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

[samruti]

grantor1: This is what i did to reschedule:
Hi there,

First and foremost thing is that you can reschedule both appointments (VAC and Consular Interview) from your parents' profile on https://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/en only after the appointment date has passed.
Steps to perform:
1. Create a profile for your parents at https://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/en
2. Then once the original interview date passes, create a support request by emailing at [email protected].
3. You will get a response from the support team in a day or 2 with the instructions to follow.
4. Follow the instructions choosing "All Immigrant or Diversity Visas" on the Visa Category page. You might not see the option to select "Yes" for Category-3 on step 7 (I didn't see this option).
5. If you don't see the above option, then please stop there and don't resume. If you resume, you will only be able to make the VAC appointment. It won't even give you the option to make the Consular appointment.
6. Send a new email to [email protected] explaining your issue (missing category-3 option). Call the support team the same day and they will be able to help you out fix the issue.

I had a lot of hiccups. Every time I'd send a support email they would link it to my very first case(request to reschedule email) and close the case. I had to re-create a lot of support tickets. If your lucky and find a good representative it won't be that painful.

And if you find the option to select "Yes" for Category-3 on step #7, then it will be a breeze for you.
Please do let me know if you have any more questions. Will be more than happy to help!

Good luck!

[faizone]

As a petitioner, I am trying to get all the tax transcripts but for some reason I am not able to get last year’s transcript. There is some issue with it and IRS says they will send a copy in mail but that will take a week or 10 days. It seems like it won’t be until my wife’s interview. Do you all know if its okay to give transcripts for 2020 & 2021 but for 2022 i can give tax return and W2. Is that okay?

[grantor1]

grantor1: This is what i did to reschedule:
Hi there,

First and foremost thing is that you can reschedule both appointments (VAC and Consular Interview) from your parents' profile on https://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/en only after the appointment date has passed.
Steps to perform:
1. Create a profile for your parents at https://www.ustraveldocs.com/in/en
2. Then once the original interview date passes, create a support request by emailing at [email protected].
3. You will get a response from the support team in a day or 2 with the instructions to follow.
4. Follow the instructions choosing "All Immigrant or Diversity Visas" on the Visa Category page. You might not see the option to select "Yes" for Category-3 on step 7 (I didn't see this option).
5. If you don't see the above option, then please stop there and don't resume. If you resume, you will only be able to make the VAC appointment. It won't even give you the option to make the Consular appointment.
6. Send a new email to [email protected] explaining your issue (missing category-3 option). Call the support team the same day and they will be able to help you out fix the issue.

I had a lot of hiccups. Every time I'd send a support email they would link it to my very first case(request to reschedule email) and close the case. I had to re-create a lot of support tickets. If your lucky and find a good representative it won't be that painful.

And if you find the option to select "Yes" for Category-3 on step #7, then it will be a breeze for you.
Please do let me know if you have any more questions. Will be more than happy to help!

Good luck!

Can you clarify what you mean by Category-3 on step #7? I'm only able to make the VAC appointment like you mention.

I don't see an option for "All Immigrant or Diversity Visas" at all, as you can see in the screenshot from my previous post.

[Aviask2]

Dear Members,

My mother is an IR5 applicant and will submit her DS-260 soon. One yes/no question in DS 260 asks something like ..."Do you have documentation to establish that you have received vaccination in accordance with U.S. law". My mother has taken all vaccines recommended by CDC for her age group (65+ Years), including covid vaccine and we have documentation for them.

Should her answer be "yes"? Or, is it recommended to answer "no" as, the adequacy of her vaccination record will only be determined during her medical exam before the interview?

If fellow members share their experience on this, that will be of immense help. Thanks.

[gcfamilygrw23]

My parents are here in the USA now. I have already paid all the USCIS fees. What is the typical time for receiving the GC and SSN card?

[AlienKanpur]

Dear Members,

My mother is an IR5 applicant and will submit her DS-260 soon. One yes/no question in DS 260 asks something like ..."Do you have documentation to establish that you have received vaccination in accordance with U.S. law". My mother has taken all vaccines recommended by CDC for her age group (65+ Years), including covid vaccine and we have documentation for them.

Should her answer be "yes"? Or, is it recommended to answer "no" as, the adequacy of her vaccination record will only be determined during her medical exam before the interview?

If fellow members share their experience on this, that will be of immense help. Thanks.

