your consulate?

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/10/2008 7:01

Recorded message says" Missing or incomplete documents"

I am trying to think of what we had in ours - both mine and my Dad's... Did you include recent pay stubs showing your income? How about proof of citizenship with a Passport Bio page or birth certificate? Or, if you are LPRs, did you include that proof? That is all I can think of that might be missing...

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/9/2008 15:49

kshatriya, can you share details on K-1 interview status?

Hi Bengalilover!

In addition to your FIL writing about the future wedding plans, ask him to include information about the ENGAGEMENT ceremony that he attended/planned/paid for, etc. for you and his daughter.

Quoting the date of the ceremony, etc. and listing the names of those in attendance for the ENGAGEMENT (with their signatures under a statement about that ceremony being an engagement party and NOT a wedding)...

If you can't be there with her at the interview, make sure she is prepared for these types of questions and that she is fully ready to stand her ground and NOT sign her name to anything that is NOT the truth. Do your best to prepare her for everything about the steps at the Embassy/Consulate (where will the interview be??) so that she feels confident from the very beginning...

Stay calm yourself, and have the names, faxes, emails, phone numbers of your Congressmen, etc. ready and waiting just in case so that you can bombard them with information as soon as possible in case anything goes wrong. (Just being fully prepared always makes me calmer!)

Ask your spouse to pay close attention to everything that happens/is said in the interview so that you can all keep your information/facts straight when taking any next steps.

Good luck with the process, keep us posted on how everything goes!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/14/2008 23:50

kshatriya, can you share details on K-1 interview status?

Hi silent,

I think for your situation, they will be looking to see more about how you have maintained your marriage than engagement things at this point. The legal proof of marriage is of course important, but also phone/written records if separate, trips to see each other, joint property/bank accounts/insurance, etc., etc. will be critical. We were not married as long as you, so the honeymoon pics and a joint bank account were all we were able to provide!

I am very to sorry to hear of your losses in the tsunami, I hope that all your loved ones were safe!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/14/2008 3:48

kshatriya, can you share details on K-1 interview status?

I know yeye, it is very confusing - some places slam you if you had a ceremony, some slam if you don't! AARGH! Perhaps if the engagement party ALSO has invitations that are printed along with date stamped pics and affidavits from family, etc. they would be satisfied for the K1...

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/13/2008 2:57

kshatriya, can you share details on K-1 interview status?

QUOTE (DanielParul @ Apr 11 2008, 07:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ok, here goes... coz I love to talk abt this

10 days before the interview I submitted all the papers at the VFS (even he was impressed with my evidence).. On march 04th, D and I reached the consulate and were called to the counter after 40 minutes where they returned my package as I had submitted to the VFS (unopened).. When I was called for the actual interview, the CO asked me a few questions like :

Whats your fiance's name?
Whats his relationship with your family?
Did you have an engagement ceremony? I said NO because he proposed to me at 3 at night while my mum and dad were sleeping in their part of the house (Red Flag)
He gave me a 221g and told me that I can't ask him any questions... Just submit all docs to the VFS. The same docs that they had returned without checking.
Daniel and I walked up to another counter and explained what had happened and he said that he cannot help coz we need to give a list of 20 people invited to the engagement (the non existant one).. We tried to reason with him and he kept insisting on the list of invitees. Thats when Daniel lost his cool and told the guy at the counter to call his supervisor so he could complain about the CO's treatment and attitude.
That got their attention and the guy told us to wait while he checked with the CO.. He came out 10 minutes later and told us that they will take my papers again and review them only because the petitioner was insisting and told us to check in 1 week. Also while we were leaving the consulate, he called me back and took the 221g letter back saying, I will not need it anymore.
We called the DHS at night and were told that I was in AP.. Daniel explained the whole situation to the agent and even she found it peculiar. She even said that once a 221g is given they will not take it back, looks like they realised they had made a mistake and took it back. She even asked us to send in a written complaint as that helps DHS keep a check on Consulates...
Well, guess what!! We called the Consulate after a day and were told that the visa had been issued and I could collect it from the VFS in 2-3 days..
Fishy, isn't it?? If they had any real reason to give me a 221g, they would have stuck to it... The whole process seems so shady and unfair. I saw most girls who had applied for K3's get 221g that day and they did not have any idea what it was.. Thanks to VJ, we knew we did not deserve a 221g and were able to correct it.. Wonder what happens to all those poor girls

Wow Parul, thank you for sharing your story!! It makes me soooooo angry to read it, and reinforces my belief that having the spouse/fiance with you is important. I know when I have had to go to other consulates for my own visas for travel, etc., I would not have felt super comfortable 'losing it' to a staff member - you just feel like you will risk some kind of lifetime ban or something! But as an American citizen, I was prepared to do anything necessary to help my immigrating spouse (being polite or pissy as the situation required!).

