nksj

Back on the forum and hope to join this group as my husband should be here in May. Congrats on your progress everyone!

Just a quick note that we were approved yesterday at Delhi! I've been in India for the last week, and we've got a week more to enjoy now that the interview is over! Congrats to everyone and I'll catch up on this thread later when I'm back home.

Congrats wan2604! :dance: Here's to hoping the streak continues through to my husband's interview!

Congrats DanielParul and RSA! :dance:

I'm leaving for India on the 14th. Interview set for the 24th. Nerves, nerves, nerves!

Congratulations pkewl!!! :dance: :dance:

Congratulations!!!

Hello VJers!

Just wanna thank one n all , my fiance just got bac from the interview....and we're expecting the passport stamped wid visa in a week!

Hoping the journey ahead goes smoothly too!

Gud luck to all.

Wow, congrats cuteprince! You're next DanielParul!

I leave for India in 2 weeks. Sent off the FedEx packet to my husband yesterday. We're getting close and my nerves are a jumble! Good luck everyone.

Thanks cjindia and Jigi!

Can anyone clarify for me whether the Affidavit of Support information is given to VFS or taken to the interview? I'm a bit paranoid of sending my financial info and having unknown eyes peering at my ss # and other info. I prefer to take it there in person.

I'm adding to, and modifying, a list from others in VJ regarding what to submit where in preparation for the interview to send to my husband to make sure we're on the same page about what's needed. (He'll be picking up Packet 4 on next Monday. We're just trying to get a head start). Forgive the grammar and shorthand. Any comments or corrections would be most appreciated (and if it helps someone, that's great!).

1. Go to the VFS office.

2. Bring the following with you:

a. Passport (if you have it at that time) + 2 full certified copies of Passport -- At the VFS Office, you will simply give them one of the two passport copies. You will keep the original and one copy and take that with you to the interview.

b. Driver's License + 2 certified copies of drivers license - At VFS Office, you will simply give them one of the two license copies. Bring original and one copy with you to Interview.

c. Ration Card + 2 certified copies of ration card - (Have no idea if this is necessary, but someone sent this and I guess if you have it, it can't hurt to give them one copy.) You keep the original and one copy and take it with you to the interview.

d. Interview Letter + 2 certified copies of Interview Letter - At VFS Office, if they take it, give them one copy. Keep original and one copy with you to take to interview.

e. 2 2x2 passport photos (loose) - At VFS Office, give them these if they want them. If they take them, then take 2 more with you to the interview. If they don't take them, then just take them to the interview with you.

f. 2 DS-156 (signed + photo attached), 2 DS-156K, 2 DS-230 pt1 (signed), 2 DS-230 pt2. - At VFS office, give them one copy of each, Keep one copy with you to take to interview.

g. Birth Certificate + 2 certified copies of Birth Certificate (with any translations on it notarized) - At VFS office, give them one copy and keep the original and one copy with you to the interview.

h. Birth Certificate Secondary Evidence + 2 certified copies of Secondary Evidence - You don't need Secondary Evidence since your correct name, both parents name, date, time, etc. are on the certificate (but make sure this is so).

i. Proof of Relationship Package (2 copies) - At VFS Office, give them one copy of all of the emails, all of the phone records (with the relevant calls incoming and outgoing highlighted for ease of reading). Keep the other copy to take with you to the interview. At VFS Office, give them one copy of photos (engagement, wedding, others). Keep another copy to take to the interview. You only need to give them three or four photos for each. We'll take the bulk of them with us to the interview.

j. Police Reports (Local, Regional & Statement) + 2 certified copies of Police Reports (Local, Regional & Statement) - At the VFS office, give them one copy of each (if you have them) and keep the other copy to take to the interview with you.

k. Affidavit of Support Package (2 originals) - At VFS Office, give them one copy and we'll take the other with us to the interview. I will FedEx to you.

l. Medical Report package - You will take the interview letter and schedule an appointment and do all that is required, including get all vaccinations with a record of them that is valid for use outside of India for Adjustment of Status process when you are here (which we will file immediately once you arrive). If you can do this and get the report before going to VFS, then submit to VFS. Otherwise, no choice but to take it to the Embassy at the interview (but make a certified copy and keep that for yourself as a record).

m. demand draft for VFS (INR 365) - You need to pay this courier fee at VFS.

n. demand draft for New Delhi Embassy (INR 4200) - Please check with Embassy on Monday when you pick up Packet 4 when you need to pay this, who it needs to be given to, where you get a demand draft, etc.

o. Copy of I-129F Submission & I-130 Submission and approvals - I will send you this via FedEx.

p. Delhi Embassy E-mail correspondence - I will forward all to you to print out. Keep one copy printed for the interview and submit the other to VFS.

2. Get a receipt from VFS for each and every document they took from you and check the receipt to make sure it is correct - question them on any discrepancies. Just give them the certified copies and not the originals of anything.

3. Once I am there, we need to make a copy of my passport so that you can take that with you to the interview window and tell the Consular Officer I am there with you and that here is a copy of my passport with my entry stamp.

Thanks, DanielParul! I can not even imagine how nervous you must be! Just keep the faith and think positive. Soon it will be over and you will be together again! Good luck!

All of this waiting. All of this hoping. And now............we have an interview date and we are both scared to death! So much to do before 3/24. We are both feeling overwhelmed and nervous and wondering how we are going to get everything together (He's still waiting for the passport office certificate, and it may not arrive on time to be able to submit to VFS). Eeekkkk!