Dear Aviask2,
You may write yes or no, it really does not matter. The validity of the vaccines will be checked at the time of the medical examination. Some vaccines have a validity of six months. It will take atleast six months, if you are lucky, after you submit the DS 260 to come to the interview stage. Best wishes.

[AlienKanpur]

My parents are here in the USA now. I have already paid all the USCIS fees. What is the typical time for receiving the GC and SSN card?

Heartiest Congratulations.
SSN in three weeks maximum and GC between 5 weeks to 3 months.
best wishes

[Mrk_19]

First time traveler with an US Immigrant visa stamped: On transit visiting other countries for few days is OK before continuing travel to the US, can anyone had the experience share it in the forum? Is that advisable? Thank you so much for the forum for being a great source of information and helping other aspirants in need.

[AlienKanpur]

First time traveler with an US Immigrant visa stamped: On transit visiting other countries for few days is OK before continuing travel to the US, can anyone had the experience share it in the forum? Is that advisable? Thank you so much for the forum for being a great source of information and helping other aspirants in need.

Dear Mrk_19,
Nobody prevents you from going to any country prior to your entry to USA. Do ensure that you have a proper visa of those countries. Once you get your physical green card you can get visa on arrival in several countries. There is no downside of visiting other countries. Best wishes.

[Mrk_19]

Dear Mrk_19,
Nobody prevents you from going to any country prior to your entry to USA. Do ensure that you have a proper visa of those countries. Once you get your physical green card you can get visa on arrival in several countries. There is no downside of visiting other countries. Best wishes.

Thank you so very much for your response, your input has been greatly appreciated. 🙏

[santoshshah]

My dad had a IR5 greencard appointment on 11/30/2023. We were completely unaware or got confused with the biometrics requirement and my Dad was sent back from Mumbai consulate without the interview. Now I went usatraveldocs and after filing a support ticket the embassy replied to schedule an appointment.

I tried to schedule an appointment and could only be able to schedule the VAC/OFC ( my understanding is biometrics) appointment. There was no way I could schedule an consular interview. So I just took the VAC appointment in Hyderabad and my expectation is that once OFC appointment is done they will open up for consular appointment. Is this the correct expectation ? Am I doing anything wrong ? Based on what I read on this forum we should be able to schedule the VAC and consular interview together. Please guide on what am I doing wrong and how to fix it. Or is my current approach also ok - do VAC/OFC/biometrics first and then email the embassy to schedule consular interview.

Please help !!

[AlienKanpur]

My dad had a IR5 greencard appointment on 11/30/2023. We were completely unaware or got confused with the biometrics requirement and my Dad was sent back from Mumbai consulate without the interview. Now I went usatraveldocs and after filing a support ticket the embassy replied to schedule an appointment.

I tried to schedule an appointment and could only be able to schedule the VAC/OFC ( my understanding is biometrics) appointment. There was no way I could schedule an consular interview. So I just took the VAC appointment in Hyderabad and my expectation is that once OFC appointment is done they will open up for consular appointment. Is this the correct expectation ? Am I doing anything wrong ? Based on what I read on this forum we should be able to schedule the VAC and consular interview together. Please guide on what am I doing wrong and how to fix it. Or is my current approach also ok - do VAC/OFC/biometrics first and then email the embassy to schedule consular interview.

Please help !!

Dear santoshshah,
This is indeed very surprising. The IL is very clear. you have to get the medical and biometrics(VAC) done before you proceed for the interview. Now that your dad was denied an interview, you will need to look for an alternative date. To the best of my knowledge the Embassy will not help you to reschedule. Get the biometrics done and then schedule the Interview yourself at least two days after the VAC appointment. Let me also inform you that getting an alternative date is not an easy task, it could be a few months in the future. You will have to keep trying, dates can sometimes pop up. Also keep in mind that the validity of the medical is only six months. best wishes.

[santoshshah]

Dear AlienKanpur, There is no mention of Biometrics or VAC appointment on the IL (interview letter) that is the reason we got confused. Medical is mentioned on the visa interview and we got that done.

[hydfoodie]

Dear All,

Do we have any approximate dates as to how much time it takes for an I-130 petition to get approved and for the I-797 notice of action to be sent out?

[ButterflyApril]

Hi everyone. I will give our experience with this process so it may help someone who is still not at the final process yet.

I petitioned for my mother. DQ: 12 march 2021. Received the IL on may 4, 2022.

