H1B, H4 Visa

Hi All,

I am here to post some detail on what I went through.
For starters - I am not going to give details like 'Go 30 minutes early', 'Take a left and there is a good restaurant' etc..If you are reading this, you obviously are smart enough to understand how to reach the place and what to do..

I request few people to stop posting like 'H1B is guarantee. No questions. Just be confident' ..bla bla

Its easy for MNCs. But the process is whole lot different if you are going for a small company and especially for an internal project.

Just a few tips to follow

1) If you are going for a small company - PREPARE. Spend some quality time to prepare for all possible questions.

2) Going for a small company, the consulate would really really want to validate the case. They will want to make sure that you are not just going for a body shopping consultancy who just specialize in staffing but actually for some REAL WORK

3) The most important question would be 'Are you going for a project at client location or is it an internal project'. If it is an internal project, you ABSOLUTELY have to be ready with some extensive documentation. Its always good to be safe than sorry. Have a detailed project description document which clearly outlines the timelines, team size and your roles and responsibilities. Have the tax statements handy which will allow the interviewer to validate the credibility of your organization. Have a complete understanding of what your organization does. If its a project at client location, its absolutely mandatory to have a client letter.

4) Try to be confident and do not give long answers. At the same time,short answers are dangerous as well. Try to be concise and to the point. Again, preparation helps.

5) They do ask you 'How did you get this job'. Have a valid answer and prepare to back it up with facts. Again, do not make up anything. Be honest and everything will be smooth

6) Do not panic if you get a 221(g). It really is a torturous wait but nothing in your hands. Ensure that a proper reply is given and hope for the best. Having said that, if your documentation is perfect and you answer good, there would be no 221(g)

I recieved a 221(g) during my H1b interview. I did not have a project description dcoument. I was asked if I had one. I just said 'At this moment, no. I am sorry'. I was asked to submit the document. I thanked for the time and went ahead and informed the employer. Response was submitted and I was just waiting. There was never any update on the ceac tracker. Only after my employer filed a question with consulate, did I get a response saying 'Please submit passport for stamping' .. So if you do not see any update after 60 days, make sure you have your employer submit a request on status, stating the urgency of you reaching USA asap.

* Do not panic if you see multiple status changes on CEAC tracker. Everything that happens after taking your passport till you get in hand will be called 'administrative processing'. So just wait till you get your passport. You will get it eventually.

As I mentioned earlier. PREPARE.

Also, a request for all of you. Please do not clog the lines at the consulate. There will always be two lines for the slots that are 30 min apart. For ex: you will see 8:30am line and a 9am line..But absolutely everyone stands in these lines. You will see 11am and 2pm ppl standing in the same lines. Its total chaos. Do your bit by asking them to move. Go to the front and ask the security guy to clear it. He will do it. And for OFC, I do not see a reason to stand in lines. I would suggest, just go at the time of your appointment. If you are late, they will ask you to get in. Having said that, do not go 1 or 2 hours late. Also, dont just stand in lines for 1 hour or more...These lines could be managed better but unfortunately there is always too much crowd and there is only little that the security guys can do.

Good Luck to all of you. I would be glad to answer anymore questions you might have..

Thanks