Successful FTJ at Chennai 2007

Name
***
Country
United States

My wife got FTJ IV visa stamped in her passport in Chennai. EB3 - PD 4/30/2001.

Below is the process, in her words, she went thru:

Medicals:

Called two days ahead for a 10.00 AM appointment with "Lister METROPOLIS Laboratory Research Center Pvt. Ltd" and a 4.00 PM appointment with "Dr. Mathai Thomas".
Flew in from Hyderabad to Chennai, had in-flight breakfast, took a taxi from airport to the Lab, 30 min ride.
In and out in 1 hr with the lab tests and x-ray. Went back around 3.00 PM to collect the reports.
Went to Dr. Thomas, straight from the lab. He examined the reports and filled out the medical forms, including the vaccination report. Strangely he gave a report in an open envelope and refused to seal it. He insisted that it is OK to have it not sealed. Consulate didn’t say a word!! – 30 min @ the doctor.
Lunch and shopping in T-Nagar area between 11.00 AM – 3.00 PM
Back to airport and Hyderabad, with the doctor reports, lab reports and x-ray.
Police Clearance Certificate:

Filed for a PCC in the local passport office. Stood in the misc. applications line at 6.00 AM in Secunderabad. Luckily, ladies have a separate and shorter line. They will keep your original passport and ask you to come back in 4 days to collect the report.
Filled out a PCC request form in the police commissioner’s office, much longer and unstructured/unwieldy process. Takes up to 15 days for the report.
VFS:

Applicants in India are required to submit their relevant documents at a local VFS office, 10 days in advance, prior to the interview.

Lady at the counter took the following documents.

Interview letter copy.
DS-230
Medical reports
Police Clearance Certificate PCC
Employment certificate copy.
Visa Photos
Applicant’s marriage certificate (Original)
Marriage Photos as secondary proof.
Applicant’s Date of birth NON availability cert. (Original)
Copy of the passport
Trip to Chennai:

Bought a round trip flight tickets on yatra.com
Booked a room @ Courtyard Chennai, using 10,000 Marriott points online. Half mile from the Consulate and half hour from airport.
Demand Draft for IV fees.
I-134 was filled out and signed by the petitioner but NOT notarized. Apparently all consulates in India are accepting the new I-134 forms w/o notarization.
Interview Day:

8.00 AM - Stood in line outside the gate.
No cell phones, Hand bags or Umbrellas. It’s just easier to carry your papers in a clear plastic envelope.
Lady inside asked for the below docs.
Interview letter
Medical reports. (I’ve misplaced my X-ray but fortunately she didn’t insist for it.)
Visa Fees
Passport
Employment letter Original
I-134 original (She asked for the W2s and 1040s and noted in the file as missing.)
Secondary evidence for the Date of Birth. Either an Affidavit or a 10th class marks certificate. She refused to acknowledge the DOB in the passport and noted in the file that secondary proof is missing. VFS lady to be blamed for not making us aware of it.
Took a seat and waited in the lounge for my turn. There is an American lady with a scarf around her head. She speaks a bit of Urdu and a bit of Telugu. Noticed more counters working.
My turn now. Lady Consular officer is in mid 30s. Very courteous and engaging. She is looking thru the file that already has all my docs and the notes about missing ones. She asked me to raise my hand and Oath that everything in the DS-230 is true. Then she asked me a few questions about myself.
Do you currently work in a Govt. or a Pvt. Research organization? Govt.
What kind of research do you do? Researcher in Microbiology.
What are your future areas of interest? Genetics.
Are you planning to work in USA? Yes.
Have you applied to any Universities for education? No.
What is your highest degree? Post Grad. PhD in progress.
Any kids? No.
She took my finger prints
Then handed me a green sheet 221(g) and mentioned that she is unable to issue the visa right away. But asked me to just submit the below documents at the nearest VFS office to avoid another trip to the consulate.
Evidence of Economic Support:
Copy of Petitioner’s U.S. federal income tax return (form 1040) for 2005.
W-2 form for the Petitioner for 2005.
Other:
Birth Affidavits or Secondary evidence for birth such as school record.
Once again she assured me that it’s just a procedural formality and shouldn’t take longer than a week to issue the Visa once the documents are submitted.
She returned all the important documents back, including the marriage cert., marriage photos, passport, etc.
Out of the consulate by 11.30
Back in Hyderabad:

Waited till 4th week of January for 2006 W2 to be issued. Downloaded the W2 from ADP’s i-pay website in PDF format.
Got on HRBLOCK website and filed the 1040EZ and D-400 state taxes.
Took a print out of the 1040EZ, D-400 state taxes and W2 for 2006.
Signed and initialed on all the pages.
Dug out the 10th class marks cert. Now we are ready to head to the VFS office.
VFS 2nd Time:

A different lady this time. She collected the below docs.

221(g) Original
Passport Original
Secondary Birth evidence, 10th class cert. Original
1040EZ, D-400, W2 for 2006. We took a chance and submitted the latest instead of 2005 that is mentioned in the 221(g). It was easier for us to gather the 2006 docs, online, instead of digging up 2005 docs.
Cover letter to the C.O. , requesting for expediting the process and shorten our family separation.
Paid for the courier fee.
Docs submitted to VFS on Feb-02-2007.

Courier received on Feb-09-2007. Seven days only! True to C.O’s word.

It contains the stamped passport and a sealed envelope (DO NOT OPEN caution on the top). IV visa looks just like any other NIV USA visa except it says IV & E3.

Visa is valid for 6 months; applicant should travel to US within those six months to avoid further issues.

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