zenguy

The wife and I went to the embassy at 7:30 am for our 8:00 am interview appointment. The following events document our experience at the Chennai U.S consulate:

1. Showed my U.S passport and the wife's interview letter to the guard outside and gained entry into the consulate

2. Went through the security checkpoint inside (separate for men and women)

3. Was led to the building at the back to the immigrant visa section and was made to sit in the first two rows opposite counters 12 to 16

4. Interview letters were collected from us and two other IV cases

5. At 8:10 am, an Indian staff official called my wife and me to the counter. The following questions were asked:

a)When were we married?

b)Was it an arranged marriage?

c)I was asked for my U.S passport, and my visits to India since I got married were reviewed and verified using the entry/exit stamps

d)My wife's birth certificate was reviewed

e)My employment status was verified

At this stage, we were told that all our papers were in order, and were given a token with a number on it. We were told that another Consulate official would call us for the final interview soon. Note that no photo albums were requested. The lady found the photographs that I had submitted to the NVC during the I-130 process to be sufficient.

6. At around 9:15 am, my wife was called to the same counter and asked to provide fingerprints of her right index finger.

7. While we waited for the next interview, it was obvious to us that the non-immigrant visa interviews were being given priority. there were at least 100 to 200 people having their business/tourist/misc. non-immigrant visa interviews in the adjoining section.

8. At around 12:15 pm, we saw an American consulate official take her place at one of the immigrant visa counters. As luck would have it, we saw her pick our file and carefully review all the documents in it. After about 10 minutes of thorough reviews of all the documents in our case, the lady called my wife's name. When she learned that i was also present, she called for me to join my wife. The following questions were asked:

a)My wife had to swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. Then, the first question asked was, "When were you married?"

b)Where were you(my wife) staying so far ?

c)She asked for my passport and verified the entry and exit stamps of my visits to India

d)She reviewed the photographs that I had submitted to the NVC.

e)She then told us that all our papers were in order and the visa was granted.

f)she asked my wife if I had warned her that pittsburgh would be very cold this time of the year

g)I jokingly told her that Pittsburgh deserved a better rap than that.

h)I asked her if we could pick up the visa on the same day. She said that they don't do same day Immigrant visas in Chennai, and requested us to contact the local VFS office the next day to pick up the passport and the sealed envelope.

We were out of the consulate by 12:30 pm

VFS goofed up, and in spite of being told that we would pick up the passport and sealed envelope, they sent it by courier to our Bangalore address. We received it on the 11th.

The interview process was a breeze, and I had a tougher time asking my wife to stay cool and not lose it. The staff were very courteous and forthcoming with information.

We landed at JFK on the 15th. The immigration process was a breeze there too. The secondary processing area is in the baggage claim area behind the immigration counters. the sealed packet is opened by the immigration agent at one of the counters and reviewed. He verified the wedding date and correctly wrote IR1 as the visa category, along with the A number, on my wife's passport. He then asked us to go to the secondary processing area. In the secondary processing area, they collected her file, reviewed it for about a minute, asked her to sign a form, took her fingerprints again, verified the address where she wanted her green card mailed to, and sent her on her way. We spent a total of 10 minutes from immigration counter to clearing immigration for her. Our PoE experience was also a positive and painless experience.

So there you have it. End of the line. Well,almost. I'll mark the case as closed when we get the green card mailed to us.

A big thank you to everyone at VisaJourney for the pointers, encouragement and information.

The PCC is very confusing. Chennai consulate website says you have to get certificates from passport office as well as from district police office for people holding passport for more than 6 months, where as the US dept of state website says to get from the local police authority!! any body out there who can explain ?

In most cases, the local police authority (the polic station under whose jurisdiction your residence in INDIA falls under) will do a verification on request from the district police office, then pass on the information to the district police office. The Chennai consulate website is correct. My wife went through this process,and VSS Chennai confirmed it.