I am not sure what is up with the consulates here and the whole 'engagement' process - too many people getting 221g's for lack of parties, 221g's for engagements being taken as weddings - it is all just very very odd. I will say to be very clear in ALL document submissions about what you have done as far as proposals and engagements, and make sure that you state what is what!

If couples can't attend the interview together, make sure that the wife/husband, fiance/fiancee is ready to explain all these things. I know it can be a financial/vacation time crunch for people, but wow, I would recommend spending that money up front and getting here so that you don't risk the old blue sheet at the interview!

Good luck to everyone, and please keep sharing your stories - both good and not so good!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/11/2008 0:34

kshatriya, can you share details on K-1 interview status?

The thread below contains the story of a K1'er through Chennai on Monday, it is quite similar to Kshatriya's story I believe:

http://www.visajourn...howtopic=120698

As far as VFS is concerned, they are the outsourced courier group for the Consulate - including the service that couriers your passport/visa back to your home. You don't have to submit everything in advance, but it is claimed on the web-sites that your processing will be delayed if you don't. That I am not really sure about... My personal feeling is that the COs do not look at the information that we send via VFS until the day of the interview, and they pull it out of a folder that contains our I-130 information as well as the VFS documents. (For those applying from the US, they would probably have your complete package in one place)

While not required to send documents in advance, I can bet that it would make your interview experience a little more frustrating, the COs and staff might be a little pissy with you for having to organize things at the window, etc. Again, just my feeling/guess on that.

What you do HAVE to do is pay the courier fees to VFS in advance. And I would also guess, you probably have to let them put a sticker on your actual passport. We tried to submit VFS docs. with just the photo-copies of Ritesh's passport pages, but they would not accept them. (This - a guess again! - is probably to track the passport after the interview) There is a website for VFS and contact numbers for your questions, but they will tell you to 'follow the consulate/embassy intstructions' for most things.

The VFS Website Home:

https://www.vfs-usa.co.in/Home.aspx

I hope that helps a little!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/11/2008 0:18

kshatriya, can you share details on K-1 interview status?

Really Parul? I didn't hear that you had any problems - I must have missed that post! What mistake did the CO make?? Glad you got yours sorted quickly! How is life in the US so far?

I don't want to speak on Kshatriya's behalf, but other K1's in Chennai seem to be having the same problem lately. Kshatriya, let us know how things are going!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/10/2008 2:21

Indian Birth Certificate - Is this OK?

Glad this thread popped back up again, I had forgotten all about it! We did end up getting his Birth Certificate from the Municipal Authorities, but the Consulate Officer seemed fine with the Nursing Home Certificate along with the 10th Standard information.

We supplied the Municipal one at the interview, but she didn't seem to care too much, just said 'oh' and stuck it in the stack. The odd thing is, even the Municipal one did NOT have his name on it, just 'Male' and the same data that the Nursing Home document/record had.

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/15/2008 0:05

Indian Birth Certificate - Is this OK?

Thanks everyone for the input! His Mom is going to work on the Municipal Cert. on Monday, and since his Dad is a Dr. at a Municipal Govt. hospital, we are hoping this will be fast!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

3/16/2008 2:28

Indian Birth Certificate - Is this OK?

Hi Everyone!

We just got Ritesh's Birth Certificate from his parents, and I wanted to ask the group if this is what you used/if it is appropriate?

It is a certificate from the Nursing Home where he was born stating both of his parents names, their address, the date and time of birth with 'male' listed. In addition, we have his 10th Standard Certificate which lists his birthdate and father's name...

I am worried as the certificate is not from a 'Legal Authority/court, etc.' and does not list his name...

Please help!

Thanks!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

3/15/2008 1:31

Vaccination and Immunization Records

Hi Neethope!

