Home » Visas » USA » US Visa Stamping Experiences – H1B, H4, B1, B2, L1, L2, F1 » H1B, H4 Experiences : Regular, Dropbox from June 24th to 27th, 2021

H1B, H4 Experiences : Regular, Dropbox from June 24th to 27th, 2021

Below are User experiences for June 2021, starting from June 24th to 27th, 2021 for H1B Visa and H4 Visa for both regular visa stamping and Dropbox. You can check US Visa Stamping Experiences for the entire collection


Experience 1 : H1B Visa – Delhi – June 24, NIE

Fresh H1B visa Approved
Location : Delhi
Date : 24th June
RTPCR check at Delhi airport : No
My appointment time :10:30, but went at 9 and finished all by 9:30. Its very less crowd.

VO: general greetings
Me: conveyed greetings too
VO: which company your working and which location u will be going
Me: answered
VO: do you need NIE and what is your travel date
Me: I said yes and my planned date is July27 and I handed over a letter from my employer too
VO: read NIE and asked few details about clients i will be supporting.
Me: answered with the information I have. my opinion : basically VO is evaluating NIE justification.
VO: do you have client letter.
Me: I Said don’t have client letter and mine is an internal project and Explained some more details for the type of clients I will be working.
VO: what is your salary
Me: answered
VO: I am approving your visa you can collect your passport from the location u have chosen.


Experience 2 : NIE H1B – New Delhi Experience 221g

Hey guys – got my visa approved with NIE – New Delhi Embassy.

Here is my timeline:
Biometric: Apr 16
In-person interview: Apr 19
Got admin processing and was asked submit research papers, invitation letter etc which was not relevant to my case as I am on h1b and applied for second time stamping. Sent on Apr 24; status was refused
Email received to submit passport: June 17
Passport submitted: June 18
Approval email from NIE address: June 21; status to AP
Status change to Issued: June 22
Passport received with NIE annotation: June 25

Here are my observations:

  • appx 2 months timeframe for 221g response, many cases are examples here
  • Regular follow-up emails sent to nivnd, couple to admin processing, few to NIE with brief on my case
  • Letter from employer on proof of qualification for NIE and expedited processing

Experience 3 : H1B Dropbox EA – Bangalore VAC

Hi All,

Today I had my EA at Bangalore VAC. I got appointment because of USC and some health reasons, previous appointment cancellation(april), vaccination, schooling etc.

It was a walk-in appointment any day during working hours.

Documents submitted:

  1. DS160 confirmation(all the applicants)
  2. EA approval email
  3. Passport (old also if it has previous visa)
  4. Cover letter stating why you are exempted ( supported by USC birth certificate and passport copy)
  5. I797 copy + original
  6. They asked me previous i797 also
  7. Employment letter. I just submitted the copy which was supplied during extension.

All done in 10 to 15 mins..

Now waiting for the result. Waited 16 months for this 15mins…


Experience 4 : H1B + H4 – Not issued as No NIE, 221g Given

H1B+H4
First time
Regular
Mumbai consulate
Interview date: 25th June
Status: Issued 221(g)

VO:

  1. Pass me your passports and I797…Passed
  2. Do you have an employment letter? Passed
  3. Your Designation? Answered
  4. Offshore and Onshore Salary? Answered
  5. How long have you been working with your current org? Answered
  6. Have you ever travelled to US? Answered
  7. What does your org do? Answered
  8. Who is your client? Answered (Dint ask for client letter)
  9. Team size? How many employees report directly to you? Answered
  10. Did your employer inform you about NIE? Answered Yes
  11. Do you have NIE letter? Passed the letter to VO

He went through the entire NIE letter and typed something and passed me the Know your rights pamphlet

VO:

  1. When did you get married? Answered
  2. Do you have your marriage certificate? Passed

Went inside for 2 3 mins
Came back and took right hand biometrics of both of us.

