CR-1 Interview Review

[sachinky 464]

Okay, here's my very detailed interview review at the Mumbai Consulate on Wednesday May 12, 2010.

I stayed the night at the Kemp's Corner Hotel which is about 10 minutes away from the VFS office. I dressed in well-fitting jeans and a white dress shirt. I wore both my wedding and engagement rings. I got to the VFS at 7AM and was in the bus by 7:10AM. Reached the Consulate at 7:20AM. Stood in line for a bit while they checked our passports and interview letters.

Entered the Consulate for security. The security guard was a b!tch. She grabbed my a$$ several times (like, seriously cupped my boot-ay) and worst of all, took out ALL my papers from their properly color coded folders messed it all up and then gave it back to me in a heaping pile.

Had to stand and organize everything again and then I entered the waiting room. Waited in line for about 15 minutes for biometric fingerprinting. They give you pink tokens for NIVs and wooden tokens for IVs.

After that, I sat in the waiting area till my name was called for the pre-screener at 8:15AM. She was a middle-aged Indian lady.

Questions asked by her:

--Who is calling you to the States?

--What is his name?

--What is your father's name? (She was confused if his middle name was actually his first name)

--Mother's maiden name?

--You studied in the U.S.?

--Where did you meet your husband?

--In India or the U.S.? So you had a F-1?

--What is your husband's name?

--Who did you visit on your previous B-2 visa?

--Where all did you visit?

--What are your qualifications?

--Where did you get married?

--When did you get married?

--Did you have a Hindu wedding?

--Why not?

--You got married under the Special Marriage Act? Was it a court wedding?

--Did you convert?

--Did he convert?

--Where are you currently working?

--How long has he been in the U.S.? (Born and brought up there).

--Is he an American? (DUH!)

--I mean, is he of Indian-American origin? (No, he's white, of Irish descent).

--Are you a Canadian immigrant? (She was confused by my Canadian once-in-a-lifetime-at-the-border tourist visa).

--Have you resided for more than 6 months in any other country other than the U.S.?

--Who is *joint sponsor's name?*

--What does he do?

--Is he married?

--His wife works? What does she do?

--He files taxes jointly?

--Do you have his 2009 tax returns?

--Where is his W-2?

This is when I shoved in another joint sponsorship as my original joint sponsor was being very uncooperative recently and had refused to send his '09 W2s. I wasn't going to deal with a blue slip for missing documents so I insisted she used whichever one had the better/complete information. She kept both of their documents and said that the final decision would be the CO's.

--Who is *new joint sponsor's name?*

--Your husband recently got a new job?

--What kind of wedding did you have?

I offered to show her some pictures but she pulled out the ones I sent in with the I-130 petition and said she already saw them--she just wanted me to tell her.

I also had to turn in a new DS230, as VFS had turned in a photocopied one. She needed the original signature on it. Thankfully, I was carrying an extra one, all filled out. Helps to be prepared!

She then returned a bunch of documents to me (including my originals and everything that had been submitted to NVC) and told me everything looked good and that the CO might want to ask me a few questions. She asked me to go back and wait.

So I waited. For three freakin' hours while all the B-2, F-1 and H-1Bs kept getting called. There is a food counter with sandwiches, chips, and drinks available but I wasn't carrying any cash so I listened to my stomach growl in hunger. Pointer: EAT BREAKFAST before you go no matter how nauseated you feel in the morning!

Finally, I got called at 11:15 AM. The Consular Officer was an Indian-American lady, very casually dressed. I didn't even realize she was the CO. I just assumed she was there to assign the oath. Which she did and then asked me to sign the new DS230. I did. And then there was a less than 5 minute conversation that consisted of the following questions.

--You have 2 previous visas to the US?

--Yes. B-2 in 1999 and a F-1 in 2005.

--Where did you meet?

--Ithaca College, NY. We were both pursuing our undergraduate degree there.

--Is he an American citizen?

--Yes, he is. (*WHY THESE STUPID REDUNDANT QUESTIONS?*)

--How long have you known him?