We just did the Medical in Chennai with Dr. Sanjan John. Please try to find a way to get records for your shots from a Doctor if at all possible - giving shots seems to be a nice little business (expensive!) for him at least. There is a shot that he gives that is apparently not available in India (td) and varicella that cost Ritesh around 3,000 rupees cash - be ready for that. If you do not have records of any kind, it could cost you quite a bundle! (Maybe 9,000!?)

The records are required for the Medical right before the interview and I would recommend keeping a copy for your own records as well.

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/7/2008 12:52

BMB-Mumbai Consulate - cr1/ir1 - case completed/interviews

CONGRATULATIONS!!! May the time pass quickly for you!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

3/25/2008 14:52

Fortunately, I have been a member of USAA for about 17 years (no bank accounts, just insurance!) and that enabled me to set up an account on-line with them. They are pretty accustomed to working with people who are overseas since they do a lot of business with military members, so they did not seem fazed by the fact that I am in India right now.

My guess is that because I am a long term member and they already have my parents address on their files, have all my documentation from previous interactions, etc. that it is not a problem. Ritesh can't be added to the bank account until we are in the US and he has a SSN, but he was easily made a member of USAA.

USAA really has great customer service, great rates for auto insurance, home insurance, etc. - when I first joined, I think it was for officers or former officers in the military and their children/spouses. I think they may have broadened it to anyone in the military or related, but I am not sure. If you can, get on board!

Now that we have that account, we are wiring money into it from our accounts in India. Just did a test run today, if all goes well, we will start sending bigger chunks.

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/28/2008 8:25

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for all your responses, we think we have it all sorted out - all I can say is if you have access to USAA insurance and banking, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/24/2008 13:00

Thanks Bengalilover! Ritesh has an account with them and asked about the NRI accounts - depending upon who he talks to at Citibank it is a different story as to what he can do - the usual run-around.

Everything we do is so frustrating! We have a joint account there, and I have another account at Axis (formerly UTI) and they are no better.

Do you know what kind of forms we have to fill out for FEMA regulations/what documents are necessary to take money out? It looks like there is a higher cap on funds you can remove if you are emigrating than for other travel, but I am just not sure how many stacks of paperwork/red-tape we will have to go through in this process.

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/22/2008 23:31

Hello,

My husband and I are trying to figure out the best way to transfer/take our money from India to the US. We are not really comfortable with carrying cash or even traveler's checks, and unfortunately, the www.XE.com does not do transfers on rupees to dollars.

What experiences can anyone share with us about taking over $10,000 out of India to the US? Oh yes, another glitch, my bank account in the US is not active anymore, so I can't transfer money directly...

Thanks,
C

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/22/2008 15:34

Interesting topic on desi blog

My situation is pretty similar to ELW's. His parents know about me, but not that we are married. (His elder brother knows and is supportive.) My parents are not thrilled about the in-laws not knowing and think that it is wrong/bad not to involve them or tell them, but it doesn't bother me. (That might be because I have a little more in depth perspective on the culture here than they do, I don't know.)

Ritesh is doing things in his own time and way and to do as little damage as possible to the family and his relationship with them, and introduce me when the time is right. It will definitely be a difficult time for everyone when it is announced, and there is a good possibility that he will be disowned - for at least a few years. He has told me that over time they would probably accept that I am not Indian, but that our age difference is the killer factor. (I got my first whiff of that when some of the guys I work with told me some stories - a woman 6 months older is deemed toooo old!) It was a very painful internal struggle for Ritesh to go through - the family or me, how to keep the family and me, what risks are being taken, what are the possible outcomes... I know what he is risking to be with me, and I will do everything in my power to support him in processing our relationship.

I would love to have a loving relationship with his family, but I am not naieve enough to think that that will happen anytime soon! (I am not commenting on your situation Pattu Rani, just know how things are in R's family!).

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/30/2008 10:48

Should I go to India for my fiancee's interview

Good Luck!!!

Sounds like you have everything together - now you just need to relax and enjoy your time in India with your sweetie! I will be thinking of you on Monday, please try and post as soon as possible after you have the intervew!

When are you returning to the US afterwards? We head out on Monday, May 19th!! WOO HOO!!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

5/7/2008 6:10

Should I go to India for my fiancee's interview

Hi Bengalilover!

I agree with everyone else - go if you can. It seems to help on a number of levels: spouse is more at ease, shows your seriousness of intention in a different way, and I hate to say it, but with the USC present, I think the demeanor, etc. of consulate officials is different.

