Home » US Visa Stamping Experiences » Two H1B, H4 Visa Stamping Experiences in India 2016 – Mumbai, Hyderabad

Two H1B, H4 Visa Stamping Experiences in India 2016 – Mumbai, Hyderabad

Reading someone experience always helps us be better prepared for anything, it is no different for visa stampings….Many of our readers take time to share their experiences with our community for benefiting everyone. Today it is Dev, Kalyan, and Sowmya. Thanks to them for taking time to share their experiences with our readers. Also, Sandeep has shared a small note on visa rejection, thanks to him. You can share your experiences here

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Biometrics and H1B Visa Stamping Experience in Mumbai – 2016

Explaining in detail so that you are aware of trivial things and set up. Skip it if you have attended any other biometric process.

Biometric Process for H1B stamping in Mumbai:

  • Reach 15 min prior to the appointment. They won’t let you in before that.
  • Staff will verify your passport , DS-160 and appointment confirmation while you are standing in queue outside the premises.
  • Once you enter , 3 or 4 staff members will make sure your name , PP no etc. is correctly mentioned on DS-160. Will ask your full name and visa interview date. Told me not to staple/paste old and new passports. (I don’t know why I would have done that , but still a word of advice from the lady whenever she sees multiple passports)
  • Then you move inside where again you have 3/4 staff members who already have printed bar codes for each candidate. They will verify/scan you passport, DS-160 and put the bar code behind your passport.(If your DS-160 and appointment letter has any mismatch, this is where they rectify it. I had tried for an appointment last year with old passport when I was not able to get the appointment. My appointment letter was reflecting old DS-160 and PP number. So the staff took a new bar code print out and rectified the mismatch.) You will be given a token and asked to take a place in seating area where a screen will be visible.
  • Once your number is displayed on the screen move to the counter specified against your token. Staff will verify your passport, take your photo and fingerprints. Make sure you don’t have sweaty hands or any cut/injury on your fingers. There will be an indicator on top of the device indicating if your finger print is captured or not (Similar to mobile finger print registration). Use the other hand to put some pressure so that finger prints are captured properly. There will be a cloth just below the machine to wipe your hands, if needed.

Note: There is canteen next to the biometric centre. I saw a board stating they provide locker facility for mobile phones for around Rs 200/-.Its not official. So avoid carrying mob etc when you are coming for biometric from Mumbai itself. If you are coming from a place not very nearby you can try the canteen facility)

