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| Mumbai, India |  Review on July 22, 2010: |
Robertsj
Rating:  | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Greetings all,
First, a little background.
Aruno, my fiancee who is a native of Nagaland, India, and I did not create a timeline on the VisaJourney website. We began our application process on December 8th, 2009. [I live in San Diego County, CA.} The petition was approved on February 18th. The National Visa Center in New Hampshire wrote and informed us on March 1st that the petition would be forwarded to the consulate in India within a week. Later that month we came to learn that it would be in Mumbai.
Due to a delay in our returning the Packet 3, the interview date, to our disappointment, did not turn up on the Mumbai Consulate website list for the month of May. But, little did we know that, from a \"higher altitude\" perspective, all was on track for us.
Our interview date was scheduled for 29th June. But Aruno needed to be there 7-10 days in advance to submit her Packet 4 at the nearby VFS office. We both arrived there on the 22nd, early. I waited outside as Aruno went through all the paperwork with the employee, each item being checked off. To Aruno\'s shock, there was a critical item missing: there was no police clearance certificate from Guwahati, Assam, where her passport had been issued. There were police certificates from places in Nagaland, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra [that last one was very time consuming and costly due to the local gov\'t red tape---she had studied there when she was 16-18]...but it did not occur to her that one was necessary from the city of the passport agency.
The employee assured her that the interview date would be kept, that all the other paper work was in order, but that she would need to procure that document in time....exactly one week.
What to do?! We came to find out that her passport would have to be mailed out to that provincial city in NE India, otherwise no certificate could be produced. We contemplated that Aruno fly out that night to Kolkata and catch a connecting flight the next morning to Guwahati. And, likely, the same on the return. It would be exhausting.
As it worked out, we arranged via a trustworthy friend of a friend who lives there to receive the passport via Blue Dot [their version of FEDEX] and do the leg work, etc., for us. We received the passport with the certificate on Monday, the day before the interview. Thank God.
We had been rehearsing for the interview in the interim and we did more of it the night before. We even added more photos we printed out from her lap top.
We were up very early the next morning. I accompanied Aruno from the VFS center where all interviews waited for a bus to transport us to the Consulate, about 1 or 2 kms from there. I saw her off at the Consulate gate and waited at a nearby park with her purse, cell phone, etc., which she could not take inside.
Below is an outline of Aruno\'s experience in her words:
EXPERIENCE ON THE DAY OF INTERVIEW: 29TH JUNE 2010
Reached the VFS Office at around 6:30 AM and stood in the line in front of VFS office with my Fiance : ) .After waiting for half an hour the security person allowed us in.
Bought two tickets for Star Lounge costing Rs 250 each .There are lockers available to keep your personal stuffs as nothing except the documents for the interview are allowed inside the embassy .After sitting there for around 15 minutes there was an announcement to proceed to the bus taking us to the Embassy. It was a very short 5mins drive. (I personally feel that if your interview is in the early morning hours, Star lounge is not a must).
Entered the Embassy door with my files and passport.There is a separate line for ladies and one for gents. The lady security person did a thorough checking of me and my files , gave a wooden token (which you should return at exit after the interview).I stood in a queue for sometime and my turn came to submit the interview call letter. My finger prints were taken and I was asked to sit and wait in the hall. After waiting for 15-20 mins my name was called ….I went in and stood in a small cubicle in front of an Indian lady sitting with my papers.I submitted my passport, Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) that was lacking, and Fiance’s previous year’s Tax details. She was quite business-like, neither hostile nor friendly, and asked me few questions:
How did you meet your fiancé?
At a hospital where I was doing my post grad.
Has your fiancé visited you?
This is his 10th visit since we met in 2006.
There is a lot of age difference, have you considered that? Has he ever been married ? Have you married before?
Yes, I have. No, he has never married. It is my first time too.
Have you been to America anytime?
No. I have never left the country.
Then she told me that I will be called again and asked me to sit in the hall and wait .
After waiting for 2 and a half hours my name was announced. I was very excited. I went in and saw my interviewer---an American lady sitting in front of a computer. She looked very pleasant with a beautiful smile …… I was asked to take an oath. Then she began her questions ……frequently typing in the information.
I felt very comfortable throughout the interview. She didn’t ask many questions and to my surprise the piles of files, e.g., photocopies of plane tickets, correspondences, letters of reference [he requested 3 long time friends, including one in S. India he has known since 1980]. photos, etc., which I and my fiancé prepared remained unopened as they were, as she did not ask to see any of it. Here are some of the questions she asked which I can remember:
Tell me something about yourself.
How did you meet?
What is he doing?
How many times has he visited you? .
How do you keep in touch ?
What does he like to do in leisure ?
Why are you planning to get married in America and not in India ?
When are you planning to get married?
She smiled and said that my Visa is approved and it will be sent by courier in few days time. (which I got it by Blue Dart three days later)
I thanked her with a big Smile and couldn’t wait to share the good news to my fiancé …
Overall experience was very good.I was mentally prepared for the long wait and the probable questions all because of the information I got from the Visajourney that Robert had guided me to…..i sincerely thank all who contributed . It really helped.
Those last paragraphs are Aruno\'s. I close here with deep thanks to Visajourney and especially those who responded to my queries, particularly the last weeks leading up to the interview!
If we can be of any assistance to those who are in the process of applying for a K-1 Fiancee/fiance visa, you are welcome to contact me.
Robert
swapbplcd@yahoo.com
(updated on July 22, 2010)
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #6380