Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
IMBRA Special Topics	IMBRA Marriage Broker	Bharat, sites like Bhartmatrimony, Shaddi.com etc. will not qualify for the exception since, 1) They are not "traditional matchmaking organisations". You know the traditional matchmaking organisations in India. 2)They do not operate on a non-profit basis. They are funded by venture capital and profit making is their sole objective. 3)Also the sites violate the condition "it charges comparable rates and offers comparable services to all individuals it serves regardless of the individual's gender or country of citizenship". You must be aware that these sites charge almost 2-3 times more if you are paying in USD (on conversion to Indian Rupees). According to my intensive experience with the DOS & the US Consulate in Mumbai, I can safely say that if its not a "inter-racial marriage/relationship" then the case will fly thru' ONCE it reaches the Consulate, notwithstanding IMBRA et al. The Mumbai Consulate is a self proclaimed Republic, doesn't give a dime to any laws, rules & regulations passed by the Congress. I am not sure how USCIS/NVC are going to look at it though. Good luck Charuhans	Charuhans	Male	0	2006-07-02 17:07:00
Asia: South	Internatinal calling plans to India	Airtel's new prepaid service 7.9cents/minute. Fibre optic cable quality voice clarity https://www.airtelcallhome.com Beats the pants out of Reliance and other prepaid cards Charuhans	Charuhans	Male	0	12/13/2006 14:00
Asia: South	Did you change your religion for your Desi SO?	I am a practising Hindu and my wife though not active is Christian. We got married in India; a traditional hindu wedding! Nobody raised any questions about my wife's religion nor expressed any thoughts about religious conversion. My parents and sibilings thought that even airing such views would be an insult to my wife. We were not so sure about the priests who conducted the ceremony but when we talked to them they assured us that there is no such thing as "both the spouses have to be of the same religion and that the non-hindu has to convert" hence they were not concerned. But then we were not surprised since Hinduism is such a tolerant faith, more a way of life than a institutional religion. Of course, there will be exceptions (that proves the rule, doesn't it?) and some people will be very difficult but my experience is that they use it as a front to hide their real reasons for opposing the marriage. I know a bit about Bhuddism since there is a large Bhuddist population in India. A very peaceful and tolerant people who I have never even heard on insisting on religious uniformity for marriage. Hence, anybody who is getting into a relationship with a Bhuddist need not worry on that front. India also has a large (the second largest in the world) muslim population. But I am not very familiar with their ways hence can't say anything. Don't want to just mention what we I read in the newspaper and see on TV and then get flamed.	Charuhans	Male	0	1/14/2007 14:22
Asia: South	Administrative Review??????	My case was put on AP/AR for 1(One) year by the Mumbai Consulate. What started with a K3 interview eventually ended by the issuance of the IR1 visa. There is NO big age gap between me and my wife (its actually 3 months), both of us have no children, I was never married before. As for evidence, proof, had more than 15 pounds of it (yes I weighed it to find out if I need assistance to carry it to the gates of the Consulate). We are a cross ethnic couple and Mumbai consulate is notorious for picking on cross ethnic cases (data researched on VJ and other sites since the year 2000). Some may think it an exaggeration but I could literally see the scorn in the eyes of the CO who interviewed me for the first time. Then he put me on to a Fraud Investigation Division investigator, an Indian, who ricked of the peculiar colonial age pyscopacy for his masters. Anyway, he soon realized that I was too smart to fall for his canned and cliched trick questions and ended the interview. Well, if anyone is interested they can look up my detailed posts on VJ. And also for other posts on this and other sites. I actually got a much better treatment that what many others before me were dished out. Many were virtually tormented and tortured with demeaning questioning and barked at and called cheats and low-lives. Maybe the tactics got more tacit when my time came because the Chief Consular Officer was transferred out of the Consulate (don’t know if the way they treated some interviewees had to do anything with it). Also I found that this is peculiar to the Mumbai Consulate and that New Delhi is much humane and reasonable in its treatment of cross ethnic couples. But then its easy to catch the virus .... Anyway, my case was resolved literally over night when my wife contacted the State Department and wrote a letter to Ms. Rice detailing everything. Well, I still am a bit nervous sometimes thinking that we might have stepped on some toes back in the Consular Division in Mumbai when we got our case resolved from the State Department and one never knows to what extend these people might go to settle scores. Its not helping as I write this now, since the radio in the background is blurting out about how the FBI misused the US Patriot Act against some people they didn’t like. In the passing if the couple is only of Indian origin the consulate will fall over itself to issue them a visa ASAP. Charuhans	Charuhans	Male	0	3/9/2007 12:38
Asia: South	adm processing	I was on AP for 12 months & 1 day. Have posted dozens of posts on VJ thru those 366 days. Mumbai Consulate!!	Charuhans	Male	0	4/16/2007 10:25