That’s it. You are done for the day 🙂

Day 2: H1B Visa Stamping Experience at Mumbai August 2016

  • Reach embassy just 15/30 min before scheduled time. Actually speaking , doesn’t matter what’s your time slot. They assemble all the morning slot people in a big assembly area. So if your time is 11.30 am there is good chance that you will meet someone who was given a time slot of 10am. So don’t panic if you are late by 30 odd minutes. (I was stuck in traffic and reached 40 minutes late :), I met few people who reached 90 min late. So don’t worry. Just be careful if you have a morning slot as SCLR is jam packed during morning time)
  • You will be asked to form a queue which goes parallel to embassy wall. On the other side of the wall is the exit door for VIPs. Spotted Katrina Kaif :D.
  • I suggest carry a folder with multiple compartments. That way you can readily make documents available to visa officer (VO).
  • Keep your DS-160 and Passport in your hand when you are standing outside embassy.
  • Before you enter they will check DS-160 & passport and let you in. They will ask you not to carry any mobile, Big bag, Big umbrella etc. inside. NO LOCKER FACILITY AVAILABLE. So don’t carry your mobile to embassy. IF biometric and stamping dates are on the same day , you can leave mobile in the locker provided at the biometric centre. It’s around 3km from consulate.
  • Once you go inside you will have to pass through security check. Similar to the one we have at airports. You put your belongings in a tray and pass through metal detector. Then you are allowed to seat in a big open (but covered) area. There are around 6 rows and people are asked to take a seat in a specific order. One entire row is sent inside the consulate building for stamping. You have to be seated till your get your turn. You can try sneaking into other rows if you are in a hurry :P. Use this time to revise your petition and basic questions like client name , job title , hob responsibility. You don’t want to get a blacked out inside.
  • Once you are allowed inside , you are asked to go straight to the other side (Extreme right corner) of the room. Last 3/4 counters are assigned just for biometric verification. Here while you are in queue the staff will collect your passport and scan it in one go. This is just to save time. Once all the passports in his hands are over, he will call each person one at a time. The VO officer (This is the first actual American you interact with, till now all the people you interact are Indians) will ask your name and the staff member will ask you to put your right/left hand four fingers on a biometric machine. Your fingerprints have to match yesterdays fingerprints. No big deal , they have to.
  • After biometric verification , you move to the actual interview area. You will be able to listen to a number of interviews. Some VOs are very strict, loud while some are polite. Doesn’t matter who is your VO , you will get the same set of questions (Almost the same). So try not to listen to these question. Just keep you mind focussed on your interview. One of the VO actually rejected a Visa (Don’t know which category), and he said that so loudly that entre room was able to hear that. It sent shock waves throughout :). Don’t panic (Easy to say now). VOs are to approve your visa and not reject them. I was praying god that I get a VO who looks most gentle of all the VOs.
  • You will asked to stand against any available counter just behind yellow line. (Similar to immigration counters). There will be an interview going on. Listen to these questions if its H1B interview. Generally the VO will ask you the same questions. Good time to do a mock interview in your head. I got a very polite lady as VO. Interview before me was for student visa so the Questions were useless for me. I preferred revising my answers at this moment.
  • The student left (Don’t remember if his visa was approved or not as I was feeling the pressure by now). VO asked me to wait as she had some water. One lady came to her for some help. They checked a few things on computer. Around 1 or 2 interviews completed at other counters while I was standing waiting for my turn. Agonising wait of around 2-3 minutes.
  • Lady finally called me. Both of you will have mike and speakers. So no need to be very loud. There will be a small opening from where you can pass on your documents.

Visa Interview Questions at Mumbai for H1B Visa Stamping in 2016

  • Me: Hey..How are you
  • VO: I am fine. How are you.
  • Me: I am good. (Passed on my new passport)
  • Will you need my old passport?
  • VO: (Thought for a sec) No.
  • (Scanned my PP) Can you provide your petition copy (I979)
  • Me: Sure (had it ready in my hands gave it to her)
  • VO: How long have you been with XXX (My petitioner and current employer)
  • Me: I have been with XXX for x years and y months. Working with XXX since MON-YYYY.
  • VO: Who is your client?
  • Me: ABC,(location in US like NJ NY etc).
  • VO: What is your designation?
  • Me: Answered according to petition
  • VO: Are you married.
  • Me: Answer appropriately.(Simple yes or no)
  • VO: Do you hold any other Visa
  • Me: I am holding visas to C1 country..
  • VO: (Interrupted me while I was answering) Are you holding any valid US visa
  • Me: no
  • Vo: Your Visa is approved. Have you received this pamplet (Pointed to a small circular placed on the desk)
  • Me: No
  • VO: I need to give you one. Let me get it for you.(Went inside and came back with one)
  • Me: Thanks. Have a nice day. Collected my petition original copy(Collect if you have given any other document
  • VO: Have a nice day
  • Some quick pointers
  • Be confident. Maintain eye contact with VO. Don’t be too loud.
  • Be thorough with your petition. Answers to all the questions are in the petition. They verify your answers against the petition only.
  • Don’t ask questions like Indian designation or US , Indian salary or US salary. You are appearing for US visa interview , all questions are for US unless and until specified like what is your Indian salary. I saw a VO getting angry after one girl asked Indian salary or US salary.
  • Keep all the documents neat and ready. You don’t want fumble around if asked for any additional document.

All the best!!!

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H1B and H4 Visa Stamping Experience in Hyderabad – India 2016

Hi All,  Firstly, thanks for this blog and I appreciate the posts which gave us many inputs to attend visa interview.

Background : Basically, My husband Kalyan had visa from 2013-2014 and this is fresh application by a new employer from USA. So we didn’t have to go through the lottery pick process. We went for bio metrics on June 10th and for interview on July 19th. I also went along with him for h4( I did not have h4 earlier and this is my first stamping experience).

