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The following is my CP experience @ Chennai and @ Newark
Medical Exam: Went to Dr. Usha Sriram. She is not available on weekends. It was a pleasant experience. She is scheduled to be available M-F after 12 PM. But she usually comes in around 1PM. Please make sure that they have the vaccines with them. I had to wait for over 2 hrs until they went and bough the vaccines. The doctor herself is a very sweet and nice lady. She said that she used to work in Chicago. I had not taken my vaccination records as other users had mentioned that Surima does not accept such records. Dr. Sriram had no such hangups. I had to retake my vaccination only because I had no records with me. She is quite a pleasing lady. EVK hospital is on close to Hotel President and is about 10 minutes from the consulate.
I heard from other applicants that Surima is extra couteous these days.
Photos: Premier studios is closed for construction for a month. Apollo color lab is the other choice for immigration photos. The right side face and ear needs to be visible and you need to tell the studio that. They were not sure about which side - left or right. They are located on Nungambakkam High road close to Good Shepherd School. It is close to Lister medicals. You could proably finish the tests and go do your photos.
Visa Interview:
Appointment was at 8 AM. They start collecting the paperwork at around 8.45 so even if you get in around 8.30 it is time well saved. There was no que. I went in at 8. I had some chocklates with me. The security had no problem. I guess it depends on who the security is too. At 10.30 a fellow Indian consulate staff called me and enquired about how I was in US when all my visas had expired. I gave him my parole. Then he was concerned about something on my employment letter and the some paper (could hav been the LC) he had with him. He was pointing to something on both to a lady - who I presume was a visa officer. I could not hear what transpired but she just nodded her head and walked off. I asked this man whether there was any problem. He replied that he felt so but it was upto somebody else to decide. He then asked me the name of the person who had signed my emplyment letter. Then, he asked me what his title was a year ago. I gave him my anwers and also told him that I had been with the same firm for 6 years and a half. I presume that he was concerned that the person who had signed my GC application had a differnt title on my employment letter. He gave back our bank statements and tax papers except the most recent one. My wife's employment letter was also returned as it was not relevant to our case. He asked us to wait and suggested that we would be called again. This was @ 10.45 AM.
Please be aware that at times, your conversation @ the counter is audible over the public address system to every applicant who is waiting.
At 1.40 PM they started calling all waiting IV applicants again. I was the third one to be called. The same person who spoke to me in the morning returned my parole and asked us to pay the visa issuance fee and collect the visa at 4PM.
We were out @ 2 PM.
They allow u into the consulate between 4 and 4.30 to collect the visa. You have to show the payment receipt to be let in. From my conversation, with earlier applicants, I gathered that they are ready for collection only @ 5.45 PM. So please make your travel plans accordingly.
Please verify that the information (name, DOB, PP No) on the IVisa is correct before you leave. If it needs to be rectified, it will happen only on the next working Tue-Fri.
Port Of Entry:
I entered at Newark. The fingerprint and signature is a 5 minute job. We were assigned A nos. They were different than the ones which we got when we filed for AOS. We had to wait for 1 hr. INS officers don't seem to like being asked questions. Infact they don't seem to like even being spoken to. The only time they speak to you is when they want to ask you a question. I saw several cases when somebody tried to approach an officer, they were asked to wait and remain seated until called for.
I would like to narrate something which happened while I was waiting inside the INS office @ Newark.
Even before we entered @ 5PM there were a few CP applicants waiting. Among them was I presume a teenage guy - probably from the Check republic. He had a connecting flight to catch at 7PM. God knows how long he was waiting before that. Subsequently, every five minutes a lady would walk over and pile up more such papers over this guy's paperwork. Over a period of time, this pile grew to nearly 25 in number. At around 5.30 this guy who was waiting got so annoyed that he got up and asked this lady why she was piling up paperwork of applicants who had come in late on top of his paperwork and in the process delaying him even more. Her reply was that she knew what she was doing and she din't need any input from him. This guy was finally called by the IO at around 6PM and this guy mentioned the same thing to him. I could hear the IO saying that for some parties you have to wait and getting into the United States was not a joke. He also told him that he really din't care how long he waited or whether he got in or not. When this guy finally left after getting the stamp it was @ 6PM and we left shortly thereafter.