VO: You qualify for H1B and it’s approved but you do not fall under NIE, hence you cannot travel right now. Once the travel ban is lifted we will contact you.
Returned our passports and gave me a 221(g) slip which has “No NIE” written on it.

I am working in IT telecom sector
Assuming my client is a major telecom provider
He dint ask me a single question on my role.

There were 2 H1Bs before me for them he took 20 mins interview and asked them every detail about their project and what they do and still gave them 221(g)
My interview time was 9:30am and I could hardly see any H1B coming out without their passport.
And they were approving almost all F1s.

All the best to all who are going for the interview.
Make sure you have a strong NIE justification.


Experience 5 : Emergency Business Travel EA – H1B, NIE

Category: Emergency appointment (Basis: Urgent business travel).

Sector: Biotech and Pharma.

Role: Scientist; lab-based work directly related to development of disease therapeutics.

My original appointment was scheduled for February 2022, which was the first and only option after trying every day, for several weeks. After several days, I submitted an EA request and it was approved within 7 hours. You can add up to 5 supporting documents (your choice) to the EA request, backing the urgent need and specific to the category of EA. It’s important to write a one paragraph summary of why you are requesting EA because they are unlikely to read all the documents.

Note:

  1. You first need to be able to schedule a regular appointment to request an EA (it’s crazy because getting regular appointments are so hard now).
  2. If approved, they will give a 3-6 days window within which you need to finish scheduling your EA. The actual dates you select may be after this period, but you’ll have access to the EA slots on the scheduler only during this time.
  3. When EA is approved, you can change the VAC location from your original appointment but not the consular interview location, while scheduling an EA slot.

VAC: Kolkata, June 22nd
Well managed and regulated; they are letting only about 3-4 people inside at the same time. It was very fast (~10-15 mins). I was allowed inside before my appointment time as there was no line. Pleasant surprise was that they are actually allowing mobile phones (switched off) and folding umbrellas inside now. No smartwatches or other electronic devices though.

Consular Interview: New Delhi, June 24th
They are also allowing people inside before the actual appointment time if there isn’t already a long line. Once inside it was again very well organized. Total time spent inside the embassy was about 40 minutes. No electronics of any kind are allowed; only documents. Both at the verification counter and during actual interview, just the passport and original I-797 was asked for.

Questions asked by VO were:
Class of visa, employer name and nature of company, specific job responsibilities (he followed up with some related questions), how long I have worked at this company, my educational qualifications, salary, if I’m fully vaccinated, whether I have any dependents travelling with me, where my spouse is based and what is their visa status.

Then VO said that he has approved the visa and NIE for the current Presidential Proclamation. The final question he asked was my approximate travel date because he gave the NIE validity (1 month) accordingly.

Note:

  1. I was carrying an employer support cum NIE letter but he didn’t take it as he said he’s already decided that based on my role.
  2. Mention the intended travel date carefully especially if it’s an EA. It needs to be realistic but also close enough to indicate urgency. I said July 1st week and was asked for a specific date.
  3. My DS-160 was submitted for Kolkata so I was anticipating there may be a technical problem at Delhi with retrieving my application. Thanks to advice from several in this group, I also filled a new DS-160 and carried it with me, but thankfully it wasn’t required in my case. I’m not sure how many faced this problem yesterday but I think it’s great advice to be prepared for this possibility beforehand.

Experience 6 : H1B Dropbox – EA – US Citizen Kid

I had an appointment for May and it was cancelled by consulate for COVID.

June 2 – Emailed Chennai consulate for EA. Dropbox appointment with usc kid and medical reasons.
June 7 – EA Approved as any day anytime appointment for Dropbox.
June 8 – Travelled USA To India.
June 10 – Went to VAC directly from airport
June 14 – Application moved to Application received.
June 23 – Application moved to Administrative processing.
June 24 – Application moved to Issued.
June 25 – Received my passport.


