Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site CS-Mordred Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!CS-Mordred!bala From: bala@CS-Mordred (Bala Krishnamurthy) Newsgroups: net.nlang.india Subject: Getting a visa in Madras Message-ID: <265@CS-Mordred> Date: Tue, 2-Jul-85 22:39:01 EDT Article-I.D.: CS-Mordr.265 Posted: Tue Jul 2 22:39:01 1985 Date-Received: Thu, 4-Jul-85 00:39:07 EDT Organization: Department of Computer Science, Purdue University Lines: 41 A voice of experience (maybe).... I had originally come on a 2 year visa in '80 to do a MS in Math. Before it expired in '82 I went to Madras and came back. I then switched to Purdue to do my PhD in CS. Last year ('84) I went to Madras to attend my brother's wedding. Thus, I had done all the bad things I could do: switched to another school, another program and had gone back to Madras during the middle of my program. To add to the fun, I have two brothers in this country who came a year or two before me and became LPR's (legal permanent residents as Helen at the Madras Consulate put it - I thought she was talking about line printers, but i digress...). When I went to my "interview" I knew that it was not going to be the easiest thing. After the usual questions (how can you convince me you will come back) and the usual quotes (86% of F-1 don't come back) the lady from Maine said -- "We have a problem" (uh oh). What saved the day was this: "The only way anyone can convince you of coming back, is BY COMING BACK. And I am here". I got a 3 year extension (till '87) and I went home in May '85 again and came back without any hassles. Of course, I didn't have to see the "tough lady" (she is more popular [notorious?] than any other lady in Madras -- Sujatha even wrote a short story about her in Kalaimagal). Moral of the story: If you do have to go home, be calm. Rumours about Madras being realy bad are not all true. Presence of mind and a certain degree of fatalism help. Think that your chances are 50-50. They are. Usual stories about being the only child of your parents and owning property in India are best forgotten. Cheers, bala