Asia: South	now embassy needs more information	i love my husband otherwise sometimes i feel like not even going back to these people with these stupid documents we dont even have ration cards and voters card where do i get that? And how in the world do you live in India and not have either a ration or voter card. That doens't make sense. What did you do, sneak over illegally from Bangladesh? Even illegal Bangladeshis get a Ration and Voter's Card by the time they move out of West Bengal and towards Mumbai, New Delhi ...	Charuhans	Male	0	4/29/2007 12:47
Asia: South	K1/Fianc'ee visa	Sorry to know about the denial. We had lived with the constant fear of a denial for 2 years while my case was put on an Administrative Review. I did a lot of research during those years and am giving my 2 bits here: A congressman/senator cannot do anything meaningful, even if they want to. Especially, if they have to deal with a consulate like Mumbai. They cannot demand any information, but have to be obliged with what the consulate may want to share with them, which is not much. No harm getting them involved but don't expect to get anything from that. The most effective thing is to get in touch with the Chief Consular Officer and talk to him. IF you are lucky and the case papers have not yet mailed back, you might get an reversal and a reconsideration from the consular officer. But if the case papers have already left for the NVC, there is nothing that can be done except Appeal. Now, thats something you won't want to get into since it can take years even before you get a hearing date. Since yours is an K1, I would suggest go ahead, get married and apply for an CR1. Of course, the visa case will go to the same consulate for the CR1 but now you have a much stronger case and CR1s are not treated lightly and rejected off hand. But yes, there is always the risk of even the CR1 getting rejected. But here is the time for you to sit down and contemplate ... love at any cost ... years of long distance relationship, eventually having to move out of the US and to your spouse's country .... or no you want to draw a line in the sand .... I won't think of spending loads of hard earned money on an Immigration lawyer unless it is to represent your case at the Appeals Board (they will at least be allowed to talk there). Immigration lawyers don't count at the Consular level. Consulates like Mumbai won't even take phone calls from a lawyer. And I think by now you don't need any help with the paperwork. Good luck!!	Charuhans	Male	0	5/13/2007 13:41
Asia: South	did it happen to anyy body else	Mine took 1 year and 2 days and some extensive research and correspondence with the State Department. Charuhans	Charuhans	Male	0	5/22/2007 13:52
Asia: South	New delhi embassy	The following link confirms what I told you. Hope you are in the process of contacting them already. http://newdelhi.usem...v/pr051107.html Good Luck!!	Charuhans	Male	0	5/25/2007 14:09
Asia: South	New delhi embassy	new delhi embassy sucks they keep on delaying the cases of the people who are doing it legally. keep on asking for more papers and more papers and more papers andmore............ if u call them to enquire about ur case the phone keeps on ringing continuousy and nobody pics up the number for immigrant visa enquiry at vfs flashed on their website does not work the regular no for vfs if is called they do not have any kind of information the embassy website does not have any kind of link to find out the status of ur case. if e-mailed the usual answer ur case is under mendatory admn process..................... and who forge the information they are getting the visa there and then no waiting no processing nothing ITS WEIRD.............. PEOPLE LIKE US ARE HARRASED AND OTHERS ARE HAVING FUN>>>>>>>>>>> US IS LEGALISING THE ILLIGALS BUT THOSE WHO ARE US CITIZENS ARE TORTURED SO MUCH THAT THEY CANT EVEN MEET THEIR SPOUSE OR FIANCEE/FIANCE they hve to wait n wait n wait coz the MENDATORY PROCESSING IS ON A very quick and honorable solution to your predicament is in the very message you have posted. To quote you :"and who forge the information they are getting the visa there and then no waiting no processing nothing ITS WEIRD.............." Now, the US Embassy in New Delhi has a Fraud Investigation Division(FID), so does every US Consulate in India. They actively seek information on Visa Fraud. As you have posted you have some very accurate and important information regarding Visa Fraud being committed in India. You should contact the FID immediatley and share the information with them. They even keep the informants details confidential. Also all the 221(g) cases eventually land up with the FID, so yours might have already got there. Now is the time to ACT. Show them that you are not just seeking a Visa to a better life but a honest visa applicant and are willing to perform all the duties associated with Residency and Citizenship. You might even get a reward if your help assists them in busting a organized fraud ring. And we the residents and citizens of the United States would be so proud of you. Good Luck!!	Charuhans	Male	0	5/24/2007 13:51
Asia: South	How long have you known your spouse before marriage	It shouldn't cause a problem. Manoj and I knew one another only three months prior to marrying. Good luck If its a family arranged, non-interracial marriage, the interview is only a formality, nothing else matters. The consulate will usher him through the process in a few minutes. Good luck!	Charuhans	Male	0	6/16/2007 13:11
