H1B, H4 Visa

This time around, we decided to get the visa stamping done from Tijuana, Mexico, instead of home country. Tijuana is in the same time-zone as San Francisco (PST), and one can walk across the border to Tijuana from San Diego, which makes it convenient location for visa stamping. Our stamping was done without a hitch, in three days. Figured our experience may help others, so here it is.
 
Before that, a few caveats:
1. A valid visa only guarantees access to a port of entry to plead your case. It does not guarantee continued residence in the US, nor an entry into the US, nor work. It is up to the CBP officer to allow or deny you an entry into the US. Thus, you can have an expired visa stamp and still continue to reside within the US, if you are already in the country. Your stay in the US is decided by the date on your I-94. In a nutshell, visa determines if you can access the port-of-entry, while I-94 determines how long you stay in US after you have been granted access.
a. Thus, it is always better to renew (re-stamp) visa before the previous visa expires - in case things go south, you can potentially enter the US again (instead of saying back in Mexico or flying to your home country).
2. Just because this process worked for us, does not mean it will work for everyone. Keep this in mind.
3. Before going down the path, always confirm with the Consulate of that country the eligibility for stamping – some won’t do it if its first stamp (say, first time H1B, or L1 to H1B transfer), some won’t do it for renewals, etc. This information is readily available on the website for that Consulate. For e.g., here it is for Mexico: https://mx.usembassy.gov/visas/petition-based-employment/
4. Do not override your attorney’s advice about the country of stamping location. They know better than us. :-)
 
Here is our experience:
1. Completed DS-160 online, and selected Tijuana, Mexico. Remember to download the .dat file towards the end, as you can use this in future. At the least, please print the entire application as pdf, this option is available after you sign and submit DS-160.
2. Using DS-160 confirmation, booked appointment for Mexico via http://mexico.usvisa-info.com/ (this link is available from the above mx.usembassy.gov site).
a. As of this writing, the visa fee needs to be deposited in cash in a bank in Mexico. For family, book a single appointment by adding all members’.
b. Typically try and get back-to-back days, to optimize stay in Mexico. We got June 04 for biometrics, and June 05 for visa interview.
c. Opt for passport pick-up at the ASC (there were two options).
3. Book a stay in Tijuana, Mexico – we stayed in Hyatt Place, Tijuana (which is at a 5 min walking distance from the biometrics ASC center).
4. Our appointment for biometrics was at 12.30pm, so we reached San Diego airport at 9am same day. Typically 3 to 4 hours between airport and appointment should be sufficient, though adjust as per your risk tolerance. :-)
5. Uber to PedWest crossing (499 Virginia Ave, San Diego, CA 92173) – this is a new border crossing for pedestrians, that is to the west, and has low traffic as of now.
6. Cross over to Mexico, stop in between to complete Mexico immigration form, talk with the officer who enquires why you want to be in Mexico, how long, etc. She issued us a departure card with permission to stay for 7 days.
7. Exiting other side, you’ll find taxis (white color ones, Libre taxis, are better than yellow cabs). Typically, it should be ~\\\$5 to \\\$15 US – negotiate the amount before hopping in. Alternately, if your phone works, you can call an Uber, which is relatively cheaper than a taxi (say, about half the cost of a taxi fare).
8. Check-in to the hotel (request an early check-in), and then walk over to the ASC for the 12.30pm appointment.
9. Friendly staff at the ASC, we were in-and-out in about 20 minutes.
10. Next day Uber to the Consulate for the 7.30am appointment. Takes about 15 minutes from the hotel to the Consulate.
11. Visa officer took our paperwork, and asked us to wait. Called us back in about 20 minutes, and asked standard questions about job, tenure, salary, etc. (we had two separate H1B stamps). She then said we can pick up passports next day 3pm onwards at the Consulate. However, I told her that our pickup is ASC, and she indicated she’ll make sure it is made available at the consulate for pickup (note: the only option in the website is ASC, which I believe implies the Consulate).
a. Note: Visa officer kept our I-797 copies with the passport, which were returned to us next day with the passport.
12. Went back at 2.30pm next day, and got a token. Queued up at 3.00pm based on the token sequence, and got the stamped passports in 15 minutes.
13. Uber to the border crossing (PedWest on Mexico side is called “Puerto Fronterizo El Chaparral”, that standard maps can find).
14. On the US side, the CBP officer asked us a few questions, looked at our documents, and then had us follow him to the I-94 stamping section, where another CBP officer looked at all our documents. Pay \\\$6 per I-94 stamp (paper copy stapled to your passport), and back in the US. Took us about 30 minutes here.
 
Tips
1. No need for currency exchange from USD to Pesos, since Tijuana accepts USD everywhere (being a border town).
2. Download BWT app for border crossing wait times. This is the official CBP Border Wait Times app, available for both iPhone and Android.