documents for consular interview

[Javs52]

i have a consular interview scheduled for my L1A individual at mumbai

i just want to make sure i carry all the documents with me

my attorney advised to carry all the petition documents,

on top of that I read some places on the site here i have to carry extra copies of I797 approval notice?

also do i have to take the I-129 forms ?

any photos? i read someone said need to carry extra ? why? my photo and fingerprints are already done at the consulate!!

also, i want to understand the point of this interview? because once you have a petition approved then they do this interview for mere fomality? are they going to look at any documents in person?

thanks for your help

[Javs52]

any1 can provide answers will be appreciated

[me_shaan]

1.) I-797 Notice of Action : 1 copy
MANDATORY

2.) I-129S Petition : 3 copies, if visa approved, consulate with retain one copy and return two copies with dates stamped on them. out of these two copies, you need to retain one copy and submit one copy to Immigration while entering US for the first time.
MANDATORY

3.) G-28 Notice of Appearance : original provided by company attorney. consulate might not even ask for it.
OPTIONAL

4.) Certificates and marksheetS of all education from graduation onwards : Original
OPTIONAL

5.) DS-160
MANDATORY

6.) Apointmemt Confirmation
MANDATORY

7.) Current and all previous passports
MANDATORY

8.) If you have declared any problems with Law Enforcement, all paper work related to that.
RECOMMENDED

9.) 50mm X 50mm photos : 2 copies
OPTIONAL, there have been rare instances where the photo was not updated after the biometrics, hence the precaution. You can always skip this.

10.) Last two months salary slip
OPTIONAL

11.) Forwarding Letter from your employer
OPTIONAL

12.) Current employer's appointment letter.
OPTIONAL

13.) Marriage Certificate : original
RECOMMENDED

14.) Kids' Birth Certificates : original
RECOMMENDED

15.) If applicable, NOC from your spouse's employer
RECOMMENDED

[me_shaan]

There are three entities involved for you to gain legal entry to US.

1. USCIS, to which your employer applies for and gets a petition approved

2. Consulate, which, based on the petition and the data you provide determines if you can be given a visa.

3. Immigration, which, based on the above two, and a whole bunch of other things decide if they will let you enter US or not. They have the authority to send you back from any US airport.

Your approved petition means USCIS has agreed to your employers request that they need a person to manage their work in US, it doesnt mean that they have agreed to the fact that you are the right candidate.

Whether you are the right candidate for the petition is determined by the consulate. Hence the interview.

But for Individual petitions, the interviews are generally short and simple.

[Javs52]

thanks for the answer me_shaan. got all of the below except

my attorney didnt take a scan copy of form I-129 & I129L before submitting to USCIS

is that an issue, I do have part forms that were filled online and the attorney is giving me a letter stating that they didnt take a copy, does that help in anyway?

also DS160 means the confirmation page right of the submission?

[me_shaan]

If you dont have I129, you dont have much option . You have to make do with whatever your attorney provides. But it might delay your visa approval process.

And yes, DS-160 means the confirmation page with an AA004...number and barcode.

[Javs52]

Did my interview today,

VO asked for passports and petition approval
Two questions
Why do you want to go?
Why are you chosen as the candidate?
Then To wife : what do you do?

My passport went into administrative processing had the same issue for B1/B2 in 2007
Wife and kids visa approved,mine is on hold until clearance is received.

No other documents needed or asked whatsoever

[me_shaan]

L1A these days are going into AP a lot, happened with me and a couple of my colleagues as well. We all got approvals within a week. Did the VO give any timeline?

[Javs52]

L1A these days are going into AP a lot, happened with me and a couple of my colleagues as well. We all got approvals within a week. Did the VO give any timeline?

he asked when do you need to travel and I replied ASAP so he said ok they will do their best...

[me_shaan]

Then your case shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks I would say.