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

[AlienKanpur]

Just wanted to update folks. VAC and medical appointments are done. We had both on same day, medical in the morning and vac in mid-afternoon. Getting ready for interview now. Thank you all!

Great. Heartiest Congratulations for clearing the medical without any hiccups. Best wishes for the interview and a successful adjudication of the immigration petition.

[Vkvt007]

Hello Everyone,
I am a US Citizen. my wife got CR1 DQ on Feb 10th 2023. We are facing tough health situation. I need to schedule a surgery and I requested to NVC to expedite, got denied.
Can anyone please suggest if there is another to expedite? also, on normal pace, when should we expect her interview to be scheduled?
many thanks in advance.

[user2022]

Hello Everyone,
I am a US Citizen. my wife got CR1 DQ on Feb 10th 2023. We are facing tough health situation. I need to schedule a surgery and I requested to NVC to expedite, got denied.
Can anyone please suggest if there is another to expedite? also, on normal pace, when should we expect her interview to be scheduled?
many thanks in advance.

sorry to hear about your situation, hope all works out fine. Here is a tracker i ran into and i am just trying to get the word around so that it becomes more reliable. It is taking about 6 mos for IL and then 2 more mos for actual interview.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19bJNLH6PfVPV0f02d8SRmsnxt95NmxsZJzT4ytBCMCg/edit#gid=0

[user2022]

Just wanted to update folks. VAC and medical appointments are done. We had both on same day, medical in the morning and vac in mid-afternoon. Getting ready for interview now. Thank you all!

congrats on the progress. Can you please shed some light why you had to get VAC appointment? Per my understanding, next step after DQ is for the NVC to schedule an interview at US Consulate and provide you the date.

I suspect this might be to gather the biometric information. Is that correct? If yes, did you have to schedule this VAC interview? Is there a risk you may not find an appointment before the consulate interview? thank you

[Vkvt007]

sorry to hear about your situation, hope all works out fine. Here is a tracker i ran into and i am just trying to get the word around so that it becomes more reliable. It is taking about 6 mos for IL and then 2 more mos for actual interview.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...MCg/edit#gid=0

Thank you sharing the timeline sheet. I have added my case. fingers crossed.

[AutisticManChild]

congrats on the progress. Can you please shed some light why you had to get VAC appointment? Per my understanding, next step after DQ is for the NVC to schedule an interview at US Consulate and provide you the date.

I suspect this might be to gather the biometric information. Is that correct? If yes, did you have to schedule this VAC interview? Is there a risk you may not find an appointment before the consulate interview? thank you

You are correct that it was for biometrics. As far as I have understood, US embassy or consulate schedules your interview after applicant's documents are accepted (that you submitted at NVC). Once your interview is scheduled, you are responsible for getting the medical done and getting fingerprinting done. Our interview has been scheduled 6-8 weeks away so that gave us enough time to schedule both. For medical, you check the list of approved physicians or clinics and make appointment with the one convenient for you. For us, it was Rele clinic in Mumbai. We filled the form on their website and they called us to schedule the exact date and time. For VAC appointment (biometrics), we had to register at https://portal.ustraveldocs.com/ Again, we had plenty of appointments available prior to interview.

[AutisticManChild]

Great. Heartiest Congratulations for clearing the medical without any hiccups. Best wishes for the interview and a successful adjudication of the immigration petition.

Thank you!
BTW when we made our VAC appointment, the appointment confirmation contains list of documents for consular interview:
DS 260 confirmation page (signed/stamped)
Two recent photographs 2x2 inches
Medical Report (No X-ray films or discs) (we have not received these)
Police Clearance Certificate from the Regional Passport Office (and PCC from foreign country where applicants stayed for few years)
Original and photocopy of Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate,
Affidavit of Support: Forms I-864, I-864A, recent Tax returns (2022), W2s and job letter (since jobs changed, including new verification letters)

Is there anything else you would recommend taking?