Experience 7 : H1B Regular Stamping – NIE, Mumbai

First time H1-B Regular Visa Stamping experience. Approved with NIE

June 10 – Booked Regular Visa appointment for 23rd, Mumbai (Biometrics – 22nd, VAC Mumbai)
June 18 – Flight from EWR to BOM
June 22 – Biometrics.
June 23 – Visa Interview (20min Interview, 45 min wait) — Approved
Greetings…
VO: So what do you do for XXX?
Me: Answered.
VO:Tell me more about your role and responsibilities?
Me: Answered.
VO: What are the technologies you work with?
Me: Answered.
VO: Do you manage a team?
Me: Answered.
VO: Do you have Master’s in USA?
Me: Answered.
VO: When did you start working for this company?
Me: Answered.
** I had NIE request letter and Employee Verification Letter next to me on the counter ***
VO: Asked to pass him the Documents. (He literally ready the whole NIE document and compared with a reference document he had)
VO: So what are the compliance requirements for you to be in the US.
Me: Answered
VO: Did you travel anywhere in the past 14 days?
Me: No I just flew from US to BOM last weekend, and I’d like to return after a short vacation.
VO: Types for a minute, and then golden words; You’re qualified for H1-B and we’d like to consider you for NIE. (My boss has to approve your NIE, you’ll hear from us within 5 days)
Me: Thanks officer, have a good one.
VO: You too.
June 23 – Application is in Refused Status.
June 24 – Application moved to Administrative processing.
June 25 – Application moved to Issued.


Experience 8 : H1B Stamping Delhi – NIE Approved

Visa Experience : First time H1B stamping. Regular slot.

Location: New Delhi

  • Background: I work for a storage company as Firmware Engineer. Hired directly by the employer.
  • Handed over passport, i797
  • Questions:
    1) who is your petitioner ?
  • 2) what does your company do ?
  • 3) what’s your salary ?
  • 4) Is there any end client ?
  • 5) Do you have any US citizen in the family ?
  • 6) which critical infrastructure sector ?
  • 7) When did you come to India ?
  • Then VO said I’m approving your Visa with NIE from June 30th to July 30.
  • I said thank you and left.
  • I had employer letter for NIE but VO didn’t ask for it ( not even my role ).

After 3 hours, I got NIE email from Delhi – NIE.


Experience 9 : H1B + H4 New Delhi – Regular with NIE

  • Location: New Delhi
  • Handed over passport, i797
  • Questions:
  • who is your petitioner ?
  • what does your company do ?
  • what’s your salary ?
  • Is there any end client ? Yes, client Letter
  • Project details and role?
  • Then VO said I’m approving your Visa with NIE from June 28th to July 28
  • I had employer letter for NIE but VO didn’t ask for it.
  • After 1 hours, I got NIE email from DelhiNIE.

Experience 10 : H1B 221g – Hyderabad

  • Have received 221g from Hyderabad citing travel ban ( No US kids)
  • Got my passports back with the 221g, mailed HYDCEA@state.gov multiple times with the NIE proofs. Generic response always
  • Filled out new DS 160, paid fees again and applied for an EA at Delhi
  • Received EA approval June 17
  • in person interview completed on june 21. Not too many questions asked, just job responsibilities and salary
  • VO said – VISA APPROVED, and asked me when I want to travel, I said early July. He said I will get NIE approval email today and I can travel back.
  • June 21 – status changed to admin processing
  • June 22 – Received nie approval email
  • June 23 – status changed to ISSUED
  • June 25 – passports arrived in Hyderabad VFS and collected
  • Passports stamped with NIE language
  • mailed traveldocs to withdraw my application.

Experience 11 : F1 to H1B + 221g with NIE

Location : Mumbai
Date : 22/06/21
Regular appointment booked on 10 June
Biometrics on 16/06/21 – Mumbai. (completed in <10 mins)
Documents:
Passport, Ds-160, appointment confirmation, I-797

Interview on 22/06/2021 – Mumbai –
Questions asked:
1) What do I do at my organization ?
2) Describe your role and responsibilities in further detail.
3) What is your salary?
4) You previously had F1 ?
5) How many members in your team?
6) Highest level of education?
7) Asked for right hand’s biometrics
8.) Officer mentioned that they will recommend my application to nie and gave me 221g slip – admin processing – stating ‘PP 10199’ and took my passport.

