jangrace

8 hours ago, A_R said:

Hello,

My case status changed to Ready today but in that the case number originally given by NVC is followed by 01 BMB. Any idea what is that? As while booking appointment I have entered the case number given by NVC.

BMB just means that your interview location is the Mumbai consulate. As for your status, it'll remain at 'Ready' until after your interview. 

1 minute ago, A_R said:

@jangrace how had you paid your fees? 

Sorry, I don't remember if it was IMPS or NEFT. But the receipt did get activated fairly quickly and I even received the following e-mail.
 

Check again in an hour and you should be good to go.

1 minute ago, A_R said:

Hi,
I paid my fees via NEFT an hour back but now when I am entering my receipt number it is saying no valid record found. Any idea regarding this ? Will it take 2-3 days for the receipt number to get activated?

It got activated within the hour for me, but this can vary. I would suggest waiting a couple more hours and I'm sure you'll find that the receipt's been activated for you.

I finally received my visa yesterday. I was given a 221g at the interview and asked to submit additional documentation along with my passport at a dropbox after 5 business days. Once I did so, it was ready for pickup 2 weeks later! 

Good luck to everyone else going through the process and feel free to ask questions.

On 8/19/2018 at 11:24 AM, N400fiasco said:

Just wanted to close the loop on my situation.  I heard back from the Embassy and visited them early Thursday. My Fiance was all tears and told them what happened and explained we had a ticket for that night. They were kind enough to reseal our envelope in about 20 minutes ! We got real lucky (finally!) . I am now typing this from the USA where my Fiance and my daughter are spending a nice relaxing weekend. 😁

 

Couple of lessons for the next sucker who goes through this . These points are specific to the Mumbai embassy, but may apply elsewhere

 

1) "Resealing" seems be a well known service that the Mumbai Embassy provides . All the handlers outside the embassy knew about the "resealing"  .  I guess enough people must have their envelopes accidentally open or something and ofcourse there's the occasional buffoon like us. 

2)  The only way to contact the embassy was through the official email (ustraveldocs) . They responded 2 business days later and asked me to come in any business day at 730 am. Their email specifically said an appointment isn't required for resealing. 

 

Thanks all for your support folks. 

Glad to hear it all worked out for you. Congrats!

2 hours ago, nacho said:

We received a post on aug 28th from US consulate Mumbai saying your K1 visa is now ready for final processing. We got our I-797 and ceac status is ready. We went ahead and filled and submitted ds-160,  paid fees, obtained pcc (police clearance) and created an account on usatraveldocs. The problem begins here. We are unable to schedule an appointment. Whatever date we select we are getting no appointments available. Please press the back button and choose and new OFC appointment date. The first step is OFC scheduling and next is interview scheduling. OFS shows availability but interview page shows this message. If anyone has faced a similar issue or has got past this issue kindly suggest what course of action we should take? The call center has so far been useless :)..

 

Regrads,

Nacho

Nacho, unfortunately you are just going to have to keep checking until dates open up. Don't worry, I'm certain you'll find an open one within the week

Just now, stiggy771 said:

Took me exactly a week to collect the passport from the pickup location (Mumbai VAC). My interview was on Friday, 20th July and I got the passport, visa and sealed envelope a week later. 

 

Looking for flights as I type this. 

That’s awesome, Congratulations to you and your fiance! Good luck with everything!

5 minutes ago, stiggy771 said:

Please dont worry about this. it is how the process works. once your visa is approved by the CO,it usually takes a week for you to get the issued message on the ceac website. It will first show 'Adminstrative processing' and then in a day(in my case) or 2 change to issued.. This is the usual process. Sometimes it could take a while but those are rare. From what Ive read, this 'administrative processing' is the good one..

 

sorry about the typos. my keyboard stopped working and im using the buggy touchscreen 

Oh thank God! I'm glad to hear that. Sorry if I stressed you out n00fiasco! 

Btw Stiggy, have you received your passport and visa in hand yet? If yes, how many working days did it take?

