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

[vapIR5]

Want to know how many photographs are required for medical, and do they need 2x2, or passport size will do.🙏

[vapIR5]

I will be appearing for medical at Apollo Ahmedabad 🙏

[gc_check]

Want to know how many photographs are required for medical, and do they need 2x2, or passport size will do.🙏

My mom carried 8 2x2 pics for Rele Clinic Mumbai. Just call them and confirm

[gc_check]

Dear gc_check,
heartiest congratulations on the successful adjudication of your mom's petition. Prepare for her departure from India now. You will need to pay the US$ 220 fee about a week prior from the date of departure from India. Best wishes to you all on the start of a new chapter in life for you all.

Thank You!

[Jasmeetkben]

Hello everyone !

when I submitted the documents for my mother and in review they sent me notice saying ‘ your income in insufficient and request for supplementing income will be taken by the interviewer so I added my husband as a joint sponsor with all the supporting documents . But when we got DQ then in sponsor list there was only my name with all documents being accepted . So my question do I need to send my mom updated documents like tax returns /employment letter etc for me and my husband both ? Or mine is sufficient since in joint sponsor his name is not there .
Any help is appreciated

[gc_check]

Hello everyone !

when I submitted the documents for my mother and in review they sent me notice saying ‘ your income in insufficient and request for supplementing income will be taken by the interviewer so I added my husband as a joint sponsor with all the supporting documents . But when we got DQ then in sponsor list there was only my name with all documents being accepted . So my question do I need to send my mom updated documents like tax returns /employment letter etc for me and my husband both ? Or mine is sufficient since in joint sponsor his name is not there .
Any help is appreciated

Since NVC clearly said that your income is not sufficient and the interviewer will ask for supplemental income, you will definitely have to send all the information to your mom. I think since your case is already DQed, you may not be able to add a new Joint Sponsor. However, you should submit them under 'Additional AOS Supporting Documentation'

[Aviask2]

My mom's GC was approved yesterday so wanted to provide some details here that could be helpful to the community. Most of what I have below has already been explained in detail in other posts.

• Started the process in March 21.
• I130 approved in June 21
• Submitted all paperwork to NVC in September 21.
• Mom did not have a birth certificate and they repeatedly rejected the affidavits so we lost 12 months back and forth before it was DQed in September 22.
• IL received March 23. Scheduled biometric and medical
• Biometric April 5, 23
• Medical April 18, 23.
• Interview date May 3, 23.
• Interview at Mumbai consulate at 7:15 am.
• Mom reached 45 minutes earlier. A huge crowd had already assembled.
• At 7:00 am, they asked the 7:15 appt individuals to line up and keep the Interview letter and DS-260 with VAC stamp out.
• Locker is available to keep phones etc. She was charged Rs. 100
• She carried two folders - one with the main paperwork required and the other with backup paperwork
• As soon as she entered, they collected the following - Passport (only the latest, not the old ones), Two affidavits since we did not have a birth certificate for her, my marriage certificate, Interview letter, DS-260 confirmation with the VAC stamp, India PCC
• PCC within the last 2 years is fine. Mom's was issued September 21.
• IMPORTANT: They asked if she had lived in another country for more than a year. Mom had stayed as a tourist in another country for more than a year due to covid lockdown. Luckily, we had obtained PCC from that country and could produce it.
• She was asked if she needed an interpreter.
• She got a token and waited for her interview call. Took 1.5 hours due to the crowd.
• Interviewer asked about me - when did I come to the US, what am I doing here. Asked about their previous visits. The interviewer also asked if they had lived in another country for more than a year. She then looked at that country's PCC.
• Interviewer asked for my latest tax transcripts. Luckily, I had filed for 2022 and had transcripts and already uploaded them. If you haven't filed, make sure the previous one is uploaded and you have filed for extension.
• Interview was short and at the end, her GC was approved and she got a letter to pay the fees.
• Passport would arrive in couple of days.

We carried backup documents like correspondence between me and mom, photographs with mom etc. She was not asked for those. She was also not asked for her photographs.

Thank you all for the support and good luck to all waiting for the next milestone in their GC journey. I will report back when mom is here and we start helping her settle down.

Dear gc_check,

Congratulations for the approval and thanks for sharing the details. I have a follow-up question.

You mentioned about "repeatedly rejected" affidavits. My mother (born in the 50s) does not have birth certificate, so we also plan to submit affidavits from elderly relatives. If you are fine with it, could you please provide any details about what may cause an affidavit to be rejected? Also, what did you modify after that back and forth process so that they eventually accepted the affidavits? That will help us make sure we collect the affidavits following correct rules. Best wishes.

[GeoMac]

Hello everyone !
when I submitted the documents for my mother and in review they sent me notice saying ‘ your income in insufficient and request for supplementing income will be taken by the interviewer so I added my husband as a joint sponsor with all the supporting documents . But when we got DQ then in sponsor list there was only my name with all documents being accepted . So my question do I need to send my mom updated documents like tax returns /employment letter etc for me and my husband both ? Or mine is sufficient since in joint sponsor his name is not there .
Any help is appreciated

When DQ is done after you submitted your husband's
documents, probably i864A, called adding household member. That means they have taken in to consideration, your husband's supporting documents too. Your mom should carry to the interview, copies of all those documents. As a simple rule, carry all documents which have been uploaded in CEAC account. Additionally carry the latest financial documents of you and your husband (household member) too.

