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

[AlienKanpur]

I am writing a new post answering all the lovely posts I have got. First of all Thank you very much AlienKanpur, GeoMac & apshah05

I did not wait for mail from Consulate as:
1.Already it was late for me
2.I had read on our Forum that email is not received.

The following steps are to be followed for getting interview slot after Sputum results are negative:

1. Visit the website: https://ustraveldocs.com/in/en
2. Choose Visa category as Immigrant Visa and login ( for first time user, signup)
3. After login, on left side there is option for Schedule appointment
4. After filling all your personal details, you have to take the VAC appointment.
5. Select Visa Class & visa category options according to your visa type, for me
Visa Class : IR5
Visa category :Class B medical applicants ( for suptum test Please ensure you select "CLASS B MEDICAL" option under visa category list.)
6. After selecting category CLASS B MEDICAL"-answer "YES" for question - Have you received instructions from US consulate? and
“Yes” for the Question - One of U.S. Consulate General Mumbai’s approved panel physician sites (Apollo Chennai, Apollo Surat, Apollo Gandhinagar, Center for Migration Medicine – Hyderabad, Max Mohali, Max New Delhi or Rele Clinic - Mumbai) required you to undergo additional medical testing as part of your examination?
This will give VAC appointment option, even if you have already done with biometrics you have to take it again and then proceed.
7. After VAC appointment is confirmed, next step will be scheduling date for interview
8. You can then select the interview date whichever available and confirm.
Best Wishes to all on this forum.

t

Great job, sapnaanagol for posting the algorithm. A similar algorithm was posted by GeoMac. This will clear all the confusion about the sputum test and subsequent negative result.
By God’s Grace all the rest will be a smooth sailing. Best wishes. You are pretty much a senior member now. Best wishes for the conference and your presentation.

[AlienKanpur]

Hello helpful members,
My mother's interview is on September 27th in Mumbai at 9 AM. I wanted to check if reaching Mumbai on 26th and taking the 5 PM flight on 27th will work or am I cutting things too close especially on the way back? I have gotten both the medical tests and VAC appointment completed already.

Dear maneeshsah,
First of all best wishes for your mother’s interview. If your interview is at 9.am, you should be free by 10.30 or maximum 11am. Our interview was at 8.30, we went in at 8 and were out by 9.20. Went back to the hotel for the second round of our breakfast at Trident. Checked out at 11.30 am and headed for the airport for our 4.25pm flight. In general there are hiccups and you should be able to take the 5 pm fligh.
Best wishes for the interview once again.

[tooolong]

Hi friends,some good news after a long time!My sputum test is negative.I have booked my interview slot for 1st September.I have also booked VAC( I have already completed) but without VAC,we do not get interview slot.I will go for VAC again that day,so that,my interview slot does not get cancelled.Fortunately,I have conference on 26,27 & 28th August.I am missing one of my talks & going for VAC.Feeling very good as I could get the slot in one go!!!
Thanks to all the members,especially GeoMac & AleinKanpur.Thanks to other members who have shed light on Sputum test & the steps to be taken after that.

Awesome news. Congratulations. Could you just brief me what did you do to secure appointment - what option please ? Also exactly how many weeks later did you get your result.? As you know I am very anxious for my mom who is along in Delhi and waiting for sputum test result.

[tooolong]

Awesome news. Congratulations. Could you just brief me what did you do to secure appointment - what option please ? Also exactly how many weeks later did you get your result.? As you know I am very anxious for my mom who is along in Delhi and waiting for sputum test result.

Sorry didn’t see your detailed post before posting my questions. Thanks a lot detailed steps. Now just waiting and keeping fingers crossed for my mom.

[vapIR5]

What is the expected dates of issuance of next round of IL ?

[AlienKanpur]

What is the expected dates of issuance of next round of IL ?

Dear vapIR5,
it is almost impossible to extrapolate. The previous set of ILs which were issued on July 25, came out after 40 dates. If that is any indication then the letters could come out by the end of this month or early next month. On the hand, as per the earlier pattern, the letters could come out sometime in the coming week.
Keep your fingers crossed. Latest would be first week of September.
Best wishes.

[GeoMac]

Sorry didn’t see your detailed post before posting my questions. Thanks a lot detailed steps. Now just waiting and keeping fingers crossed for my mom.

Thats very nice of you tooolong. We understand that you really did not know that sapnaanagol has given a step by step functionality to re-scedule the interview date. Many a times we have noticed that the answers are readily available in previous 2-3 posts but people do not take time and effort to read and keep on getting confused.

[sapnaanagol]

Hi Forum Senior & other members,I had a query.I have booked a slot for VAC which is on 28th of August.
I already had my VAC before my Medical.I was not getting a slot if i was not selecting VAC.
So,should I go once again for the VAC?
Kindly let me know.
Thank You all.