We were admitted into consulate at 10-15 am and our schedule was at 11-30 am. There was a huge queue and due to students’ season, almost 90% of candidates were students and some are b1 and b2s and a very few were for H visa. Many students got rejected and it was a panicking situation for us as we look at them coming out with their passports.

Being a couple, we were sent to counter 7 and we submitted our passports. She asked basic questions about us and gave back the passports. We got disappointed thinking that we got rejected but they sent us to other counter.  There, we had to wait for an hour to pass 2 candidates. Not all counters were like that. In our next counter, the interviewer passed a H1 couple within 1 minute. It means, nothing is genetic. We cannot declare that it takes less time nor it takes long time. It varies from person to person.

We were called then. We were interviewed for 25 minutes. The interviewer asked simple questions but took long time. She did not ask even a single document, not even I797(petition). The questions that were asked:

H1B and H4 Visa Interview Questions in Hyderabad India for 2016

  • Name of the employer(US petitioner). She even asked me to spell it
  • Where the company is located at
  • who is the client(mine is in-house project)
  • what is the salary
  • Job description
  • Client when I went to USA the previous time(in 2013)
  • whether there is any relation between my current employer here in India and the new employer in USA(petitioner)
  • After a few more questions, she asked my wife when we got married and whether we have kids.

Our Advice : The tips I can give is, better have some mocks using the questions from the blogs. We did that everyday for a week before the interview. Also, carry all the documents. For some like us, not a single document is asked. For the candidate before us, she asked many documents. Similarly, be prepared with all the questions and answer confidently. They don’t ask you anything from outside. Whatever is filled in DS160 form are asked. We have to be fully aware of our resume and ds160 form. Have a smile even if the interviewer is serious. That helps. Be confident while answering. You may be wrong also but confidence is must. Try to be cool and don’t answer in hurry. we can ask them to repeat the question for clarity which I did. But don’t be in a hurry.

Thanks and best of luck to all. Hope my review help you

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Will Visa Rejection Impact my Current Stamping ?

This is Sandeep, I was rejected US visa 2 times back in 10yrs ago and got visa after that. I had made 1 visit to States.
If you are honest & reply honestly with your intentions clear of returning back to your country than Visa will be granted. You have to prove strong ties in your native country.

   

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95 Comments

  1. Hi,
    My first H1B extension petition got rejected in May 2018. (Case was rejected, never went till interview)
    Again my employer applied for H1B extension in Nov 2018. which has got approved & I will be scheduling my visa interview soon.
    While H1B was in process during Jan 2019, I had applied for B1 which got rejected.

    Now, while filling up DS160, “Have you ever been refused US Visa?” question is there. How to answer this ? Do I need to mention about previous H1B petition & B1 rejection as well? Please guide.

    Reply
  2. Hi,

    I lost my job during cap-gap and found a new one who applied for my transfer. The transfer was denied by the USCIS, and I was in the US unlawfully for less than a month to wrap things up. My company reapplied with a new job title and other pieces of information, and my h1-b was approved. I have my interview tomorrow for stamping, and I am trying to look for the resources to see what kind of (weird) questions to expect because of the background of job loss, visa rejection, unlawful presence, and if I will need to carry any additional documents. My original offer letter has a slightly different job title too. Do you have any suggestions for me? Thank you in advance!

    Reply
  3. I went to the US Consulate for the interview on October 26. They took all the documents and told me to wait. After waiting for 2 hours they started the interview. The interviewer just asked 2 questions (1.) Who is your employer? (2.) For which client you will work?
    It was hardly 4 mins interview and then he handed me the 221(g) White form with NO additional documents required. He kept my passport and I797 and contract documents. He just replied they will contact me.
    What does this means ? Like is it gonna take longer than I thought since they didn’t ask for additional documents. I haven’t heard back from them.

    Reply
    • Hi shaf,
      As they kept your passport that’s a good sign. Just wait for them to contact . might take 2 weeks to 2 months. Plan accordingly. If you have provided all correct data I’m ds160 then need not worry.

      ” just an opinion “

      Reply
      • Yeah, I hope so too. Currently in US Travel Docs my status changed from “Your passport is still with the US Embassy/Consulate” To “Document Delivery Information”.

        So, lets see I am still waiting. If anybody have any idea what this status means please guide

        Reply
      • Thanks Braj.
        Currently in US Travel Docs my status changed from “Your passport is still with the US Embassy/Consulate” To “Document Delivery Information”.