[AlienKanpur]

Thank you!
BTW when we made our VAC appointment, the appointment confirmation contains list of documents for consular interview:
DS 260 confirmation page (signed/stamped)
Two recent photographs 2x2 inches
Medical Report (No X-ray films or discs) (we have not received these)
Police Clearance Certificate from the Regional Passport Office (and PCC from foreign country where applicants stayed for few years)
Original and photocopy of Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate,
Affidavit of Support: Forms I-864, I-864A, recent Tax returns (2022), W2s and job letter (since jobs changed, including new verification letters)

Is there anything else you would recommend taking?

Dear AutisticManChild,
These are mandatory documents. Generally this is what that would be required. You must prepare two folders. The first one with these mandatory documents and the second folder must contain the originals of all the documents that may have been submitted from time to time, including the pictures with the petitioner at different stages of life. Best wishes for the interview.

[veeranj]

MY mother has her interview on May 9th 2023. She had a green card prior and could not maintain the status, as my father could not travel. My father passed away in 2019, and we reapplied for a fresh green card in 2021. She surrendered her green card in May 2022. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Will she be asked about her prior green card and will her surrendering the card, cause any issues in her interview? Is there some other information we should be prepared with?

[AutisticManChild]

Dear AutisticManChild,
These are mandatory documents. Generally this is what that would be required. You must prepare two folders. The first one with these mandatory documents and the second folder must contain the originals of all the documents that may have been submitted from time to time, including the pictures with the petitioner at different stages of life. Best wishes for the interview.

Thank you for that advice. It makes sense to do that.

[vapIR5]

Dear AutisticManChild,
These are mandatory documents. Generally this is what that would be required. You must prepare two folders. The first one with these mandatory documents and the second folder must contain the originals of all the documents that may have been submitted from time to time, including the pictures with the petitioner at different stages of life. Best wishes for the interview.

[AlienKanpur]

MY mother has her interview on May 9th 2023. She had a green card prior and could not maintain the status, as my father could not travel. My father passed away in 2019, and we reapplied for a fresh green card in 2021. She surrendered her green card in May 2022. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Will she be asked about her prior green card and will her surrendering the card, cause any issues in her interview? Is there some other information we should be prepared with?

Dear veeranj,
sorry to hear about the demise of your father, my condolances.
There is nothing to worry in your moms case. The interviewing officers are very understanding. Once you reach the interview stage, the physical presence at the interview is all that is required. The petition is all but approved. The surrendering of the previous Green card only strengthens the case. May be carry the papers pertaining to your fathers illness showing the inability to travel. Most likely that too will not be needed. best wishes. Do keep the forum updated as yours is a slightly different scenario. Some people in a similar situation might benefit. Best wishes.

[Shanaya]

All,

I am repeating this post here for everybody since I just want to let everyone in this forum know that my parents GC arrived on April 29, 2023 and finally the journey has completed.

I am sharing complete timeline and required documents for each step of this long journey, and I hope this post will help other members in this forum who are going through similar steps for their family members. Some of the documents are excessive but I do not want to take any chances so I have submitted them, but it will be up to you to decide which needs to be sent with forms submission.

I have also included complete cost as well, just for information.

	DOCUMENTS	DATE	DAYS
1	I-130 SUBMISSION - Online	JUNE 18, 2021	1
2	PRIORITY DATE	JUNE 19, 2021	1
3	I-130 APPROVAL	SEPTEMBER 30, 2021	103
4	NVC CONFIRMATION EMAIL	OCTOBER 3, 2021	4
5	DOCUMENTARILY QUALIFIED EMAIL	JANUARY 12, 2022	100
6	INTERVIEW LETTER NOTIFICATION EMAIL	NOVEMBER 21, 2022	313
7	VAC APPOINTMENT	DECEMBER 23, 2022	30
8	MEDICAL	JANUARY 5, 2023	14
9	IR5 VISA INTERVIEW	JANUARY 24, 2023	19
10	PASSPORT ARRIVAL	JANUARY 28, 2023	4
11	FLIGHT OT USA	MARCH 24, 2023	59
12	SSN CARD ARRIVAL	APRIL 3, 2023	7
13	GREEN CARD ARRIVAL	APRIL 29, 2023	26
		TOTAL DAYS	681
1	I-130 FEE	$535
2	I-864 FEE	$120
3	DS-260 FEE	$325
4	MEDICAL FEE	$160
5	PASSPORT PICK UP	$8
6	GREENCARD FEE – Paid on February 24, 2023	$220
	TOTAL	$1368/Person

DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED WITH I-130

1. I-130 Form
2. Petitioner – US Naturalization Certificate
3. Petitioner - Birth certificate
4. Beneficiary – Marriage Certificate
5. Beneficiary – Birth Certificates

DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED WITH I-864 & I-864A

1. I-864 Affidavit of Support Form
2. I-864-A Affidavit of Support – Household Member/Joint Sponsor
3. IRS Tax Return Transcripts – For Years 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 (Petitioner & Household Member)
4. W2 – For Years 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 (Petitioner & Household Member)
5. 2023 Employment Letter (Petitioner & Household Member)
6. 6 Months Paystubs Copy (Petitioner & Household Member)
7. Petitioner – Birth Certificate
8. Petitioner – Marriage Certificate
9. Petitioner – US Naturalization Certificate
10. Household Member – Birth Certificate
11. Household Member - US Naturalization Certificate

DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED WITH DS-260

1. DS-260 Form
2. Petitioner – Birth Certificate
3. Petitioner – Marriage Certificate
4. Petitioner – Naturalization Certificate
5. Petitioner – US Passport Biographic Pages
6. Beneficiary – Birth Certificates
7. Beneficiary – Marriage Certificate
8. Beneficiary – Police Clearance Certificates
9. Beneficiary – Passport Biographic Pages
10. Beneficiary – 2x2 Digital Photographs

DOCUMENTS CARRIED FOR VAC APPOINTMENT

1. Beneficiary Passport
2. VAC Appointment Confirmation Letter
3. DS-260 Confirmation page
4. Four 2x2 Photographs
5. Interview Letter

Address: Mumbai VAC
Parinee Crescenzo 101, 1^st Floor, A Wing, G Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East

DOCUMENTS CARRIED FOR MEDICAL APPOINTMENT

1. Beneficiary Passport
2. Interview Letter
3. DS-260 Confirmation page
4. Four 2x2 Photographs
5. Final Covid-19 Vaccine Record with Dates
6. All Prior Medical Records of Vaccination

Address: Apollo Clinic
Mann Complex, Anand Mahal Road
Opposite Shree Ram Petrol Pump, Girinagar Society, Muktanand Nagar
Adajan, Surat
Phone# 0261-2790202

DOCUMENTS CARRIED FOR INTERVIEW APPOINTMENT

1. Beneficiary Passport
2. Four 2x2 Photographs
3. Interview Letter
4. DS-260 Confirmation Page with VAC Stamp & Stapled Photograph given @ VAC Appointment
5. Original Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)
6. Medical Exam Vaccination Report given at Medical Appointment
7. Petitioner – Original Birth Certificate & Copy
8. Beneficiary – Original Birth Certificate & Copy
9. Beneficiary – Original Marriage Certificate & Copy
10. Petitioner & Joint Sponsor - Original I-864 & I-864-A
11. Petitioner & Joint Sponsor - IRS Tax Return Transcripts for Years – 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
12. Petitioner & Joint Sponsor - W2 for Years - 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
13. Petitioner & Joint Sponsor - 2023 Employment Letters
14. Petitioner & Joint Sponsor - 6 Months Paystubs Copies

INTERVIEW DAY – JANUARY 24, 2023 @ 7:30 AM
Address: U.S. Consulate General Mumbai
C-49, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai 400051
My parents had their interview on January 24, 2023@ 7:30 AM.
They entered the building at 7:00 AM and they were directly taken to window for document collection/verification where they were asked for following documents. (Completed in 20 Minutes)

1. Interview Letter for both
2. Original DS-260 Confirmation Page with VAC Stamps for both
3. Original PCC for both
4. Original Birth Certificate for both
5. Original marriage Certificate
6. Original Birth Certificate of Petitioner

Parents requested Gujarati Language Interpreter for their Interview right after above documents were verified.
Then they were given a token and were told to wait for their number to be called.
They were called on window at 7:40 AM for their interview, where American officer has asked following questions which can be answered by either person, so my mom answered some and my dad answered some.