The original interview was scheduled for June 6, 2022.

Medical process: We called the Apollo hospital in Gandhinagar to schedule the medical appointment. Medical appointment was given for may 30, 2022.

Documents for medical:

• Original appointment letter;Passport;
• Four recent photographs;
• All medical records of vaccinations, prior illnesses or treatments. My mother did not have records for vaccination so the doctor gave her all the required vaccines at the time of the medical exam.
• DS-260 confirmation page

Medical exam took about 3 hours and she was asked to do the sputum tests after the doctor found some signs of TB in her chest during x-ray. She was asked to come to the hospital right after waking up and without brushing teeth or rinsing her mouth. They took 3 samples, one each day. After the sampling was done, we had to wait for 2 months for the report to come. After 2 months past by, we called the hospital to see if the report was available, and they informed us to come meet the doctor to collect the report. Her report was negative. The official report was sent directly to the consulate and we were given 2 papers that needed to be shown at the consulate and at the airport. After we got the results, one week later, the consulate in Mumbai emailed with steps to reschedule a fingerprint and the official interview.

VAC process: VAC appointment was scheduled for september 9th, 2022 at 2:40pm in mumbai.

My sister went along with my mother. They decided to wait at the VAC location for the appointment time so right after they arrived in Mumbai, they went straight to the VAC location. They arrived at the location around 11:30am and immediately they were asked to come inside since she was a senior citizen. The VAC appointment took only 10 minutes and they left the building by 11:50am.

VAC documents:

• A valid passport
• VAC appointment letter
• DS 260 confirmation page

Interview process: The interview was scheduled for september 12, 2022 at 7:15am in mumbai.

My mom and my sister arrived at the consulate around 6am in the morning and the line was huge. People were standing in line based on the time of their interviews. My sister had to wait outside since was not allowed inside. The interview started around 7:25am. My mother did not speak any English at all so when she was called to the interview desk, she handed all the documents to the immiration officer. The officer did speak a little bit of hindi but there was a proper interpreter there to translate.

Documents for the interview:

• DS 260 confirmation page
• Two recent photographs 2x2 inches
• Medical Report (No X-ray films or discs)
• Police Clearance Certificate. My mothers PCC was over 1 year old but the embassy accepted it.
• Original and photocopy of Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Divorce decree
• Affidavit of Support: Forms I-864, I-864A, recent Tax returns, W2s and job letter (if not already submitted to the NVC)

Question asked during the interview:

• How many children do you have?
• Where do they live?
• Who is the petitioner?
• How many children does the petitioner have?
• How old are the petitioners' children?
• Why are you going to the USA?
• Which state in the USA are you going to? My mom said she doesn't know how to pronounce “TEXAS”. The immration officer started laughing and said no worries Amma and went on to the last question.
• How do you manage to live here in India?

The interview process took about 2 and half hours. She was denied the visa and was given a 221(g) form which stated that her file was incomplet and she needed to submit additional documents requested by the immragtion officer. In our case: they wanted me to submit the original I-864 and I-864A and other supporting documents related to I-864 and I-864A. I submitted I-864ez originally to NVC before I was documentary qualified even though I was qualified to submit I-864ez only. I uploaded the new documents requested on the NVC website and sent the copies to my sister so she can print them off and submit them at the document drop off location. The documents were dropped off on 9/20/2022 at a drop-off location in Ahmedabad and she had to pay 650 INR. The documents reached the embassy on 9/21/2022 and by the morning of 9/22/2022, her visa was approved and printed on her passport. Present day today. The status now shows that her passport has been handed off from the embassy and it is at the courier service for delivery. Seems like the passport should be delivered by this coming monday.

My mother’s medical report expires next month on the 27th so we will be planning her arrival before that date. Note: the medical report expiration date was listed in the email the embassy sent us after her medical report was submitted to the embassy. I am not sure of other ways to know your medical expiration date.
Once again, A huge thank you to everyone on the forum for clearing all of my questions and doubts. I know this post is lengthy but I wanted to provide all the details so one can use it to know what to expect,

All the best to everyone.

Thank you for the detailed experience, its really helpful.
My parents are also not fluent in English, so I will be also needing an interpreter for them during IV. Now I'm on NVC stage, for filing DS-260, did you yourself become the agent or did you ask anyone in India to be the agent to fill up the form.

Thanks in advance!