The security outside the Chennai Consulate tried to tell me too that only the applicant is allowed and I just pulled out the passport and said: "I am a USC, and I am going in" No questions after that!

Good luck, can't wait to see your success story posted!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/24/2008 13:08

Story of Kshatriya

Hi Kshatriya...

After reading all these posts, I really really want to encourage you to follow that advice and fight this. I know everything is overwhelming right now, and you just want to be with your fiancee - but I am worried that you might be doing things that will hinder that! Does anyone know how fast the cases are sent back to the US? It is already over a week...

At the very least, officially contact your congressional reps. and the consulate regarding your case and what has transpired, start collecting affidavits from family members on both sides stating that the ceremony was NOT a marriage, etc. so that if it is too late to save this petition, you don't have so many problems with the next.

Below is the link to Missouri government officials with their contact details, let them know what has happened to you guys today!!!

http://www.congressm...-...ge&state=mo

If you end up having to go the DCF route, let me know, you know I will give you any help I can on that process! What is your field of work? I may have some networking contacts for jobs in B-lore as well. I know you are at your wits end about this, and I would be angry beyond belief too, but don't do anything at this point that will just delay your being with your loved one!

C

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/14/2008 23:35

Interview in chennai

I don't think the original letter in its original form is required, but I could be wrong about that - email or call the Consulate to be totally certain!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/22/2008 15:39

Interview in chennai

Hi june007,

I have already responded to some of your questions via PM, but I can tell you that you can go to the Chennai Consulate website and download the medical cover sheet from the packet 4 docs. Take that and several pictures to your appointment with Dr. Sanjan John and unless you have any medical problems, you should not worry about doing the medical more than a few days before the interview. We gave ourselves one extra day in between just in case there were any problems finding the doctor or he needed extra tests run. Please go to your local hospital and get your needed vaccinations/proof of your immunizations to save yourself as much time and money as possible while in Chennai.

As far as your interview letter from Chennai, since your process is a little different from ours, I don't know what to tell you. Ask your husband if the interview letter he received is yellow - that is the color of the interview letters to get into the consulate. Even if it is not, you can have him DHL you the letter so that you have a hard copy of something to take with you in case the mail is too slow here in India. RELAX!!

Good luck, you are almost there!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/22/2008 2:01

CONGRATULATIONS!!! We got ours two days later on the third!!

Chennai ROCKS! (Full story of interview process to follow soon!)

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/3/2008 23:40

Congrats Dunhill!!!

It always helps to know that date - at least something to countdown to!!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

3/26/2008 3:44

QUOTE (k3visa @ Mar 17 2008, 09:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have a couple of questions
1. where do I check the interview dates online for Chennai Embassy??How do I register for one??Do I have to wait until the embassy send the pakcet4 for my spouse or can I call NVC or email the embassy to register an interview?
2. My spouse is an indian citizen but has been living in Europe for 4 years..He has a police clearance certificate from the country he is living in? He will get the PC from the Passport office from India. Does he need to get the PC from local post office? when you say--local post office..is that place where he was living before he left India to live in Europe??
3. Can anyone has the list of documents needed for Packet 4? What are the documents that should be submitted to VFS office??Does he have to submit the originals or copies at VFS or take them to the Embassy???
Thanks in Advance

Hi there! At the bottom of this, I will post the link to the Chennai Consulate office, but I am a bit confused about your situation. Is he still living in Europe, or is he back in India now? (If he is in a European country, you may be doing things through his residential location - BUT I AM NOT SURE ABOUT THAT!)

1) The consulate will schedule your interview once they have received your approved application from the NVC. This can take many many months. On the Chennai Consulate web-site, there is information about the interview dates that is posted by the 10th of each month for the next month. (This month, they posted on the 13th of March for the April dates.)

2) Yes, any country that he has lived in for more than 1 year will require a Police Certificate. Those can take a long time and be tricky to obtain, please have him look into that soon. They are generally valid for 6 months, but that may depend upon the location. If he lived for 1 year or more in India, he will also need one from his former residential town/location. I am not sure what you mean by 'Post Office' - my husband had to get two certificates - one from the local commissioner's office in Bangalore, and one from the Passport Office - also in Bangalore. (If he is from India, but living in another country, he may not require the Indian PCC Certificate.)

