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Successful first time H-1B after 221g white in Hyderabad, India

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  • Successful first time H-1B after 221g white in Hyderabad, India

    After four weeks of mental torture, I have finally received an update that says my H-1B visa is issued. I am posting this for the benefit of similar victims.

    Qualifications: MS and PhD degrees in Chemical Engineering from USA and B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from India. I work for a big chemicals company in the USA.
    Date of OFC interview: March 3rd, 2013
    Date of consulate interview: March 4th, 2013
    Place of interview: Hyderabad, India

    VO said everything looks good on my visa application but my case needs administrative processing. She said I should be expecting an email shortly from the consulate about what they need from me. I had all the documents (anything they could ask) with me at the time of interview but she did not ask for any of them. She retained my passport and I-797 but upon asking she gave my I-797 back and kept my passport with her. She gave a white 221g slip that had only one box checked that said:

    You will receive further instructions at the e-mail address you provided in your application. If you did not provide an email address, or if you do not hear from us within five business days, you should e-mail us at [email protected]. You can track the status of your case by going to *** and entering your case number.

    Received an email on March 4th evening asking to submit Resume, Research articles, proposed research, Transcripts, etc. via email to [email protected]

    Contacted my company lawyer same day and they said it looks like a standard Security Advisory Opinion, prompted by the nature of my work and there is nothing that can be done to avoid it. They also said it typically takes about 2 weeks to resolve.

    Emailed all the documents on March 4th night itself.

    Kept emailing once a week to [email protected] asking them about the status of my visa application. Every time I got the standard reply:

    Thank you for writing to the U.S. Visa Service Desk.
    We understand that you would like to know the status of your pending case.
    With regards to your query, we would like to inform you that your passport is still under process at the Embassy/Consulate.
    Applicants are informed most administrative processing is resolved within 60 days of your visa interview. When additional administrative processing is required, the length of processing time will vary based on the circumstances of each case.
    We would also like to inform you that the visa processing is on the sole discretion of the Embassy/Consulate.
    We would request you to kindly go through the given link:- *** in order to check the case status of the visa application.
    We hope this answers your queries.
    Have a pleasant day!
    Yours sincerely,
    U.S. Visa Service Desk


    I have emailed them asking whether they have received the documents that I have submitted and got this:

    We have received the documents submitted by you. Your application is pending under Section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) for mandatory administrative processing. There is no definite time frame for this processing as it depends on the individual circumstances of each case. The Department of State is continuously working to improve processing and expedite visas, and we appreciate your patience. Please be assured that we will contact you as soon as his processing is complete. You can also check the status of your visa online at ***.

    Kept checking ceac website with my application ID (CEAC number) and it always showed that my application was refused. After that there was no update for about 3 weeks since my interview.

    After 3 weeks the "Status Updated Date" on the CEAC website changed from March 4th to March 14th and the status was still refused. I got worried whether they even started processing my application because from what I have gathered the status should read "Administrative Processing". Meanwhile, I got more frustrated because of the two holidays during the fourth week (Holi on March 27th and Good Friday on March 29th). My wife and kids are stuck in the USA. My kids are US citizens but my wife got H-4 stamped last year as my dependent. She did not have any problems.

    Finally, after exactly 4 weeks of my interview, on April 1st evening, the status on CEAC website changed to "Administrative Processing".
    The next day evening (on April 2nd, 2013) it changed to "Issued".

    Your visa is in final processing. If you have not received it in more than 10 working days, please see the webpage for contact information of the embassy or consulate where you submitted your application.


    I expect to receive my passport and return to the US next week. For those in similar situation all I can say is: Be positive. If your case is genuine, I am sure you will receive your visa soon. I know it's easier said than done but unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to expedite this process. Good luck.
    Last edited by Dingu Takum; 04-02-2013, 09:20 PM. Reason: More info

  • #2
    Congratulations
    This is my opinion. Not a legal advice

    Comment


    • #3
      email

      Hi!

      Thank you or explaining your case in detail. Did you get an email from them after submitting your documents via email?
      I submitted my answers/email to [email protected] and I got the following response. Please let me know if it is similar to the one you got


      ..>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>
      Thank you. Your questionnaire has been received by the U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad at our mailbox, [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL COMPLETELY.



      Introducing a new visa processing system!

      We cannot predict how long the administrative processing will take as it varies based on the individual circumstances of each case. The process cannot be expedited or exempted. You can check the status of your case by visiting our website at **** and typing in your case number. This information is updated regularly.

      Please note that this is an automated response. If you sent anything other than the questionnaire, you will NOT get a further response. You can send an email to : [email protected]<mailt...traveldocs.com> for all visa-related questions.

      If your application has been refused under section 221(g) of the INA and you are requested to submit additional documents or your passport please log in to www.ustraveldocs.com/in<http://www.ustraveldocs.com/in> download the 221(g) courier submission letter and submit it with the required documents either at one of the 5 OFC or 6 VFS office. To locate the 5 OFC and 6 VFS office closest to you, please check www.ustraveldocs.com/in<http://www.ustraveldocs.com/in>. There will be no fee charged for this service. No visa shall be issued unless an application is complete.