        So, lets see I am still waiting. If anybody have any idea what this status means please guide

        Reply
  4. My employer is filing second time for me and I got selected. While filing second time, they have used the old resume instead of the updated one. In the meantime, I have changed one company before the H1B 2017 filing date. Would there be any problem if the resume filed as part of the petition was not the updated one? How to handle this?

    Reply
  5. Hi saurabh,
    My project duration in i129 and LCA is 3 years but in approval document (1797) its approved only for 16 months. Now when VO asks me how long I’m intended to stay or when ate you planning to return back , which duration shall I say. 16 months or 3 years??
    Pls guide..

    Braj

    Reply
    • Irrespective of your stay Duration in USA, VO Might approve your H1 Visa as per 1797 only, Nothing will happen , then you can apply for Extension once you reach USA.

      You say Confidentially like your Project is long term project and it might run for next 3 to 4 years

      Reply
      • Thanks technology specialist.
        In ds160 I filled as 16 months against ” intended length of stay ” but actually its only 15 months. Is it OK ?

        Reply
  6. Hi Saurabh,

    I am from MNC. My Company initiated my H1B petition with internal project and the same is there in my DS-160 form.

    I have Manager Letter from my onsite manager which states about my roles and responsibilities in US.

    So what kind of questions can I expect from Interviewer?

    Will the Manager Letter be helpful without client letter?

    Is it safe to appear interview with internal project or shall I switch to US project and appear for interview?

    Reply
  7. Hi saurabh,
    In my i797 , address of employer is wrongly printed. Instead of 3224 its printed as 3221 . will itcreate any problem. As my appointment date is very near I can’t even get it corrected. Pls advice

    Regards
    Braj

    Reply
  8. Hi Kuamr/Saurabh,

    My petition status still shows ‘Case was Received’ . My employer shared H1B receipt (I979-C) with me . Does it make sense to upgrade to premium in case if I get client later for the faster processing.

    Thanks,
    Khadri

    Reply
  9. I’m a Canadian formerly on H1-B who lost my job and was told I need to leave the country and come back as a tourist in order to get my affairs in order.

    Felt like this might be an opportunity to see friends in Asia rather than just going back to Canada and re-entering the US. I was wondering if I had to re-enter the US from my country of citizenship, or if I might be able to declare my tourist status and use my Canadian passport, but do it coming from Taiwan?

    Thanks,
    Rich

    Reply
    • Hello? Can anyone help me? Please?

      I need to know if my visa is finished, and I have to leave and re-enter as a tourist, can I re-enter from somewhere other than my country of citizenship?

      Reply
  10. Its been waiting for many days and my case is still showing “case was received”. Any body else having the same status. Any suggestible resolution for this. Please help.

    Reply
    • NO solution. We need to wait. my case status also showing same. As I checked with my employer it will take 6-8 months from filing.

      Reply
  11. Hi
    I applied H1B this year.. My employer told still they didn’t receive my return package and no approval also.. Attorney sent an email to USCIS.. So wait for some more time. Is this true? please reply..

    Reply
    • //My employer told still they didn’t receive my return package and no approval also.. //

      Your employer should have received either approved petition or Rejection package for sure., Else your employer is not relieving the proper information to you for sure

      Reply
  12. Hi Saurabh,

    Appreciate your knowledge on this blog. I have a query. My wife has applied for H4 to H1 COS this year on April 1 2016. But her current H4 is expired on Sept 9 2016. We have applied for extension.
    For this H4 to H1 we just received an RFE for verification of her degree and employment queries.

    But now due to emergency she has to travel to India on Oct 25, 2016 and she is planning to return on Feb 25, 2017.

    As per my reading her H4 to H1 COS might be abandoned. So she may have to return with h1b stamping after approval.

    My questions is, can she return on H4 itself (planning to use dropbox facility to get h4 stamping at Pune). After returning on H4 on Feb 25 2017, can we apply for COS amendment of H4 to H1 based on new H4. So that she can start working once amendment is approved.