First, parents were asked to take the oath before answering any questions.

1. What is your daughter’s address in USA?
2. Have you lived in any other country for more than a year?
3. In which state does your daughter live in USA?
4. When did the petitioner went to USA first time?
5. How many kids does your daughter have?
6. What is your son in law’s job position?
7. What does your daughter do?
8. How many members are there in their household?
9. Who are they?
10. Have you ever been denied a visa to any country?

At the end of the interview officer told them, your visa is approved, and you will receive your passports within 3-5 days and handed them two documents as below. They were out of the building at 8:05 AM.

(1) English Version – “Your Visa is Approved” with instructions on how to pay your Green Card Fee $220 before departing for USA.

(2) ગુજરાતી આવૃત્તિ- યુએસએ જવા રવાના થતા પહેલા તમારી ગ્રીન કાર્ડ ફી $220 કેવી રીતે ભરવી તે અંગેની સૂચનાઓ સાથે "તમારા વિઝા મંજૂર છે".
Also, passport status can be checked on below websites while waiting for to arrive at home or pick up location of Blue Dart Service.
Apply for a U.S. Visa | Track My Passport - India (English) (ustraveldocs.com)
https://cgifederal.secure.force.com (Using Username & Password)

Passports arrived on January 28, 2023.


Website for $220 - Green Card Fee Payment – https://my.uscis.gov/uscis-immigrant-fee
A-Number

• Your A-Number is the letter “A” followed by 7, 8 or 9 numbers (such as A012345678). On a visa stamp, your A-Number is identified as a Registration Number and it does not have written “A” on the IR5 Visa, it just says Registration Number.
• If your A-Number is fewer than 9 digits, the system will automatically add zero(s) after the “A” and before the first digit so there is a total of 9 digits, for example: A-001234567.
• Enter “A” Number (Example: A-123456789, A-012345678, or A-001234567)

DOS Case ID

• Your DOS Case ID is 3 letters followed by 9 or 10 numbers (for example, BMB0123456789).
• On your visa stamp, your DOS Case ID is identified as the IV Case Number. The IV Case Number has two numbers at the end, such as 01 or 02.
• When entering the IV Case Number as the DOS Case ID, do not include the last two numbers. For example, if your IV Case Number is “BMB1234567801,” you would enter your DOS Case ID as “BMB12345678” (do not include the “01”).
• If you want to pay together for both parents then there is an option, click “Add Another Entry” and enter second person’s information.
• Enter email address and mailing address for payer.
• Click next for payment of USD 220. (For both $440)
• If paid in advance in India before leaving for US, process starts as soon as beneficiary is in US.

For both, SSN arrived on April 3, 2023, after arriving on March 24, 2023.

For both, Green Card arrived on April 29, 2023, after getting notification on April 24, 2023, that it has been sent for printing.

Green Card status can be checked on below websites with USCIS account or without.

USCIS gives different case number when you pay GC fees, which you can use to track your greencard either by creating account on below website.
Case Status Online - Login (uscis.gov)

To Check GC status without USCIS account
Case Status Online - Case Status (uscis.gov)


I hope above details will help someone in this forum who is going through similar process or planning to do same for their family members.

WISH YOU ALL THE BEST IN COMPLETING SIMILAR JOURNEY FOR YOUR LOVED ONES.

Regards,
Shanaya Patel
New Jersey, USA

During this entire journey I have been very anxious about which questions will be asked at the interview, so I started collecting questions from this forum’s reviews by others & similar websites and compiled a list of questions as below. Some of the questions are repeated in the list but has similar answers. I am sure this list will help lot of members in this forum.

