Passport with valid H1 lost and found

[vin15]

Hi,

My brother lost his passport with valid H1 in India.But some responsible Indian citizen posted it to him after a week. In the mean time he intimated both Indian Passport center and US consulate in Chennai about his lost passport. Now after he got his old passport Indian Passport center asked him to use the old one but US consulate people are asking to apply for a fresh passport as they locked his old one and reapply for fresh visa. Why does he want to reapply for visa when he has a paperwork for old one?Has someone faced this situation in India earlier? Any help is appreciated.

[hONEb2]

I had faced similar issue - I had emailed them about loss of passport (having h1b stamped) but after calling on their call center I came to know that for such cases you personally need to inform consulate about this.

And luckily before I go there and cancel my visa I found my passport back. After verification (asked few question at inquiry counter) they said no further action required and I can travel on current visa.

They cancel it to avoid misuse of your visa - as per my knowledge you need to take new h1b interview call to have a new visa stamped if they have cancelled the old one.

[vin15]

thanks honeyb. He is been told by his oversea operation of his company that he have to apply for "fresh visa". We were not clear if this fresh visa meant that he should initiate his H1 again or just appear for visa interview. Will the US consulate reissue an visa in the old passport ?

[hONEb2]

Did consulate cancel his visa? How do you know his visa is cancelled? Did you or he meet/inform someone in the consulate?

If his visa is cancelled then he needs to get it stamped again with the same process we follow for H1B interview. That's what his company is saying - get "fresh visa".

If it is not cancelled by consulate then there is no need of new visa - but get it clarified with US consulate in your city.

[vin15]

Yes. The consulate cancelled the visa. Since his passport and ransom amount was was stolen from him, he thought he will not get his passport back. So when he asked the consulate people they asked him to mail the photocopy of his passport. And when he contacted them back after few days saying he got his passport back they mailed him that his visa is cancelled based on his earlier request. If I am correct it is just the H1b interview that he has to undergo and any idea if he can get a new visa stamped in old passport or he has to apply for a new passport?

[hONEb2]

If his original passport is valid and not cancelled by Indian passport office (as per rule, when a passport is lost you need to file an FIR at the nearest police station and submit with the application for new passport at passport office - if this is not done) then he can use the original passport.

I hope this answers your question - if his passport is valid then he just needs to get new visa on it.

[vin15]

Thank you very much honeb2. He filed a complaint when he lost his passport and withdrew it as he got his old one back . And since his passport is valid,he only needs to get visa stamped...Thanks for making this clear