Is Mumbai consulate scheduling interviews for IR5 (Parent of a U.S. citizen)

[AlienKanpur]

Hi AlienKanpur,

Thank you very much for your quick response. Much appreciated. You mention in your note 1 that medical documents handed over will be needed, however no medical documents were handed over to my mom after the medical check. Can you clarify? Thanks.

When me and my wife went for the medical at Max Delhi in May last year. We were given two sheets with some summary also the vaccination record. I am not certain whether other centers also give or not. If they are not given then do not worry. The entire details are uploaded on the consulate website. The Consulate people only believe that data. Maybe the procedures are slightly modified. We even carried the CD, but that too was not required. CD contains only the x-ray report. Best wishes

[pooriepoorie]

Hello Everyone,

I have a question regarding passport validity for my mom's consulate interview for green card. Here's her situation:
- Biometrics scheduled for Jan 18th
- Consulate interview scheduled for Feb 15th
- Planned travel to US: 3rd week of March
- Her Indian passport expires Early Nov'23

So her passport expires within 8 months of her planned travel date.

My questions are:
- Could this be an issue at the time of green card interview? I read somewhere that the passport should be valid for more than 8 months from planned travel date
- If a new passport should be applied for in between biometrics and consulate interview, do we need to submit any additional paperwork with the new passport number?

I would appreciate the wisdom from experts on this forum

[Shanaya]

When me and my wife went for the medical at Max Delhi in May last year. We were given two sheets with some summary also the vaccination record. I am not certain whether other centers also give or not. If they are not given then do not worry. The entire details are uploaded on the consulate website. The Consulate people only believe that data. Maybe the procedures are slightly modified. We even carried the CD, but that too was not required. CD contains only the x-ray report. Best wishes

My parents completed their medical at Apollo Clinic in Surat on January 5, 2023, and they sent an email with electronic version of vaccination record. They did not give any x-ray CD. They just told them that report will be sent directly to Mumbai US consulate, but they have to print that record from email and bring that to the day of the interview.

[Jee_mo]

Hello Everyone,

I have a question regarding passport validity for my mom's consulate interview for green card. Here's her situation:
- Biometrics scheduled for Jan 18th
- Consulate interview scheduled for Feb 15th
- Planned travel to US: 3rd week of March
- Her Indian passport expires Early Nov'23

So her passport expires within 8 months of her planned travel date.

My questions are:
- Could this be an issue at the time of green card interview? I read somewhere that the passport should be valid for more than 8 months from planned travel date
- If a new passport should be applied for in between biometrics and consulate interview, do we need to submit any additional paperwork with the new passport number?

I would appreciate the wisdom from experts on this forum

Normally Passport should be valid for at least 6months when you travel.. you should be good.. Once your parents land in USA, use VFS Global service to renew indian passport.

[h1bguy80]

When me and my wife went for the medical at Max Delhi in May last year. We were given two sheets with some summary also the vaccination record. I am not certain whether other centers also give or not. If they are not given then do not worry. The entire details are uploaded on the consulate website. The Consulate people only believe that data. Maybe the procedures are slightly modified. We even carried the CD, but that too was not required. CD contains only the x-ray report. Best wishes

AlienKanpur,

Thanks again for the reply. That clarifies my doubts. My mom was given a printout of the sheets of the vaccination record and CD containing the X-ray report. She was told all details will be sent to the embassy directly. I will ask her to carry the vaccination record sheets and X-ray with her to the interview just as backup along with other documents.

Thanks,

AV

[AlienKanpur]

Hello Everyone,

I have a question regarding passport validity for my mom's consulate interview for green card. Here's her situation:
- Biometrics scheduled for Jan 18th
- Consulate interview scheduled for Feb 15th
- Planned travel to US: 3rd week of March
- Her Indian passport expires Early Nov'23

So her passport expires within 8 months of her planned travel date.

My questions are:
- Could this be an issue at the time of green card interview? I read somewhere that the passport should be valid for more than 8 months from planned travel date
- If a new passport should be applied for in between biometrics and consulate interview, do we need to submit any additional paperwork with the new passport number?

I would appreciate the wisdom from experts on this forum

Dear pooriepoorie,
Heartiest Congratulations for the forthcoming interview of your mom. Best wishes for a successful adjudication. It seems that she has already cleared the medical. So the main hurdle is over. Biometrics and the interview are quite routine.
The rule says that the passport should be valid for at least six months on the date of travel. In your mom’s case there is nothing to worry. The visa stamp that the consulate will paste on the passport has a validity of six months from the date of the medical examination. It would be advisable that the passport is renewed in the US, probably with a US address. Best wishes again.

