My company applied my H1B under premium processing so we got the approval in 2 weeks. Then company asked me to look for interview dates. I took a date on Wednesday as that date is considered auspicious by my parents and me. Then company asked me to book my train tickets from bangalore to Chennai which I did but was put on Tatkal waitlist. The next day we got ready and reached Bangalore City station(Majestic) to board the train only to find that we are not on the confirmed list and are still in the wait list. Our PNR never made it to the confirmed list. The backup plan by my company was to hire a Indica and reach Chennai by road which was shot down by my wife instantly. We then went to Majestic bus stand only to find that we can get Volvos to Chennai from Shantinagar bus stand. So with some struggle we reached Shantinagar at around 4:30 P.M. We booked tickets on 9:30 P.M. bus and waited for the whole eternity. Finally boarded the bus and off to Chennai. Did get some sleep on the way but was more concerned about my Visa interview. Reached Chennai by 4:30 A.M. Taxi was waiting for us which took us to the guest house in Manakappam. After some rest we got ready and started for the U.S. Consulate in the morning only to find the huge traffic on the road at 8:30 A.M. Chennai is also pretty chaotic in terms of traffic and looks almost like New Delhi. Reached the destination by 9:30 A.M. Our appointment was at 9:45 so we were little relaxed but then the queue at Consulate was really long. We also entered the queue but were pulled out by the security and allowed to enter the consulate as we were close to our appointment time. The security then asked us to deposit our bag and cellphones at another makeshift shop(khokha ) just outside the consulate who does a brisk business by keeping your things for Rs. 10 per piece.
Entered the consulate and kept waiting for my turn for finger printing. I would like to mention here that the good thing about the consulate is that it is well managed but at the same time the managing staff which manages people is rude and proudy as if they are directly from FBI/CIA and we are kind of anti social element.
After the finger printing was done, we moved on to the interview section which is in a different building altogether. In the interview queue we were standing behind another family waiting for out turn. The family in front of us went ahead and the VO took about 30 minutes with them. I was having butterflies in my stomach and was wondering as to what is gonna happen once I am at the counter. Finally VO called us and greeted us. He was a chinese American person. He apologized for keeping us waiting for long and asked for my documents which I promptly handed over to him. He asked for some more documents which I handed over to him. Before coming to the consulate, I promised to myself that I am not gonna talk till I am asked anything so keeping that promise I did not utter a word. One by one he went through the documents and then he turned over each and every page of my Passport and looked at all the stampings and travels that I have done so far. Further to that he asked about my prior U.S.A. vists etc. then he talked to my wife and then finally to my son. He did not get any reply from my son though.Then he uttered the golden words "Your visa is approved". You will get your passport in next 6-7 days and if we need something else, we will let you know.
With that good news we came out and went to visit my friend's place. After a delicious lunch we then moved on and reached the Chennai Central to catch the train(Shatabdi Express) back to Bangalore. Then recieved the passport in 2 weeks and finally it was a long, never ending flight to uncle Sam's land(America).
Entered the consulate and kept waiting for my turn for finger printing. I would like to mention here that the good thing about the consulate is that it is well managed but at the same time the managing staff which manages people is rude and proudy as if they are directly from FBI/CIA and we are kind of anti social element.
After the finger printing was done, we moved on to the interview section which is in a different building altogether. In the interview queue we were standing behind another family waiting for out turn. The family in front of us went ahead and the VO took about 30 minutes with them. I was having butterflies in my stomach and was wondering as to what is gonna happen once I am at the counter. Finally VO called us and greeted us. He was a chinese American person. He apologized for keeping us waiting for long and asked for my documents which I promptly handed over to him. He asked for some more documents which I handed over to him. Before coming to the consulate, I promised to myself that I am not gonna talk till I am asked anything so keeping that promise I did not utter a word. One by one he went through the documents and then he turned over each and every page of my Passport and looked at all the stampings and travels that I have done so far. Further to that he asked about my prior U.S.A. vists etc. then he talked to my wife and then finally to my son. He did not get any reply from my son though.Then he uttered the golden words "Your visa is approved". You will get your passport in next 6-7 days and if we need something else, we will let you know.
With that good news we came out and went to visit my friend's place. After a delicious lunch we then moved on and reached the Chennai Central to catch the train(Shatabdi Express) back to Bangalore. Then recieved the passport in 2 weeks and finally it was a long, never ending flight to uncle Sam's land(America).
