Hey - thanks for all the great information. When did you submit the application and when did you visit the PSK? I visited on Sept 4 and haven't heard a word yet...

It's all done. Found a convenient slot at EWR. Took around 10min for two person. Email confirmation came just after walking out. - 5yr default (expires on birthday)

Few things based on the interaction with officer:

1) It's linked to the visa, NOT to the petition. If there are not valid visa in the passport then they can't approve. Since it doesn't know the petition so I-94 will be limited on that. This may be important for H1B folks due to transfer/extensions, etc. Just to keep in mind conditional approval is good for 1yr.
2) New visa stamps requires in-person visit to CBP to get this updated. Rest of updates like passport, driver's license, etc. needs to be maintained online.
3) All traveling members, including infant, needs to have valid GE in order to use the kiosk. Even if one member doesn't then then general line needs to be used if declaring customs together. This info is easily available but I mixed this up with TSA PreCheck that allows children to tag along with parents - they don't need their own TSA PreCheck. I had to apply for my daughter 2 days ago who has US passport so will have to visit again in 2-3 weeks.
4) CBP appointment needs to be booked for each member from their own account.

Only date that would be relevant is when police verification was done. Mine was done on 5th Aug. Application will still not get looked at till police report is officially accepted at PSK - timelines varies state wise (from couple of days to few weeks).

They do as me and couple of more friends who got our PV done last September, October had our cases sent back to PSK after verification, the immediate change of PV completed would be seen in PSK site, but then again it changes back to same old message of GEP has been initiated.

Indian Living in India & have gone thru the entire song & dance as described by Keyser. Application was Mid July 2017. Portal gives the same narrative as everyone else. It seems the Indian system is stuck in slow motion & is not communicating back to the US.

But here is a clincher. I fly thru JFK at least once a month & since applying have been thru it at least 6 times. They now allow all B1/B2 visa holders to go thru the electronic both & scan passport & visa page get print out & walk out. Average time for all 6 times has been under 3 minutes from print out to baggage carousel. Time taken to do all the scanning etc about 5 minutes the first time & about 2 minute once you know the drill.

I believe it is only at Terminal 4 but it is brilliant & totally negates the need for a Global entry if the US is going this way at arrivals.

Yes, I had GE - never had the time to renew - due to time contraints/no appointments available at EWR.

This is what the situation is at present also for US citizens - you effectively have the same kiosks now - and get to the carousel before your bags do - so no point, really...

Also, United takes *so long* to offload the baggage that there is simply no point of having GE at all!

I guess that's true! :p

Haha - "Get GE so you can get to the loo faster"! :D

I never saw the change in status on the Passport India website.

I guess you are talking about the automated passport services for B1/B2 visas, they have been there around from 2015-16, when my friends from India visited Dallas, they just had easy walkthrough with help of Kiosks. They have these automated kiosks for B1/B2 all major international airport terminals.

Yes Bruce W you are correct on that point. I transited thru Dallas in 2016 but they never had it at that point & neither did Seattle or Chicago in 2017. JFK first time I experienced it was in August of 2017 & they did advise it was on "trial basis" for country wide implementation & only at T4. I have friends who have been thru other terminals recently & they still have the long lines. Either way good move.

The biggest benefit of global entry is the automatic membership into tsa pre check, which Indian citizens can't apply for directly

Sorry, but I find this hard to believe (not that I doubt you or that this is perhaps what the officer thought actually happened), but the idea of Indians being given access to Global Entry was first mooted in September 2013, nearly four years before it finally came to fruition. Similar statements to the following, reaffirming India's future inclusion in Global Entry, were a part of every joint India US statement since that date, however very little was officially said regarding what both countries were doing in that time frame to make it a reality.
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov...oint-statement

A Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries was signed in June 2016, nearly a year before it launched.
MoU signed to facilitate hassle-free entry of Indians into US | The Indian Express

However, we on this board are all well aware of how India seemingly unilaterally introduced new verification requirements immediately after the applications opened to Indians in July 2017, as evidenced by emails members here received from CBP indicating they had no foreknowledge of this requirement and offering refunds to affected applicants. It would be far from practicality to believe that the Home Ministry didn't know anything about Global Entry or its requirements prior to June 2017 when it had been widely shared in media for years.