--We met in Jan '08, started dating end Feb '08 so about two and a half years now.

--How did you meet him?

--His roommate was a friend of mine.

--When did you get married?

--August 17, 2009. (Asked this twice, to ascertain the date, I assume)

--Do you have any relatives in the U.S.?

-- A couple of distant relatives in my extended family but no one in my immediate family.

--When did you graduate?

--May 2009. May 17, I think. (She seemed surprised that my F-1 is valid till July 2010 and that I had left the U.S. much prior to it's expiry).

--How long have you been married?

--9 months. Will be 9 months this 17th.

--Has he visited you since then?

--"No, unfortunately, he's not been able to." She turned to look at me -- the only time she did so, the rest of the time time she was busy typing on her computer.

--Why not?

--"I guess we were naive and thought we would be done in 3-4 months so we didn't really make any plans to meet up -- we didn't think the process would take so long as long as it did, and besides with both of his jobs being recent, it was hard to get time off." She nodded, and said, "yes, I understand that."

--Speaking of which, where does he work?

--Where do his parents live?

--What do they do?

--What are your qualifications?

--Does he have any brothers or sisters?

--Where does she live?

--What does she do?

I responded quickly to each question with short, precise answers. Then, another guy walked in who cancelled my previous visa. The CO said, "Well, your visa is approved!" She didn't look at one thing. Seriously. I dropped 10 lbs of evidence in front of her and she didn't ask to see ONE damn thing.

I was like, "Seriously? That's it? You don't wanna see some pictures? How about some phone bills?"

She said, "Nope, your passport will be sent to you via courier in a couple of days!" So I said, "oh okay, thankyou." And walked out of the booth in a daze.

I was out by 11:20AM, caught the return bus to VFS and was there by 11:30AM.

Thanks again to VJ and the wonderful VJers for all their help, support and good wishes!

Edited May 14, 2010 by sachinky

[Deep2009 18]

awesome review... :dance:

Okay, here's my very detailed interview review at the Mumbai Consulate on Wednesday May 12, 2010.

I stayed the night at the Kemp's Corner Hotel which is about 10 minutes away from the VFS office. I dressed in well-fitting jeans and a white dress shirt. I wore both my wedding and engagement rings. I got to the VFS at 7AM and was in the bus by 7:10AM. Reached the Consulate at 7:20AM. Stood in line for a bit while they checked our passports and interview letters.

Entered the Consulate for security. The security guard was a b!tch. She grabbed my a$$ several times (like, seriously cupped my boot-ay) and worst of all, took out ALL my papers from their properly color coded folders messed it all up and then gave it back to me in a heaping pile.

Had to stand and organize everything again and then I entered the waiting room. Waited in line for about 15 minutes for biometric fingerprinting. They give you pink tokens for NIVs and wooden tokens for IVs.

After that, I sat in the waiting area till my name was called for the pre-screener at 8:15AM. She was a middle-aged Indian lady.

Questions asked by her:

--Who is calling you to the States?

--What is his name?

--What is your father's name? (She was confused if his middle name was actually his first name)

--Mother's maiden name?

--You studied in the U.S.?

--Where did you meet your husband?

--In India or the U.S.? So you had a F-1?

--What is your husband's name?

--Who did you visit on your previous B-2 visa?

--Where all did you visit?

--What are your qualifications?

--Where did you get married?

--When did you get married?

--Did you have a Hindu wedding?

--Why not?

--You got married under the Special Marriage Act? Was it a court wedding?

--Did you convert?

--Did he convert?

--Where are you currently working?

--How long has he been in the U.S.? (Born and brought up there).

--Is he an American? (DUH!)

--I mean, is he of Indian-American origin? (No, he's white, of Irish descent).

--Are you a Canadian immigrant? (She was confused by my Canadian once-in-a-lifetime-at-the-border tourist visa).

--Have you resided for more than 6 months in any other country other than the U.S.?

--Who is *joint sponsor's name?*

--What does he do?

--Is he married?

--His wife works? What does she do?

--He files taxes jointly?

--Do you have his 2009 tax returns?

