MandyBear's US Immigration Timeline
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Petitioner's Name: Mandy
Beneficiary's Name: Bear
VJ Member: MandyBear
Country: India
Last Updated: 2012-09-29
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Immigration Checklist for Mandy & Bear:
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USCIS I-130 Petition:
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Dept of State IR-1/CR-1 Visa:
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USCIS I-751 Petition:
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USCIS N-400 Petition:
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IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Date |
| Service Center : |
California Service Center |
| Transferred? |
No |
| Consulate : |
Mumbai, India |
| Marriage (if applicable): |
2009-08-09 |
| I-130 Sent : |
2011-08-18 |
| I-130 NOA1 : |
2011-08-22 |
| I-130 RFE : |
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| I-130 RFE Sent : |
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| I-130 Approved : |
2012-03-06 |
| NVC Received : |
2012-03-12 |
| Received DS-261 / AOS Bill : |
2012-04-17 |
| Pay AOS Bill : |
2012-04-20 |
| Receive I-864 Package : |
2012-05-09 |
| Send AOS Package : |
2012-05-31 |
| Submit DS-261 : |
2012-05-31 |
| Receive IV Bill : |
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| Pay IV Bill : |
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| Send IV Package : |
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| Receive Instruction and Interview appointment letter : |
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| Case Completed at NVC : |
2012-08-01 |
| NVC Left : |
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| Consulate Received : |
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| Packet 3 Received : |
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| Packet 3 Sent : |
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| Packet 4 Received : |
2012-08-02 |
| Interview Date : |
2012-09-28 |
| Interview Result : |
Approved
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Second Interview
(If Required): |
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| Second Interview Result: |
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| Visa Received : |
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| US Entry : |
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| Comments : |
"Good things come to those who wait, but please God, don't make me wait too long!" |
Processing
Estimates/Stats : |
Your I-130 was approved in 197 days from your NOA1 date.
Your interview took 403 days from your I-130 NOA1 date. |
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Member Reviews:
Consulate Review: Mumbai, India
Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
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| Event |
Description |
| Review Date : |
September 29, 2012 |
| Embassy Review : |
MANDY'S POINT OF VIEW:
Firstly, my hubby got approved! So...javascript:emoticon(' ')!!!
Let's begin at the beginning...
My husband was a part of the "new" VFS process at the Embassy. His Interview was for 7:30 a.m. on September 28th 2012 and because of this we arrived at 6:45 via our personal cab/driver (we had come up from Pune the night before and so rented RadioWings for both days).
There were a ton of people already there and waiting on the curb opposite to the VFS Office behind the Embassy Building. When the VFS Officers finally came out it was 7:00 a.m.
We were expecting them to form two lines, Immigration and Non Immigration, and that the Immigrant line would be shorter. No such luck on that day, the Immigration line was HUGE and my hubby was #22 in a line that went out twice as long behind him. The Non-Immigrant line was formed later due to this and it was much shorter.
After a 20 minutes wait while things were completed on setting up cordones, they finally started letting people into the building and my hubby was gone from my sight.
Since I'm a US Citizen who needs to do Absentee voting, I decided to turn in my Voting Ballot at the Consulate when they opened at 9am because they would mail it to the states for me for free as long as I used the template envelope they provided in an email to me.
So, from 7:20am till 8:55, my driver and I hung around outside and waited we were told we couldn't park opposite to the VFS office (there were 15 cars out there having to move - no parking is available). Then we parked at the Embassy so that I could turn in my ballot and was there from 8:57 till 9:30. By then I was STARVING. The Embassy does have a cafeteria however they only accept rupee and no cards. I had left most of my larger rupee notes in my bag in the car (you can't take much with you into the Embassy). So I asked about nearby hotels to eat at. The Trident is bang opposite of the VFS Office, so we drove over to their parking garage (fee is 17 rupees for 1 hour)and there he stayed while I went in to find something to eat.
The Trident is one of those super expensive, ritzy hotels but thankfully I had dressed "up" for luck and so I breezed right past the gates, got my handbag scanned by security, was told "Good Morning Madam" and saluted while being directed to a little delicatessen that you do not have to go into the hotel to reach, it's entrance is beside the main hotel door. In there I paid 425 rupees for a small spinach and bacon quiche and a cup of ready made coffee. But it was air-conditioned and had comfy seats which I was thankful for since it was so freaking hot outside. I had to go into the hotel to use the bathroom and dried my hands on a small linen hand towel more expensive than all the linens in my whole house.