[Forparents96]

Question on after getting GC: I came to know from this forum that Someone cannot stay more than 6 month outside USA in a calendar year . If for some reason someone needs to stay in India more than 6 months what are the options.

[ssahni145]

Dear All,

Thanks again to all in this wonderful forum.


Yesterday parents had an interview at Mumbai consulate, posting here some highlights.


1. Interview slot was at 7.30 AM. We arrived at 7.00 am and were first in the queue.
2. At gate they checked interview appointment letter, passport to let them in.
3. Once inside they took token and awaited the turn.
4. First, a lady checked all originals - parents birth certs, marriage certs.
5. Address Change - It is very important to note we had both petitioner and applicant address change (In US) - this lady promptly helped us with that. This was big concern for us as NVC had refused to change any addresses for us considering our application was already with the embassy.
6. Name Correction - Parents also had a DS 260 middle name missing issues which the lady ensured is not a problem as the name in passport will be used for GC and not the one in DS260.
6. Next up they waited for the interview.
7. The interview lasted 15 minutes in which they were asked question on Petitioner.
- Which company does your son work for ?
- Is here here now in India ?
- When will be travel back ?
- Which company does he work for ?
- All family details of petitioner.
- Parents trip to US, over stays, trips to other countries and over stays.
- Any crimimal proceedings?
- Show the original family pictures

Per parents it was bit grilling but not annoying as long as all paper work is in order.

8. While the process is engaging but the support for elders is good. They are well taken care of and not rushed - thank you US Consulate in India!
9. Finally parents were given verbal confirmation on visa approval.
10. They came out at 9.00 AM - Total time spend in Embassy 1 hour 50 minutes.
11. We stayed at Sofitel and loved it! A paid upgrade to lounge helped - free breakfast (its fantastic!) on the house drinks and snacks most of the day. Expensive but worth every penny.

Hope this helps.

[ssahni145]

Hi nilu19 - parents had interview yesterday. I wrote a simple letter stating clear information on old and new addresses in the USA and gave it to my parents. Once inside they shared that paper with the lady who checked there original documents (this is right before the interview). The lady was extremely helpful and per my parents she has updated everything. We also had a name issue (middle name missing in DS260) she ensured that they will use name in the passport for the GC.

So far it seems we are all set but will discover more when we finally get the GC once parents arrive to USA. Hope this helps, please feel free to PM me if you need more information.

Thanks

[ssahni145]

Hi ssahni145,

I am exact similar situation as you, my parents interview is scheduled for Feb 2nd (Mumbai) and I will need to update the both applicants future address in USA ( as my US address changed).

Have you able to figure out the the process to update USA address in form DS 260 ?

While talking with US Docs hotline, they mentioned I should send an email to [email protected] asking about the same , through which they will temporarily open the DS 260 form for us so we can make an update. so it gets updated before the interview at Mumbai consulate. I am bit hesitant to go that route, as by updating DS 260 will hopefully not impact consular appointment date.

Thank You in advance for your help.

Thanks

Hi nilu19 - parents had interview yesterday. I wrote a simple letter stating clear information on old and new addresses in the USA and gave it to my parents. Once inside they shared that paper with the lady who checked there original documents (this is right before the interview). The lady was extremely helpful and per my parents she has updated everything. We also had a name issue (middle name missing in DS260) she ensured that they will use name in the passport for the GC.

So far it seems we are all set but will discover more when we finally get the GC once parents arrive to USA. Hope this helps, please feel free to PM me if you need more information.

Thanks

[ssahni145]

Hello All,

Here's milestones on the 474 day ordeal for my Parent's IV approval.

Milestone	Date	Interval
Application Start	Sep 18 2021
IV Case Creation	Feb 21 2022	156
PCC Uploaded	March 19 2022	26
My Mom Documentarily Qualified	June 2 2022	75
My Dad Documentarily Qualified	Aug 11 2022	70
Interview Letter	Nov 18 2022	99
Interview	Dec 30 2022	42
221g Response and Passport Drop-off	Jan 2 2023	3
Passport with IV	Jan 5 2023	3
Total Days (end-end)		474

Both my parents and I were really proactive throughout 474 days and tried to gather documents as quickly as we can. However here are some areas that others could benefit from:

1. I don't know if we could have started the Police Clearance Process before, we waited until IV Case Creation and transfer to NVC before we started the PCC. We could have saved time on PCC
2. My mom's app was DQed on Jun 2, 2022. For my dad they said I had to resubmit DS-264 because one of the pages was missing from PDF. That's bit carelessness on my part because while scanning I forgot to attach the last page even though it was completely empty. If my dad was DQed at same time as my mom, maybe we could have received the Interview letter early.
3. I did not look at these forums until very recently and had booked La Hotel Metro --- it's a 2 start hotel with lots of negatives (no lift - my parents had to climb up to 2nd floor, noisy behind local train station, crampy - not fit for 2 people). I recommend booking Trident or Sofitel.
4. Finally when I submitted the docs on Feb 21, 2022 - I did not file my 2021 taxes yet. So I had printed out my IRS Tax Transcript from 2018 until 2021 but did not include it with supporting documentation for my parents Interview. During the Interview they received a 221g asking us to upload 2021 IRS Tax transcript and then use dropbox for Passport drop-off. Important Lesson IRS Tax transcript is a good document to include along with Petioner's Tax return and W2
5. I booked my ticket to India assuming that I'll be able to accompany my 75yr old dad for the Interview - in actuality they do not let anybody in other than applicants for the interview.

Interview Experience

• My parents had a 8.30 am Interview on Friday Dec 30
• We went in around 7 am to Bandra Kurla complex
• We could see a crowd of 500 on all the 3 opposite sides of the Consulate
• At 7.25am they announced for 7 am batch
• My parents decided to join the line just to try their luck
• They were able to get in
• At 8.30am their documents were verified
• At 11, it was their time for interview --- their Interviewer was an Asian women. She asked the usual questions:
  • About Petitioner, Petitioner's family, Petitioner's first time travel to US, Petitioner's Workplace
  • About Applicants, Travel to US, Last time their travel, length of stay
• Interestingly at end of interview, the Interviewer said that she needed an additional document (IRS Transcript) and hence issued 221g. She assured my parents that as soon as they respond to 221g they will get the visa. She also told them they could use a dropbox for 221g and made sure to take missing fingerprints. The 221g letter provided clear instructions on how to upload the document. And specifically called out for no need for an appointment.

Dropbox Experience

• There was bit of a confusion on location of Dropbox facility in Bengaluru; the location mentioned in USTraveksDocs.com is no longer valid
• VFS location in Bengaluru is bit odd -the security people at the entrance is not familiar with 221g they were asking for appointment. Luckily one of the security guys was aware of 221g and let us in.
• VFS US Consulate opens at 10am, they accepted our passport and asked us to pay Rs. 650 per passport on (this was Monday Jan 2)
• On Thursday Jan 5, my parents received their passports with IV (this was totally unexpected because the timelines suggested by VFS was 3 weeks). Interestingly the BlueDart courier asked my parents to pay another Rs.650 each for expedited passport delivery

Thanks to everyone on this forum that provide so much valuable information on the IV interview process particularly atmakur and AlienKanpur among others.

Please reach out to me if I can be of any further assistance.
Ravi

Hi Ravi,

Inspired by your post I traced back my journey as well. Interestingly it has taken me thrice the time. I wonder why it was so long for me.


USCIS - I130 Filing Date - Sept 20, 2019

USCIS Approval/NVC Visa Creation - July 26, 2020

NVC DQ Clearance - March 23, 2022

Interview Date and IR5 visa approval - January 11th, 2023

Total Days - 1210 or so.

Thanks,
Sanjay

[veeranj]

HI Ravi/Sanjay - thank you for sharing your journey. My mother's DQ was in September 2022, and still awaiting the interview letter. She's 80+ and the unknown and uncertainty at her age is making it very difficult for her. Is there any way to track status or get an ETA?

[AlienKanpur]

Question on after getting GC: I came to know from this forum that Someone cannot stay more than 6 month outside USA in a calendar year . If for some reason someone needs to stay in India more than 6 months what are the options.

Dear Forparents96,
Technically, if one wishes to maintain status, than after getting the LPR (GC) status, one cannot stay out of the US for more than 6 months in a calendar year. If something to the contrary happens inadvertently, than at the time of re-entry, the Border Control people will certainly grill the GC holder. One can be warned as a first time defaulter. However if it is a planned prolonged stay then one can obtain permission for a prolonged stay out side USA. best wishes

[ssahni145]

HI Ravi/Sanjay - thank you for sharing your journey. My mother's DQ was in September 2022, and still awaiting the interview letter. She's 80+ and the unknown and uncertainty at her age is making it very difficult for her. Is there any way to track status or get an ETA?

Hi, post Covid the trend has been 1 year plus minus 2 months. However I have seen some applicants getting it sooner. Since your DQ is September expect it before September 2023. As backlog clears it can be much faster as well. This forum is good to track as many post there IL dates and it helps keep an eye on it.

[veeranj]

Forparents96 - if parents have not left the US, get a re-entry permit for them. A re-etnry permit will allow for their stay up to 2 years potentially. You need to get re-entry permit while in the US.