Dear Dr. Shankar,
I came across your forum on the internet and was immensely impressed with your explanations on the site. I have been accepted to the full time MBA program at Washington University in St. Louis. I am planning to travel to the US with my wife who is a Bangladeshi citizen residing in India since our marriage (Special Act Hindu-Muslim) in 2012. She is a housewife. Our interview is on the 28th. of this month in Kolkata. I have following concerns:
-
Since the marriage was not approved initially by both the families, we got married (without rituals) in presence of our common friends. Before marriage, I visited Bangladesh several times and my wife also visited India once in Feb, 2012. We planned for marriage then, informed the registrar and got married on 19th. Nov, 2012. We have some photos of the wedding day but no family member was present. Should we carry pictures?
-
my wife came to India on a Travel (T) visa and then we applied for a Long Term (X) visa. However, the govt. issued a Residence Permit (RP not PR) and a Certificate of Registration (RC) which were valid for a year. When we applied again in the next year, the same procedure followed and now her RP and RC are valid till 30th. Nov, 2016. It’s a separate document issued without any stamping on her passport. Can she apply for F2 from India with this status?
-
Things got better since our marriage and eventually my parents accepted our marriage. They started visiting us as we were staying at an accommodation provided by my office. However, we used my permanent address for all kind of communication and also during RP and RC renewals every year. Her new passport also bears my name and my permanent address as her present address. Similarly my passport also bears her name. Is this enough to convince the VO that we are staying together with my parents?
-
Since marriage my wife has never gone to Bangladesh as I feared it might land us in trouble and I was not comfortable to let her go alone. Officials at Special Branch from where RP and RC were issued also told her that her chances of RP renewal would improve had she stayed here continuously. How to tackle the issue of not going to Bangladesh since marriage? Will the VO assume that my wife is a potential immigrant?
-
Recently, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law have come to visit us and are staying with us. My wife feels that once she goes out of India, her family would never be able to meet her abroad as her parents have grown old. It would be very difficult for her to go to her country as well from such a long distance. Can we demonstrate it to say that my wife has plans of coming back to India since it would be easier for her to reunite with her family members?
-
I’m the only child of my parents. My mother has just retired and my father is 72. He has been suffering from intense rheumatism for long and he can’t walk without support. We have two properties here and so I have sufficient reasons to come back but how do I prove it for my wife?
-
I have scheduled the interview in English whereas my wife is not so conversant in English. Can I ask the consular office whether an interpreter would be available on the day? Can I volunteer to translate the questions to my wife and then translate her answers in English?
I am really worried about the whole situation. Please help me.
Thanks and Regards,
Sayandeep Basak