--Where is his W-2?

This is when I shoved in another joint sponsorship as my original joint sponsor was being very uncooperative recently and had refused to send his '09 W2s. I wasn't going to deal with a blue slip for missing documents so I insisted she used whichever one had the better/complete information. She kept both of their documents and said that the final decision would be the CO's.

--Who is *new joint sponsor's name?*

--Your husband recently got a new job?

--What kind of wedding did you have?

I offered to show her some pictures but she pulled out the ones I sent in with the I-130 petition and said she already saw them--she just wanted me to tell her.

I also had to turn in a new DS230, as VFS had turned in a photocopied one. She needed the original signature on it. Thankfully, I was carrying an extra one, all filled out. Helps to be prepared!

She then returned a bunch of documents to me (including my originals and everything that had been submitted to NVC) and told me everything looked good and that the CO might want to ask me a few questions. She asked me to go back and wait.

So I waited. For three freakin' hours while all the B-2, F-1 and H-1Bs kept getting called. There is a food counter with sandwiches, chips, and drinks available but I wasn't carrying any cash so I listened to my stomach growl in hunger. Pointer: EAT BREAKFAST before you go no matter how nauseated you feel in the morning!

Finally, I got called at 11:15 AM. The Consular Officer was an Indian-American lady, very casually dressed. I didn't even realize she was the CO. I just assumed she was there to assign the oath. Which she did and then asked me to sign the new DS230. I did. And then there was a less than 5 minute conversation that consisted of the following questions.

--You have 2 previous visas to the US?

--Yes. B-2 in 1999 and a F-1 in 2005.

--Where did you meet?

--Ithaca College, NY. We were both pursuing our undergraduate degree there.

--Is he an American citizen?

--Yes, he is. (*WHY THESE STUPID REDUNDANT QUESTIONS?*)

--How long have you known him?

--We met in Jan '08, started dating end Feb '08 so about two and a half years now.

--How did you meet him?

--His roommate was a friend of mine.

--When did you get married?

--August 17, 2009. (Asked this twice, to ascertain the date, I assume)

--Do you have any relatives in the U.S.?

-- A couple of distant relatives in my extended family but no one in my immediate family.

--When did you graduate?

--May 2009. May 17, I think. (She seemed surprised that my F-1 is valid till July 2010 and that I had left the U.S. much prior to it's expiry).

--How long have you been married?

--9 months. Will be 9 months this 17th.

--Has he visited you since then?

--"No, unfortunately, he's not been able to." She turned to look at me -- the only time she did so, the rest of the time time she was busy typing on her computer.

--Why not?

--"I guess we were naive and thought we would be done in 3-4 months so we didn't really make any plans to meet up -- we didn't think the process would take so long as long as it did, and besides with both of his jobs being recent, it was hard to get time off." She nodded, and said, "yes, I understand that."

--Speaking of which, where does he work?

--Where do his parents live?

--What do they do?

--What are your qualifications?

--Does he have any brothers or sisters?

--Where does she live?

--What does she do?

I responded quickly to each question with short, precise answers. Then, another guy walked in who cancelled my previous visa. The CO said, "Well, your visa is approved!" She didn't look at one thing. Seriously. I dropped 10 lbs of evidence in front of her and she didn't ask to see ONE damn thing.

I was like, "Seriously? That's it? You don't wanna see some pictures? How about some phone bills?"

She said, "Nope, your passport will be sent to you via courier in a couple of days!" So I said, "oh okay, thankyou." And walked out of the booth in a daze.

I was out by 11:20AM, caught the return bus to VFS and was there by 11:30AM.

Thanks again to VJ and the wonderful VJers for all their help, support and good wishes!

[sachinky 464]

Sorry that it's so long.

I just wanted to remember everything as accurately as I could and make it as detailed as possible.

Hope this helps!

[Married2009 32]

Good review! Thanks for posting! Grats on the approval!

[Deep2009 18]

Did they give you a receipt for "visa approved" and any confirmation?

Okay, here's my very detailed interview review at the Mumbai Consulate on Wednesday May 12, 2010.