IR 5 VISA – SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Who is sponsoring?
2. Where does he/she live?
3. Have you lived in any other country for more than a year?
4. What is the marriage date for your daughter?
5. Where do you plan to live in the USA?
6. How long has your daughter been in the USA?
7. Have you ever been to USA?
8. Have you ever been denied a visa to any country?
9. What is your daughter’s phone number/email address?
10. How often/how do you communicate with your daughter?
11. How old is your daughter?
12. Which state does your daughter live in?
13. Where is your daughter/sponsor working and what position?
14. Where does your son-in-law work?
15. How old are your daughter’s kids?
16. When did you meet your daughter last time?
17. What is your son in law doing? Where does he work?
18. Who are you going to stay with?
19. Where does your daughter work?
20. How many times you have been to USA before? When was the longest stay?
21. Who called you to USA?
22. How is petitioner known to you?
23. What is petitioner doing?
24. In which place the petitioner lives?
25. Where did the petitioner earlier live in USA?
26. Is petitioner married? If yes when?
27. When did you last meet the petitioner?
28. Has petitioner visited India?
29. How many times did you go to USA?
30. How many children does the petitioner have?
31. Who is sponsoring you?
32. Where does she work?
33. Which place in the USA?
34. Who is the joint sponsor?
35. Is your daughter married?
36. When did you last see your daughter?
37. Have you been to USA before?
38. Who is the petitioner?
39. When did petitioner moved to USA?
40. How many kids does petitioner have?
41. What is your grand daughter’s name?
42. What kind of activities your granddaughter like?
43. Who is sponsoring your green card?
44. What do they do?
45. When did they come to USA?
46. Are they married?
47. Where do they live?
48. When was the last time you were in USA?
49. How many kids do they have?
50. What is the cutest thing your granddaughter did that, you remember?
51. Which company does your son in law works for?
52. How many times your daughter came to India after entering USA? When?
53. How many members in their house in USA?
54. Who are they?
55. Have you lived in any other country for more than a year?
56. Who is calling you?
57. Is she married?
58. How many kids?
59. Where is she working and as what?
60. What is her husband’s name? And where is he working?
61. Who are you going to stay with?
62. Where does your daughter work?
63. Who does she live with?
64. How many members in their household?
65. How old are her kids?
66. How many times you have been to USA before? When was the longest stay?
67. What is your son in law doing? Where does he work?
68. How old are your daughter’s kids?
69. When did you meet your daughter last time?
70. What is your daughter’s address in USA?
71. Have you lived in any other country for more than a year?
72. In which state does your daughter live in USA?
73. When did the petitioner went to USA first time?
74. How many kids does your daughter have?
75. What is your son in law’s job position?
76. What does your daughter do?
77. How many members are there in their household?
78. Who are they?
79. Have you ever been denied a visa to any country?
80. Which company does your son in law works for?

[veeranj]

Dear veeranj,
sorry to hear about the demise of your father, my condolances.
There is nothing to worry in your moms case. The interviewing officers are very understanding. Once you reach the interview stage, the physical presence at the interview is all that is required. The petition is all but approved. The surrendering of the previous Green card only strengthens the case. May be carry the papers pertaining to your fathers illness showing the inability to travel. Most likely that too will not be needed. best wishes. Do keep the forum updated as yours is a slightly different scenario. Some people in a similar situation might benefit. Best wishes.

Thank you AlienKanpur - thank you for the well wishes and confidence. Will keep the forum updated.

ANother question - we have not filed our 2022 tax returns yet and have the proof for extension request. Will that be good enough or will the 2022 return become a show stopper?

[zakasbanda]

All,

I am repeating this post here for everybody since I just want to let everyone in this forum know that my parents GC arrived on April 29, 2023 and finally the journey has completed.

I am sharing complete timeline and required documents for each step of this long journey, and I hope this post will help other members in this forum who are going through similar steps for their family members. Some of the documents are excessive but I do not want to take any chances so I have submitted them, but it will be up to you to decide which needs to be sent with forms submission.

I have also included complete cost as well, just for information.