Gogo, I am SO very happy for you!! You have gone through so much, and it is a joy to see something good happen finally. Congrats!!!

Thanks for the information, guys. We had the same experience of calling and no answer or a busy signal. I had sent an email which they hadn't replied to in 2 days. I gave up last night and called the main Consulate number. They asked if I was a USC, and when I said yes, they put me through to someone who pulled up the file and tried to help. (Though they still hadn't assigned an interview date for us.)

My husband and I keep calling 2419-8062 between 10-12, but it's always busy! Do I have the right number (trying to find out when his interview date is)? This is the third day we're trying and no luck.

Congrats M&M!

God, I thought it was just us who were arguing throughout this process. Always about completely nothing when we got to the bottom of it!

We both realize it's because of the uncertainty and frustrations at the delays and unexpected stuff that comes up in this process. It was OK when things were going smoothly, but then we hit a 1.5 month period for CSC to mail out stuff to NVC (it sat in their loading area for all that time) and that nearly drove us both crazy. Of course, one reads of worse stories, but everyone feels their own stuff most.

Now, things are moving and we got through the rough patch. I have no illusions and fully expect the ups and downs. Just must keep reminding myself to look past the b.s. and remember all the things about him that made me love him in the first place.

I'm not sure about Mumbai since my husband is going through Delhi, but here's some info which may be helpful.

Once NVC actually gets your paperwork from the service center, they turn it around in about 2 days and send it to the appropriate consulate. Once received at the Consulate, they will mail the beneficiary the Packet 3. Check the Mumbai Consulate website (someone posted some links a while back, or check the embassy info link) to see what Packet 3 contains and what you need to send back. The documents can be sent back via VFS office, or at least at Delhi to trigger getting an appointment in the situation where you don't receive Packet 3, you can go to the Consulate and drop off the DS-230 and tick list (but please confirm this is true for Mumbai, too), and submit other stuff to VFS at least 10-15 working days prior to the scheduled interview.

Hope that helps somewhat, though it doesn't deal with Mumbai.

Thank you, DanielParul!

Hey nksj, He did the right thing to submit his DS-230 at the consulate. Saved himself a lot of time. Now he can call the DOS or the Consulate after 2-3 days and know his interview date and if he does not get his pkt-4 in a week or 10 days. Just go to the Consulate and pick it up. Also then get the medical over with. Thats exactly what I did (and now I have everything ready for the interview and hv bit of time to relax)

I don't know why that person told him to send pprs to the embassy but your husband will need to submit all forms and docs at the VFS, 10-15 days before the interview to save the time taken for processing docs after the interview(they will do it before the interview).

All the best for the preparation and interview

We're hoping for March, but no word yet. Good luck to you all and I definitely would be curious and grateful to read about your experiences.

My husband went yesterday to the Delhi Embassy to drop off his DS230 since he had not received Packet 3 which was sent twice by the Embassy. He went to window #1 between 4-5 p.m. and there he filled out the DS-230 and tick list and submitted it at the window. He was told by the person at the window that he should bring all of the items on the tick list to the interview, or send them by registered mail to the Embassy.

I'm totally confused (and I have written to the Embassy to clarify, but obviously no response yet since it was evening in India).

1. What happened to forms 156 and 157? Aren't there two forms of this name that K-3s have to fill out, too?

2. What happened to VFS? Aren't you supposed to pay the courier fee and submit the docs to the nearest VFS office between 15 and 10 working days prior to your interview? Why would you take it all to the Embassy with you on the day of the interview? That wouldn't give them a chance to look at the paperwork before your interview.

For #2, I looked at the Delhi Embassy website and it says to submit to VFS. So that's what we'll do. But it's so odd that the person at window #1 told him something else.

For #1, what gives? Are they only for non-immigrant visas? And am I totally wrong about the 157 because now I can't even find that form on the Delhi Embassy website.

Thanks, mgk & cjindia. Husband is in Delhi now and will make his way to window #1 at the Embassy between 4-5 p.m. My fingers are crossed we don't hit another obstacle.

Jigi, I thought some people in the forums were going to the Delhi Embassy and submitting the DS230 to get an interview date, and then submitting everything else required by Packet 3 to VFS? Also, part of the problem for my husband is that the Embassy has twice sent him Packet 3 and he hasn't received it. So we were hoping he could go there and drop off DS230 and pick up the other forms, as well as the "tick list".

I'm not sure if that's right, but I hope he will be able to do it since he's planning to get on the train and leave for Delhi in 3 hours.

CJ - I thought that VFS only took the documents and transferred them to the Embassy? I thought I read somewhere that someone said that's what they did.

Anyone know whether my husband can get into the Delhi Embassy without his passport in order to submit the DS-230? (His passport is with the passport office as he's trying to get the certificate, but we want to submit the DS-230 now and try for a March interview date.) Thanks for any help you can provide.

Congratulations to you both!

I don't know of any, but maybe you can get some help at this site: www.indiamike.com

Otherwise, try www.tripadvisor.com, or try Lonely Planet India travel guide. Good luck!

I am flying down for the interview.. my fiance lives 8 hrs away.. so I am trying to find a hotel in delhi i can stay in for the night.. and freshen up before the interview(my plane lands at midnight).. any suggestions?