Successful Stamping with 2 DUIs

[ekard]

Long overdue post. I was very stressed out before leaving for India. This forum helped out a lot. So I am paying it forward. 

1st DUI:

2012. BAC: 0.08. California Completed all DUI requirements. 

2nd DUI:

2018. BAC : 0.24 California. Completed all DUI requirements. 

Interview: Chennai February 6th 2024. I had to book in person because I had never got my finger printing done. 

Preparation: Apart from all H1B related documents, certified copies of court documents (Disposition, records etc). You can apply for these documents at the court your sentencing took place. 

Day of Interview:

Morning interview. Every interview before me took less than 3-4 minutes. When I reached the counter, there was very little discussion about my H1B. 2-3 questions about role company etc. Working for FAANG might have helped here. Rest of the interview was all about the DUI's. The officer asked about both DUIs. How it happened, when etc. I was very open with her and explained both incidents in detail. Did not hide anything. She asked for the court documents. I gave her all the DUI related documents I had. She went to the back office to make copies. She came back and gave me a white 221G. She explained that I will have to go through a medical and psychological evaluation. All the details are in the 221G document. She said that a decision will be made based on the evidence I provided and the results of the evaluation. 

After the Interview : 

I left and immediately called Apollo Chennai for an appointment. This is a potential hassle as they will call you back. I got an appointment 2 days later.  Status on CEAS Tracker set to "Refused".

Day of evaluation: 

Showed up to Apollo with all documents mentioned in the 221G. Went through various medical tests. Blood, chest Xray etc. I was confident about this part as I stopped drinking 6 years back, almost to the day (February 12). Then the main physician interviewed me. Asked about the DUI incidents. I was open and honest with her. Did not try to hide anything or lie. She took notes. Asked me about my current lifestyle. Had nothing to hide a I don't drink anymore. She then referred me to a psychologist for the psyche eval. 

I had to go to a different location for the psyche eval. Had to wait a couple of hours for the psychologist to be available. She interviewed me about the DUIs. This was the longest interview. I was again honest and open. She really wanted to probe and understand. We spoke a lot about my struggles with alcohol. My sobriety. My lifestyle. I don't even remember all the questions. But I was very honest. After 20 minutes. She told me that she will recommend granting me the visa. 

Rest of the process:

Received email to drop passport in a week. Had to mail my passport to a friend who lived in a city with a drop off location. 

"Refused" changed to "Approved" in 4 days, to "Issued" in another 2 days. 

In conclusion:

Please do not take my success story for granted. This was a very stressful situation. I had given a power of attorney to a friend to sell everything I owned in US in case I could not return. A few things I will strongly advise, make sure all the paperwork is in order and DO NOT LIE. I feel the psychologist is a very important decision maker. She will probe hard and deep. Don't try to fool him/ her. 

Good luck.