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Fellow PR Aspirants,
I am finally out of the woods. It has been a long and frustrating journey,
since May of 96. "All's well that ends well."
I had my interview on 22nd of Jan and we (me and my wife) went to Juarez on
19th of Jan for the medicals. We were at "Clinica de International" at
8:30am and it took 30~45mins to complete the medicals. They asked for the
appointment letter, passports and all the immunization records that we have.
We gave them all the relevant documents. A medical assistant took blood from
me and my wife. I was asked to go for the X-ray, my wife is excluded from
this as she is pregnent. After the X-ray a doctor called me into a room and
asked me to strip to my underwear. She examined me and asked me questions on
the condition of my heart, lungs, liver, neck, back etc. etc.; I think it was
just general examination. After this, we were asked to wait for immunizations.
Another medical assistant, came to us and told us that our immunizations are
upto date and we don't require any immunization. Ofcourse, my wife was waived
of all immunizations. We were asked to pay $110/person at the cashier's desk
and pick up the results at 2:00pm. We picked up the medical results at 2:00pm
and had to request for slight corrections in the name and DOB. The medical
results were sealed along with the X-ray report in a black plastic bag, to be
opened by the immigration officer.
We stayed in Juarez on 20th and 21st. During this time we found that 3 blocks
from the consulate there are Pizza Hut, Mc Ds, BK and Wendy's, so those used
to American fast food need not worry. Our interview at the Consulate was at
11:30am and since we weren't sure when we should be there, we went to the consulate
at 8:15am. After seeing the appointment letter, we were not allowed into the
consulate and were asked to return at 11:00am to go in. At 11:00am, the person
at the consulate entrance (gate 3) took the appointment letter and asked us to
go in. As soon as we went through security there is room up front and we went
in and sat in this room. This room has 15 counters (counters 1 - 15) with the
record collectors at the counters. Each applicant is called to the counter,
by the record collector. This is done mostly in Spanish. I guess since my
name does not appear Spanish, I was called to go to a counter #6, in English,
this was at around 12:45pm. The record collector took my documents; OF230,
Birth cert., Marriage cert., Company Letter & Photos. He opened the medical
results bag and took the actual results card and returned the X-ray report.
He went through the OF230 part I and cross checked my Name, Date of birth, Place
of birth, Parents' names etc. with a copy of my Birth Cert. and then checked
my Marriage Cert. Sponsor Letter and other records. He did similar checks
on my wife's records. During this process, he made notes on the photo copies.
He then asked us to go to another room, where the actual interview takes place.
This other room, building B, was swarming with applicants. It has 15 more
counters (counters 16 - 30) and 2 cashier counters A and B. It has two vending
machines, one for coke, pepsi etc and the other for chips, chocolates etc. My
name was called and I was asked to pay $260/person as application fee at counter A.
After paying this money we waited and waited and felt that this process is taking
for ever. We have nothing else to eat other than corn chips or biscuits from the
vending machines. Applicant after another is called for interview at one window
or another and each persons' fate was decided then and there. Luckily, we didn't
see many disappointments, else we would've been nervous. Atlast, after what seemed
to have been eternity at 3:45pm we heard my name called and was asked to go to a
window #22, in English. We hurried took all the documents, photo albums etc and
rushed to window to be greeted by a man with a friendly smile, asking me if he had
pronounced my last name right. He asked us to take oath first and then proceeded
to go through my entire file page by page. As he turned pages he kept asking me :
If I had problems with immigration ? Who my sponsor was? When I first came to the US ?
How long did it take for me to complete my MS ? How long have I been working ?
How long had I been with the sponsoring company ?
He asked my wife, if she's working and how long has it been since we were married.
He stopped here and there and read the file more carefully and sometimes he just
flipped the pages. He saw the medical reports and asked my wife when she's due.
He then said that my name will be called; that I need to pay $65/person and then
pick up the packet to be surrendered at the port of entry. This last part was
like music to our ears. We were overjoyed, atlast the wait has ended.
The Visa Officer returned our originals. We waited to be called at counter B again,
to pay for the visa issuance fee and then waited another 1.5hrs to get the packet
at 5:30pm. We were the last ones to go out of the consulate that day.
We quickly went to a restaurant and ate our lunch/dinner and picked up a taxi
and headed to the port of entry. It was a 2.0hrs wait at the port of entry.
We finally got our passports stamped at around 8:30pm at the port of entry.
Tips :
1) Check the interview time, "eat well" and go to the consulate 1/2 hr before
the interview time.
2) Have a seat and wait patiently for your name to be called.
3) Clearly, give all the info to the record collector so that the Visa Officer
need not worry about trivial things like which is last name, which is first name
and other things.
4) Answer the Visa officer honestly and truthfully. (Someone told me, we should
neither volunteer information nor hide information from the Visa Officer)
5) Make sure, payment of visa fees is properly planned. (I initially thought
I'd pay by MasterCard, but I found out that my MC was blocked in Juarez. I luckily
had a debit card which we used at the Citibank, close to Wendy's, to withdraw cash.
I paid in cash.)
6) Give an extra day on your return journey from El Paso.
7) Carry all the relavant documents, school records etc.
PS : We did take "Police Certificates" from Indian Consulate, at San Francisco
since we weren't sure. However, we were not asked for it at the American Consulate.
We did not volunteer to give this document, either.
If you folks have any questions please let me know.
