CP Interview Experience

Hello,



I finally received my Green Card yesterday. My wife got hers 2 weeks ago. Here are the filing dates.



I-140 (EB1) filed in July 2006 (Approved in 2 weeks)

I-485 sent to NVC in September 2007

Interview notification from Chennai US Consulate on January 17, 2007

Interview at Chennai on February 12, 2007

Received the passports on February 20, 2007

Validation stamp in the passport on February 28, 2007

Welcome Letter (wife) on March 6, 2007

Green Card (wife) received on March 7, 2007

Welcome Letter (mine) on March 7, 2007

Green Card (mine) on April 9, 2007



I got my PCC from Indian Consulate in SFO and my wife had to get two PCCs (one from the passport office in Bhopal) and the other one from Bangalore Police Commissioner's office. As for the brith certificate, I could not get one from the municipal authorities. The consulate accepted my school leaving certificate as the proof of DOB.



We had to submit all our documents at the VFS Bangalore office 2 weeks prior to our interview. The VFS guys told my wife that she had to get PCC from the passport office as well. We did not have enough time to get a PCC for my wife from the Indian Consulate in SFO, so we chose to get hers from India. Our Consular interview was at 8:00 AM.



Our documents were first reviewed by an Indian officer. She asked me to justify why my case was filed in EB1-OR category. (weird! I didn't know Indian officers would ask these questions). She asked my wife whether she would be interested in working after she got her GC. After this, we waited for about an hour before the American officer interviewed us. She asked us the following questions:



1. When did we get married?

2. How did we meet?

3. Asked me to talk about some of the awards I received

4. Asked me to show her my BE and MS degree certificates



She then asked us to take the oath, took our finger prints and told us that our passports would be dispatched in a week's time. Our port of entry was SFO. It took us almost 4 hours to finish the immigration formalities.



Documents I submitted for the Consular Interview:



DS230 (Originals + Copies)

Employment Verification Letter (HR, Notarized)

Letter from my Manager (Notarized)

W2s, Tax returns of the past 3 years and copies

PCC from Indian Consulate in SFO

School Leaving Certificate (for Birth Certificate; Original + copy)

Degree Certificates

Pay stubs (6 months)

Current Bank Balance Letter + 6 months Bank statements

Immigration style photographs (4)

Medical records + Immunization

Past I94s, I20, Student EAD card, Past H1B approvals

Marriage Certificate and Wedding Pictures

I134 - Affidavit of support



Thanks to everyone who has answered all my questions and thanks to the moderators for maintaining such a useful forum. If any of you have questions, please send me a private message and I will respond.



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