Asia: South	got 221g in new delhi	For determining income, Gross Income is considered, line on IRS Form 1040. I don't know what Whole Income means. But it seems your husband is self-employed, so he had to file a Schedule C along with his 1040. Now after deducting expenses, you arrive at the Net Income on the Schedule C and that goes on line of the Form 1040. So I don't see what the confusion was all about. The form I864 clearly states that Tax Returns from 2 previous years need to provided. So the Tax Return for 2005 will always show that the income earned was below that required. To overcome that you will have to have a Co-sponsor. Other way out is for your husband to file an amended tax return with the IRS, correcting all the false information given on the original return to evade taxes (the Tax Law hols the filer responsible for everything mentioned on his tax return even if he used a paid preparer to file his taxes). That will show the Real income he made in 2005, which I presume will be sufficient to match the income criterion. If you review the papers that came along with your Packet 3/4, the Consulate clearly states that the onus of filing the I864 lies with the Petitioner and that the Consulate doens't offer any advise in that matter. Good Luck! Charuhans P.S. : According to the provisions of the Patriot Act, USCIS and DOS share information with the IRS. Your husband might want to be careful what he files with the I864.	Charuhans	Male	0	6/30/2007 13:07
Asia: South	second interview	As suggested by other posters, carry "updated" proof of relationship (emails, phone records, letters). Also, if my understanding of Consular Processing is right, this time the interviewer will be a local person and he/she will be from the Fraud Investigation Division(FID). He/she will ask some ackward/rude questions, be prepared to answer them calmly. Stick to the answers given at the first interview and don't offer any information which is not asked. There will be long silences, don't fall for it by getting nervous and trying to talk, don't babble, he/she will be looking for any bit of information which doesn't match, on which they can latch on and keep probing. I would say it looks positive, since they have called for a second interview and not taken any action unilaterally. Good Luck!! Charuhans Edited by Charuhans, 04 July 2007 - 10:52 AM.	Charuhans	Male	0	7/4/2007 10:48
Asia: South	REJECTED!	Red flags? hmmm well she is 26, i am 35. same religion, culture, language, we were introduced feb 2007, engaged aug 2007, i applied for k1 jan 2007. I was divorced in Jan 2003 and have a child. I'm thinking you meant introduced in Feb 2006. Anyway all is in order, many of us have the so-called "red flags" and still got approved in India. Divorce in 2003 and a child is not really a red flag, I would say that many people filing for K1 visas have a divorce & children in their past. It really makes me mad that you are given such a hard time. It's not fair! Cases are really hard to fight once they are sent back to the NVC. If I were in your position, I would probably get married and then file for the spouse visa (K3 or other). Are arranged marriages the norm or the exception with Indian people who are divorced and have children? Gupt, I generally only stayed in villages and observed that often divorced men had arranged marriages with never-married girls. It was not generally socially acceptable for divorced women to get married again, especially via arranged marriage. In the cities it may have been different. As CherryXS stated divorced men & widowers getting remarried is the norm in India, rural or urban. Most of the time to never married and very young girls. Of course, the only reason the girls get in these marriages (there will be exceptions) is financial security and one can't blame them given the social structure in India. BUT well educated women(read have high probability to be economically independent) who hail from well to do families (read strong social support) rarely get in such marriages (again exceptions will exist). The issue the CO would have considered here is not whether a divorced man with children is remarrying and that too to a younger never married woman BUT WHY is the woman marrying him, since she is the one seeking the Visa?? Especially if she is educated and comes from a well to do family (they asked for list of relatives). What's the motive? Love? Definitely, but then the onus to prove it is going to be that much difficult since the CO is starting the case with a bais already formed in his mind. One slip, one thing that doesn't add up and the case goes to AP/AR with a 221(g). Then the Fraud Investigation Division comes in the picture ..... an acceptance/rejection is based on their report .... Charuhans	Charuhans	Male	0	6/28/2007 11:08
