H1B Visa Stamping for myself and my wife (working at diffferent companies)

[balus1]

Hi all,

I am visiting in India in June for a month and i need to get the stamping done in this time.
I will list out our scenario and would like to get clarified on few questions. Thanks in advance for your time.

My scenario: First H1B (old company) was valid till August 2016, then they filed extension and the extended visa was till oct 2019.
Changed to a new company(current) in Feb 2017 and the visa is valid till Oct 2019.
Wife's scenario: Her previous visa was valid till May 2016 , applied for extension and got it approved till May 2019.
Stays with the same company.

I filled out DS160 for myself and my wife. Then went into the portal to book the appointment using my login, it also asked for my wife's ds160 information.
It also asked me the following questionnaires :
Do you have a previous H1B visa ? YES
Is ur previous visa still Valid ? NO
Does your previous visa expire in the last 12 months ? YES
Was your visa rejected in the last few years ? NO
Was your visa issued after 2008 in India ? YES

After answering these, it said " We are eligible for drop box "

Now, My Questions:
1. Are we both eligible for dropbox ?
I am concerned because of two reasons, 1. according to some people i am not eligible for drop box since i changed companies. 2. Is my wife still eligible for dropbox even though her previous visa would be past one year since its expiry at the time we land in India ?

2. Do i have to create a separate account for my wife's visa appointment or is she all set since i have included her as the dependent in my visa appointment portal and also paid the fees for her ?


Thank you so much for your time . Appreciate your help.

Regards
Sathish

[raghvi]

Hi all,

I am visiting in India in June for a month and i need to get the stamping done in this time.
I will list out our scenario and would like to get clarified on few questions. Thanks in advance for your time.

My scenario: First H1B (old company) was valid till August 2016, then they filed extension and the extended visa was till oct 2019.
Changed to a new company(current) in Feb 2017 and the visa is valid till Oct 2019.
Wife's scenario: Her previous visa was valid till May 2016 , applied for extension and got it approved till May 2019.
Stays with the same company.

I filled out DS160 for myself and my wife. Then went into the portal to book the appointment using my login, it also asked for my wife's ds160 information.
It also asked me the following questionnaires :
Do you have a previous H1B visa ? YES
Is ur previous visa still Valid ? NO
Does your previous visa expire in the last 12 months ? YES
Was your visa rejected in the last few years ? NO
Was your visa issued after 2008 in India ? YES

After answering these, it said " We are eligible for drop box "

Now, My Questions:
1. Are we both eligible for dropbox ?
I am concerned because of two reasons, 1. according to some people i am not eligible for drop box since i changed companies. 2. Is my wife still eligible for dropbox even though her previous visa would be past one year since its expiry at the time we land in India ?

2. Do i have to create a separate account for my wife's visa appointment or is she all set since i have included her as the dependent in my visa appointment portal and also paid the fees for her ?


Thank you so much for your time . Appreciate your help.

Regards
Sathish

1.It appears that if you two attend respective visa interviews in June 2017 then you would be eligible for Drop Box, but your spouse would not be as your visa (stamp in passport) expired less than 12 Month ago, but your spouse's expired more than 12 Months ago.
2. She would not be your dependent if she is going for her independent H1 stamping.

This is my opinion not legal advice.