wisedog

20 minutes ago, vspink94 said:

Hello! CONGRATULATIONS! Their Social came 1 week after they arrived. Go to your neareast SS office and they can check it for you, my moms gc came after 120 days, still waiting for my dads gc. Hes only been here  2 months. 

Nice. My parents entered the country on Nov 2 and have not received their physical GCs either. They want to return back to India for a 2 month trip though. Any thoughts on accelerating getting the physical green cards? I heard they can also visit the nearby USCIS office and get a stamp on their passport?

> 120 days seems a long time to get a GC. I thought the upper limit was 120 days, but most people get it within 1-2 months. What's the typical timeframe for receiving the physical green card oflate?  

I am a US citizen and am sponsoring my Indian citizen wife for a green card within the US (she has a valid US H1-B visa). Her visa interview date was scheduled for Jan 14th; we received the letter a couple of weeks ago. 

Unfortunately, she has to go to India during the time her interview is being scheduled to attend to her mother's surgery. Hence she called USCIS this past Monday (Dec 30th) to request moving her interview to another date when she is back in the US. USCIS customer service advised her that they would put in a request to reschedule her interview, however, she won't know the decision of that move request for another 30 days. Further, they advised her that she cannot call and check the status of her interview move request for another 30 days. This is absurd as her tentative interview is within 14 days.

Any advice on her options to get a confirmed rescheduled interview date for a future date?

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.  

Link to the above x-posting: 

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.

Hi - 

I'm a bit confused about Trump's healthcare insurance ruling (https://www.politico.com/f/?id=0000016d-9904-dbde-a17d-9dc451db0001 ) and its potential impact on my parents immigration.

Situation:

- I am a US Citizen. My household income puts me in the top 2% of the US earning population; I am not going to be impacted by the new or existing public charge rules.

- I have sponsored my parents for their green cards (IR-5); they received their immigration visa late last month

- They want to come to the US in Jan 2020; however, we read about Trump's new healthcare insurance ruling (wef Nov 3).

I am generally concerned about the unknown and unnecessary harassment that my senior citizen parents may be subjected to, hence posting here to get some feedback.

Questions:

1. We are confused about the impact of this new ruling when my parents arrive at the port of entry. Do they need to carry 364 day visitor health insurance with them at the time of entry?

(Given a preference, I would rather not buy a 364 day visitor insurance for them at the time they arrive since it's possible they may have to travel internationally within the year again)

2. [After Nov 3, 2019] Does the ruling only apply to those applying for an immigration visa or does it even apply to those who have received the immigration visa but haven't entered the US?

3.  Does the ruling even apply to IR-5 immigrants? The ruling says that it does not apply to IR-5 provided the immigrants are able to prove to the consular officer that they won't be a burden on the US system ("any alien seeking to enter the United States pursuant to an IR-5 visa, provided that the alien or the alien's sponsor demonstrates to the satisfaction of the consular officer that the alien's healthcare will not impose a substantial burden on the United States healthcare system"). Since the interview with the consular officer is already over (and my parents have obtained their immigration visa... but are not green card holders yet), does this ruling even apply?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

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).

1 hour ago, Swadesfan said:

Congratulations...

Thank you for the detailed review. I am glad that the interview went like a breeze. It seems like you were able to go inside the consulate with your parents. I am wondering if they will also allow me (petitioner) to go with my wife (beneficiary) inside the consulate. I do understand that I will not be allowed in for the interview (at the window) but as long as I can go inside to support my wife, it would be great. What I have read on the Mumbai consulate website is that, nobody can go with the beneficiary unless it is petitioner, older people who needs assistant or minor child. At other place, it said no one is allowed. Little confused...I want to go there may be few days before the interview and want to see the smile on my wife face when she says we are approved....

Hopefully, Mumbai start doing CR1/IR1 again instead of putting them on the back burner...

 

Again, congratulations...and thank you for the detailed response.

Yes, US citizens or green card holders can go along with the applicant inside the consulate. I saw many US citizen spouses accompany their spouses and sit in the waiting room (Stage 5) with them.  Be sure to carry your US passport though.

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!