	DOCUMENTS	DATE	DAYS
1	I-130 SUBMISSION - Online	JUNE 18, 2021	1
2	PRIORITY DATE	JUNE 19, 2021	1
3	I-130 APPROVAL	SEPTEMBER 30, 2021	103
4	NVC CONFIRMATION EMAIL	OCTOBER 3, 2021	4
5	DOCUMENTARILY QUALIFIED EMAIL	JANUARY 12, 2022	100
6	INTERVIEW LETTER NOTIFICATION EMAIL	NOVEMBER 21, 2022	313
7	VAC APPOINTMENT	DECEMBER 23, 2022	30
8	MEDICAL	JANUARY 5, 2023	14
9	IR5 VISA INTERVIEW	JANUARY 24, 2023	19
10	PASSPORT ARRIVAL	JANUARY 28, 2023	4
11	FLIGHT OT USA	MARCH 24, 2023	59
12	SSN CARD ARRIVAL	APRIL 3, 2023	7
13	GREEN CARD ARRIVAL	APRIL 29, 2023	26
		TOTAL DAYS	681
1	I-130 FEE	$535
2	I-864 FEE	$120
3	DS-260 FEE	$325
4	MEDICAL FEE	$160
5	PASSPORT PICK UP	$8
6	GREENCARD FEE – Paid on February 24, 2023	$220
	TOTAL	$1368/Person

DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED WITH I-130

1. I-130 Form
2. Petitioner – US Naturalization Certificate
3. Petitioner - Birth certificate
4. Beneficiary – Marriage Certificate
5. Beneficiary – Birth Certificates

DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED WITH I-864 & I-864A

1. I-864 Affidavit of Support Form
2. I-864-A Affidavit of Support – Household Member/Joint Sponsor
3. IRS Tax Return Transcripts – For Years 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 (Petitioner & Household Member)
4. W2 – For Years 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 (Petitioner & Household Member)
5. 2023 Employment Letter (Petitioner & Household Member)
6. 6 Months Paystubs Copy (Petitioner & Household Member)
7. Petitioner – Birth Certificate
8. Petitioner – Marriage Certificate
9. Petitioner – US Naturalization Certificate
10. Household Member – Birth Certificate
11. Household Member - US Naturalization Certificate

DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED WITH DS-260

1. DS-260 Form
2. Petitioner – Birth Certificate
3. Petitioner – Marriage Certificate
4. Petitioner – Naturalization Certificate
5. Petitioner – US Passport Biographic Pages
6. Beneficiary – Birth Certificates
7. Beneficiary – Marriage Certificate
8. Beneficiary – Police Clearance Certificates
9. Beneficiary – Passport Biographic Pages
10. Beneficiary – 2x2 Digital Photographs

DOCUMENTS CARRIED FOR VAC APPOINTMENT

1. Beneficiary Passport
2. VAC Appointment Confirmation Letter
3. DS-260 Confirmation page
4. Four 2x2 Photographs
5. Interview Letter

Address: Mumbai VAC
Parinee Crescenzo 101, 1^st Floor, A Wing, G Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East

DOCUMENTS CARRIED FOR MEDICAL APPOINTMENT

1. Beneficiary Passport
2. Interview Letter
3. DS-260 Confirmation page
4. Four 2x2 Photographs
5. Final Covid-19 Vaccine Record with Dates
6. All Prior Medical Records of Vaccination

Address: Apollo Clinic
Mann Complex, Anand Mahal Road
Opposite Shree Ram Petrol Pump, Girinagar Society, Muktanand Nagar
Adajan, Surat
Phone# 0261-2790202

DOCUMENTS CARRIED FOR INTERVIEW APPOINTMENT

1. Beneficiary Passport
2. Four 2x2 Photographs
3. Interview Letter
4. DS-260 Confirmation Page with VAC Stamp & Stapled Photograph given @ VAC Appointment
5. Original Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)
6. Medical Exam Vaccination Report given at Medical Appointment
7. Petitioner – Original Birth Certificate & Copy
8. Beneficiary – Original Birth Certificate & Copy
9. Beneficiary – Original Marriage Certificate & Copy
10. Petitioner & Joint Sponsor - Original I-864 & I-864-A
11. Petitioner & Joint Sponsor - IRS Tax Return Transcripts for Years – 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
12. Petitioner & Joint Sponsor - W2 for Years - 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018
13. Petitioner & Joint Sponsor - 2023 Employment Letters
14. Petitioner & Joint Sponsor - 6 Months Paystubs Copies