[maneeshsah]

Hi,
As I was preparing the list of documents for my mother's interview, I noticed that they are asking for birth certificate of ALL children of the principal applicant (in this case, my mother). Is this mandatory? Do they accept high-school certificate with birth date on it? My sister doesn't have the official birth certificate even though she was born in late 1970.

[AlienKanpur]

Hi Forum Senior & other members,I had a query.I have booked a slot for VAC which is on 28th of August.
I already had my VAC before my Medical.I was not getting a slot if i was not selecting VAC.
So,should I go once again for the VAC?
Kindly let me know.
Thank You all.

Dear sapnaanagol,
I wonder what the protocol is. Some members may have gone through this path. Maybe they can throw some light. However in the absence of any clear guidelines, if I were you, I would not take a risk. I would go to the VAC appointment and then, may be they will do it again or just tell that it need not be repeated. Frankly I see no harm in going again. VAC people will let you know the right protocol. Best wishes.

[AlienKanpur]

Hi,
As I was preparing the list of documents for my mother's interview, I noticed that they are asking for birth certificate of ALL children of the principal applicant (in this case, my mother). Is this mandatory? Do they accept high-school certificate with birth date on it? My sister doesn't have the official birth certificate even though she was born in late 1970.

Dear maneeshsah,
Yes they do mention that the beneficiary must carry the birth certificates of all Children. Generally they are only interested in the birth certificates of the petitioner and the beneficiary. To my knowledge, high school certificates are not accepted by the consulate. But in the absence of the birth certificate, one should carry some evidence of the date of birth of the siblings of the petitioner. Most likely the officer is not interested in the birth certificates of the siblings.
May be GeoMac can throw some light.

[GeoMac]

Hi Forum Senior & other members,I had a query.I have booked a slot for VAC which is on 28th of August.
I already had my VAC before my Medical.I was not getting a slot if i was not selecting VAC.
So,should I go once again for the VAC?
Kindly let me know.
Thank You all.

Dear sapnaanagol
What I am going to write is my own thinking, I do not know if it is right or wrong.
1. Please do attend the VAC appointment lest there are chances that they may cancel the IV appointment. In order to save your talk at your conference, you may take a slot very early say 7:30 am. You know its a matter of half an hour at the most. When you go there, carry along the DS260 confirmation letter which has stamp of biometrics on it. Show it to the officer and ask whether old biometrics will do or new has to be done? That will answer your querry.
To be honest, when you are going to mumbai all the way from your home town, why not go to VAC and get the issue sorted?
Wish you the best.

[GeoMac]

Hi,
As I was preparing the list of documents for my mother's interview, I noticed that they are asking for birth certificate of ALL children of the principal applicant (in this case, my mother). Is this mandatory? Do they accept high-school certificate with birth date on it? My sister doesn't have the official birth certificate even though she was born in late 1970.

Dear maneeshsah,
First of all I thank AlienKanpur for seeking my advice in this case. If the consulate demands birth certificates of all children, we should provide that. Actually the consulate wants that for confirmation of the relationship and for verification of all info. you furnished to the consulate. It will be helpful in future when your mom or you wish to file petition for your siblings.
If all your siblings were born in a town which is a Municipality, then there will be a Birth & Death Registrar from where Birth certificates can be obtained. In case of your sister, as you said, there is no birth record, what can be done is, 1. obtain a no record certificate from that office and 2. your mom and some uncle /aunty (elder) can make affidavits seperately confirming the birth of your sister. This will work while presented alongwith some document like School Leaving certificate or Adhar card, Pan card, Driving Licence etc.

[sapnaanagol]

Dear sapnaanagol,
I wonder what the protocol is. Some members may have gone through this path. Maybe they can throw some light. However in the absence of any clear guidelines, if I were you, I would not take a risk. I would go to the VAC appointment and then, may be they will do it again or just tell that it need not be repeated. Frankly I see no harm in going again. VAC people will let you know the right protocol. Best wishes.

Thank you dear AleinKanpur,for your suggestion.I am planning to go for VAC & tell them the details.It will be their choice then to do or not to do.However I will request them to confirm to the Consulate that I am attending the interview on 1st September.You are always so prompt in replying to all our queries,very nice of you!

[sapnaanagol]

Dear sapnaanagol
What I am going to write is my own thinking, I do not know if it is right or wrong.
1. Please do attend the VAC appointment lest there are chances that they may cancel the IV appointment. In order to save your talk at your conference, you may take a slot very early say 7:30 am. You know its a matter of half an hour at the most. When you go there, carry along the DS260 confirmation letter which has stamp of biometrics on it. Show it to the officer and ask whether old biometrics will do or new has to be done? That will answer your querry.
To be honest, when you are going to mumbai all the way from your home town, why not go to VAC and get the issue sorted?
Wish you the best.

Thank you dear GeoMac.I am exactly doing that.You are giving so much time to all members for our queries.Its really nice of you.GodBless!!!