I would also suggest trying Emirates. I'm flying to India towards the end of december to be there for the interview (CR1 for my wife in Chennai on Jan 7th). I booked my tickets using their website, and booked the one way ticket for my wife using a travel agent in India. Got a fare of 1440 all inclusive for JFK-BLR,which is not bad at all, considering the season, and the additional fuel surcharges.

I think she has to get police certificates from the other two cities, but I'm not sure. The PCC instructions are so confusing! My husband lived in Hyderabad for 2 years but could not get a PCC there because he had no proof of residence. (To get a PCC, you need some sort of solid proof that you lived there, like lease agreements, ration card, bank account, etc.) He just got a PCC from the passport office in Visakhapatnam (where he NEVER resided) and local PCC from his village (in EG Dist, AP). All went well and no one asked for any other PCC (though he was using Hyd address for Consulate correspondence).

You can bring copies of your documents to the interview, it is enough, but you can also have more recent paystubs just in case.

Thanks a lot, Eileen.

My wife is scheduled for a CR1 interview at Chennai in january. She's lived in 3 cities since she turned 16. For the past two years, she has lived in Bangalore, and she got the police certificates from the local police station and the passport office in Bangalore. Does she need the police certificates from the two earlier cities that she resided in before she moved to bangalore?

On the topic of the interview, do I need to carry new versions of all the documents (ds-230/employment letters/pay slips/tax returns/) or is it ok if i carry photocopies of the versions that i submitted to the NVC during the I-130 process?

Thank you for your inputs.

Congrats! which embassy is your spouse going thru? All the best for the interview....

Thank you. The interview will be at the Chennai embassy.

Hello everyone!

My question deals with the DS-230. When I have to send in part 1 who signs the bottom of the page? My wife is in Japan now while I am in the US. She will appoint me her agent.

The DS-230 calls for the signature of the applicant. Is this my wife or can I sign it?

If it is her I will have to fill one out now and send it to her to sign.

Thanks everyone!!!!!

Your wife has to sign the DS-230. The Ds-230 uses the term 'applicant'. i wish they changed it to 'beneficiary'.

I just checked, it did not happen yesterday. Maybe today. Does the IVR get update by Saturday or we have to wait until next business day to find out if anything happened to our case on Friday?

I think the IVR updates only happen on weekdays.

Thank you folks. I hope those of you waiting for case completions will get the good news soon too. Hang in there!

Case complete, we're trying to schedule the interview now ...

Is the interview scheduled before the file is transferred to the embassy? Does the type of processing (apt./std.) impact the process?

When was your DS-230 entered into NVC's system?

The DS-230 was entered into the NVC system on October 30th.

Checked the IVR system today, and got the case complete message. A big thank you to all the folks in the forum who have been most helpful with their time and their willingness to share information and tips.

Could folks who have gone through the process clarify the police certificate requirements for the CR-1 interview at U.S consulates in India?

Does the beneficiary need a police certificate from every town/city in which they have resided since they were 16 years of age, or will the police certificate from the police jurisdiction associated with the current residence (provided it is greater than 6 months) suffice?

Thank you

It's been 22 days now.. is anyone at this stage and expereincing the same delay?

I'm in the same boat. On calling the NVC, the operator who responded said that they will mail them out in a few weeks. Wonder if they have a shortage of people, or have a backlog that they have to clear.

How are you for 06 and 07?

06 and 07 are all good, with income qualifying and exceeding the 125% poverty limit guidelines.

Don't worry about it. I had insufficient income for ALL 3 previous filing years---2006, 2005, and 2004 because I was a college student through most of those and thus not working most of the time. I really think that they look mostly at current income. As long as that's high enough, you should be fine. Include your assets as well if you think that would help, but I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it.

Good to know. Thank you!

Here's my situation:

Because of health issues, i was unable to work for a majority of 2005, thus filing taxes for an amount less than the required 125% above poverty level requirements. How can I compensate for that? Can I show additional funds i.e. investments, bank accounts? Has anyone faced this issue before? How have you avoided/responded to an RFE?

Thank you