9) In the end, I asked if I need to submit any additional supporting letter (eg. EVL, NIE request from manager etc. ) – VO denied.

Checked the status on 22 June – “refused”
25 June- received passport with stamp + NIE annotation

Documents asked :

Passport
I-797
It is recommended to take necessary supporting documents.
PS: I never proactively emailed the consulate for NIE request –
Thank you to everyone in the group for helping


Experience 12 : H4 Visa Dropbox – 221g , Chennai

Visa approved for my wife(H4)
Feb 24: dropbox
March 1: Refused ( 221g) asked to email i797
Multiple followup but no updates
June 15th:created a ticket with usa travel docs and asked for an update n also mentioned that my son is a US citizen and are in India from 4 months, but got a generic response
June 21:got a call informing emergency appointment is approved asked to come to Chennai
June 25: visa was approved with just few basic questions and they did Check my i797 and my son’s US passport


Experience 13 : Chennai H1B Stamping 221g Approved

My H1b First time stamping experience, Location: Chennai

April 12 – Visa appointment…gave 221g white slip and took client letter
April 16 – Returned passport with the same white 221g slip
April 21 – sent an email to Chennai HL email regarding 221g case status and they replied back to submit passport
May 13th – they returned passport with no stamping since I sent follow up email to expedite my 221g case 2-3 days during travel ban time period
June 10th- received an email to submit passport from Chennai HL email
June 11th – Submitted passport in Hyd VAC
June 21st – Status changed to Administrative Processing from refused
June 24th – Status changed to issued
June 25th – Received an email to collect passport….Visa stamped with NIE annotation (I didn’t apply for NIE and don’t have US kid)


Experience 14: H1B Approved with 221g at Mumbai

  • I am a dentist, below is my experience
  • 18th June VAC @ Delhi: pretty quick.. was done in like 15mins.
  • 22nd June consulate interview @mumbai questions asked by VO:
  • VO: good morning…
  • VO: Passport and I797
  • Handed my employee rights to review and kept typing.
  • Job: dentist
  • Annual salary: told, he wanted a ball park figure and not an exact amount when I gave him an exact number
  • Is this renewal: yes
  • How long have you worked with this company: told
  • Married: told
  • What does your wife do:told
  • Is she in usa : yes
  • VO mentioned he is keeping my passport, and Handed me 221g ticking administrative processing.
  • I asked him how long will this process takes. VO Told me 1-2 days to clear for admin processing and 4-5 days for visa stamping.

Upon checking the status online:

  • 22nd June: refused
  • 23rd June: admin processing
  • 24th June: issued
  • 25th June: passport picked up with NIE stamp.

On a personal note: I feel we all are anxious and nervous due to the lockdown, long wait for the interview, along with the family separation but try to stay calm and be be confident.. Cz that’s what the interviewer is trying to gauge!


Experience 15: H1B with NIE, 221g (DUI) at Chennai

H1B visa -approved with NIE at Chennai

My interview was on april 7th -first time h1b stamping
Submitted docs (DUI related) on april 13th.

Followed up many times for an update but didn’t receive anything substantial.

Applied for NIE under critical manufacturing sector on june 7th but instead i got a reply from the consular information unit that my application is pending 221g processing.

Asked ohio senator for help with my case.

  • June17th i saw that cgi and passport tracking website says that passport( submission letter) is being processed to be delivered.
  • June 18th got a letter from the consulate to submit passport for final processing. submitted passport the same day as well.
  • June24th- ceac status changed to AP
  • June 25th- ceac status changed to Issued
  • June 26th- passport received in hand with NIE annotation and Physical NIE letter.

