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| Mumbai, India |  Review on July 7, 2018: |
SMcNally
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
I did my VAC appointment in Hyderabad 6 days before the consular interview. There is decent parking and there is no point getting there more than 15 minutes early. Bring only what they ask: DS-160 confirmation page, appointment letter, passport. I was 7th in line. Took less than 10 minutes. They stamp your DS-160 page. Bring that stamped page to the consular interview.
For the consular interview, we had originally booked a hotel 5km away but it was raining heavily in Bombay, so to ensure that there were no problems, we switched to the Trident hotel. More expensive but hassle free. There is the Sofitel too. The hotel was alright. We ordered dinner from the Box 8 near the petrol station. They also deliver to the front of the hotel. Much cheaper than the hotel. There is a Sbarro Pizza too at the petrol station and if you are willing to walk further there are a bunch of other places.
The next morning, the appointment was at 7:15. I read a bunch of the reviews on these forums and so I didn't bother going there really early. Got there at 6:55. There were allowing only the immigrant visa 7.15 people to line up at the left side of the building. I was about 10th in line. They began to allow us in at 7:05. At the security check point, they had two x-ray machines. I was now 3rd in the queue. Of the two in front of me, one set off the metal detector and the other brought her medical CD (Don't bring any CDs!). I was the first person to walk into the main building. There was a bit of a wait while the people behind the counter got ready. Then I was called to the counter. I had all my paperwork, all really well organized...and that helped a lot. All the lady asked was who was calling me, where she was from, what my name was and when I was born. Everything else was paperwork related. One thing that she asked for (that they asked at the medical too) was the letter sent by the embassy (along with the copy of the I-129f). This was not listed in the appointment letter. So, don't forget to bring that. By 7:33, I had my token number and I sat and waited. I expected the actual consular interviews to start just after 8 (figured tha'ts when the Americans would start work for the day). Around 8:10, the first person was called. I think they started the non-English interviews and spousal visa interviews first. So, I waited. And finally at 8:40, I was called. Our case was really strong and I've been to the USA 16 times and have 5 previous visas to the USA. It seemed to work in my favour. The lady asked me nothing about my fiancee. She started with why I had been to the USA on my J-1. Immediately after that she gave the domestic violence spiel, so I knew I had the visa. She asked me a few more questions:
Have I ever stayed more than 6 months in the USA on a B1/B2 visa?
Have I ever lived for a year or more in any other country?
Who our co-sponsor was?
Had I met the in-laws?
Why I had been to one particular country?
She said she was cancelling my B1/B1 and sent me on my way. 5 minutes was all it took. I was out by 8:50.
I think having a really strong case and organized paperwork helped. By strong case I mean having met my fiance multiple times (in the USA, India and other places), having traveled a lot to the USA and elsewhere (I think this shows that one is not just using the K-1 to immigrate). She didn't ask for any photos or tickets. If you aren't staying near the consulate, you can take an auto back after the interview. Cabs would be hard to get on that road.
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #24167