    Reply
  13. hi Saurabh,
    I have a sibling in USA, will this have any impact of my H1-B chances, should i answer them yes if asked “Do you have any family in US?”.
    kindly guide me .
    Thanks
    Braj

    Reply
  14. Why “Case was received” has not been approved yet, What will be the reasons. Does it depends on the company fame. But i have heard many consultancy companies has sent people though h1b

    Reply
  15. Hi Sourabh,
    Could you pls. Let me know if gap between education and first job will have ant impact on h1 B chances. Actually I have around 2 years of gap between my studies and first job . will it hamper my chances?

    Braj.

    Reply
  16. Hi brajesh,
    Could you pls. Let me know if gap between education and first job will have ant impact on h1 B chances. Actually I have around 2 years of gap between my studies and first job . will it hamper my chances?

    Braj.

    Reply
  17. I was told my lottery got picked up by my company HR. But i wasn’t shared the case number, last week i again went to HR and asked whats the status. They didnt shared me the case number But showed me the status “case was recieved” and asked me to wait for a while. So can anyone please tell me do my case gets Approved for guaranteed or not. As i am having another alternative to go for US through Masters (I am already having admission). I am planning to resign and go for Masters. Please suggest me one alternative.
    Thanks in advance

    Reply
    • Madhav_R,

      Anything can happen to your petition – it may get approved, or it may receive RFE after which it may get approved or denied. There is no surety as to what will happen.

      Reply
  18. Hi Admins,

    I Have my H1b petition approved and and i’ll be going for stamping soon. This is my 1st time for any visa interview hence i’m worried if H1b via gets rejected at the interview level?
    Also i’m working in Accenture and my client i’m working for has been acquired by another company but integration program is going on and it will be continued for another 8 months. Does this Acquisition of my client hamper any chances of getting visa approved.

    Thanks in Advance.!!!

    Reply
    • well.. for starters , I am all for cancelling H1B work Visa for IT. There are plenty of white Americans that are thousand times better than those on H1b. Even a white dude with HS diploma with 10 years experience in IT , is better than Rajus and Murthys with multiple degrees from Anna malai type universities. Hell even those with grad degrees in usa.

      South Indians ( Tamils and Andhra Telugus ) have exploited and corrupted H1b program and tarnished image of all Indians in IT industry.
      Most are racist and stick to their own kinds (even talking in Tamil and Telugu at work). They rarely socially mix with other indians ( North indians, gujjus etc ). Again there are exceptions but Gulti kinds seem to be worst.

      A 25 year old Raju with 10 years IT experience reeks of fraud to begin with. Most use buzz words (10 years programming in sqlserver, oracle, unix, drupal, php, mysql) to confuse hiring managers. I bet none of them can even create a decent Word document or program a small access database.

      Look at all these naive questions being asked by H1b prospects. They could’ve done google search or searched this site to get answers for 99.99 percent of the questions. They keep repeating same questions again and again like lazy ignorant spoon fed H1b babies. Doesn’t sound like best and brightest are getting on H1b bandwagon.
      Mediocre at its best are applying for h1b.

      Stop this H1b nonsense!!

      Reply
      • Why don’t you become US president and Cancel H1B program.

        Ask
        Satya Nadella,Sunder Pichai, Indra Nooyi, Shantanu Narayen to go back to India.

        You targeting a section of people in India and labeled them as racist. What about you….. what should we call you ?

        Reply
    • H1b_Got,

      Your H-1 employer is reputed, so the chances of rejection may be on the lower side. Still nothing is guaranteed. I don’t think the acquisition would have an impact. If the consulate decides to contact client for verification, the client would oblige with the same.

      Reply
    • First of all congrats mate!!i must say ur lucky!!!.. I am also from same company, sits in DDC6. I have also H1B petition approval but since 1 year i am waiting for assignment in USA, Lets see when i will get that, May i ask you about your field and which project you are now.

      Reply
  19. Hi Team,

    I have one questions, My H1B petition has been expired ( which was approved for only 1 year ) and i believe if i will get any project, my employer has to fill cab exempt petition. Wanna know the time taken by USCIS to get Cab-exempt petition under regular as well as normal processing along with fee.

    Reply
    • H1B-ACC,

      It is cap-exempt and not cab-exempt. The processing time would be 4-6 months or longer. There is long delay at USCIS end for this.