1 minute ago, Daljeetsingh1313 said:

Have u got interview date ??

my aproval date is also 28 may but still not get interview dste of cr1 visa

@Daljeetsingh1313- i recommend reading the forum posts above than simply starting a new thread based on really old posts from june. you will find your answers  I wish you luck in getting an interview date soon

Everyone who has rec'd an IL, please do a favor to the rest of the community and update this spreadsheet:

Spreadsheet for viewing: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xbLl_8yDgHLeDaLnTrPdYc44J0sjPSFfYCKxlKx6uTY/edit#gid=0

Form for entry: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1R9AC8MPhPvp5Xo0gI1Pch6r0-mbhQz7stxctoz_stcc/viewform

We all benefitted from this community/other's updates, so it's only appropriate that we pay it fwd by sharing our updates on this spreadsheet.

All the best to everyone still waiting in queue and good luck to those whose interviews are coming up.

4 minutes ago, IndiaAnnie said:

Congrats!! So happy to see Mumbai moving!! 

But looks like it's got stuck on May 6. It seems it only moved so far from April 29-May 6. My mom's case is on May 7th and she has not received an update. This seems like snail's pace. At this rate....

Woo Hoo! Finally. Dad's case (DQ: April 29) just got an IL for Mumbai on Sep 27. Finally the drought ended! 

No update on mom's case (DQ: May 7) yet though 

11 minutes ago, Pawandeep said:

Anyone receive iL for may DQ cases in f2A category from mumbai embassy ? How long i wait for IL from mumbai embassy? 

 

@Pawandeep- @The Rock ll's cousin got a IL for mumbai.  That case is in F2A. No update for IL/CR candidates yet from Mumbai We've been waiting since late April DQ 😕 

Details of The Rock II's cousin's case here: 

36 minutes ago, The Rock ll said:

Is it true...Mumbai again gave IL’s  to F2’s ...this is utterly pathetic that we US citizens have been cut again and shoved in the corner ...

Where do you see this? it's not in telegram or on VJ or in the spreadsheet. was this on the whatsapp group? how many?

1 minute ago, ram_shan said:

Did you get you IL?

No. Did anyone waiting on Mumbai get an IL?

I saw from another post elsewhere on Vj that IL emails go out at 4am EST, so if I didn’t get it so far, I don’t think I should be expecting any notices for rest of the day. 

2 minutes ago, ram_shan said:

So the slowdown last year was only for Electronically Processed Cases. That explains why some other categories got their appointments without any delay during that period.

 

I think for July and August, NVC prioritized FB categories over IR1/IR5 categories to prevent wastage of numerically capped green cards. We should see some slight improvement in September but starting October, I expect NVC to again start scheduling based on DQ dates.

That's my guess too but there's no way to know for sure. 🤷‍♂️ Sadly NVC & Mumbai consulates are just blackboxes with no way to know what's really going on 😕

29 minutes ago, ram_shan said:

According tot he spreadsheet, maximum Number of days between CC and Interview is 164. 

Wow, and yes, that was a CR-1 case for @pp5. That fellow had a lot of patience. Doing a cursory search on  pp5 on VJ, it appears there was an issue with Mumbai consulate "forgetting" to process all the electronic processing cases back in Fall 2018/early spring 2019. And so (based on reading forum posts), it seems a lot of people were impacted then!

The part that I find interesting is that who is Mumbai consulate processing? Looking at their case processing statistics, it's clear there was a slow-down in May of this year. But April and June were back to normal (July stats are not posted yet). So, in theory, there should be a slow-down (From normal) of just 1 month. But clearly, a lot of us have been delayed for a lot more than that. I don't quite understand who all (from CR/IR quota) have Mumbai consulate been processing? These people clearly are not on VJ.

Let's hope this coming week brings a smile on to a lot of our faces. This drought has got to end! 

5 minutes ago, rockvil said:

actually, my DIL is waiting on CR1 for Apr 29th as well.
@wisedog has IR5 for his parents with 2 different DQ dates - 4/29 and 5/7 (I think)

@rockvilis correct. also in theory IR5 & CR1 have same priority. but what do i know? 🤷‍♂️

1 minute ago, ram_shan said:

Expect people with CC  dates 1st May to 15th May to get ILs next week.

Fingers crossed. My date is April 29 (for dad), and May 7 (for mom) and still waiting 😕 Hope your words come true

1 minute ago, milimelo said:

State.gov? 

can you be more specific? like - the exact link.

i can't find what i am looking for on state.gov