      For any further queries you can call our call center numbers:

      • From India: 0120-660-2222 (or) 022-6720-9400
      • From US: 1-310-616-5424

      Sincerely,

      [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
      U.S. Consulate General

      Comment


      • #4
        Received my passport with visa stamped

        Yes. That's exactly what I got. But you can also email them at [email protected] asking them whether they have received your documents, just for your peace of mind. I picked up my passport with visa stamped yesterday (April 5th, 2013). Good luck.

        Comment


        • #5
          thank you!

          Hi,

          Thank you for the response. I did send an email after seeing your post. They said this - We understand that you would like to know whether the U.S. Embassy/Consulate receive your email.

          With regards to your query, we would like to inform you that if the mail has not bounced back then the U.S. Embassy/Consulate have received your email.

          I hope they did received. Its going to be 4 weeks since I have attended the interview tomorrow. I am going to keep my fingers crossed

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Dingu Takum View Post
            Yes. That's exactly what I got. But you can also email them at [email protected] asking them whether they have received your documents, just for your peace of mind. I picked up my passport with visa stamped yesterday (April 5th, 2013). Good luck.
            Congrats!

            I have a similar case, I applied for F1 visa for a top MBA program in US. I had my visa interview on 21st June, but was put under 221g. I have engineering degree in Chemical engg. and work exp in Natural Gas sector. I was handed a white form asking to submit resume, research work, SOP etc. via email.
            Is there anything particular I shall be careful about while submitting these docs? Please advise.

            Comment


            • #7
              You're really lucky you got it in 4 weeks. 221g delays can take a very long time to get resolved, some people see 4+ months!

              Comment


              • #8
                221g white in Hyderabad, India

                Hello

                I appeared my VISA on Nov 26th and I got 221g due to my PhD and nature work (marine) with current my employer. My case status updated on Dec13 but still shows Administrative Processing. How do you guys think they update the case status? How do they inform their decision either through email or phone? Could you please answer some of my questions.

                Thank you
                Venkat

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by venkut View Post
                  Hello

                  I appeared my VISA on Nov 26th and I got 221g due to my PhD and nature work (marine) with current my employer. My case status updated on Dec13 but still shows Administrative Processing. How do you guys think they update the case status? How do they inform their decision either through email or phone? Could you please answer some of my questions.

                  Thank you
                  Venkat
                  I am in the same boat. I work for a pharmaceutical company in R&D with pharmaceutical education background. I have attended my visa interview on Dec 10th and the update is still under administrative processing. I had gone through the same processing three years ago. They took about 5 weeks last time. The best way is to check the status online. Good luck with your visa. Please let me know once you have the visa processed or issued. I will do the same.

                  Ramesh

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by mramesh View Post
                    I am in the same boat. I work for a pharmaceutical company in R&D with pharmaceutical education background. I have attended my visa interview on Dec 10th and the update is still under administrative processing. I had gone through the same processing three years ago. They took about 5 weeks last time. The best way is to check the status online. Good luck with your visa. Please let me know once you have the visa processed or issued. I will do the same.

                    Ramesh

                    Hello Ramesh:

                    Did you receive any status update? I am still waiting for mine. I am not sure how long this will take. Good Luck with your VISA.

                    Thank you
                    Venkat

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      221 G Status

                      Hi Guys,
                      I am in same boat as you guys.. I work for a pharma company.My visa interview was on 6th dec.They updated my case on 20th dec but it still says administrative processing. Did you guys get any lucky with this?

                      Originally posted by venkut View Post
                      Hello Ramesh:

                      Did you receive any status update? I am still waiting for mine. I am not sure how long this will take. Good Luck with your VISA.

                      Thank you
                      Venkat

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by krwem View Post
                        Congrats!

                        I have a similar case, I applied for F1 visa for a top MBA program in US. I had my visa interview on 21st June, but was put under 221g. I have engineering degree in Chemical engg. and work exp in Natural Gas sector. I was handed a white form asking to submit resume, research work, SOP etc. via email.
                        Is there anything particular I shall be careful about while submitting these docs? Please advise.
                        Hi,
                        I have also received 221g white slip from Mumbai Consulate. I have a Masters in Engineering and am working in Software industry and had got nothing to do with Research as part of my job. Still I had on this form to submit my past, current and future research details. Just wanted to know what kind of details you furnished for research. Any help in this regard is highly appreciated.

                        Thanks!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Me too on Same boat

                          Originally posted by venkut View Post
                          Hello Ramesh:

                          Did you receive any status update? I am still waiting for mine. I am not sure how long this will take. Good Luck with your VISA.

                          Thank you
                          Venkat
                          Hi Ramesh,

                          Have you received your visa?
                          Me too received the 221G from Chennai consulate office.

                          Before i will ask you question let me tell you the background, I am having 8 year exp on Mobile application development and currently working in INdia and my petitioner hired me for US and they have processed everything. Everything goes well on the interview day but suddenly the interviewer asked me about my client, since my company has the internal project i said we have internal project and there were no client involve directly she then asked me my petition copy and gave me yellow slip which was written "Please wait for your call" after everything over she called me and gave me 221G and told me we are putting your application on hold and explained me that we need the Detailed Technical description of your project with projected clients including all assignments and assigned workforce everything.

                          I have informed the same to my employer and they have submitted the same with in 4 days. Its being 2 week and my status is still in administrative process.


                          Its being difficult to wait and see the same status. Could you please suggest is there any way i should do or shall i wait few more week?

                          Thanks

                          Comment

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