      Reply
  20. Hi,
    This is Ujjval. I had applied for the H1-B visa this year on 1st April’16 and I am still waiting for the lottery result of my application. Kindly advice.

    Regards
    ARORA Ujjval

    Reply
    • Ujjval Arora,

      Your employer should have received the result by now. If the employer is claiming that they don’t know the result, then they should follow-up w/ USCIS ASAP.

      Is there a chance that your employer is taking you for a ride?

      Reply
  21. Hi Saurabh/Kumar

    My employer shared my petition number some time in 2nd week of May, unfortunately I see same status from that day onwards “Case Was Received” . Recently my employer shared Receipt as well. When can I except further update. In case if something wrong with my employer history or current situation, can I approach another employer to sponsor and take it further. My doubt is, is there any such scope or possibility. If so, how does that planB looks like.. What else I can do please suggest.

    Thanks,
    Khadri

    Reply
    • Khadri,

      There are several other petitions still pending just like you. So there is nothing wrong w/ your case and the delay is not unique to your case.

      Reply
      • Hi Saurabh,

        Thanks for the update, say in case if the employer (employer A)who filed my petition don’t want to continue it further and asking me to find another employer, other wise I will withdraw the petition, in that case can I approach employer B and ask him to take my petition forward.

        Also, can I ask employer B to process my petition to premium.

        Thanks,
        Ramesh.

        Reply
  22. Hi,

    I am in a bit of a situation so any feedback would be appreciated. I came to New Delhi, India for my H1B stamping. However, i was issued a 221(g) yellow slip. They have my passport along with the packet that was initially sent to USCIS. I’m guessing I’m stuck here till I dont hear back from the embassy? I had my return ticket booked to Chicago as well for Oct 3. What should be my next steps.

    Thank you

    Reply
  23. Hi ,

    I have a question regarding Drop Box/ Interview Waiver program. My case is as below–

    I came to US in May 2014 through Employer A on H1B visa. The Visa stamp was valid till Sep 2015. I changed to Employer B in Sep 2015 and got new I797 valid till SEP 2018.
    Now I am going to India and I need to stamp my Visa for employer B. Can I use the drop box/ interview waiver feature in India for visa stamping. ?

    Reply
    • Mayank,

      Not sure when visa is expired in Sep 2015. You can avail dropbox as long as that date is not more than 365 days in the past. Change of employers doesn’t make you ineligible.

      Reply
  24. @ Saurabh @ kumar @ admin
    Hey folks, have a question for you. searched in a lot of places but never found the answer.
    My H1b is approved with the date Oct 1st 2016 to Sep 30 2017. I am currently in Mexico, I got to come back for getting my stamping and then travel to US.

    What is the date before which i should travel ( some thing like 3 months before my expiry gets over, or 6 weeks or so?)

    And what is the safe date before which i should go for appoitment in-order to get my visa approved in the interview . I understand the soonest the better, but would there be a time – 3 months or 6 months before the expiry?

    Reply
    • Thanks Saurabh.
      My Visa stamping got expired 01 OCT 2015. I am filling my DS-160 Form now, but I am looking for appointment somewhere mid DEC 2016. Since I will be travelling to India in mid DEC 2016.

      Can the drop box feature/ Visa waiver be used without going to India? since still I have some days to complete 365 days since last Visa stamping .

      thanks
      Mayank

      Reply
    • Ramprasad A,

      You can appear for stamping anytime during the petition validity period. Make sure you have recently dated documents like employment letter, client/project letter etc when appearing for interview after a delay.

      As for entry to US – this can be also be done anytime during petition and visa stamp validity period. However, in such cases H-1 extension needs to be applied soon after you enter US. Some employers may prefer that you enter at least 1-2 months before expiration date so that they have enough time for paperwork. So work out w/ your employer and then plan the late entry.

      Reply
  25. Hi Saurabh,
    Im planning to attend my first H1B interview in Nov-2016 ( I have approved petition).
    How ever a 9 years ago i got rejected for F1 twice. will this have any impact on my current H1 B interview? If VO asks what was the reason for F1 rejection,what shall be my answer?. appreciate your valuable comments…

    Thanks
    Brajesh

    Reply
    • Brajesh,

      F-1 rejection will not have an impact unless it was due to submission of false information/documents. Remember to answer Yes to DS question where it asks about previous rejections. What was the reason for rejection?

