Notification to book K1 Interview - Mumbai Consulate

[N400fiasco 35]

1 minute ago, Amit&Julie said:

In the morning India time, maybe around 8am, worked best for us.

Thanks !! Hope Amit is enjoying the American life. Glad you guys are finally together. 

[N400fiasco 35]

2 minutes ago, ajay007 said:

Try whenever you can but according to my experience early morning is good. you have 4 chances to rebook any time. 

Thanks ! I assume you get a chance to rebook both the OFC and the Consular appointment ?

[ajay007 43]

Whenever you going to book appointment always OFC appointment will appear first once you get that then consulate page will open. I got my appointment by 8.30 AM. Best of luck 

[N400fiasco 35]

I just realized that I was doing something wrong. An appointment date IS available as long as pick a OFC appointment  within a week or two of the consular appointment. The earliest date available is Sep 7 damn. I grabbed it for now, but hope something earlier will open up. My fiance will go bananas once I tell her she might have to wait another couple of months. . 

[SP&SM 3]

So we're at the stage where our NVC status is ready, but haven't yet received the Packet 3/4 from the consulate. I did however heed to the advice in this thread and others on the forum and booked dates for both the VAC and the Embassy Interview soon as I was able to with the BMB case number.

 

Medical Scheduled: 4th July 2018

VAC Appointment: 4th July 2018

Embassy Appointment: 3rd Aug 2018

 

I am going to be traveling to the US on a necessary B1 visit for work from 11th-30th July. I had a couple of concerns/queries to see if anyone else here overcame or encountered them, before calling the US travel docs line for clarification tomorrow.

 

1. Is there a minimum/maximum period of time between the VAC and Embassy appointment dates? Can I book the VAC appointment as afar ahead I have done here, or is it necessary that it is done within a specific time period? (I want to have it out of the way along with the medical and be able to return in time for the interview with everything in place.

 

2. Does the VAC appointment date determine how far out your Embassy Interview can be? I had to pick the VAC date first, and the only available date in the following screen was 3rd Aug in the months of Aug and September (which also happens to be exactly 30 days after my VAC date). I did not see any available in Sep as the system said was earliest available, I might have just been lucky in picking an early Aug date. 

 

3. While me and my fiancee can keep the interview date we have gotten, ideally we'd like it to be a week later around 8-10th Aug. Has anybody here had luck in moving dates a week out in the recent past in Mumbai. Or do dates and slots move by bigger chunks? How many time can you reschedule these dates, and do you lose your original slot only as you confirm, or even pick the dates?)

In all of this, I am tryin g to determine if my VAC date is restricting my choice of interview dates (if there is a hard limit on how far apart they can be!). That as a long wall of text, but I'm hoping the context and history will enable fellow VJers to answer these.

Thanks in advance and good luck to everyone waiting at some stage of this long arduous process. I hope you all see the light at the end of the tunnel sooner than it took us.

SM

 

[A_R 191]

On 6/29/2018 at 4:47 AM, N400fiasco said:

I just realized that I was doing something wrong. An appointment date IS available as long as pick a OFC appointment  within a week or two of the consular appointment. The earliest date available is Sep 7 damn. I grabbed it for now, but hope something earlier will open up. My fiance will go bananas once I tell her she might have to wait another couple of months. . 

Hi, what is a OFC appointment date?

[A_R 191]

Hi - to all those who have had crossed the Visa Interview stage - does the NVC send the Petitioner or the Beneficiary a letter or just the US Consulate sends a Packet  4 Instruction ? I am confused regarding this . Thanks in advance !!

[ash1234 30]

6 hours ago, A_R said:

Hi - to all those who have had crossed the Visa Interview stage - does the NVC send the Petitioner or the Beneficiary a letter or just the US Consulate sends a Packet  4 Instruction ? I am confused regarding this . Thanks in advance !!

NVC emails a letter of the case number to the petitoner, at least for me they did and the U.S. consulate in Mumbai mails the packet 4 to the beneficiary. 

7 hours ago, A_R said:

Hi, what is a OFC appointment date?

That's for the biometrics/fingerprinting.

[ajay007 43]

OFC appointment means for biometric appointment which requires your DS160.

[N400fiasco 35]

On 7/1/2018 at 9:31 AM, SP&SM said:

So we're at the stage where our NVC status is ready, but haven't yet received the Packet 3/4 from the consulate. I did however heed to the advice in this thread and others on the forum and booked dates for both the VAC and the Embassy Interview soon as I was able to with the BMB case number.

 

Medical Scheduled: 4th July 2018

VAC Appointment: 4th July 2018

Embassy Appointment: 3rd Aug 2018

 

I am going to be traveling to the US on a necessary B1 visit for work from 11th-30th July. I had a couple of concerns/queries to see if anyone else here overcame or encountered them, before calling the US travel docs line for clarification tomorrow.

 

1. Is there a minimum/maximum period of time between the VAC and Embassy appointment dates? Can I book the VAC appointment as afar ahead I have done here, or is it necessary that it is done within a specific time period? (I want to have it out of the way along with the medical and be able to return in time for the interview with everything in place.

 

2. Does the VAC appointment date determine how far out your Embassy Interview can be? I had to pick the VAC date first, and the only available date in the following screen was 3rd Aug in the months of Aug and September (which also happens to be exactly 30 days after my VAC date). I did not see any available in Sep as the system said was earliest available, I might have just been lucky in picking an early Aug date. 

