u/mintcacao098

I’ve been trying to book a B1/B2 visa appointment in India for the past 8 months and have been checking the portal regularly, but haven’t been able to find a slot.

My MRV fee is valid for only one year, so I contacted the Visa Service Desk asking whether the fee can be extended if it expires before I’m able to get an appointment.

They basically responded that the fee is non-refundable/non-transferable and told me to keep checking for appointments.

Has anyone here been in the same situation?

• Were you eventually able to book an appointment after waiting many months?
• If your MRV fee was close to expiring, were you able to get it extended?
• Has anyone successfully escalated this issue or received any accommodation from the Visa Service Desk?

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually dealt with this recently.

I’ve been trying to book a B1/B2 visa appointment in India for the past 8 months and have been checking the portal regularly, but haven’t been able to find a slot.

My MRV fee is valid for only one year, so I contacted the Visa Service Desk asking whether the fee can be extended if it expires before I’m able to get an appointment.

They basically responded that the fee is non-refundable/non-transferable and told me to keep checking for appointments.

Has anyone here been in the same situation?

• Were you eventually able to book an appointment after waiting many months?
• If your MRV fee was close to expiring, were you able to get it extended?
• Has anyone successfully escalated this issue or received any accommodation from the Visa Service Desk?

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually dealt with this recently.

I'm considering doing this and would love feedback from anyone who's done something similar.

Thinking of doing a ~$200K 5-year SPX box spread at ~4.65% and putting the proceeds into a 5-year USD FCNR-B at ~7%.

So roughly: 2.35% spread

That's ~$4.7K/year on $200K.

Both are USD, and I'd match the FCNR maturity with the box expiration.

Questions:

• Has anyone here actually done this?
• How does the US tax treatment work for the SPX box vs FCNR interest?
• If the box produces a capital loss/gain, can existing capital gains offset it?

Am I missing something here? Seems like a no brainer to me.

I'm considering doing this and would love feedback from anyone who's done something similar.

Thinking of doing a ~$200K 5-year SPX box spread at ~4.65% and putting the proceeds into a 5-year USD FCNR-B at ~7%.

So roughly: 2.35% spread

That's ~$4.7K/year on $200K.

Both are USD, and I'd match the FCNR maturity with the box expiration.

Questions:

• Has anyone here actually done this?
• How does the US tax treatment work for the SPX box vs FCNR interest?
• If the box produces a capital loss/gain, can existing capital gains offset it?

Am I missing something here? Seems like a no brainer to me.

I'm considering doing this and would love feedback from anyone who's done something similar.

Thinking of doing a ~$200K 5-year SPX box spread at ~4.65% and putting the proceeds into a 5-year USD FCNR-B at ~7%.

So roughly: 2.35% spread

That's ~$4.7K/year on $200K

Both are USD, and I'd match the FCNR maturity with the box expiration.

Questions:

• Has anyone here actually done this?
• How does the US tax treatment work for the SPX box vs FCNR interest?
• If the box produces a capital loss/gain, can existing capital gains offset it?

Am I missing something here? Seems like a no brainer to me.

I'm considering doing this and would love feedback from anyone who's done something similar.

Thinking of doing a ~$200K 5-year SPX box spread at ~4.65% and putting the proceeds into a 5-year USD FCNR-B at ~7%.

So roughly: 2.35% spread

That's ~$4.7K/year on $200K.

Both are USD, and I'd match the FCNR maturity with the box expiration.

Questions:

• Has anyone here actually done this?
• How does the US tax treatment work for the SPX box vs FCNR interest?
• If the box produces a capital loss/gain, can existing capital gains offset it?

Am I missing something here? Seems like a no brainer to me.

I recently had an ultrasound that showed a Grade 3 left-sided varicocele (6.2 mm) along with some testicular atrophy. I only have mild discomfort occasionally—maybe once or twice a month.

My wife and I have been trying to conceive for about a year, which is what led to the workup. My sperm count is within the normal range, but my motility is very low.

For those who have been in a similar situation, did you choose IVF, varicocele repair surgery, or both? My urologist seemed to lean slightly toward IVF, mentioning that it's hard to predict how much surgery would improve my semen parameters, even if it did.

Also, does anyone have experience with Dr. Paul Turek for microsurgical varicocele repair? I haven't met with him yet, but I'm considering getting a second opinion if I decide to pursue surgery.

34M.

I recently had an ultrasound that showed a Grade 3 left-sided varicocele (6.2 mm) along with some testicular atrophy. I only have mild discomfort occasionally—maybe once or twice a month.

My wife and I have been trying to conceive for about a year, which is what led to the workup. My sperm count is within the normal range, but my motility is low.

For those who have been in a similar situation, did you choose IVF, varicocele repair surgery, or both? My urologist seemed to lean slightly toward IVF, mentioning that it's hard to predict how much surgery would improve my semen parameters. T levels are around 270 - this is mainly why I'm considering surgery.

Also, does anyone have experience with Paul Turek for microsurgical varicocele repair? I haven't met with him yet, but I'm considering getting a second opinion if I decide to pursue surgery.

34M.