I stayed the night at the Kemp's Corner Hotel which is about 10 minutes away from the VFS office. I dressed in well-fitting jeans and a white dress shirt. I wore both my wedding and engagement rings. I got to the VFS at 7AM and was in the bus by 7:10AM. Reached the Consulate at 7:20AM. Stood in line for a bit while they checked our passports and interview letters.

Entered the Consulate for security. The security guard was a b!tch. She grabbed my a$$ several times (like, seriously cupped my boot-ay) and worst of all, took out ALL my papers from their properly color coded folders messed it all up and then gave it back to me in a heaping pile.

Had to stand and organize everything again and then I entered the waiting room. Waited in line for about 15 minutes for biometric fingerprinting. They give you pink tokens for NIVs and wooden tokens for IVs.

After that, I sat in the waiting area till my name was called for the pre-screener at 8:15AM. She was a middle-aged Indian lady.

Questions asked by her:

--Who is calling you to the States?

--What is his name?

--What is your father's name? (She was confused if his middle name was actually his first name)

--Mother's maiden name?

--You studied in the U.S.?

--Where did you meet your husband?

--In India or the U.S.? So you had a F-1?

--What is your husband's name?

--Who did you visit on your previous B-2 visa?

--Where all did you visit?

--What are your qualifications?

--Where did you get married?

--When did you get married?

--Did you have a Hindu wedding?

--Why not?

--You got married under the Special Marriage Act? Was it a court wedding?

--Did you convert?

--Did he convert?

--Where are you currently working?

--How long has he been in the U.S.? (Born and brought up there).

--Is he an American? (DUH!)

--I mean, is he of Indian-American origin? (No, he's white, of Irish descent).

--Are you a Canadian immigrant? (She was confused by my Canadian once-in-a-lifetime-at-the-border tourist visa).

--Have you resided for more than 6 months in any other country other than the U.S.?

--Who is *joint sponsor's name?*

--What does he do?

--Is he married?

--His wife works? What does she do?

--He files taxes jointly?

--Do you have his 2009 tax returns?

--Where is his W-2?

This is when I shoved in another joint sponsorship as my original joint sponsor was being very uncooperative recently and had refused to send his '09 W2s. I wasn't going to deal with a blue slip for missing documents so I insisted she used whichever one had the better/complete information. She kept both of their documents and said that the final decision would be the CO's.

--Who is *new joint sponsor's name?*

--Your husband recently got a new job?

--What kind of wedding did you have?

I offered to show her some pictures but she pulled out the ones I sent in with the I-130 petition and said she already saw them--she just wanted me to tell her.

I also had to turn in a new DS230, as VFS had turned in a photocopied one. She needed the original signature on it. Thankfully, I was carrying an extra one, all filled out. Helps to be prepared!

She then returned a bunch of documents to me (including my originals and everything that had been submitted to NVC) and told me everything looked good and that the CO might want to ask me a few questions. She asked me to go back and wait.

So I waited. For three freakin' hours while all the B-2, F-1 and H-1Bs kept getting called. There is a food counter with sandwiches, chips, and drinks available but I wasn't carrying any cash so I listened to my stomach growl in hunger. Pointer: EAT BREAKFAST before you go no matter how nauseated you feel in the morning!

Finally, I got called at 11:15 AM. The Consular Officer was an Indian-American lady, very casually dressed. I didn't even realize she was the CO. I just assumed she was there to assign the oath. Which she did and then asked me to sign the new DS230. I did. And then there was a less than 5 minute conversation that consisted of the following questions.

--You have 2 previous visas to the US?

--Yes. B-2 in 1999 and a F-1 in 2005.

--Where did you meet?

--Ithaca College, NY. We were both pursuing our undergraduate degree there.

--Is he an American citizen?

--Yes, he is. (*WHY THESE STUPID REDUNDANT QUESTIONS?*)

--How long have you known him?

--We met in Jan '08, started dating end Feb '08 so about two and a half years now.

--How did you meet him?

--His roommate was a friend of mine.

--When did you get married?

