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

[mk1314]

Hi All,

Wanted to hear any experience if anyone else faced a similar situation. My parents IR5 visa interview was on Sep 29th. Overall, the interview went well but they were asked to submit additional documents and handed the 221g letter along with their passport. This came in as a surprise and we were all very upset. Thanks to this forum I was able to find some posts around this.
Similar to what I have read on earlier posts, since I had submitted I864ez, they were now needing the I864 and I864A filled out even if I am capable of sponsoring my parents. We uploaded and submitted the documents requested last week On Oct 13. I checked the status on the tracker and for one parent it shows Refused and other as Ready with status update as of Oct 14. It appears it is in the same state like it was after the interview. Has anyone seen the same? Am confused why one parent is refused and other ready even though they both were at the same window during the interview.

Any idea how long it takes to get any response or see updates after documents are submitted in response to 221(g)? The documents were submitted at the VAC center in Delhi on Oct 13.
Like others on this forum, it has been a very emotional last 3 years since I had started this process and am hoping to see my parents soon.

Appreciate any inputs. Thank you.

Hi All,

Wanted to update the forum with my parents experience. My parents were given the 221g letter during their interview. We uploaded and submitted the documents they requested. After that my father's visa status showed as Refused for few days and my mother's Ready even though they both went for interview together. After 4-5 days it showed Administrative processing for both and in another 2 days it showed the status as Issued for both of them. They received their passport with the visa stamped within 3 days after that.

We are in the process now of planning their travel soon and looking into the travel medical insurance for 60 days. Any suggestions for traval insurance ? Any one found something suitable for parents with pre-existing medical conditions? Based on some suggestions provided in this forum, I will also look into market place for the long term insurance once they are here.

Thank you.

[sapnaanagol]

Hi,
Today my wife and myself were visited SSA office (Our PoE is on 14th Oct) here in Virginia after 3 weeks as per the instructions leaflet of US Consulate. SSA officer checked our status but there is no update in SSN records though we have selected in DS 260 form. So, he advised to submit an application in fresh so that he will register then and there itself. So we did the same as advised. He gave us an acknowledment for the same said that SSN will reach you within two weeks time. The whole process took one hour.

[sapnaanagol]

I also did the same
It was not done even though we opted for SSN through DS-260
it was a waste of 3 weeks
I enquired about my husband too as he is still at India, same as mine
so I have told him to apply online, do not know if we can do that

[shandey]

Finally IL was sent with interview date of Dec 13. DQ date is late Oct 2021. My dad lives at Kolkata so he will for Biometrics at Kolkata but for Medical and VISA appointment needs to go to Mumbai. I'm wondering if we should plan for two trips or not. Couple of quick questions for people with experience. 1) Does Rele Clinic Mumbai give back the Medical report in a packet that my dad need to collect and take it to the interview OR Rele Clinic will send the medical report directly to the Consulate? 2) How much do they take from the day the test was taken to deliver the report?

[GeoMac]

Hi All,

Wanted to update the forum with my parents experience. My parents were given the 221g letter during their interview. We uploaded and submitted the documents they requested. After that my father's visa status showed as Refused for few days and my mother's Ready even though they both went for interview together. After 4-5 days it showed Administrative processing for both and in another 2 days it showed the status as Issued for both of them. They received their passport with the visa stamped within 3 days after that.

We are in the process now of planning their travel soon and looking into the travel medical insurance for 60 days. Any suggestions for traval insurance ? Any one found something suitable for parents with pre-existing medical conditions? Based on some suggestions provided in this forum, I will also look into market place for the long term insurance once they are here.

Thank you.

While I was looking for a short term Travel Insurance, I checked with my regular insurance agent who happens to be my friend too. Though he is an agent (a businessman) he advised me as a friend, not to buy a travel insurance because that insurance barely covers lost luggage or delayed flight or such small things. They do not sanction any medical claims by hook or croock. So he said its a wastage of money. and in case of pre existing ailments, they wont give insurance. There are some ways of getting a short term insurance in US for travelling parents but I do not have any details. Check in insurance section in this forum itself.

[AlienKanpur]

Finally IL was sent with interview date of Dec 13. DQ date is late Oct 2021. My dad lives at Kolkata so he will for Biometrics at Kolkata but for Medical and VISA appointment needs to go to Mumbai. I'm wondering if we should plan for two trips or not. Couple of quick questions for people with experience. 1) Does Rele Clinic Mumbai give back the Medical report in a packet that my dad need to collect and take it to the interview OR Rele Clinic will send the medical report directly to the Consulate? 2) How much do they take from the day the test was taken to deliver the report?

Dear shandey,
Heartiest congratulations for getting the IL. Since your dad lives in Kolkata, he should get his medical and biometrics in or close to Kolkata. Please note that the medical must be done at least six days before the interview. Medical report is uploaded. Only some summary sheet will be handed over to be presented at the time of interview. Best wishes.