Medical Exam: Went to Dr. Usha Sriram. She is not available on weekends. It was a pleasant experience. She is scheduled to be available M-F after 12 PM. But she usually comes in around 1PM. Please make sure that they have the vaccines with them. I had to wait for over 2 hrs until they went and bough the vaccines. The doctor herself is a very sweet and nice lady. She said that she used to work in Chicago. I had not taken my vaccination records as other users had mentioned that Surima does not accept such records. Dr. Sriram had no such hangups. I had to retake my vaccination only because I had no records with me. She is quite a pleasing lady. EVK hospital is on close to Hotel President and is about 10 minutes from the consulate.
I heard from other applicants that Surima is extra couteous these days.
Photos: Premier studios is closed for construction for a month. Apollo color lab is the other choice for immigration photos. The right side face and ear needs to be visible and you need to tell the studio that. They were not sure about which side - left or right. They are located on Nungambakkam High road close to Good Shepherd School. It is close to Lister medicals. You could proably finish the tests and go do your photos.
Visa Interview:
Appointment was at 8 AM. They start collecting the paperwork at around 8.45 so even if you get in around 8.30 it is time well saved. There was no que. I went in at 8. I had some chocklates with me. The security had no problem. I guess it depends on who the security is too. At 10.30 a fellow Indian consulate staff called me and enquired about how I was in US when all my visas had expired. I gave him my parole. Then he was concerned about something on my employment letter and the some paper (could hav been the LC) he had with him. He was pointing to something on both to a lady - who I presume was a visa officer. I could not hear what transpired but she just nodded her head and walked off. I asked this man whether there was any problem. He replied that he felt so but it was upto somebody else to decide. He then asked me the name of the person who had signed my emplyment letter. Then, he asked me what his title was a year ago. I gave him my anwers and also told him that I had been with the same firm for 6 years and a half. I presume that he was concerned that the person who had signed my GC application had a differnt title on my employment letter. He gave back our bank statements and tax papers except the most recent one. My wife's employment letter was also returned as it was not relevant to our case. He asked us to wait and suggested that we would be called again. This was @ 10.45 AM.
Please be aware that at times, your conversation @ the counter is audible over the public address system to every applicant who is waiting.
At 1.40 PM they started calling all waiting IV applicants again. I was the third one to be called. The same person who spoke to me in the morning returned my parole and asked us to pay the visa issuance fee and collect the visa at 4PM.
We were out @ 2 PM.
They allow u into the consulate between 4 and 4.30 to collect the visa. You have to show the payment receipt to be let in. From my conversation, with earlier applicants, I gathered that they are ready for collection only @ 5.45 PM. So please make your travel plans accordingly.
Please verify that the information (name, DOB, PP No) on the IVisa is correct before you leave. If it needs to be rectified, it will happen only on the next working Tue-Fri.
Port Of Entry:
I entered at Newark. The fingerprint and signature is a 5 minute job. We were assigned A nos. They were different than the ones which we got when we filed for AOS. We had to wait for 1 hr. INS officers don't seem to like being asked questions. Infact they don't seem to like even being spoken to. The only time they speak to you is when they want to ask you a question. I saw several cases when somebody tried to approach an officer, they were asked to wait and remain seated until called for.
I would like to narrate something which happened while I was waiting inside the INS office @ Newark.
Even before we entered @ 5PM there were a few CP applicants waiting. Among them was I presume a teenage guy - probably from the Check republic. He had a connecting flight to catch at 7PM. God knows how long he was waiting before that. Subsequently, every five minutes a lady would walk over and pile up more such papers over this guy's paperwork. Over a period of time, this pile grew to nearly 25 in number. At around 5.30 this guy who was waiting got so annoyed that he got up and asked this lady why she was piling up paperwork of applicants who had come in late on top of his paperwork and in the process delaying him even more. Her reply was that she knew what she was doing and she din't need any input from him. This guy was finally called by the IO at around 6PM and this guy mentioned the same thing to him. I could hear the IO saying that for some parties you have to wait and getting into the United States was not a joke. He also told him that he really din't care how long he waited or whether he got in or not. When this guy finally left after getting the stamp it was @ 6PM and we left shortly thereafter.
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