3) The list of documents is on the Chennai website link that is at the bottom of this page. Have you applied for the I-130 yet? At what stage are you in this process? It sounds like you need to post your questions to the K3 forum, they might be able to help you with the fact that he is from India, but living in Europe.

http://chennai.uscon..._to_apply2.html

Good luck in this process, it can be tiring and complicated, but worth it in the end!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

3/17/2008 12:04

QUOTE (ze22 @ Mar 12 2008, 11:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The interview list is up on the chennai website... check out

Woo Hoo!! Even though we got the yellow letter yesterday, it just didn't seem real until I saw our number on the web-site - APRIL 3rd, here we come!!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

3/12/2008 15:23

Visa in hand!!!!!

WOOO HOOOO!!! Sorry about the very late reply on this, I have not checked in to Visa Journey in a VERY long time... This is soooo exciting!!! You guys must be back in the US by now, how are things going?!?!?! YAY!!!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

7/15/2009 18:29

Wow, all I can say is that I am sorry that it is soooo complicated and that requirements vary depending upon the place you are coming from, the way that you are processing your visa (DCF versus Stateside, etc.) This would be a GREAT thing to make some recommendations on for CHANGE in the system!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/19/2008 3:21

QUOTE (Sanjiv Patel @ Apr 16 2008, 08:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

All PCCs are valid for 12 months, not 6 months.
See: http://mumbai.uscons...rtificates.html

You don't need to get one from Regional Passport Office, as your passport has just been issued in mid April 2008. (within 6 months, and you don't need cert from RPO.)

You do need to get two PCC: one from Gandhinagar and one from Rajkot. I have read somewhere in this Forum that if you lived > 6 months in more than 2 places, you need to get at most 2 PCCs from the most recent 2 cities.

Also, when DS-230 needs to be filled, do include Rajkot as one of the places she lived.

If she lived in Hostel, she will need letter from Wardon of the Hostel to get the PCC from Rajkot. If she lived in private house / apartment, she will need rent receipt or letter from association chairman, if there is one, or two witness. I know, it sounds complicated, but trust me, these things delayed PCC for my nephew by 10 days.

Regards,

Sanjiv Patel

I definitely agree that any addresses she has lived in should be included on any forms for immigration - the I-130/G-325As, the DS 230, etc. - and they must be consistent with each other.

It is interesting that on Ritesh's Passport Clearance Cert., it states that it is valid for 6 months, while the Mumbai Consular site says it thinks any police cert. is valid for 1 year. Perhaps Gujarat/Mumbai Consulate is different in the way that it handles things for District and Regional Passport Offices from B-lore/Chennai Consulate, but when we asked about all the different locations where Ritesh had lived, and if we needed separate police clearance forms, we were told NO, only the Bangalore District Police Office and Regional Passport Office - even though his passport was issued in Delhi.

The best thing might be to get it straight from the Consulate, clearly spell out your situation, and send it in an email - just to be on the safe side!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/17/2008 11:46

Hi mqk,

There was a lot of confusion for us as well regarding the PCCs and Local Certs. as Ritesh grew up in Delhi (until the age of 24) and then moved to Bangalore. The only 'local' cert. that we had to get (we got an email response from Chennai Consulate) was for the current address in Bangalore. I don't think you will need two 'local' certs, just the one from her family residence location, but you can check with your interviewing Consulate to be sure of their requirements.

Having a 'fresh' passport, the PCC is NOT required unless your interview is 6 months later than the issuance of the passport. (Just having the passport be so new IS having a PCC) For example, if the passport was issued on Feb. 1st, she would not require a PCC unless the interview was after August 1st. Once you check the timelines in VJ, you can guess when the interview might happen, and do the PCC about 2 months in advance to be sure you get it. (Some places issue the PCC within days, our situation was more complicated!)

I hope this is more clear!

Edited by CarolynRitesh, 15 April 2008 - 11:42 AM.

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/15/2008 11:39

Hi kman!

She will need the Police cert from her local office and the PCC is good for 6 months only - if it takes more than 6 months for her to get the interview from the time her passport was issued, she will need another PCC. Check the timelines for your visa type under India to get an idea of how long it will be for you guys so that you are prepared - our PCC took 5 weeks and a lot of stress and running around to get it right before the interview, so plan in advance!

(I belive the local cert. is good for one year, but check on that to be sure!)

Good luck with your process, keep posting regarding your experiences!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

4/14/2008 23:58

QUOTE (Nikita2Charles @ Mar 20 2008, 10:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Congrats, i am glad he got the passport.