[sweta85]

GeoMac AlienKanpur AS45 Thank you so much for your guidance when I had questions. My mom had an interview today and she has been granted a visa. Now we need to wait for her passport before we can make any travel arrangements. I have paid Greencard fees online. When I received this payment confirmation email, I noticed that the IOE number on this receipt is different than her IOE number when I filed her I130. Can it be different? I had double check all the information like A- number and BMB case ID were entered correctly. Who and how should I contact them to make sure that they have received my mom's Greencard fees? I will greatly appreciate your guidance. AlienKanpur you have moved to the USA recently if you have time do you mind checking if the IOE number on your green card receipt is the same IOE number that you received at the time of filing I130, please? Thanks in advance.

[nakubo]

Dear sweta85, I looked at my mom's documents. The IOE number for greencard is different from that on the I-130 approval. You have nothing to worry about! Think of the IOE number as a receipt number, and it's different for each fees that you have paid.

[nakubo]

For parents coming from India, think of insurance purchases in two phases. The first one is travel insurance which is recommended for everyone whether they come on a greencard or visitor visa. Travel insurance typically is meant for emergency medical expenses, trip delay/interruption, and luggage issues. It is not meant to provide comprehensive medical coverage. It rarely if ever covers pre-existing conditions. Even if it does, the coverage will be minimal. However, I would strongly recommend that everyone purchase travel insurance because you can always have emergency medical problems (not related to pre-existing conditions) and accidents. You can purchase this in India for a cheaper price but the disadvantage is that you may have to pay out of pocket and claim reimbursement later. There is a F***Book group named "SOS Global Indians" and I found the following link shared there by one of the moderators.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...CSQPKBMJqp0bXn kmuPxkkHOUbuk

I N F Elite seems to be the most comprehensive and covers pre-existing conditions. However, it's not cheap and requires a 3 month minimum. My mom was arriving in mid-September and I purchased the I N F BMI plan from the day she was leaving India until the end of September. I took a chance that my mom's SSN will arrive within 10 days and I will be able to purchase a policy on Obamacare (Healthcare Exchange, healthcare.gov) from October 1st onwards. This travel insurance purchase is really a personal choice and it's intended purely to cover accidents and emergency expenses not related to pre-existing conditions. In fact, even when I travel abroad (whether to India or other countries), I always purchase travel insurance with at the minimum medical coverage (sometimes I skip trip delay/interruption and luggage coverages). Please note that I have no experience with the actual claim process for travel insurance. Most of the travel insurance companies have terrible reviews and I went with I N F BMI because of the above Google Doc and my basic internet search for reviews.

Now comes the important insurance which most of us in this forum are interested in. This is real medical insurance after you get a greencard and SSN. I purchased this online on healthcare.gov but there are brokers/agents in every state who will be glad to help you. Texas (where we live) and many other Republican states have not expanded Medicaid. Despite that, I paid almost nothing out of pocket this year and will most likely do the same next year. I purchased the cheapest Silver Plan on the exchange so the number of doctors/hospitals covered is smaller than my own insurance (through my job). There are more expensive plans in Texas which cost another $400 or so more per month which have better coverage. However, I am willing to take a chance for now that my mom will be healthy for at least a few more years and we don't need an extensive provider network. I looked at Maryland (we may move there) and the premiums there are lower and plans a little better. However, the subsidy you get per month also varies from state to state. For Silver plans, the final cost may be the same in every state.

My mom receives pension income in India. Her income was declared when submitting the application on the exchange. For proof, I had to download the pension statements and submit them. The website also asks for proof of immigration status. For 2022, I uploaded her greencard stamp from the passport because we had not received the greencard by then. For 2023, I uploaded the actual greencard image itself. Even though I submitted proof of income (on the 2022 application) just a few weeks back, they asked for it again on the 2023 application. Note that because my mom has income above $4400, she cannot be claimed as a dependent on my own tax return. That's why she is filing for herself on the exchange. If your parents don't have income, I don't know whether you have to claim them as dependents on your tax return.

Normally, one doesn't quality for the tax credit (subsidy) if the income is less than 100% of FPL (Federal Poverty Level). Such folks are expected to apply instead for Medicaid. However, there is an exception for greencard holders above 65. If your parent is under 65, income is below 100% FPL, and you live in a non-Medicaid expansion state, I don't know if they will receive the tax credit. Note that all of this only applies to states where Medicaid was not expanded. In other states, they may qualify for Medicaid. Please explore the various options in your state. One advantage of purchasing on Healthcare.Gov is that there are no limitations on traveling to India (or anywhere else). Someone commented earlier about how Medicaid would be problematic if their dad lives in India in the winter months. I don't know if that is really a concern with Medicaid because folks travel all the time. Perhaps one should look into this in detail.

Good luck to everyone. I strongly recommend that you get health insurance for your parents ASAP without any delay.

[sweta85]

Dear sweta85, I looked at my mom's documents. The IOE number for greencard is different from that on the I-130 approval. You have nothing to worry about! Think of the IOE number as a receipt number, and it's different for each fees that you have paid.

