H4 Stamping in India

[balaki]

Hi,

Myself and my wife are staying in U.S for sometime now. We both have a b1/b2 visa stamping on our passport but we got our h1/h4 approval notice and I-94 which is valid till 2004. I know that if we go out of the country we would need a h1 visa stamping.

The question is, in case only if my wife needs to go to India can she get her h4 stamping done based on my approval notice and other relevant documents alone or is it required to have a h1 stamping on my passport?

Thanks

[sjitesh]

H1 stamping on your passport is required. Currently if you send to St Louis, Mo it takes anywhere between 5-12 weeks

[hitesh]

H1 stamping on ur passport is not required for ur wife's H4 stamping. Ur wife can get her H4 stamp based on ur H1 approval notice and other supporting documents.
She will need to go to Canada or Mexico or India for the stamping.

[Suma2288]

Before your wife going for H4 stamping you should get H1 stamping in your passport. I saw one case on 3rd Jan 2002 at Mexico, US Consulate. They rejected one girl H4 stamping, because her husband doen't have corresponding H1 stamping in his passport.

Some time in 2000, i saw another case in Madras consulate they issued H4 visa with H1 visa get it stamped.

[sjitesh]

Your H1 VISA has to be stamped as I have confirmed from U.S Embassy in St Louis and also Mumbai.

After Sept 11 Event and recession, American Embassy has become strict in issuing H1/H4 visas.