Mumbai, India - Immigrant Visa FAQ

Please read the following questions and answers regarding Immigrant Visas. If you have additional questions, you can email our Immigrant Visa Unit at mumbaiiv@state.gov.

How do I know which consulate will process the visa?
The U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai is responsible for immigrant visa cases for those applicants residing in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Daman and Diu (Union Territory), Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli (Union Territory), Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram (Union Territory), Nagaland, Orissa, Sikkim, Tripura, and West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and the Union Territories of Lakshadweep Islands and Pondicherry.

How do I know when my priority date will be current?
The priority date is usually the date the petition was filed with Department of Homeland Security. Immediate Relative (IR and CR) and Fiance (K-1) cases do not have priority dates since there are no numerical limits in these categories. Almost all other categories do have priority dates. The priority dates can be viewed here.

When am I going to get an appointment?
NVC will schedule your appointment when your case is current and the file has arrived at the U.S. Consulate General in Mumbai.

Complete the "Packet 3" forms when you receive them and return them to the Consulate as instructed. Packet 3 consists of Notification of Applicant Readiness (Form DS-2001), Instructions for Immigrant Visa Applicants, DS-230 Part 1, Photo Instructions and Instructions for Immigrant Visa Applicants. If you have not received the Packet 3, you may download it from our website http://mumbai.usconsulate.gov/ivforms.html.

Fiance/e (K-1) cases are special. The petitions filed at the USCIS office in the U.S., after they are approved, are sent to the National Visa Center. NVC then sends us the petition for processing. The Embassy or Consulate receives the approved visa petition and you will receive the Packet 3. When we receive your completed forms, we will schedule your appointment. You will receive Packet 4 from the Embassy or Consulate instructing you to appear for your visa interview. If you have not received the Packet 4, you may download the packet from our website http://mumbai.usconsulate.gov/ivforms.html.

My priority date is current and I have submitted Packet 3, how can I find out the appointment date?
Immigrant Visa Appointments are posted on our website at http://mumbai.usconsulate.gov/interview_appt_schedule.html. If your visa interview is scheduled, and have not received your appointment letter via mail, please contact our Immigrant Visa Unit at MumbaiIV@state.gov for further assistance. All immigrant visa applicants are required to pay the courier fee and submit their documents to VFS, our offsite contractor, at least four business days prior to their visa interviews, failing which your appointment will be rescheduled to a later date.

Do I need to get a police certificate for the interview?
Indian Police Clearance Certificates should be obtained as follows:

• All Indian IV applicants aged 16 and above, residing in India, should obtain police certificates from the local Passport Office.
• Indian passport holders applying for visas outside India should obtain a statement from their local embassy or consulate confirming they have no criminal record.
• Non-Indian IV applicants residing in India should obtain police certificates from the District Police Station serving their area of residence.
• Indian police certificates are not available for foreign (non-Indian) applicants applying outside India.

My birth was never registered. What do I do now?
Birth Certificates should be obtained as follows:

• Each applicant must submit an original and a clear photocopy of his/her birth certificate and any required secondary evidence (see below). The certificate should include the applicant's name, date & place of birth, the names of both parents, an annotation by the issuing office indicating that it is an extract from its official records, and the seal of the issuing office, i.e. the municipal authorities or the village authorities (gram panchayat or talati-cum-mantri). The certificate must be in the original, official language of the state in which you were born.
• If your birth was not recorded, please submit a "no record of birth registration" letter from the relevant municipality or village authorities along with secondary evidence (see below). If your birth record has been destroyed or the municipality or village authorities will not issue one, submit a letter from the municipality or village authorities stating so along with secondary evidence (see below).
• If your name is not mentioned in the birth certificate, submit the certificate along with secondary evidence (see below). If any details are missing in the birth certificate or if there is a discrepancy regarding your date of birth or name, submit the certificate along with secondary evidence (see below).
• If your birth was registered more than three years after you were born, you must submit the certificate along with a magistrate's order concerning the late registration.
• If any documents were issued in a local language, you must submit the document as well as a notarized English translation.
• Examples of secondary evidence (which should also include your name, date and place of birth; names of both parents; and the seal of the issuing office): a baptismal certificate, an adoption decree, a school record, a notarized affidavit from a close relative (a parent, a close relative, a neighbor or friend who was present at the time of your birth) on the appropriate stamp paper which must be sworn before a First Class Magistrate. The person making this affidavit must state how he/she knows your family and how he/she knows the facts of your birth.

My marriage was never registered. What do I do?
Any applicant who has ever married must provide an original and a clear photocopy of the marriage certificate(s) for all marriages of the petitioner and for the visa applicant. Persons who married before 1955 must attempt to register their marriage. Failing this, they must submit affidavits on appropriate stamp paper sworn before a First Class Magistrate by one parent of the groom and one parent of the bride giving the names of the bride and groom, the date and place of the marriage ceremony, the name of the person who performed the ceremony. Persons married in 1955 and later must submit a marriage registration certificate. Certificates issued by the appropriate authorities or recognized religious organizations are acceptable if they are legally valid in India. If any of these documents were issued in a local language, a notarized English translation is required in addition to the original. If you and your spouse are applying for visas, you should submit an original and two clear photocopies of each certificate.

What documents do I need if my marriage is terminated?
All applicants who have divorced or whose spouses have died must provide an original and a clear photocopy of proof of the legal termination of all previous marriages of the petitioner and/or visa applicant (death certificate of spouse, divorce decree). Divorce between Hindus, Christians, and Parsis must be documented by a court order. Divorce between muslims must be documented by a certificate from the Kazi or the head of the Jammat. If any of these documents were issued in a local in language, a notarized English translation is required in addition to the original.

What if my case is pending at the Consulate under Section 221(g)?
If the consular officer puts your case on hold under Section 221(g), it means your visa application was not complete for one of the following reasons:

1. If you are requested to provide additional documents, please submit them to a local VFS office along with your passport, pending letter and courierfee.

2. If your application ispending for administrative processing, please wait until the Consulate contacts you.

3. If your application is over a year old, please return to the Consulate General any business day between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. along with your passport, pending letter for further assistance.