      Reply
      • Hi Saurabh,
        reason was rejection was not told to me ,i was only told im not eligible for the visa at that time. im only worried about this as it might hamper my h1-b chances.
        thanks
        brajesh

        Reply
  26. My H1 visa (Masters/Regular Processing/California Center) was approved July 28. I currently work in Singapore and had informed my US employer that I would want to attend the visa (stamping) interview in Singapore, and hence they had prepared supporting documents accordingly. I attended the interview in Singapore on Aug 25th. My appt was at 10.15am, and since I got there a little early, I was asked to enter and start the passport, documents and fingerprint submission by 10.08am. I was done with the interview by 10.35 am.
    Process in Singapore is streamlined, and efficient. Both biometrics and visa interview are conducted on the same day, at the same location, just different counters.
    Singapore would be a good option for those that are unable to get interview apps in their home countries. I do think it is important to do a little homework about the city/company you will be working in. Also, have convincing answers about why you/your role is important to the project/company.
    I saw one of the Visa officers rejecting visas of those that did not seem to have clear/convincing answers. The guy who interviewed me seemed to be a little less intimidating. He just asked me some questions about my work location, where I went to school, and even asked me about a stalled recent Green card application (I was dreading this part), but after a very short interview, granted me my visa. I had asked for my stamped passport to be held at the courier office in Singapore. I was able to pick it up 1 Business day after my interview. Good Luck to everyone!

    Reply
    • H1B is actually “HyderabadiB*** ”

      I went to the park today and whole darn park was full of hyderabadis. Literally there were 1000 of those. Unbelievable! All I wanted was to run on grass and they literally took over the whole park. They were cooking hyberabadi biryani + curry + sambhar ..
      Smell of desi spices with Hing (asofoetidia?) was permeating the whole darn Nature’s park.
      Poor white americans kids were watching the spectacle from a distance. All they wanted was to play on swings which were occupied by hyderabadis 2.0.

      Seriously, God help America!!!

      Reply
  27. @Saurabh or Kumar

    I have one doubt, rather need a suggestion from you guys,

    1. If the husband goes to stamping alone and the next time, say couple of weeks later or a month later, when the wife goes for H4 stamping, should both of them be mandatorily present or just the wife would do ?

    2. also if go together the first time , will there be any specific questions for the wife .
    (In this case, Husband is the primary applicant, wife is looking for H4 )

    Reply
    • Sai,

      1. Just the wife is sufficient
      2. Wife may be asked what she does currently, what she plans to do in US, when they were married etc.

      Reply
      • Hi Saurabh,

        I have a follow up question on this. I am currently looking for H1B (self) plus H4 (for wife and kid).
        However dates are completely blocked till Jan 13th 2017.

        Employer is asking to split and go. I go first alone for h1B for self (hoping for a cancellation and earlier appointment).
        Thereafter even before I travel to US, he said, H4 can be applied for wife and kid.

        In the latter case, what all documents will need to be carried by wife and kid for their H4 interview?

        Reply
        • oldh1,

          How does splitting help with the interview date?

          If dependents appear for stamping later, they should carry copy of 797, proof of relationship (marriage, parenthood), employment offer letter, H-1 holder’s passport copy etc.

          Reply
  28. Hi,

    I got my H1B approved and was filling my DS – 160 form for me and my future wife, as we are planing to go for the interview together. What should be Martial status? (Single or Married) as we will be getting married in Oct. Please advice

    Reply
    • As per my understanding, You need to be officially married.

      You can do the court marriage and show that as a proof for Visa. Later you can actually marry her in October. Or go for Visa after October with Marriage certificate.

      Reply
  29. I am a British male white from the UK. I live with my girlfriend in Florida. I am a construction Manager in civil engineering in the field with over 23 years working all over the world. I am trying to get a sponsor or a visa HB2 . It is just not possible . I have tried with agency’s for work and no one is interested. I have no criminal record I will take a drugs test and I have good references and resume. Can anyone HELP me in any way please or suggest anything to get me a work permit for Florida please . Thank you to those of you that send me any information.

    Reply

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