The main thing in India when dealing with paperwork stuff is Money talk, you give out a helping hand here and there that's taking care of your official papework, you'll get your stuff done in a Jiffy. The guy coming to your place twice to check what? hmmm, just being a good civil servant droping by to say hello and showing concerns?

Yeah, that is one thing that I have learned in my 3 years here, money talks! The same guy came here twice from our neighborhood police station for two different Police Verifications - one for the Local Commissioner's Office Cert., one for the Passport Office Cert. And that was just for our address together! At least he approached us - Ritesh had to approach the police in his old neighborhood, or we would STILL be sitting here wondering what was going on! (We knew by the look on his face the first day that he would do his end of the paperwork fast, we just weren't counting on how many palms were yet to come that needed coaxing and greasing!)

I am pretty convinced that the money gets dispersed among a wider audience, but the guy who does these verifications must make a FORTUNE! (I wonder how much he had to pay to get his job!) The only people who did NOT ask for money were at the Commissioner's Office and the Passport Office, but the money may get funneled back to them somehow...

Over the last few weeks, we sent numerous emails to both the Bangalore Passport Offices and Delhi Passport Office HQ, and received absolutely NO replies. The phone lines were ALWAYS busy. The enquiry desk could do NOTHING for us unless the police verifications were logged in their internal system... On their website, the status always said that they were awaiting police verification until tonight when it said he had received his passport over the counter - 3 days after they actually received the police reports! (Hopefully someone reading this post in the future will get a tip about that!)

Once this whole process is done and we have our visa in hand, I think I will write a detailed post about it - with more and more people moving around the country for work, many could end up facing similar issues...

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

3/20/2008 14:55

WOOOO HOOOOOO!!! Ritesh JUST got the PCC and passport in his hands - I was starting to worry that he would be delayed AGAIN, but it came through at 5:15, IST....

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

3/20/2008 7:02

QUOTE (Jigi @ Mar 20 2008, 07:54 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

hi,

Its like the we are first in class but we dont have our report card to proove it....... i understand how it feeels.... you feeel like taking all that grease out from the mind in the weirdest and most censored words..... and feeel to cursing... or you would be cursing already.

Jigi

I hope I don't jinx myself by saying this, but this morning after yet another 3 hour wait in line, Ritesh got through to one of the Passport Officers, and his PCC and Passport should be in his hands at 4:00 PM TODAY!!! WOO HOO!! Ok, I had better stop celebrating until it is ACTUALLY in his hands...

The only bad thing is that it is too late to get to VFS, and they will be closed until Monday due to the holidays... Thank goodness they said it was ok to submit up until the 27th - we will have one week to not be completely stressed out before the medical, interview, etc. Time to schedule a massage appointment for my boo, he deserves it after the last few weeks!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

3/20/2008 3:01

QUOTE (Jigi @ Mar 18 2008, 03:55 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

hi,

I can imagine ... my wife made me get PCC 5 months ago.. because your never know with Government offices... and when it comes to India.. you are always gonna be at the receiveing end even if you have perfect paperwork. To get the PCC in ENGLISH... i had to pay 300 rs. bribe..... and 4 times i had to visit to and fro. I also had to pay fees to the Govt. Treasury for which i had to stand in a line which was long as when people get free foood. I was in line from 6 am..........

ONLY MONEY will work.... pay them as much as you can or get an influential person to intervene on Ritesh's behalf.

Jigi

Thank you so much for your support Jigi... I feel like I could cry right now... We tried to take our documents to the VFS office today, but they won't take them unless they see his actual passport so they can put some kind of a stamp on it - of course, his passport is AT THE PASSPORT OFFICE, WAITING FOR THE 35th DAY TO BE FINISHED!!

He has had to pay two different police officers three different bribes - so far - and HE IS NOT A CRIMINAL!! Thus far, he has spent 300 rupees on the ACTUAL PCC, and 1500 rupees on bribes... THIS IS RIDICULOUS!

He spoke to the PCC person at the Commissioner's Office yesterday who told him 'Cent percent, I will send it tomorrow.' Sorry, just not very trusting of anyone in a police department in India right now... We are more than happy to grease whatever wheels it will take to get this rolling, if we lose our interview date on the 3rd because of this, you guys will hear me yelling from the US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CarolynRitesh

Female

India

3/18/2008 4:24