Ï 221(g) Tracker, Analytics Reports for H1B, L1, F1, B1/B2 and Other Visas for 2016, FY 2017
221(g) Visa Stamping Case Details

NameAmrut Nagasunder
NationalityIndian
Visa TypeH1
Consulate / EmbassyChennai
Visa Interview DateJan 23rd, 2017
Visa Stamping StatusApproved
Slip ColorBlue
Consulate Final Decision DateMay 9th, 2017
Processing Time106 days
Passport Collection Status Passport Returned at Interview
List of Documents Requested by Visa Officer Tax Returns of company
Documents Submitted after Visa Interview Tax Returns of company
Documents Submitted Date : Jan 24th, 2017
Additional Info / Notes The website initially forced me to do dropbox at VFS, so I submitted my I-797 and passport to VFS along with the form. 6-7 business days later, I received the passport back with no stamp, but a blue 221g sheet. The slip had various items ticked, asking for several documents from my company. Some of those documents (such as tax returns of the company, wage reports, a list of employee salaries and immigration statuses etc.) were deemed confidential, so my company could not share it with me. But they offered to email it directly to the consulate (Chennai) to the email address stated on the 221g sheet (even though that line item was not check marked). The day after they sent the docs, I went for my interview. At the interview (on Jan 23), the consular officer asked for all the docs. I told him some of them had been emailed directly. He initially said "Oh no, they shouldn't have done that", but after I stated that some of them were of confidential nature, he said "Yeah, I understand", and took my passport and the few docs that I had with me (project description, payslips, offer letter, copy of petition). He then asked me a series of questions about my company and the nature of my job. He then asked me to wait, so I was seated inside the consulate, watching other interviews take place. 2 hours later, they called me into a separate counter (at the end of the counter windows), where one of the support staff (not a consular officer) asked me questions about my pay slips (she couldn't understand where the correct YTD payment amount was stated, so I clarified that). I then told her that the remaining items have been emailed directly to the consulate. I was then again made to wait for 1 more hour. After that, the consular officer (who had interviewed me earlier) called me back and informed me that one of the docs my company had sent over was password protected. Since it was against the consulate policy to open password-protected docs, he handed me another 221g blue sheet with just that one item tick marked, asking my company to resend it without the password-protection. My company sent it over the very next day (Jan 24). I did not hear back for several days. I wrote to the ustraveldocs support email and they asked me to wait for 60 days before contacting them for an update. On the 60-day mark, I asked them again, and 4 days later, they responded with another generic response, stating that my case was still undergoing Admin Processing, and that they cannot provide a time estimate. The 100-day mark came and went. I then asked my company to email the consulate for an update. 3 days later, I received an email from the consulate asking for my passport to be dropped at the nearest VFS. 5 business days after that I finally got my visa. It is hard to say why the delays have been this rampant off late. According to an unreliable source, embassies have apparently increased the extent of background checks, which may be causing all these delays. Regardless of your stellar academic background and great work experience, you are still susceptible to these delays and uncertainties, which makes life extremely frustrating. You wouldn't be wrong to think about giving up on this whole visa thing and just starting afresh in India.
Case Entry Created Date, Time Mar 13th, 2017 06:23:12
Case Last Updated Date, Time May 14th, 2017 20:15:58


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