Mumbai Consulate - Any recent "IR" interviews/interview scheduled?

[AKK123 0]

On 10/1/2019 at 2:46 PM, wisedog said:

My parents had their interview in Mumbai on Friday and were approved. I happened to have to make a last minute (previously unplanned) trip to India and hence I joined them at the interview. In hindsight, it was perhaps unnecessary, but glad i witnessed the experience regardless.

 

Pre-interview Experience: 

1. Line forms outside ~45 mins before your scheduled interview  time. You can try going 60 mins earlier but no point going much earlier as there are only 2 lines allowed outside- one for each time slot. Interview slots are in 15 minute increments and there are lots of people in each time slot. Our interview was at 8:30a; at around 7:55a, the 8:30a line started to form and at ~8:05a, they allowed us to move from stage 1 to stage 2 (also outside the consulate)

2. Stage 2 involves another round of document verification by a staff member, but this time under the canopy covering immediately outside the consulate. Then you're allowed to enter (stage 3)

3. Stage 3 involves going through airport like security. Be sure to remember that no opaque bags are allowed through security. Take all your supporting paperwork in a transparent lite plastic bag or large file.

4. Once you go past stage 3, you are ushered into stage 4, which is a large (covered with a canopy, but otherwise open from all sides) hall on the other side of security. Immigrant visa holders will sit in a different queue than NIV visa holders here. We happened to be the only people in our queue when we arrived and were ushered inside the building (to what i call stage 5) soon after.

5. Stage 5 involved sitting in a waiting area immediately in front of visa officer windows. This will be where you'd be sitting most of the time for the next few hours. An associate directed us to go to a certain window and get a token number.

6. Once our number was called, a clerk went through all important paperwork (parents' birth certificate, marriage certificate, passport, police clearing certificate etc.) and collected them. His job was to prepare the application for the interviewing officer. He also directed us to anther window to update our DS-260 since we had a new passport & therefore had to update the DS-260. Then we were asked to sit again.

7. Fast fwd 45 mins or so, our number was called again. Then my parents & I went for our interview at another window with the American consular officer and the (Indian) clerk who had verified the documents previously. I was asked to sit back in the waiting area.

 

Parents interview experience:

- Fairly straight fwd (we were over-prepared with all kinds of supporting paperwork, which eventually were not needed)

- Parents were asked very few questions. Here are a few that they remember being asked:

1.  Who is sponsoring you

2. What does he do

3. Where does he live

-  Interview took less than 15 mins, of which most of the time the consular officer was just doing his own processing on the computer.  We were out by 9:45a; parents were handed a paper suggesting that their visa was approved and that they could collect their passports from visa center in 3-5 biz days (we rec'd my parents passports today - within 2 biz days of them being approved). 

 

Advice:

1. Does not hurt to be over-prepared for the interview. Carry all supporting paperwork, esp financial paperwork

2. Carry an umbrella in case it rains with the unpredictable mumbai weather (we ended up purchasing a few from outside because it was drizzling)

3. Carry all supporting paperwork in a transparent plastic bag.

4. Be prepared to spend 4-5 hours there; then again, we were lucky to be out within 1.5.

5. Be organized - prepare the paperwork ahead of time in the same order that Mumbai consulate lists them. It will save you time in front of the clerk when he asks you for paperwork

 

 

Hope this helps! Good luck to all members on VJ!

 

 

Thanks for the detailed experience, helps a lot!!! Were you allowed in since you are a US citizen? I am a non-US citizen, can I still accompany my mother in? Can she carry some crackers and water since she is diabetic?

[wisedog 58]

5 minutes ago, AKK123 said:

Thanks for the detailed experience, helps a lot!!! Were you allowed in since you are a US citizen? I am a non-US citizen, can I still accompany my mother in? Can she carry some crackers and water since she is diabetic?

@AKK123- I believe non-US citizens are also allowed in case there's an elderly applicant. I would email usvisadocs.com customer support and get their confirmation and take a print-out of that email to avoid hassles at stage 1 & 2.

 

I don't know about water and crackers but can't see why it won't be allowed. FWIW, there's water inside and in-fact I saw a vendor selling food inside the consulate in the waiting area (in stage 3).