Asia: South	REJECTED!	My 2 bits : Once the petition/case leaves the Consualte for NVC, the Consulate can't do a review, Period! I was on AP/AR for more than a year, did a lot of research. There were quite a few instances regarding Mumbai consulate where after the beneficiary was informed about the denial, the petitioner called and was able to the speak to the Chief Consular Officer and was able to get a review. All those denials were overturned at the Consulate level. But the key here is to get them to stop/delay sending the case back to the NVC. Once it leaves the Consulate, it gets very complicated. The only way out is to Appeal and the process may takes anywhere from 1 to 3 years. One can check the timelines on the USCIS website. Now, the reason for denial ... the Consulate never releases the minute details of the denial to the beneficiary, petitioner or to a Congressman/woman. Period! If one reads the guidelines issued by the State Department to Consulates, there is a clause which gives them quite a bit of leeway. The main excuse they don't want to compromise their sources of intelligence. When they point to the documents as not proving a relationship it doesn't mean that the denial was based only on the documents. Mind you every US Consulate has a Fraud Investigation Division(FID) and they do checks on the beneficiary IF the case goes on AP/AR. The FID is always inundated with cases in India and sometimes it takes them a year to do an investigation. Now, one cannot say that all the investigations are through and unbaised. An example : they call or meet a relative/neighbour and ask questions about the beneficiary. Now, you are counting the number of relatives, neighbours who would cut their noses to give you a bad day, aren't you?? Thats the thing ... a relative thinks aloud, oh didn't she get engaged once before too to an NRI .... now thats not true but the investigator is not going to think twice, his job is done, he has proof, the beneficiary is just out to get a Visa and a green card. Period!! Now, denials based on such information get thrown out in the Appeals. But the wait ..... The only way you can get your hands on the minute details is to use the ROI act. Again, the NVC is not going to be generous with the information they give, the law gives them a lot of leeway. But then they just might. Again it takes time. Sorry for my skepticism but no member of Congress is going to be able to get any information for you. They just don't have any power here. But as you say if this Congressman is buddy buddy with your family he may twist some things to get information but with all the Justice department scandals out there, would any Congressman take the risk? One more thing, the Consulates abhor the disturbances from Congressmen/Senator's aides sending faxes, emails et el for information on cases. They don't give 2 bits to any inquiries from them. Now, you have 2 ways to address this : Go in Appeal or go ahead and get married and apply for a K3/CR1. Again the case will go to the same consulate and its going to be difficult but you have a chance. The only thing to consider is if the it gets denied again are you willing to endure years of seperation until the Appeal gets thru' or just move to India and get on with your life. Good Luck! Charuhans	Charuhans	Male	0	6/22/2007 12:58
Asia: South	Nigerian going thru India? Red flags	You might want to google on news from recent weeks/months and also since the past few years regarding Mumbai/Narcotics Trade/Nigerians living in Mumbai. You will need a Police Clearance Certificate from Mumbai and no matter what people tell you here about spending some money and getting it, it might not work in this particular case as the news items will tell you. Good Luck!!	Charuhans	Male	0	7/13/2007 11:51
Asia: South	Is it safe to give copy of passport and copy of visa to travel agents	QUOTE (journeyman @ Sep 22 2007, 02:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> As a matter of fact you should be the one framing such a policy of NOT giving any of your documents to these scrupulous agents especially in North India. Tell him buzz off ! There's such policy, Find someone else. It is none of his business, as long as you pay him, he must issue you a ticket. First of all how does he even know that you are going on a VISA, tell him you are USC or a GC holder. IN ONE SENTENCE, ALL HE NEEDS FROM YOU IS THE NAME and MONEY FOR THE TICKET. If you have ever travelled, you should also know that the DHS warns to not share the documents and things taken onboard with any third parties. You are right about the airlines taking the info from a non-USC. You are wrong about a tom-#######-and-harry travel agent asking legitimately your travel documents. Like I said above, would your travel agent ask for your US passport or GC if you said you are a USC or a GC holder ? Our travel agents have not asked us such docs.. "If you have ever travelled[/color]" Lack of understanding/comprehension of the written word?? Maybe but thats not the subject of this discussion. Anyway, given below are the passages from the regulations regarding the topic in discussion. Absolutely relevant information is highlighted and colored to faciliate easy comprehension. In case, you want to verify the full document is available at the following website: http://www.dhs.gov/x...p_atsupdate.pdf The only explanation for some travel agents not asking for the informaion is that they are taking a risk to get business, or they know the person very well. My 2 bits, if you come across any agent who is not obtaining the copy of the passport/visa before booking your ticket report it to Homeland Security. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Office of the Secretary DHS-2007-0042 Privacy Act of 1974; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Automated Targeting System, System of Records AGENCY: Privacy Office; Department of Homeland Security SUMMARY: This document is a new System of Records Notice (SORN) for the Automated Targeting System (ATS) and is subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. ATS is an enforcement screening tool consisting of six separate components, all of which rely substantially on information in the Treasury Enforcement Communications System (TECS). ATS historically was covered by the SORN for TECS. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) published a separate SORN for ATS in the Federal Register on November 2, 2006. Within ATS there are six separate and distinct components that perform screening of inbound and outbound cargo, conveyances, or travelers by comparing information received against CBP’s law enforcement databases, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Terrorist Screening Center’s Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB), information on outstanding wants or warrants, information from other government agencies regarding high-risk parties, and risk-based rules developed by analysts based on law enforcement data, intelligence, and past case experience. The modules also facilitate analysis of the screening results of these comparisons. ATS-P became operational in 1999 and is critically important to CBP’s mission. ATS-P allows CBP officers to determine whether a variety of potential risk indicators exist for travelers and/or their itineraries that may warrant additional scrutiny. ATS-P maintains Passenger Name Record (PNR) data, which is data provided to airlines and travel agents by or on behalf of air passengers seeking to book travel. The Legal Requirements The Privacy Act embodies fair information principles in a statutory framework governing the means by which the United States Government collects, maintains, uses, and disseminates personally identifiable information. The Privacy Act applies to information that is maintained in a “system of records.” A system of records is a group of any records under the control of an agency from which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual. In the Privacy Act, an individual is defined to encompass U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. ATS involves the collection and creation of information that is maintained in a system of records. ATS also stores information on individuals other than U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs). As a matter of administrative policy, where the PII of individuals other than U.S. citizens and LPRs is held in mixed systems (i.e., a system also including U.S. citizen or LPR), DHS will accord such PII the fair information principles set forth the Privacy Act. Data collected and maintained from air carriers as PNR are listed later in this notice in the “Categories of Records in the System” section of this notice; the listed categories are not specific data elements because each carrier varies its configuration of PNR to meet its business needs. In an effort to provide some consistency in the description of PNR data for the traveling public, CBP has categorized the various data that generally comprise PNR for air carriers into the 19 categories listed in the SORN. The PNR data, upon request, may be provided to the requester in the form in which it was collected from the respective carrier, but may not include certain business confidential information of the air carrier that is also contained in the record, such as use and application of frequent flier miles, internal annotations to the air fare, etc. Third, CBP has added the following category to the categories of persons from whom information is obtained: “Persons who serve as booking agents.” Several commenters correctly noted that many in the traveling public utilize the services of booking agents and that booking agents’ identities are included in itinerary information. Fourth, to be consistent with the forthcoming SORN for the Advanced Passenger Information System (APIS), CBP has amended category A to include persons whose international itineraries cause their flight to stop in the United States, either to refuel or to permit a transfer, and crewmembers on flights that overfly or transit through U.S. airspace. Examples of these categories of PNR, as listed below under “Categories of Records” include: name, date of issuance ticket, date(s) of travel, PNR locator number, payment information, such as credit card information, and travel agent or travel agency that may have made the reservations for the individual. CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM. A. Persons seeking to enter, exit, or transit through the United States by land, air, or sea. This includes passengers who arrive and depart the United States by air or sea, including those in transit through the United States on route to a foreign destination and crew members who arrive and depart the United States by air or sea, including those in transit through the United States on route to a foreign destination, and crew members on aircraft that over fly the United States. E. Persons who serve as booking agents, brokers, or other persons who provide information on behalf of persons seeking to enter, exit, or transit through the United States. ATS-P, a component of ATS, maintains the PNR information obtained from commercial air carriers and uses that information to assess whether there is a risk associated with any travelers seeking to enter, exit, or pass through the United States. PNR may include some combination of these following categories of information, when available: 1. PNR record locator code 2. Date of reservation/ issue of ticket 3. Date(s) of intended travel 4. Name(s) 5. Available frequent flier and benefit information (i.e., free tickets, upgrades, etc.) 6. Other names on PNR, including number of travelers on PNR 7. All available contact information (including originator of reservation) 8. All available payment/billing information (e.g. credit card number) 9. Travel itinerary for specific PNR 10. Travel agency/travel agent 11. Code share information (e.g., when one air carrier sells seats on another air carrier’s flight) 12. Split/divided