By then it was 10:30 a.m., so I found the driver, we exited the garage, drove in front of the VFS and there was my smiling husband!!!!
First thing he said was "I got approved!!!" javascript:emoticon('')
BEAR'S POINT OF VIEW:
From what I can tell, all those people in line with me were definitely for Immigration. Make sure you tell those VJ people that things are changing and more people are moving. Either that or I was on a big Immigration day!
javascript:emoticon(' ')
First thing after entering is the security check, so make sure you don't have cell phones and other such things. Be sure to carry some money (rupee) with you just in case you need to get pictures processed in there (they didn't accept the ones I had taken and I needed to have new ones made - it was quick but it cost me 100 rupees for two pics). Also carry some change, like 10 rupee for xerox copies (just in case).
Once that is done, you go further inside and since our batch was the first batch we got to go straight in, but otherwise there is a sitting area where you wait "outside" but covered until your time comes. Once you get in, you get in a queue to get the token number, which means the person who lines up first outside is the person who gets the first token number inside. So you should get to the front of the line outside now. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE APPOINTMENT LETTER OUT AND READY.
Then you sit and wait for your number to appear on the screen.
Then the VFS people keep telling you what to take out and have ready. Keep your appointment letter, birth and marriage certificate, medical record, and two US sized Visa photo's handy. No need to take the X-Ray in with you.
Once your token number is called, you go to the proper window where they will provide you with the Original documents if you have already submitted them (like for NVC filers) and if you HAVE NOT submitted them then this is when they verify them. They will also take your fingerprints, first the left four, then the right four fingers and then your thumbs.
Same token is used for VFS and the Interview.
First 9 windows are for VFS purposes. 10, 11, 12 windows were used for the Interviews.
So you wait for your number again. Once that appears, you go to the window it supplies. Have a pen ready because during your Interview you will be asked to make some signatures and it doesn't look good if you ask for a pen. They will give it if you forgot it though.
Your Interview is standing at a window with plexiglass separating you and a speaker installed in the wall. My speaker was malfunctioning and so I had to wait for her to stop speaking, wait and then answer. It was VERY frustrating because as you answer you can't look in her eye and sometimes you had to be showing something as well. javascript:emoticon(' ')javascript:emoticon(' ')
She first did a quick review of my Financial Documents and then asked for the Original of one of the documents, which I provided.
During the Interview she asked questions.
1) Who is sponsoring you?
2) What do they do for work? Questions may follow based on your answer.
3) When did you first meet your wife?
4) Where do her parents live?
5) Wanted the full story of our relationship from beginning to now - but simplified. Like met on such and such, dated from here till marriage on such and such, moved to India on such and such.
6) When did your wife come to India? (Since my wife moved and I had listed that in our history).
7)B1/B2 Questions: How many times have you visited the US?
8) For how many months?
9) It was all for training?
10) Did you ever overstay the 6 months?
11) What was the name of the company?
12) Where were you located?
13) Are you still with the company?
14) Where did you get married?
15) What is your wife's address in the US?
16) If she is having a VA address, why did you get married in CA?
17) So her parents went to CA for your wedding?
18) Let me see the marriage photo's. (You hold the album up to the window to show, while leaning towards the speaker. javascript:emoticon('') )
19) Wanted story behind some photo's.
20) You have an age difference, she is older, how does that work for you?
21) How did your parents feel? (Showed parents pictures with my wife all smiling and happy while explaining the relationship between them and my wife - which is a good one.)
Then she cancelled by B1/B2 Visa by crossing it out. Then she said "You're Immigration Visa is Approved - you collect it from the location VFS provided." Then she got up and walked away from her desk before I could ask any questions.
Also, no one wanted or asked for the barcode sheet that I got when I signed up for the Travel Document site which is supposed to mail my Passport and Visa. BUT please make sure that you carry it with you no matter what.
And that was it. javascript:emoticon(' ') I'm glad it's finished. Now to get my company to agree to send me to US with a job.
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| Rating : |
Good |
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Timeline Comments: None yet, be the first!
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