H1B, H4 Visa

I want to share my experience, although when I read most of the experiences I was a bit skeptical about the outcome.

I had my first H1B stamping done in 2010 which was also Dropbox and I have had another in 2013 and in 2016. My I-140 was approved a few years ago. I am with the same employer however the location changed.

This year as usual I was eligible for Dropbox, I submitted my documents on 11/20 and on 11/21 the status changed to “Administrative Processing”. It clearly states that this is essential Administrative Processing and the process can take several weeks. If your visa is issued it would be mailed in 2 business days. Also below it does state that it can take up to 60 days.

I didn’t get any 221g letter nor did I receive any email, this got me quite tensed. As there was no response from the customer support, they just told me that I will have to give it time and wait as it can take about 8-10 days.

This is concerning as I believe most of us who come to India and who are already working in US come for 2-3 weeks. They told me that I should not have booked a ticket!! I explained that I work in USA and I am not going to US for the first time.

I had to contact my HR in USA and they told me that I need not worry as they have heard about delays during Thanksgiving and Christmas and there is shortage of staff at the American embassy, they said that’s it’s an expensive inconvenience. They said I can be potentially delayed for 3-4 weeks but I will get the visa. And if need be I can work in our Mumbai office if I get an approval from my supervisor.

It was a nightmare for me to deal with this for the last 10 days. Anyway, on 11/29 the status changed to “Issued” and I had opted for the premium delivery service. And the passport was mailed to me today 11/30.

I want to wish everyone best of luck and not get flustered with all the negative experiences as each case is different. Although my case was starlight forward I had heard that there is no guarantee!