information (e.g., when one PNR contains a reference to another PNR) 13. Travel status of passenger (including confirmations and check-in status) 14. Ticketing information, including ticket number, one way tickets and Automated Ticket Fare Quote (ATFQ) fields 15. Baggage information 16. Seat information, including seat number 17. General remarks including Other Service Indicated (OSI), Special Service Indicated (SSI) and Supplemental Service Request (SSR) information 18. Any collected APIS information (e.g., Advance Passenger Information (API) that is initially captured by an air carrier within its PNR, such as passport number, date of birth and gender) 19. All historical changes to the PNR listed in numbers 1 to 18 Exemptions claimed for the system: Pursuant to 6 CFR Part 5, Appendix C, certain records and information in this system are exempt from 5 U.S.C. 552a ©(3) and (4); (d)(1), (2), (3), and (4); (e)(1), (2), (3), (4)(G) through (I), (e)(5), and (8); , and (g) of the Privacy Act pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a (j)(2)and (k)(2)). With respect to ATS-P module, exempt records are the risk assessment analyses and business confidential information received in the PNR from the air and vessel carriers. No exemption shall be asserted regarding PNR data about the requester, obtained from either the requester or by a booking agent, brokers, or another person on the requester’s behalf.[color="#FF0000"] This information, upon request, may be provided to the requester in the form in which it was collected from the respective carrier, but may not include certain business confidential information of the air carrier that is also contained in the record. For other ATS modules the only information maintained in ATS is the risk assessment analyses and a pointer to the data from the source system of records. Write back if you have more questions. Chaurhans	Charuhans	Male	0	9/23/2007 14:02
Asia: South	Is it safe to give copy of passport and copy of visa to travel agents	QUOTE (journeyman @ Sep 22 2007, 02:10 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> As a matter of fact you should be the one framing such a policy of NOT giving any of your documents to these scrupulous agents especially in North India. Tell him buzz off ! There's such policy, Find someone else. It is none of his business, as long as you pay him, he must issue you a ticket. First of all how does he even know that you are going on a VISA, tell him you are USC or a GC holder. IN ONE SENTENCE, ALL HE NEEDS FROM YOU IS THE NAME and MONEY FOR THE TICKET. If you know anything about regulations, you would know that any airline which flies to the US HAS to give a list of passengers traveling on each flight. Homeland security scans the names and clears each passenger. Also, the airline is RESPONSIBLE for assuring that each passenger is traveling with valid travel documents. For each passenger without a valid visa/travel documents who boards the plane, the airline is fined $5,000. This applies even to shipping companies. Every seaman who is on a ship which docks in a US port has to have a valid visa, even if he doesn't intent to get off the ship. But yes, I will be very anxious to give a copy of anything to a travel agent in Punjab/Delhi or anywhere else in North India.	Charuhans	Male	0	9/22/2007 12:26
Asia: South	Hes coming,,	Congrats!! Patience always pays off. Best wishes to you two for your future plans.	Charuhans	Male	0	12/29/2007 15:07
Asia: South	Story of Kshatriya	I am very sorry to hear about your case. I was under AP for more than a year. Anyway, it seems they had transferred out the thugs who used to man the Mumbai Consulate after 2006 and now it seems they transferred them to Chennai. One only has to do some research and will know what I am talking. The scene you described was a usual thing at Mumbai, especially for inter-racial couples (1999-2005). Also, the Indian counterpart at the consulate does not necessarily understand all the cultures and many times is very bigoted towards Indians of other caste and language. I could virtually see the hate in the eyes on the Indian employee. Also, I have to admit that those who commit fraud, do use the K1 route even when they are married, simply because its the quickest and I know atleast a dozen. When I did not know anything about the process, I didn't think twice about it. But when I started my process, I wondered, "Gosh, how did XYZ who married the American desi got her visa and moved to the US in 3 months???" When I inquired with some they told me, "stupid, we did the K1 and planned it the moment the marriage got arranged". Alas, I have never heard of any of those fraudsters getting denied. Anyway, I think the plan which you have come up with is the best according to me. Contesting the denial, involving congressmen/women, lawyers will be very lengthy and expensive. Getting married and then filing for an K3/CR1 and documenting everything, writing a letter to the Consular Chief before the second interview explaining the situation and attending the interview yourself too, should make it work. We have a person here, who was denied for K1 or K3, I can't remember, who refiled and requested for a interview with another consulate and got the visa next time and it was only a few months. Good Luck, stay strong!!	Charuhans	Male	0	4/19/2008 13:55