16 hours ago, N400fiasco said:

Hi All, 

 

We had our interview this Friday and am happy to report we were approved!  We have had a baby while waiting for my citizenship and our K1 (its been a LONG wait) The questions focused on why we choose not to get married in India even when we had a kid here. My fiance was prepared for all the questions and handled them, a bit too well infact as the consular officer noted that she seemed a little too confident!  She maintained her confidence and got an approval. Am SO relieved. 

 

I as the petitioner had flown down to accompany my fiance for the interview, but was not allowed to speak with the consular officer at all. He quickly dismissed me as soon as I approached the window with my fiance. Luckily my fiance handled the questions well. 

 

A big THANKS to all of you here for supporting us through out this process. 

 

Question for anyone who tracked status thru the CEAC website immediately after inteview, our status now says "Administrative processing" . I assume this is standard as the passport is with the embassy?

 

Cheers all. 

I'm sorry but I think that means they need more time to make a decision. It could take 2 months or longer before you know. From what I've read, your status should have changed to 'Issue' if it has been approved. If someone else has better  information please jump in here.

I am worried about the same happening to me next week.😟

7 hours ago, stiggy771 said:

I have written a review about my interview in my profile. 

For the VAC too, no lockers are given, and phones, bags etc arent allowed. There are some lockers nearby the VAC which isn't run by the VAC, but by private entities, where you can keep your phones, smaller  backpacks etc, but I'm not sure if you can get to keep your luggage there.  only your documents and wallet and an umbrella (if you have it since it rains almost everyday here in Mumbai ) is allowed inside. 

 

 

Thanks for the info and the detailed inteview info. very helpful. I hope you receive your visa in hand soon. Keep us posted!  

On 7/20/2018 at 2:21 PM, stiggy771 said:

I did. The interview went well. I thought it would be tough but it barely took 8 minutes for me. 

 

I was just too worried right before they called me, because i could see a lot of them being questioned for more than 15 minutes. But it all worked out well. 

 

Just keep telling yourself that you have a solid case. That helped me. 

Hey Stiggy

Mind sharing your experience at the Mumbai VAC and consulate? I have my interviews in 2 weeks and any information would be helpful. For e.g. I will be flying in on the morning of the VAC date, so would I  be allowed in for the biometric interview with my luggage or am I only allowed to carry my documents? I need to know whether I'd have to fly in  much earlier in order to drop off my luggage in the room I'd be booking. 

Thanks in advance.

15 minutes ago, A_R said:

Hi, What vaccination records did you take - did you have your record for Hepatitis B, Oral Polio and Rotavirus ?

I am specifically asking for these as these all are put when you are an infant within  18 months of your DOB, I have got these but but have zero record or any documents proving I got them done.

Rest all vaccinations I  got done in the last 6 months.

I had parts of my vaccination records including those for my first 5-6 years. I had my records for oral polio. But nothing for Hep B or Rotavirus. I didn't have documentation for Chickenpox and Tetanus, but only got the tetanus one at the hospital. I intend to get the Varicella one for Chickenpox once I arrive in the US. The doctor never mentioned anything about getting Hep B or rotavirus vaccines. It might vary from case to case.

1 hour ago, A_R said:

Oh wow,  that was such a fantastic review !!!  So much in detail.

Thanks so much. I will get it done in Mumbai ,how much did it cost you?

The medical exam was around 14k and it was an additional 2k for the vaccinations I had to purchase. 

21 minutes ago, Ann and Meet said:

Hello everyone,  this is my first time posting here. My fiance's file (k1 visa) is ready at the Mumbai consulate.

When we emailed the US embassy in Mumbai, India, requesting packet 4, this is what they sent us. 

 

Thank you for your email requesting a packet 4 to be sent to you. 
We are in the process of reviewing your case file, and it may take a couple of weeks before we complete the process. A notification with further instructions will be sent to you. 
We hope you find this information useful. 
Sincerely, 
Consular Information Unit 
U.S. Consulate General Mumbai

 

Now I am confused why it can take several weeks and if we can schedule the interview before they send us packet 4 and if we can do the medical before they send us packet 4. because to schedule medical they want an interview letter and I wonder if that is part of packet 4 or that's the confirmation page we get when we schedule interview. Anyone know how this works? Thank you. 