Experience 16 : H4 Visa Stamping EA – US Citizen Kid, Chennai

May 10: booked regular appointment for Nov.
June 17: Applied for EA with US born kid and family separation.(attached kid passport, birth certificate and Husband I797 copy)
June18: Received EA approval.

After trying for 3 days with error” your group size is larger than current allocation “ ( this error pops up when there are no slots available) finally got an appointment for june25 with biometric at 8:30am and interview at 9:30am

June25: 8:30am – Biometric
Reached the venue at 7:50am and requested the security personnel so they let me first and done with biometric and out by 8:10.

9:30am – Interview
Reached the venue at 9am and was out by 10am.
Questions by Officer:

  • Is your husband in US?
  • what’s your Qualification?
  • Do you have a kid?
  • Is the kid American Citizen?
  • OK your visa is approved.( not even a single document was asked)

Experience 17: H1B Visa with NIE at Chennai

H1B visa experience – approved (Chennai)

  • Interview – April 13 (asked for CV, returned white slip with case number and kept my passport)
  • Received email from Chennaiadmin@state.gov to submit CV, travel itinerary, research, sponsoring letter
  • April 15 – submitted all the requested documents via email
  • Contacted consulate multiple times with no help
  • June 15 – status changed from refused to administrative processing
  • June 23 – issued
  • June 26 – received passport with NIE

Experience 18: H1B Visa with NIE, 221g at Delhi

First time stamping with NIE. Here is my timeline:

  • 1 st apr landed in india
  • 15 th apr biometric
  • 16th interview and received 221g and i was asked to submit document over the email
  • 17th apr submitted my docs (Client letter , employer letter , i129, lca, i797) over the mail
  • 25th apr employer verification
  • 16th may client verification
  • 14th jun status changed to Admin processing and i was asked to submit passport
  • And yesterday collected passport

Experience 19: Marriage + H1B Stamping and H4 with NIE at Delhi

  • My fiance visited from Kansas City, Missouri to Visakhapatnam on june 13th (RT-PCR + Self declaration).
  • Marriage on 20th.
    H1b ( Slots in delhi) – regular appointment.
    OFC – June 18
    Consular – June 22.
  • He works for healthcare firm as IT professional under it. Is eligible under healthcare critical infrastructure.
  • Got his visa approved with NIE.
    Passport delivery in 5 business days. Delivery at visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
  • NIE approved from July 15- Aug 15.
  • Applied for marriage certificate on 21st.
  • H4 (24, 25 june) – regular appointment, Delhi.
  • OFC on 24th June.
  • Consular –
    • You are applying for h4 which is a dependent visa: Yes sir.
    • When are you married?
    • Is it love or arranged?
    • Give your spouse’s i 797, your passport .
    • Is your spouse in india presently?
    • Is he given NIE?
    • I got a print out of NIE confirmation mail that my spouse received. I gave that. It worked.
    • When are you planning to travel?
    • Will you wish to get similar NIE dates as your spouse?
    • Your visa is approved, you’ll receive Nie confirmation through mail soon.

Experience 20: H1B Visa with NIE at Delhi

First time H1 stamping and travel from DEL to SFO experience

Hello all just wanted to share the overall experience of getting my first H1 stamping along with NIE and the travel experience