INTERVIEW DAY – JANUARY 24, 2023 @ 7:30 AM
Address: U.S. Consulate General Mumbai
C-49, G-Block, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East, Mumbai 400051
My parents had their interview on January 24, 2023@ 7:30 AM.
They entered the building at 7:00 AM and they were directly taken to window for document collection/verification where they were asked for following documents. (Completed in 20 Minutes)

1. Interview Letter for both
2. Original DS-260 Confirmation Page with VAC Stamps for both
3. Original PCC for both
4. Original Birth Certificate for both
5. Original marriage Certificate
6. Original Birth Certificate of Petitioner

Parents requested Gujarati Language Interpreter for their Interview right after above documents were verified.
Then they were given a token and were told to wait for their number to be called.
They were called on window at 7:40 AM for their interview, where American officer has asked following questions which can be answered by either person, so my mom answered some and my dad answered some.

First, parents were asked to take the oath before answering any questions.

1. What is your daughter’s address in USA?
2. Have you lived in any other country for more than a year?
3. In which state does your daughter live in USA?
4. When did the petitioner went to USA first time?
5. How many kids does your daughter have?
6. What is your son in law’s job position?
7. What does your daughter do?
8. How many members are there in their household?
9. Who are they?
10. Have you ever been denied a visa to any country?

At the end of the interview officer told them, your visa is approved, and you will receive your passports within 3-5 days and handed them two documents as below. They were out of the building at 8:05 AM.

(1) English Version – “Your Visa is Approved” with instructions on how to pay your Green Card Fee $220 before departing for USA.

(2) ગુજરાતી આવૃત્તિ- યુએસએ જવા રવાના થતા પહેલા તમારી ગ્રીન કાર્ડ ફી $220 કેવી રીતે ભરવી તે અંગેની સૂચનાઓ સાથે "તમારા વિઝા મંજૂર છે".
Also, passport status can be checked on below websites while waiting for to arrive at home or pick up location of Blue Dart Service.
Apply for a U.S. Visa | Track My Passport - India (English) (ustraveldocs.com)
https://cgifederal.secure.force.com (Using Username & Password)

Passports arrived on January 28, 2023.


Website for $220 - Green Card Fee Payment – https://my.uscis.gov/uscis-immigrant-fee
A-Number

• Your A-Number is the letter “A” followed by 7, 8 or 9 numbers (such as A012345678). On a visa stamp, your A-Number is identified as a Registration Number and it does not have written “A” on the IR5 Visa, it just says Registration Number.
• If your A-Number is fewer than 9 digits, the system will automatically add zero(s) after the “A” and before the first digit so there is a total of 9 digits, for example: A-001234567.
• Enter “A” Number (Example: A-123456789, A-012345678, or A-001234567)

DOS Case ID

• Your DOS Case ID is 3 letters followed by 9 or 10 numbers (for example, BMB0123456789).
• On your visa stamp, your DOS Case ID is identified as the IV Case Number. The IV Case Number has two numbers at the end, such as 01 or 02.
• When entering the IV Case Number as the DOS Case ID, do not include the last two numbers. For example, if your IV Case Number is “BMB1234567801,” you would enter your DOS Case ID as “BMB12345678” (do not include the “01”).
• If you want to pay together for both parents then there is an option, click “Add Another Entry” and enter second person’s information.
• Enter email address and mailing address for payer.
• Click next for payment of USD 220. (For both $440)
• If paid in advance in India before leaving for US, process starts as soon as beneficiary is in US.

For both, SSN arrived on April 3, 2023, after arriving on March 24, 2023.

For both, Green Card arrived on April 29, 2023, after getting notification on March 24, 2023, that it has been sent for printing.

Green Card status can be checked on below websites with USCIS account or without.