If the status says ‘Ready’ at the CEAC website, I’d suggest you go ahead and book the medical, gather all documentation and book your biometric and consular intervieww. You can show them your ds160 confirmation, interview appointment confirmation and the email with the letter you received from the NVC about your case being transferred to the consulate. That should suffice. You’d be wasting time by waiting. Also, just so you’re aware, the clock starts ticking once your medical is complete. You only have 6 months as of the medical exam date to reach the US, which tbh is plenty. Im sure there are exceptions to this, which you would have to check with the embassy on.

13 minutes ago, A_R said:

Hi @jangrace How was your medical? Kindly share experience. Your medical was in  Mumbai or somewhere else?

What all did they do in your medical ? Did they do chest x-ray n testing for Gonorrhea and Syphilis? 

I got the medical done at the Apollo Personalized Health Check hospital in Chennai.

1) A nurse withdrew a vial of blood.

2) She provided me a cup and directed me to the restroom to fill it with a urine sample.

3) I was then taken into an exam room for a prelim exam wherein a nurse checked my height, weight and bmi. Since I wear prescription glasses, I was asked to read off a sheet hung on the wall with & without my glasses on, with one eye covered each time. She also did some really ridiculous hearing test where she'd whisper ans ask me to repeat what I had heard.

4) I had a chest x-ray done after waitng for 20-30 minutes

5) Met the the panel physician who filled out a sheet with all the vaccination history I provided her. Although I've had chickenpox and tetanus shots before I didnt have documentary evidence. I opted to get a flu shot and a tetanus shot. She explained that I would have to get the chickenpox shot once I reached the US as it would be required when applying for AOS etc.She also asked about my medical history and whether I had been hospitalized. 

She then asked me to strip down to my underwear and wear the hospital gown and lie down on the bed. Asked me to take deep breaths, checked whether diff parts hurt etc. And that was it.

She stated that if something was wrong I'd get a call.before 1pm the next day. Else, I could pick up the results between 4-5pm tomorrow. She asked to go back to the main counter and wait to be called for the vaccinations.

6) Waited about 15 minutes, paid for the vaccinations, waited a lilore and finally got called into a room where both were promptly administered. I was finally done.

The entire thing took about 3-4 hours.

Went back the next day around 3:30pm, and had my sealed report in hand by 3:55pm. 

Hope this helps. Keep in mind that each physician's approach can vary.

Nevermind guys, I figured out it could be done via the ustraveldocs website itself.

On 7/12/2018 at 3:02 AM, Amit&Julie said:

I don't think that will make a difference. The envelope that really MUST remained sealed is the one that you will hopefully get upon being approved and then picking up your visa. And I wouldn't worry about no signature on their letter to you, it's probably just a generic one they send. Go ahead and apply for the K1 and, if you haven't already, get all your documents in order.

On 7/12/2018 at 5:10 AM, IndiaAnnie said:

All of our fiance's receive the package and because it contains such personal information we had his father lock in safe with other family papers, will and land docs. I felt better knowing that his family has all my info in case of emergency but will say that I'm lucky to have an incredibly supportive Indian family that value me and our relationship above most.

 

You can do similar or bring them back with you to your fiance in the U.S. when you receive Visa and travel. I would suggest to anyone reading this that you kindly "pay" your local mail delivery person to call you when this packet arrives and delivery only to you or hands of very trusted family member. It's a bit archaic and dangerous for identify theft... In my opinion.

 

Good luck to you!!!

Thank you both for your tips! Completed my medical and Received my PCC from Kuwait as well ,just waiting on my affidavit of support and documents from my fiance. I was finally able to reschedule the interviews for late August, but am really hoping some dates in early August open up soon. 

