Scheduling Visa appointment with I-797C(Receipt) instead of actual approved 797?

[case0710]

Hi

My wife and I have filed for H1 extension and are still waiting for approval. We are planning to go to India later this month and are hoping that we would get the approval before then.

We started looking at Visa appointment dates and my question is can we book a Visa appointment using the Receipt Number from the I-129 receipt notice or should we have an approved I-797 before booking a Visa appointment? I am guessing that while we need an approved 797 for the ACTUAL visa interview, we could still book the appointment with the receipt number, Please let me know. Anyone with similar experiences will also be very helpful

[txh1b]

You could possibly book with the receipt number but would not have the information needed to fill out the application like the dates of validity of the petition.

[case0710]

Thanks for the prompt response! Are the dates of validity of petition etc required fields when we book the Visa appointment? I am just in the process of doing my DS-160 and have given the receipt number there. Have not yet submitted it

Also any other similar experiences from other members here?

[txh1b]

Was needed info on DS156. Not sure of DS160. Never filled one.

[case0710]

It is still needed in DS-160 and I filled it there. Will this also be required when we book the appointment?

Also is this receipt number same as it would be in the approved petition?

[txh1b]

How did you fill out the date without knowing till which date the petition will get approved? Make sure these are updatable fields for you to update after getting the approval. Try booking and find out if it is needed.

[case0710]

In DS-160, it just asked for the Petition-Receipt number & the name of the Petitioner. It did not ask for any of the petition dates

I was wondering if there is a new set of data we need to fill in the vfs page when we book the actual appointment. Can anyone who has filled this throw more light on what is required?

[shervin143]

Did you check this?
https://www.immihelp.com/us-visa-app...n-form-ds-160/

I was wondering if there is a new set of data we need to fill in the vfs page when we book the actual appointment. Can anyone who has filled this throw more light on what is required?

[case0710]

Thanks Shervin. Again to clarify, my question is not with filling out the DS-160 because I have already completed that. My question is on the information we would need to actually fill out when are booking the Visa appointment - with the bar code from Ds-160 and the HDFC Fee Receipt. In that visa appointment, do we need to fill any information relating to the petition and dates etc.

Let me know. And have any of you booked a Visa appointment with just a petition receipt without the actual approval. I was hoping that this would be quite common because we can block in the Visa date as soon as it opens up without waiting for the I-797 approval that might come in later by the date of the interview. Any sharing of similar experiences would be highly appreciated

[case0710]

Can anyone who recently went through this process answer this question? Thanks

[txh1b]

Can you not try it yourself and check if it allows to book the appointment and see what all it is asking for?

[case0710]

Thanks. I tried this and it looks like you need the dates from the approved 797. So we may not be able to book the appointment without an approved 797