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Letter to Consular	I am sorry "Shewolf" if I pressed the panic button for you. Its the husband who is posting here No we have not yet complained to Uncle Sam because that will automatically put our case on the "hate list" of the US Consulate, Mumbai. You see the case is still on AR. The incident I faced is nothing compared to what other "inter-racial marriage" visa applicants have faced since the year 2000 (I have not been able to gather data prior to 2000) at the US Consulate. Mumbai. Well, Good luck to you. Charuhans Edited by Charuhans, 01 February 2006 - 07:27 AM.	Charuhans	Male	0	2006-02-01 07:25:00
K-3 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	Letter to Consular	My 2 bits ... If the Consulate and the COs out there are anything like that in the US Consulate in Mumbai, India then the letter will be opened, glanced thru', then passed around to the other staff, some will gather around the CO, then they will laugh aloud, point to something in the letter and make faces, some will gesticulate like a ape in heat, every effort will be made to let you know that you and your wife are being ridiculed and your realationship is being mocked. This time is also utilised as a extempore coffee break. Then the CO will turn to you and hand you the I97 sheet and tell you that the Consulate has decided to honour you with a Administrative Review. And hastily add that you "need not contact us. We will contact you when its over". My Case Specifics : Interracial marriage, brown man marrying white woman. In my case it was our Wedding Photo Album which was used to humiliate me. Charuhans	Charuhans	Male	0	2006-01-30 02:01:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Victory!!	We WON!! After more than 1 year of struggling with the "Administrative Procedure / Review", starting with an K3 Visa application / interviewin April 2005, then the CR1 Visa interview in October 2005, eventually the Mumbai Consulate HAD to issue an IR1 Visa. First a CR1 Visa was issued. But I returned it asking for the IR1 visa since we had completed 2 years of marriage while waiting for the AR to be completed. The IR1 was then issued immediately. Our case moved swiftly only after we were able to get the DOS to inquire and intervene in our case. Everything got wrapped up in less than 10 days. No Senator or Congress Rep. were of any help. It was just my wife, a common American who made DOS sit up and take notice. Some people over here are aware of our case but many might not since all my messages are erased after the site crashed some few weeks back. I will try to put up the entire saga as soon as possible in one post for those looking for information / guidance. Charuhans	Charuhans	Male	0	2006-05-01 07:57:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N-400 February 2009 Filers	I arrived 25 minutes late for my 8.30 AM appointment (traffic, took wrong direction, parking, having to walk etc.). I thought that I will be turned back with a rescheduled date and time. But the guard checked me in and told me to hang outside the waiting room till some officer comes to check the box where everyone was supposed to put their appointment letters. After a few minutes a woman came by to check the box and I talked to her. She asked me to put my letter in the box and go inside and wait. After 12 minutes, an officer came and called out my name. He asked me to follow him inside and I apologized for being late. He said that’s no problem and we talked a bit about the city as we walked to his office. He ran through the form and confirmed that nothing changed since the application was submitted. Then he printed out the test and asked me the questions. I can’t remember all of them …. 1) What was our main concern during the cold war 2) who takes over in case the President is no longer able to serve 3) Why did the Pilgrim Fathers came to America. Then there was a question about voting rights. Then he asked me to read, “which state has the most people?” and write down, “California has the most people”. He then took the paper and said, “Congratulations, you have passed the test”. I immediately requested for taking the oath that afternoon and he said that can be done. He then asked me sign the photos which I had submitted along with the application. I asked him whether I can replace those and if it’s OK to have photos with eyeglasses since the instructions said that the photos have to be without any non-religious headgear, eyeglasses and earrings. He said that’s fine we can have the photos with eyeglasses. So exchanged the photos, signed them and he gave me a letter to bring to the Oath ceremony at 1.30 PM. It all took 17 minutes. Went back at 1.30 PM and took the Oath along with 26 other people from 13 countries. A journey which began 5 years back reached its logical conclusion .	Charuhans	Male	0	2009-05-22 15:36:00
US Citizenship General Discussion	N-400 February 2009 Filers	Sorry, for the delayed post. Everything went like a dream from the moment I mailed my N400 (only 5 days after I completed 3 years residency) .... it was kinda shock for me having lived thru AR/AP for a year when I applied for the Visa in 2005. I will have the detailed post up in a few moments. USCIS Lockbox Arizona UserName.........Sent.......NOA1.....Biometrics.Int ltr rec..Interview...Oath......Office Rabie007.........02/03/09...02/14/09...03/04/09...03/16/09...04/20/09...--/--/--...Cleveland, OH Charuhans.......02/09/09...02/17/09...03/13/09...03/27/09...05/13/09...05/13/09...Portland, OR rachel...........02/11/09...--/--/--...--/--/--...--/--/--...--/--/--...--/--/--...Chicago, IL Boss78...........02/16/09...02/28/09...03/23/09...04/20/09...06/15/09...--/--/--...Omaha, NE wworld808........02/17/09...03/03/09...03/19/09...04/06/09...05/13/09...--/--/--...Honolulu, HI waiting4visas....02/21/09...03/05/09...03/21/09...04/23/09...06/09/09...