USCIS gives different case number when you pay GC fees, which you can use to track your greencard either by creating account on below website.
Case Status Online - Login (uscis.gov)

To Check GC status without USCIS account
Case Status Online - Case Status (uscis.gov)


I hope above details will help someone in this forum who is going through similar process or planning to do same for their family members.

WISH YOU ALL THE BEST IN COMPLETING SIMILAR JOURNEY FOR YOUR LOVED ONES.

Regards,
Shanaya Patel
New Jersey, USA

During this entire journey I have been very anxious about which questions will be asked at the interview, so I started collecting questions from this forum’s reviews by others & similar websites and compiled a list of questions as below. Some of the questions are repeated in the list but has similar answers. I am sure this list will help lot of members in this forum.

IR 5 VISA – SAMPLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Who is sponsoring?
2. Where does he/she live?
3. Have you lived in any other country for more than a year?
4. What is the marriage date for your daughter?
5. Where do you plan to live in the USA?
6. How long has your daughter been in the USA?
7. Have you ever been to USA?
8. Have you ever been denied a visa to any country?
9. What is your daughter’s phone number/email address?
10. How often/how do you communicate with your daughter?
11. How old is your daughter?
12. Which state does your daughter live in?
13. Where is your daughter/sponsor working and what position?
14. Where does your son-in-law work?
15. How old are your daughter’s kids?
16. When did you meet your daughter last time?
17. What is your son in law doing? Where does he work?
18. Who are you going to stay with?
19. Where does your daughter work?
20. How many times you have been to USA before? When was the longest stay?
21. Who called you to USA?
22. How is petitioner known to you?
23. What is petitioner doing?
24. In which place the petitioner lives?
25. Where did the petitioner earlier live in USA?
26. Is petitioner married? If yes when?
27. When did you last meet the petitioner?
28. Has petitioner visited India?
29. How many times did you go to USA?
30. How many children does the petitioner have?
31. Who is sponsoring you?
32. Where does she work?
33. Which place in the USA?
34. Who is the joint sponsor?
35. Is your daughter married?
36. When did you last see your daughter?
37. Have you been to USA before?
38. Who is the petitioner?
39. When did petitioner moved to USA?
40. How many kids does petitioner have?
41. What is your grand daughter’s name?
42. What kind of activities your granddaughter like?
43. Who is sponsoring your green card?
44. What do they do?
45. When did they come to USA?
46. Are they married?
47. Where do they live?
48. When was the last time you were in USA?
49. How many kids do they have?
50. What is the cutest thing your granddaughter did that, you remember?
51. Which company does your son in law works for?
52. How many times your daughter came to India after entering USA? When?
53. How many members in their house in USA?
54. Who are they?
55. Have you lived in any other country for more than a year?
56. Who is calling you?
57. Is she married?
58. How many kids?
59. Where is she working and as what?
60. What is her husband’s name? And where is he working?
61. Who are you going to stay with?
62. Where does your daughter work?
63. Who does she live with?
64. How many members in their household?
65. How old are her kids?
66. How many times you have been to USA before? When was the longest stay?
67. What is your son in law doing? Where does he work?
68. How old are your daughter’s kids?
69. When did you meet your daughter last time?
70. What is your daughter’s address in USA?
71. Have you lived in any other country for more than a year?
72. In which state does your daughter live in USA?
73. When did the petitioner went to USA first time?
74. How many kids does your daughter have?
75. What is your son in law’s job position?
76. What does your daughter do?
77. How many members are there in their household?
78. Who are they?
79. Have you ever been denied a visa to any country?
80. Which company does your son in law works for?

THANK you so much

Two quick question
1. So you did not have to go social security admin office to apply for SSN, is that right? I had indicated that I need SSN on DS-260. And I am hoping I dont have to do anything but wait. Please correct if my assumption is wrong.
2. You mentioned: For both, Green Card arrived on April 29, 2023, after getting notification on March 24, 2023, that it has been sent for printing.
Did you get the notification of "green card printing", the 'same' day your parents arrived in USA? My father arrived April 26th, 2023 and I did not get any such notification yet.

Thanks