  • I attended my VAC(June 2nd week) in Mumbai and consular interview(regular appointment – a week after) was in Delhi.
  • In my consular interview I was asked the below question
    • When did I travel to India ( before the travel ban I guess they might ask for a compelling reason if it was after)
    • What is my salary
    • What is my role in the company (developer)
    • When was I panning to return to US (within a week)
  • The VO took into account when I wanted to travel back and granted the NIE for that period. The whole interview only lasted for 2 mins, they didn’t ask for any document other than my passport and 797, and I didn’t request for a NIE explicitly.
  • After the interview next day my case was showing as admin processing and changed to issued the same evening. I also got a confirmation email with the exact NIE validity period on the same day. I was able to collect my passport the next day.
  • I travelled in United Airlines from Delhi to SFO, the experience was much better than Air India and tickets were also cheaper. The flight was only 30% full which was relief during this pandemic.
  • Check-in process in airport was very smooth since I was able to upload RT-PCR and passport details ahead of time and United verified them within a day. Fortunately there was no unforseen delay due to NIE verification, as it was pointed out in multiple other experience I read.
  • There was no other verification steps anywhere else once the boarding pass was issued.
  • Flight reached SFO at 5:30 am PST, had to wait in the flight for 30 mins since SFO customs does not open till 6, something to keep in mind for future travel.
  • It took 40 mins to reach the customs counter since there was a lot of crowd from already waiting flights.
  • The interview itself was very straightforward, they only asked for passport and 797. I was worried this would take a lot of time since I read multiple experiences where there was a secondary screening. Fortunately this was not the case and was cleared immediately.

It was an intense experience from getting the interview dates to travelling during the pandemic. Hope this helps in someway. I wish everyone luck with the whole process.


Experience 21: H1B and H4 Regular at Mumbai

First Time H1B Regular Appointment with No EA , No NIE letter, No US Kid
Biometric on 17th June 2021 at Mumbai VAC
Locker Facility Available: 200/-
Asked for DS-160 confirmation for both (H1B & H4B), Appointment Confirmation, Passport
Completed Bio metrics in 30 Minutes
Visa interview Appointment on 18th June in Mumbai Consulate
Inside Consulate:
Security Check : No electronics allowed , Temparature Check and Security Check
There was one check at main gate to see passport and appointment time, there was no rush but have to wait for 30 mins in waiting area.
Locker Facility Available only allowing to Keep Mobile Phones. Strictly not allowing Bags in Locker. I have my backpack but they didn’t allowed me so need to find someone to take care outside consulate (suggesting not to go with any bag during Interview) after some struggle found one auto guy kept my bag with charge of 500/-.Only document Portfolio allowed to take Inside Consulate
Note: if your DS 160 is submitted for other locations which you came from Interview before interview and update the same under your profile. else they will send u back before interview to submit a new DS 160 for location where you come for Interview.
Interview Questions:
• Visa Officer: Good Morning, please share your passport and I-797
• Me : I shared both passport mine and as well for my spouse
• Visa Officer: Who is main applicant?
• Me: I replied me
• Visa Officer: Who is your end client?
• Me: Replied
• Visa Officer: What is your current roles and responsibilities?
• Me: Replied as per Client Letter
• Visa Officer: What you work to develop can you explain in detail & End product which you working?
• Me: Explain him about my project details along with end product. Seems like VO aware about the End product so looking to his expressions he seems to be convinced with explanation.
• Visa Officer: What is your Highest Qualification?
• Me : Replied
Question to My spouse for H4B
• Visa Officer: How many years you have been married?
• Replied: As per document
• Visa Officer: Can you show me your Marriage Certificate?
• Replied: Shared Original copy of Marriage Certificate

• Visa Officer: Going through Marriage certificate & asked my wife where are you from?
• Replied: As per document
• Visa Officer : Started typing and asked to scan fingerprints for both of us and said I am approving your Visa & Took our Passport
• Visa Officer: Handed over me booklet of “Are you coming to the United States Temporarily To Work or Study?”
• Me : When we can expect Passport with Stamping?
• Visa Officer : 3 to 5 Business Days
• Me : Thanks , Have a Nice Day
Visa Status time line:
18th to 21nd June — Refused
22nd to 24th June — Change to Administrative Processing
25th June — Change to Issued
26th June — Received Passport with NIE Annotation (Premium Delivery).

Conclusion : We don’t have any EA , NIE letter, No US Kid , Regular Appointment First time H1B. Its just you need to explain to VO why you critical & should be consider under NIE.

   

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