[AKK123 0]

Once my documents are qualified, do I need to schedule a fingerprinting appointment or will I receive a specific date and slot?

Also, for the Mumbai interview, do I need to schedule an appointment online or will I receive a specific date and slot? Thanks!

[circular 4]

2 hours ago, AKK123 said:

Once my documents are qualified, do I need to schedule a fingerprinting appointment or will I receive a specific date and slot?

Also, for the Mumbai interview, do I need to schedule an appointment online or will I receive a specific date and slot? Thanks!

First immigrant visa appt. email is sent by NVC then, you go to ustraveldocs and setup the applicant profile and you schedule a biometrics appointment for a date that falls prior to the interview. 
 

 

 

[Tenzi 3]

Just wondering did ( may  case complete) people got the interview date  for november .. ?? 

[dleen 33]

24 minutes ago, Tenzi said:

Just wondering did ( may  case complete) people got the interview date  for november .. ?? 

I heard around 10-15 people who had May 15-30 cc got their IL for the 1st week of November. That's only a two week notice.

[AKK123 0]

Anyone's parents who needed a wheelchair at the US consulate in Mumbai?

Any person who accompanied elderly parents for interview at Mumbai US consulate even though they were not petitioners and non-US citizens?

Please reply to my post, it would be a major help!

Thanks in advance!

[AKK123 0]

Did you receive passport in Mumbai after visa was approved or did you receive it by mail in your hometown?

[Swadesfan 125]

7 hours ago, AKK123 said:

Anyone's parents who needed a wheelchair at the US consulate in Mumbai?

Any person who accompanied elderly parents for interview at Mumbai US consulate even though they were not petitioners and non-US citizens?

Please reply to my post, it would be a major help!

Thanks in advance!

[IndiaAnnie 163]

8 hours ago, AKK123 said:

Anyone's parents who needed a wheelchair at the US consulate in Mumbai?

Any person who accompanied elderly parents for interview at Mumbai US consulate even though they were not petitioners and non-US citizens?

Please reply to my post, it would be a major help!

Thanks in advance!

Call the main Embassy number and ask them rules about medical escort for elderly/wheelchair. I'm any event you can accompany then up to the front door where an Indian officer will stop you and explain next steps. The main number is 

+91 22 2672 4000.

[wisedog 58]

Hi VJ members - Although this is not a question related to Mumbai consulate (original intent of this thread), since many of you here have been supportive to my (parents) immigration journey and may have similar question, I am x-posting my question regarding immigration & Trump's new ruling on healthcare insurance below. Any feedback you may have would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[wisedog 58]

Link to the above x-posting: 

 

[GAMAJM 320]

1 hour ago, wisedog said:

Hi VJ members - Although this is not a question related to Mumbai consulate (original intent of this thread), since many of you here have been supportive to my (parents) immigration journey and may have similar question, I am x-posting my question regarding immigration & Trump's new ruling on healthcare insurance below. Any feedback you may have would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

I will be adding my husband within 30 days arrival and had my company write a letter indicating the process and costs that I will pay. I do feel that the petitioner should be responsible for those they bring into the country. As an immigrant, citizen, and USA tax payer..I do not want to pay for others. It’s expensive to live in the USA and I have worked hard and never used public benefits. Don’t sponsor if you can’t support those you petition. 🙏🏻

[wisedog 58]

2 minutes ago, GAMAJM said:

Don’t sponsor if you can’t support those you petition. 🙏🏻

Thanks.  But your last comment was so unnecessary.  I never indicated that I was not planning to do so.  In fact if you read my post, I am simply concerned about the unknown at the port of entry and whether this ruling even applies to IR-5 visa holders.  

[GAMAJM 320]

10 minutes ago, wisedog said:

Thanks.  But your last comment was so unnecessary.  I never indicated that I was not planning to do so.  In fact if you read my post, I am simply concerned about the unknown at the port of entry and whether this ruling even applies to IR-5 visa holders.  

I didn’t comment on a personal note. You asked for feedback about the ruling so I made a general statement. I read your comment as a request for feedback In general. Maybe you should clarify what you are seeking in responses. My intention was not to be critical of your situation. Simply a general statement.