 

3. While me and my fiancee can keep the interview date we have gotten, ideally we'd like it to be a week later around 8-10th Aug. Has anybody here had luck in moving dates a week out in the recent past in Mumbai. Or do dates and slots move by bigger chunks? How many time can you reschedule these dates, and do you lose your original slot only as you confirm, or even pick the dates?)

In all of this, I am tryin g to determine if my VAC date is restricting my choice of interview dates (if there is a hard limit on how far apart they can be!). That as a long wall of text, but I'm hoping the context and history will enable fellow VJers to answer these.

Thanks in advance and good luck to everyone waiting at some stage of this long arduous process. I hope you all see the light at the end of the tunnel sooner than it took us.

SM

 

I have the same appointment date (aug 3rd) for my Fiance. Maybe we will meet there! In regards to your questions:

1)  Yes, there is a max , I think its 30 days, but not sure. I was having trouble  booking an appointment with bigger gaps that those.  This will restrict your choice of embassy dates shown on the next screen. 

2)  There is usually only 1 date available usually based on my experience of logging in everyday.

3) Best way to look for appointments is to create  duplicate account with another email. Then keep checking the earliest appointment date on the left had side. That is usually the only date available and you can move our your date then. You can reschedule up to 4 times . 

 

 

 

[stiggy771 14]

What would be a good answer for the question "Why get married in US when you can do the same in India?"
I mean in my case, the US is just a better place for me to find a better paying job since I have a Masters degree from there. It would just make me and my SO a lot more financially stable than trying to get married iand  settle in India. But I don't think thats a good answer to that question for the CO. 

Any help in how I should answer it? I want to be honest about it, but frankly a 'completely' honest answer might not be the best one in this case. 

 

How have you guys answered this question? 

[Amit&Julie 180]

6 minutes ago, stiggy771 said:

What would be a good answer for the question "Why get married in US when you can do the same in India?"
I mean in my case, the US is just a better place for me to find a better paying job since I have a Masters degree from there. It would just make me and my SO a lot more financially stable than trying to get married iand  settle in India. But I don't think thats a good answer to that question for the CO. 

Any help in how I should answer it? I want to be honest about it, but frankly a 'completely' honest answer might not be the best one in this case. 

 

How have you guys answered this question? 

Put aside your post-marriage plans for a second. Why do you want to get MARRIED in the US and not India? You are applying for a K1 visa, correct? In other words, why go this route rather than get married in India and pursue a CR1 (spouse) visa? You could still eventually achieve your goal to work in the US and settle here via a CR1 visa. This question isn't so focused on your post-marriage plans but more on your reasons for getting married in the US and thus wanting a K1. 

[stiggy771 14]

1 minute ago, Amit&Julie said:

Put aside your post-marriage plans for a second. Why do you want to get MARRIED in the US and not India? You are applying for a K1 visa, correct? In other words, why go this route rather than get married in India and pursue a CR1 (spouse) visa? You could still eventually achieve your goal to work in the US and settle here via a CR1 visa. This question isn't so focused on your post-marriage plans but more on your reasons for getting married in the US and thus wanting a K1. 

Sheesh. When you put it like that.........:( 
Well for one. my SO is not that keen on moving to India, although she likes it here, we just didn't think of that alternative. Also, K1 is faster. We just thought this was the more viable option. I'm just worried about how to elaborate in a concise answer on the said viability. 

 

I don't think settling in the US is a goal for both of us, but that's a whole different story for now. 

[Amit&Julie 180]

Just now, stiggy771 said:

Sheesh. When you put it like that.........:( 
Well for one. my SO is not that keen on moving to India, although she likes it here, we just didn't think of that alternative. Also, K1 is faster. We just thought this was the more viable option. I'm just worried about how to elaborate in a concise answer on the said viability. 

 

I don't think settling in the US is a goal for both of us, but that's a whole different story for now. 

Sorry, I don't intend to be mean or discouraging or anything, just trying to tease out the facts. These are the kind of things that might be going through the CO's head and they might ask you about. 

 

I think it's reasonable to pursue a K1 for the purpose of being together sooner, and I think the COs are human enough to understand that motive, too.  

 

Side note: these days, getting a K1 isn't that much quicker than a CR1, and you have more hoops to jump through afterward. K1 is ultimately longer, more expensive, and more restrictive for the foreign citizen. And from the CO's perspective, the K1 has a higher risk of being abused than the CR1, so they have good reason to ask why people want to go that way.

 

Hope this helps. I recommend filling in your timeline and reading through the consulate reviews to see what questions are typically asked in Mumbai. 

[stiggy771 14]

2 minutes ago, Amit&Julie said:

Sorry, I don't intend to be mean or discouraging or anything, just trying to tease out the facts. These are the kind of things that might be going through the CO's head and they might ask you about. 

 

I think it's reasonable to pursue a K1 for the purpose of being together sooner, and I think the COs are human enough to understand that motive, too.  

 

Side note: these days, getting a K1 isn't that much quicker than a CR1, and you have more hoops to jump through afterward. K1 is ultimately longer, more expensive, and more restrictive for the foreign citizen. And from the CO's perspective, the K1 has a higher risk of being abused than the CR1, so they have good reason to ask why people want to go that way.

 

Hope this helps. I recommend filling in your timeline and reading through the consulate reviews to see what questions are typically asked in Mumbai. 

Thanks for the reply.... I did look into the consulate reviews specific for Mumbai and this was one question that kept coming up. I'll just have to search a lot more before my interview. 

 

I'll fill my timeline asap.