[gc_check]

Dear gc_check,

Congratulations for the approval and thanks for sharing the details. I have a follow-up question.

You mentioned about "repeatedly rejected" affidavits. My mother (born in the 50s) does not have birth certificate, so we also plan to submit affidavits from elderly relatives. If you are fine with it, could you please provide any details about what may cause an affidavit to be rejected? Also, what did you modify after that back and forth process so that they eventually accepted the affidavits? That will help us make sure we collect the affidavits following correct rules. Best wishes.

NVC rejected it repeatedly saying that they needed a Birth Certificate while the reciprocity rule clearly says that it is. or available for India before 1970 and affidavits are fine. The funny thing is that they accepted the affidavit for dad without an issue. So we really didn’t change anything. We just kept resubmitting the affidavit with extra notes in comments. I think it was a rookie officer who was not aware of the rule. One thing I did do was to reach out to my local Congressman and told their office of the issue. They sent an email to NVC asking what the issue was. That might have finally brought NVC to their senses.
in a nutshell, I would say it was an error on their part. The 12 month delay is because of the very ridiculous fact that NVC takes about 3 months to review any document you submit. So every time they rejected, the next review was only after 3 months.

[Aviask2]

NVC rejected it repeatedly saying that they needed a Birth Certificate while the reciprocity rule clearly says that it is. or available for India before 1970 and affidavits are fine. The funny thing is that they accepted the affidavit for dad without an issue. So we really didn’t change anything. We just kept resubmitting the affidavit with extra notes in comments. I think it was a rookie officer who was not aware of the rule. One thing I did do was to reach out to my local Congressman and told their office of the issue. They sent an email to NVC asking what the issue was. That might have finally brought NVC to their senses.
in a nutshell, I would say it was an error on their part. The 12 month delay is because of the very ridiculous fact that NVC takes about 3 months to review any document you submit. So every time they rejected, the next review was only after 3 months.

Hi gc_check,

That is certainly unexpected given that affidavits are commonly used for pre-1970 elderly parents. Your idea of contacting local congressman is something I shall keep in mind. Also, we will probably include a cover letter clearly quoting the NVC reciprocity rule to avoid delays like what you experienced. Thanks for sharing the details. Best wishes.

[AutisticManChild]

Those who have successfully petitioned for their relatives, what did you do for health insurance? I know this isn't exactly immigration related but this would be very helpful information. Thank you!

[user2022]

NVC rejected it repeatedly saying that they needed a Birth Certificate while the reciprocity rule clearly says that it is. or available for India before 1970 and affidavits are fine. The funny thing is that they accepted the affidavit for dad without an issue. So we really didn’t change anything. We just kept resubmitting the affidavit with extra notes in comments. I think it was a rookie officer who was not aware of the rule. One thing I did do was to reach out to my local Congressman and told their office of the issue. They sent an email to NVC asking what the issue was. That might have finally brought NVC to their senses.
in a nutshell, I would say it was an error on their part. The 12 month delay is because of the very ridiculous fact that NVC takes about 3 months to review any document you submit. So every time they rejected, the next review was only after 3 months.

My immigration lawyer asked me to do what it takes to get a non-availability of BC for my mom. I was able to do without any issues as I was fortunate to be in India for a few weeks. If you read the guidelines, the language does appear in favor of a non-availability certificate vs. an affidavit.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Visa-Reciprocity-and-Civil-Documents-by-Country/India.html

[AS45]

NVC rejected it repeatedly saying that they needed a Birth Certificate while the reciprocity rule clearly says that it is. or available for India before 1970 and affidavits are fine. The funny thing is that they accepted the affidavit for dad without an issue. So we really didn’t change anything. We just kept resubmitting the affidavit with extra notes in comments. I think it was a rookie officer who was not aware of the rule. One thing I did do was to reach out to my local Congressman and told their office of the issue. They sent an email to NVC asking what the issue was. That might have finally brought NVC to their senses.
in a nutshell, I would say it was an error on their part. The 12 month delay is because of the very ridiculous fact that NVC takes about 3 months to review any document you submit. So every time they rejected, the next review was only after 3 months.

Hi
It is regrettable that one year was wasted because NVC failed to follow their own rules of birth certificate for people born before 1970. Alternative for birth certificate is School Leaving cert or SSC passing certificate which contains date of birth. In our case, we submitted SSC Passing certificate for both of us and it was accepted without any issue at NVC as well as at Consulate.

[zakasbanda]

No SSN Yet

Hi Friends

My father landed on April 26 and I have not received SSN yet. Do you know how much time it usually takes? Do you have any suggestions on what I can do next?
Without SSN, can not apply for medical insurance etc.

Thanks

[Shanaya]

No SSN Yet

Hi Friends

My father landed on April 26 and I have not received SSN yet. Do you know how much time it usually takes? Do you have any suggestions on what I can do next?
Without SSN, can not apply for medical insurance etc.

Thanks

Usually it comes within one week. My parents received theirs on April 3, 2023 after arriving at EWR on March 24, 2023. and GC arrived on April 29, 2023.