Thank you so much so the two different IOE numbers. I was worried

[AlienKanpur]

GeoMac AlienKanpur AS45 Thank you so much for your guidance when I had questions. My mom had an interview today and she has been granted a visa. Now we need to wait for her passport before we can make any travel arrangements. I have paid Greencard fees online. When I received this payment confirmation email, I noticed that the IOE number on this receipt is different than her IOE number when I filed her I130. Can it be different? I had double check all the information like A- number and BMB case ID were entered correctly. Who and how should I contact them to make sure that they have received my mom's Greencard fees? I will greatly appreciate your guidance. AlienKanpur you have moved to the USA recently if you have time do you mind checking if the IOE number on your green card receipt is the same IOE number that you received at the time of filing I130, please? Thanks in advance.

Dear sweta85,
heartiest Congratulations to you and your mom, on the approval of the Immigration petition. I wonder what was the rush for submitting the Green card fee. It could have been done just a few days before your mom is expected to enter USA. To submit the fee you need an Alien number. I am sure you would have got that as the last number in the IL. This number is very vital and is like the aadhar card number, which will be even printed on the GC. SSN will be different. The IOE number is just a receipt number. On my i-130 receipt, i do not find any IOE number. My receipt number starts with LIN. This IOE number is going to be very vital because from this you can check the movement of the GC. If you check on the following link:

https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/mycasestatus.do

you should see the message that the fee has been paid.

best wishes

[cahaba]

Hello All:

Would you please advise me regarding next steps in my parents green card / IR5 process. I had filed for parents I-130 forms in Jan 2020. These I-130 petitions were approved in Aug 2020. I had then uploaded my year 2019 tax transcript and also I-864A. (I am the Petitioner/Primary Sponsor and my husband is my co-sponsor). My husband had uploaded --FORM I-864A CONTRACT BETWEEN SPONSOR AND HOUSEHOLD MEMBER form.

My parents completed their IV Application on ceac.state.gov website and paid their IV fees in year 2020. Their case is currently at NVC, and their intended interview location is Mumbai.

These applications were dormant for past two years. Now we are ready to move forward with the process. My parents have obtained a Police certificate recently, and have all their Civil Documents ready.

My questions are --

1. Should I go ahead and upload recent tax documents or any other financial documents since the documents that were initially uploaded are from year 2019? If so, which all documents and do I need to indicate anything when I upload these new documents?

2. For my parents, are there any other documents needed apart from the ones here -- my (petitioner) marriage certificate, my (petitioner) birth certificate, parents' passport biographic page, soft copies of their photos, parents' birth certificate, parents' marriage certificate, & India Police Clearance Certificate.
If yes, would you please let me know.

3. After we upload these documents / photos on the ceac.state.gov website -- do we need to do anything else apart from submitting?

4. Any other potential pitfalls, thoughts, or insights so that the process could become smoother.


I really appreciate all your help!

Thanks!

[Nuzi]

Hi,

I am curious if anyone scheduled Biometrics appointment in Delhi. I am not seeing any openings till Jan 2023.

[abhishekhawat]

Hi,
Today my wife and myself were visited SSA office (Our PoE is on 14th Oct) here in Virginia after 3 weeks as per the instructions leaflet of US Consulate. SSA officer checked our status but there is no update in SSN records though we have selected in DS 260 form. So, he advised to submit an application in fresh so that he will register then and there itself. So we did the same as advised. He gave us an acknowledment for the same said that SSN will reach you within two weeks time. The whole process took one hour.

Dear Atmakur61 & sapnaanagol. My mother’s green card and social security card showed up today in the mail. The green card came to my current address and the social security number came to my old address even though I gave my new present address at P.O.E. My mother landed on October 25th.
best wishes to you and hopefully yours will come soon.

[sweta85]

Dear sweta85,
heartiest Congratulations to you and your mom, on the approval of the Immigration petition. I wonder what was the rush for submitting the Green card fee. It could have been done just a few days before your mom is expected to enter USA. To submit the fee you need an Alien number. I am sure you would have got that as the last number in the IL. This number is very vital and is like the aadhar card number, which will be even printed on the GC. SSN will be different. The IOE number is just a receipt number. On my i-130 receipt, i do not find any IOE number. My receipt number starts with LIN. This IOE number is going to be very vital because from this you can check the movement of the GC. If you check on the following link:

https://egov.uscis.gov/casestatus/mycasestatus.do

you should see the message that the fee has been paid.

best wishes

Dear AlienKanpur,
Thank you. I thought I need to pay so let me pay it while I am off from work do not forget to do it later. I know I should not have rushed. I found the Alien number in the visa interview letter and proceed from there. Thank You so much for providing the link. I have checked the status now and it shows fees paid. Thank you for the information. I am hoping you are getting adjusted to your life in the US. What do you suggest to process for social security application? Thanks in advance!