--August 17, 2009. (Asked this twice, to ascertain the date, I assume)

--Do you have any relatives in the U.S.?

-- A couple of distant relatives in my extended family but no one in my immediate family.

--When did you graduate?

--May 2009. May 17, I think. (She seemed surprised that my F-1 is valid till July 2010 and that I had left the U.S. much prior to it's expiry).

--How long have you been married?

--9 months. Will be 9 months this 17th.

--Has he visited you since then?

--"No, unfortunately, he's not been able to." She turned to look at me -- the only time she did so, the rest of the time time she was busy typing on her computer.

--Why not?

--"I guess we were naive and thought we would be done in 3-4 months so we didn't really make any plans to meet up -- we didn't think the process would take so long as long as it did, and besides with both of his jobs being recent, it was hard to get time off." She nodded, and said, "yes, I understand that."

--Speaking of which, where does he work?

--Where do his parents live?

--What do they do?

--What are your qualifications?

--Does he have any brothers or sisters?

--Where does she live?

--What does she do?

I responded quickly to each question with short, precise answers. Then, another guy walked in who cancelled my previous visa. The CO said, "Well, your visa is approved!" She didn't look at one thing. Seriously. I dropped 10 lbs of evidence in front of her and she didn't ask to see ONE damn thing.

I was like, "Seriously? That's it? You don't wanna see some pictures? How about some phone bills?"

She said, "Nope, your passport will be sent to you via courier in a couple of days!" So I said, "oh okay, thankyou." And walked out of the booth in a daze.

I was out by 11:20AM, caught the return bus to VFS and was there by 11:30AM.

Thanks again to VJ and the wonderful VJers for all their help, support and good wishes!

[sachinky 464]

Good review! Thanks for posting! Grats on the approval!

No problem and thanks, once again!

Did they give you a receipt for "visa approved" and any confirmation?

Nope. I did go to the VFS that evening with my courier fee, hoping I could pick it up in person, but they told me that the Consulate hadn't sent over that morning's batch yet. If I wanted, I could pick it up next day, otherwise, they'd courier to me.

Passport collection is from 5-530PM at the VFS office.

Blue Dart just dropped off my passport earlier this evening. So that was a quick turn around. The actual visa was issued on the 13th.

Edited May 14, 2010 by sachinky

[mrs. wife! 3]

Great review Sachi! So happy for you!

[sachinky 464]

Great review Sachi! So happy for you!

You too, chica! Yay for May!

[sachinky 464]

Couple of points I wanted to make--

--Not sure who my actual joint sponsor now is since the CO never mentioned anything. I wonder if the switcheroo worked.

--My husband had submitted a new I-864 for the interview since he had a new job after our case complete at NVC which was putting him a few thousand over the required limit. The pre-screener seemed to imply that the job was "too recent" to be considered -- besides, his taxes don't look so hot as he was in college the last three years.

--The pre-screener asked me my husband's name three times until I uttered his entire name. Eg: Jon Smith, Jonathan Smith, Jonathan Bruce Smith.

[vivekjay 1]

Nice review........

Sorry about the security messing up all the papers. They did go through all my wifes papers too but don't think they took it out.

Did you seriously offer to show the pictures and phone bills after they said you are approved? I thought you were just saying it in your mind when you mentioned it the other day.

[sachinky 464]

Haha, yea, I did. It just came out. I thought she'd at least want to look at our very nice wedding album and make an obligatory remark about "what a cute couple the two of you make!"

She didn't even say, "Welcome to the United States." Hmph.

Edited May 14, 2010 by sachinky

[johndoe12 2]

Congrats and thanks for the excellent review. This will help a lot of people who will be going to the consulate in Mumbai.

[LoveRani 1]

Thanks for the detailed review Congratulations again on getting approved

[RyannTanya 2]

Congratulations and best wishes to both of you!

[Darnell 8,478]

Yay Sachinky !!!! Thanks so much for the write up !!!

Yer my new poster child for Green Crayon !!!

I'm so happy for you two - Yay !!!

GoGoGadget PackTheSuitCases!!!