"Wish you all Best of Luck"
Cheers,
SriSar
I am finally out of the woods. It has been a long and frustrating journey,
since May of 96. "All's well that ends well."
I had my interview on 22nd of Jan and we (me and my wife) went to Juarez on
19th of Jan for the medicals. We were at "Clinica de International" at
8:30am and it took 30~45mins to complete the medicals. They asked for the
appointment letter, passports and all the immunization records that we have.
We gave them all the relevant documents. A medical assistant took blood from
me and my wife. I was asked to go for the X-ray, my wife is excluded from
this as she is pregnent. After the X-ray a doctor called me into a room and
asked me to strip to my underwear. She examined me and asked me questions on
the condition of my heart, lungs, liver, neck, back etc. etc.; I think it was
just general examination. After this, we were asked to wait for immunizations.
Another medical assistant, came to us and told us that our immunizations are
upto date and we don't require any immunization. Ofcourse, my wife was waived
of all immunizations. We were asked to pay $110/person at the cashier's desk
and pick up the results at 2:00pm. We picked up the medical results at 2:00pm
and had to request for slight corrections in the name and DOB. The medical
results were sealed along with the X-ray report in a black plastic bag, to be
opened by the immigration officer.
We stayed in Juarez on 20th and 21st. During this time we found that 3 blocks
from the consulate there are Pizza Hut, Mc Ds, BK and Wendy's, so those used
to American fast food need not worry. Our interview at the Consulate was at
11:30am and since we weren't sure when we should be there, we went to the consulate
at 8:15am. After seeing the appointment letter, we were not allowed into the
consulate and were asked to return at 11:00am to go in. At 11:00am, the person
at the consulate entrance (gate 3) took the appointment letter and asked us to
go in. As soon as we went through security there is room up front and we went
in and sat in this room. This room has 15 counters (counters 1 - 15) with the
record collectors at the counters. Each applicant is called to the counter,
by the record collector. This is done mostly in Spanish. I guess since my
name does not appear Spanish, I was called to go to a counter #6, in English,
this was at around 12:45pm. The record collector took my documents; OF230,
Birth cert., Marriage cert., Company Letter & Photos. He opened the medical
results bag and took the actual results card and returned the X-ray report.
He went through the OF230 part I and cross checked my Name, Date of birth, Place
of birth, Parents' names etc. with a copy of my Birth Cert. and then checked
my Marriage Cert. Sponsor Letter and other records. He did similar checks
on my wife's records. During this process, he made notes on the photo copies.
He then asked us to go to another room, where the actual interview takes place.
This other room, building B, was swarming with applicants. It has 15 more
counters (counters 16 - 30) and 2 cashier counters A and B. It has two vending
machines, one for coke, pepsi etc and the other for chips, chocolates etc. My
name was called and I was asked to pay $260/person as application fee at counter A.
After paying this money we waited and waited and felt that this process is taking
for ever. We have nothing else to eat other than corn chips or biscuits from the
vending machines. Applicant after another is called for interview at one window
or another and each persons' fate was decided then and there. Luckily, we didn't
see many disappointments, else we would've been nervous. Atlast, after what seemed
to have been eternity at 3:45pm we heard my name called and was asked to go to a
window #22, in English. We hurried took all the documents, photo albums etc and
rushed to window to be greeted by a man with a friendly smile, asking me if he had
pronounced my last name right. He asked us to take oath first and then proceeded
to go through my entire file page by page. As he turned pages he kept asking me :
If I had problems with immigration ? Who my sponsor was? When I first came to the US ?
How long did it take for me to complete my MS ? How long have I been working ?
How long had I been with the sponsoring company ?
He asked my wife, if she's working and how long has it been since we were married.
He stopped here and there and read the file more carefully and sometimes he just
flipped the pages. He saw the medical reports and asked my wife when she's due.
He then said that my name will be called; that I need to pay $65/person and then
pick up the packet to be surrendered at the port of entry. This last part was
like music to our ears. We were overjoyed, atlast the wait has ended.
The Visa Officer returned our originals. We waited to be called at counter B again,
to pay for the visa issuance fee and then waited another 1.5hrs to get the packet
at 5:30pm. We were the last ones to go out of the consulate that day.
We quickly went to a restaurant and ate our lunch/dinner and picked up a taxi
and headed to the port of entry. It was a 2.0hrs wait at the port of entry.
We finally got our passports stamped at around 8:30pm at the port of entry.
Tips :
1) Check the interview time, "eat well" and go to the consulate 1/2 hr before
the interview time.
2) Have a seat and wait patiently for your name to be called.
3) Clearly, give all the info to the record collector so that the Visa Officer
need not worry about trivial things like which is last name, which is first name
and other things.
4) Answer the Visa officer honestly and truthfully. (Someone told me, we should
neither volunteer information nor hide information from the Visa Officer)
5) Make sure, payment of visa fees is properly planned. (I initially thought
I'd pay by MasterCard, but I found out that my MC was blocked in Juarez. I luckily
had a debit card which we used at the Citibank, close to Wendy's, to withdraw cash.
I paid in cash.)
6) Give an extra day on your return journey from El Paso.
7) Carry all the relavant documents, school records etc.
PS : We did take "Police Certificates" from Indian Consulate, at San Francisco
since we weren't sure. However, we were not asked for it at the American Consulate.
We did not volunteer to give this document, either.
If you folks have any questions please let me know.
"Wish you all Best of Luck"
Cheers,
SriSar
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