I had opted for premium delivery while booking the appointment.Since the incident with the package from the embassy being opened, is there a way I can have it changed to selecting a pickup location in Bangalore instead? Can I make that change now or do I have to wait until the interview? Anyone know?

I received snail mail from the US Embassy with instructions on how to apply for a K1, schedule the interview etc Things I have already done based on the advice provided in this forum. I do have a concern however. The package contained a letter (which looked like a photocopy) and a photocopy of the I-129F application my fiance had filed. Is this a cause for concern? The envelope was not sealed properly and definitely had been opened. Will the Embassy reject my letter because although it signs off "Sincerely (Vice) Consul,Immigrant Visa Unit" , it does not have a signature on it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 

15 hours ago, N400fiasco said:

Hi All, 

 

1) How long does it typically take to get from ready status to getting mailed a packet 4 from the embassy? 

2) Is the packet 4  from the Embassy delivered by regular mail or courier service? (My fiance is not at home during the day time and I wonder if she missed a courier)

 

Thanks!!

I never received the packet, simply an email from the NVC stating that they had received my case and were forwarding it to the Embassy. I have proceeded to schedule my interviews and medical exam already. Based on the advice  provided in this forum, it is a waste of time to wait until you receive the packet in the mail. Most users suggest simply emailing the embassy about it a week before your consular interview date, and they usually just send a copy via e-mail.

53 minutes ago, N400fiasco said:

My Fiance got her PCC the same day . Do you need to get  PCCs from countries other than India? 

My status changed to ready at about the time as your fiance's, around June 28.

I am waiting on my PCC from Kuwait as I lived there until I was 17. As for the Indian PCC, have to go back to the PSK tomorrow as I was missing some information on my address proof document. I expect it to take 2 weeks because I haven't lived at my current address for longer than 6 months. I will probably have to wait for a cop to visit me in-person to verify. I'm certain he'll ask for a little "donation" haha

Should I proceed with the medical as well? It's valid for 6 months, and I'll fly out a few weeks after approval anyway. What do you think?

For anyone interested, I just found an OFC slot for Jul 25 and a consular one for Jul27 available.

I can't book them myself because I am yet to get my PCC's  

5 minutes ago, stiggy771 said:

I just checked again. If you choose a data OFC date thats before July 27th, you can still see the open slot for 27th when you go to the next page for Consular interview.  But yeah, no other dates are avaialble

Yeah, my best bet is to wait. Also, I am hesitant to schedule the interviews in July because my fiance (sponsor) has yet to receive her original package back or any communication that she needs to send me an affidavit of support if applicable etc. We both simply received e-mail notifications that the case is being forwarded to the Embassy. Isn't she supposed to receive something else from USCIS or NVC? Or is it OK for her to send me copies of her original petition, I-134 and supporting documentation before she hears from them?

1 hour ago, stiggy771 said:

There are 3 slots available for July 27th right now

Thanks stiggy.I see that the entire month of July has opened up for the Mumbai VAC. However, when I continue onto the consular appointment page, nothing is available :(. Guess I'm gonna have to wait a day or two and check again

Hi all

Just wanted to let everyone else waiting to reschedule know that I'm in the same boat. Keep getting locked out because after selecting an OFC date, there appear to be 0 dates available for the consular interview. Luckily, I was able to snag dates the first time I logged in, but they're a month apart. OFC on Aug 3, consular on Sep 7. Really hoping I am able to reschedule both back-to-back in Aug.  Also, never received a packet from the Mumbai embassy, but went ahead and completed the DS-160 and booked a medical appointment.

I wonder if it's going to be a problem that I have booked my medical exam in late July? I hear it's valid for 6 months, but will it affect my changes at the interview?

I've sent an email to the embassy for clarification. If I don't get a response from them by the end of the week, I'll go ahead and submit it. Thanks for the help guys!

Hi

The NVC website says the status is ready (as shown in the attached screenshot), but I have not received a packet from the local US Embassy yet. Can I go ahead and file the DS-160 and pay the application fee yet? Or should I wait until they mail me a packet with instructions?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!