Hello all,

I am kind of, sort of thinking about k-3 process, I probably will stick with IR/CR-1 but still the thought of a few months less separation time is tempting me a bit too much.

Anyways everyone directs to check with the local consulate/embassy and see how they process IR/CR-1 and K-3, so I am wondering how does it go with Indian consulate especially Chennai, is there a big time difference for giving interview dates to IR/CR-1 applicants compared to K-3?

I wish I could give you an answer about the timeframes, but that one I am not sure about. I believe you can check timelines through this site and compare. We are doing DCF, and that has been extremely fast - partially at least becaus Chennai is FAST.

You may have heard all this before, but the CR1 allows your spouse freedom to work immediately, costs a lot less overall (if you do K3, they will have to go through AOS - which can be a long time and costs $1010), and in some states, you can't even get a driver's license unless you have a green card/immigrant status - which a K3 is technically not. Those were all things we took into consideration when choosing which path to take - the ability to work, drive, etc. are critical to a smoother, less isolated transition to the US.

Many people have said that the time difference between the K3 and CR1 are fairly negligible, and with a CR1, you don't have to go through yet another round of papers and interviews! Something to think about!

Good luck!

I did the K-3 for my husband.... and let me tell you it has been a pain in the butt......
We are still in the process of doing the AOS... so i recommend that you stick with CR-1.

CarolynRitesh- How were you able to do DCF? i thought that India doesn't allow DCF anymore.

Yes I am sticking with IR-1 route, basically my husband is

I do realise the benifits and its only fair to stick with IR-1, 4 years of this long distance relationship hasn't yet killed us, so a few more months wouldn't

Thanks for the guidance :thumb:

Hope you have a smoother AOS

CarolynRitesh hope you have a piece of cake of an interview!

Thanks for the good wishes - same to you!

I heard that some time ago the DCF was stopped, but if it was, it is certainly back on! A friend of mine did it in April 2006, maybe it stopped for awhile after that? We are soooo grateful for it, it has been really fast!

I was around when they stopped DCF in Consulates, but they never stopped doing them in Embassys. New Delhi is an Embassy so it has always continued there.

The DCF process for India goes through the USCIS Office which is in the Delhi Embassy compound, but everything after that is through the local consulate office. Thankfully so - the flights from Bangalore to Delhi would have added up!

I am a little confused... so did you submit your DCF in Delhi, while your embassy is Chennai and got your visa processed and interview in Chennai?

You are right, CarolynRitesh! Before I thought that DCF interviews had to go through Delhi, but now I know that isn't the case! And good thing too!

If I am not wrong, then Delhi embassy works as USCIS, gives the approval notification (NOA-2) and forwards it to the local consulate, that is Chennai in this case.

But I am wondering, who works as NVC? The i-864, where do you submit that?

After our interview on Thursday, I am going to do a long post about DCF in India (if we get the visa at that point!) as it can be really confusing! Yes, the USC has to go to Delhi to submit the I-130. We have to go through the Embassy to get to the USCIS office (they are two very distinct entities, USCIS just happens to be in the Embassy compound). AmanRam from VJ has had quite an issue getting the petition from the USCIS office in Delhi to the Embassy IN DELHI for processing. (Granted, it is only about 15 steps away, but there was quite a delay for them!)

Then USCIS forwarded our case to Chennai who handles everything else after that - including the I-864, and all other visa related docs. That is another benefit of DCF, that $70 I-864 processing fee does not apply as it is handled at the Chennai Consulate for us. The other thing that seems to come up is that the processing times do seem to vary between Consulate offices around India - Chennai is FAST!

I hope that helps!

We preferred CR1 because its less expensive and also saves time overall. No tension, after the spouse arrives here...one can move on with their life.

I wish I had the option to do DCF........ but that wasn't the case when we got married. Many couples were turned away by New Delhi..saying DCF is only open for American citizens who are residents of India. Anyway, I am glad they are allowing it again....... my brother will be going through the process soon....

CarolynRitesh,

From the VJ forum I read that DCF is only allowed in India for USC who live in India. Are you living in India or US?

Your timelines for DCF are quite fast. But, I never thought about this route because I am living in US.

Thanks.

yeye,

For DCF, you will have to live in India for at least 3 months or so, actually the guidelines at Delhi embassy isn't clear, they only say for a certain amount of time, so most people take it as 3 to 4 months of time, plus you have to take care of another specific, that is you can't be living in India on tourist visa, you should acquire an Entry visa if you wish to go for DCF in the future.

Actually, one can enter India on a "Tourist Visa" and have it reclassify it to the appropriate type of visa thru a local passport or some kind of government office, which will allow you to stay in India for more than six months. I forget exactly how this is done or thru which office but I m almost positive you can. Its like getting a long-term residential permit to stay in India and once thats done, you can do a DCF in New Delhi after 3 months of your stay in India.

Hope this helps.

Regards.