--/--/--...Denver, CO faylen...........02/23/09...03/02/09...03/25/09...05/04/09...06/16/09...--/--/--...???? Smoothsailing....02/25/09...03/05/09...03/17/09...04/23/09...05/15/09...06/04/09...Boise, Idaho[/font] USCIS Lockbox Texas [font="Courier New"]UserName.........Sent.......NOA1.....Biometrics.Int ltr rec..Interview...Oath......Office legalalien30.....01/31/09...02/03/09...03/04/09...03/13/09...05/05/09...05/28/09...Boston, MA peruvianfamily...02/02/09...02/09/09...02/25/09...--/--/--...--/--/--...--/--/--...St. Albans, VT Deirdre76........02/03/09...02/17/09...03/10/09...04/18/09...05/28/09...--/--/--...Oklahoma City, OK Eons.............02/04/09...02/10/09...03/05/09...04/08/09...05/07/09...--/--/--...Dallas, TX Negrecita2007....02/05/09...02/10/09...03/05/09...03/24/09...05/06/09...05/28/09...Boston, MA Alien57..........02/10/09...02/23/09...03/12/09...03/24/09...05/11/09...06/03/09...Boston, MA fahadkhan00......02/10/09...03/05/09...03/14/09...04/13/09...05/27/09...05/27/09...Atlanta, GA Perdesi..........02/11/09...02/19/09...03/17/09...04/09/09...05/15/09...05/15/09...Fairfax, VA marcnycity.......02/12/09...02/19/09...03/12/09...05/06/09...06/02/09...--/--/--...New York, NY kumar_n400.......02/12/09...02/19/09...03/27/09...04/07/09...05/12/09...--/--/--...Houston,TX Ahuacatl.........02/14/09...03/02/09...03/24/09...03/24/09...05/11/09...06/11/09...Boston, MA honey19_sweety28.02/17/09...03/02/09...03/20/09...04/03/09...05/12/09...06/01/09...Cranston, RI araz87...........02/17/09...--/--/--...--/--/--...--/--/--...--/--/--...--/--/--...Houston,TX riosling.........02/17/09...02/25/09...03/20/09...04/14/09...05/27/09...--/--/--...Mt.Laurel, NJ BigRay...........02/18/09...02/25/09...03/20/09...04/06/09...05/21/09...--/--/--...Tampa, FL upstategal.......02/23/09...03/04/09...--/--/--...--/--/--...--/--/--...--/--/--...Albany, NY MaryandMian......02/24/09...03/11/09...04/01/09...04/30/09...06/18/09...--/--/--...Atlanta, GA RositaL..........02/24/09...03/04/09...04/07/09...04/17/09...06/24/09...--/--/--...Newark, NJ kleobg...........02/26/09...03/12/09...--/--/--...04/24/09...06/03/09...--/--/--...Boston, MA mwilson122.......02/24/09...03/03/09...03/17/09...04/16/09...06/17/09...--/--/--...West Palm Beach, FL	Charuhans	Male	0	2009-05-22 15:15:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	i just want to share what i read this morning	Those rascals are rubbing salt on our wounds. Do they even know the meaning of "human dignity"? Ever dog has his day and today its their's. But these dogs are rabid and they will only spread rabies. Charuhans	Charuhans	Male	0	2006-03-27 00:54:00
IR-1 / CR-1 Spouse Visa Process & Procedures	i am hre already	Welcome!! Good to see that you made it. Don't bother about the 6-7 month talk, the GC will come in a couple of months max. Depends on the Port of Entry, how quickly they send the information. But the SSN can drag. It took me 2 months to wrench it out of them. The GC came 2 days before that. Good luck!! Charuhans	Charuhans	Male	0	2006-10-20 11:40:00
US Embassy and Consulate Discussion	Dehli Packet 3	Sorry for butting in here. But i could really use some giudance and help from Parul. I just received my K3 packet from the Mumbai embassy and it has this huge checklist, and application statement that says I have all the stuff on the checklist and a form ds-230 part 1 My confusion lies here : They've asked me to send the DS 230 part 1 and the applicant statement (which mentions i agree to have all the documents in my checklist, which i dont - like the medical etc) right away. Can i just sign the statement and send it anyway ? They've also asked me to check the boxes on the checklistand forward to the embassy. However things like the medical will happen only later. So should i just not check that box and send the paper accross? Also, are these 2 things (part 1 - ds230 + applicant statement & part 2 - checklist) to be sent together ? or seperately ? Is there also a way I can do all this via e-mail to the embassy with a digital signature ? Thank you in advance Minty	Daniel.Minty	Female	0	2010-04-12 05:36:00
Canada	I-485 for AOS - Mistake in Example Form?	I've got another question... didnt know where else i could ask... I'm filling my i485 right now & it asks me for an A#.. The only A number I see on all my papers is on the back of the i94 form that the immigration officer hand wrote on. Its under the line " Record of changes " Is this the same A# as the one on my i94 ? Any help or advice will be helpful. Thank you	Daniel.Minty	Female	0	2010-09-23 13:59:00
K-1 Fiance(e) Visa Process & Procedures	General K1 Guides and Info	Hello everyone I just received my K3 packet from the Mumbai embassy and it has this huge checklist, and application statement that says I have all the stuff on the checklist and a form ds-230 part 1 My confusion lies here : They've asked me to send the DS 230 part 1 and the applicant statement (which mentions i agree to have all the documents in my checklist, which i dont - like the medical etc) right away. Can i just sign the statement and send it anyway ? They've also asked me to check the boxes on the checklistand forward to the embassy. However things like the medical will happen only later. So should i just not check that box and send the paper accross? Also, are these 2 things (part 1 - ds230 + applicant statement & part 2 - checklist) to be sent together ? or seperately ? Is there also a way I can do all this via e-mail to the embassy with a digital signature ? Thank you in advance Minty	Daniel.Minty	Female	0	2010-04-12 12:15:00