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L1 Blanket - visa interview experience at Chennai consulate

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  • L1 Blanket - visa interview experience at Chennai consulate

    Hey folks,
    I got my L1 blanket visa approved in January 2019 and wanted to give back to the forum since I found a lot of helpful information here.

    I work for a product company in a management role and they had filed for an L1A blanket petition for me. The petition was approved and I had scheduled an interview for early Dec. I completed the biometrics in late Nov and had the barcode sticker with "L1B" printed on it stuck to my passport. I was apprehensive about it as mine was an L1A blanket and I checked with the VFS front desk at the biometrics office. They assured me that B meant blanket here and that the consulate would know that mine was an L1A visa application.
    The biometrics itself was easy and me and my spouse got it done in 10 minutes.

    Reassured, we prepared for our interview day, only to get notified that the interview was cancelled due to the consulate being closed on the day of George bush Sr's funeral ceremony. We were assured that additional slots were being made available and were asked to reschedule at no extra cost. However, we were very disappointed to see that the next available date was one month away. There were no special provisions for people rescheduling because of the above mentioned consulate office closure.

    We rescheduled for January and picked a morning slot. We were there 15-20 minutes before and liked the efficiency of the process. We were let in to the building about 5 minutes prior to our appointment time. First, we had to sort our documents (I129, I797) into three sets and we were sent off to the second building. We paid the consular fees (I had taken cash in USD) and then we joined a queue of people waiting before counters for their turn.

    We saw a lot of rejections and questioning happening in most counters and we saw people with families leaving the place dejected. Some of the conversations were loud enough to hear without eavesdropping and we came to understand that a lot of L1s were being rejected. Almost all interviews lasted more than 10 minutes. We had a gone with a mindset of there being nothing to lose in the case of a rejection and we were already prepared mentally with roadblocks like the consular office closure when we had originally scheduled. In short, we were prepared for any outcome.

    When our turn came, we went to the third counter from the right and the officer was an American male.

    (VO): Good morning, please provide your documents.
    (Me): Good morning officer, here you are.

    (VO): (Opening the document set and keeping it next to him, looks at his computer) So, you work for yyyyy company?
    (Me): Yes, that is correct.

    (VO): How many years have you been with the company and what is your salary in the US?
    (Me): answered

    (VO): What is your role in the US, in which office (if it was a client office) and how many reportees do you have?
    (Me): explained my role in 2-3 sentences, mentioned the city where I would be working from and that mine is a product company and hence not a client location, that I have no direct reportees and xx indirect reportees

    (VO): Are you involved in any sales or contract signatures on behalf of your company?
    (Me): No

    To my spouse:
    (VO): How long have you been married?
    (Spouse): answered.

    The officer was silent for a minute or two as he typed on his computer. Then he said: "I am approving your visa,BUT I am approving it as an L1B instead of an L1A" and he stamped the I129 form and circled around the L1B option.
    I was shocked and was about to ask for the reason for this decision. I decided to stay quiet and we returned back acknowledging that, at the very least, our visas had been approved. Later I found a few similar cases in the forum where an L1A application had resulted in an L1B decision. This is really strange and I am hoping I do not face any issues when it comes to extending the visa. Any inputs would be appreciated.


  • #2
    Originally posted by thulark View Post
    The officer was silent for a minute or two as he typed on his computer. Then he said: "I am approving your visa,BUT I am approving it as an L1B instead of an L1A" and he stamped the I129 form and circled around the L1B option.
    I was shocked and was about to ask for the reason for this decision. I decided to stay quiet and we returned back acknowledging that, at the very least, our visas had been approved. Later I found a few similar cases in the forum where an L1A application had resulted in an L1B decision. This is really strange and I am hoping I do not face any issues when it comes to extending the visa. Any inputs would be appreciated.
    Just to add here, L1B can be extended for total of 5 years only, while L1A can be extended for 7 years.

    Since you already got your visa, good to be quite, move to USA & then file for COS from L1B to L1A while in USA.
    - I am not an Attorney, hence not giving any legal advice. Just sharing MY opinion with an intent to help others.

    If my opinion helping you, then please do click "like" button below.

    Comment


    • #3
      probably the reason was your answer about your job position and numbers of direct reports. to authorize an L1-A Blanket, you should cover an Executive Position in your company, and the documentation provided with the petition letter had to explain it, with a Company Organizational Chart.

      if in your new position you will change something, you can easily ask to apply while in US.

      Comment


      • #4
        Hi Friends,

        Need some advise , my L1 blanket visa was rejected way back in Sep 2014 . Our immigration team suggested the option of individual petition with the underline comment that it has higher rejection rate . So my manager here doesn't persuaded the option and eventually I had to cancel my visit. Now something came up again very recently and my immigration team is asking for option whether they should apply with individual or blanket petition. Thing is individual petition costs way higher and this may cause issue with approval from my manager , at same time immigration team is saying individual petition is having a very high rejection rate.
        Please suggest the forward path , should I go for blanket petition , does I stand a chance to pass through it or going with earlier rejection I become more susceptible to rejection again.
        Thanks in advance

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by thulark View Post
          Hey folks,
          I got my L1 blanket visa approved in January 2019 and wanted to give back to the forum since I found a lot of helpful information here.

          I work for a product company in a management role and they had filed for an L1A blanket petition for me. The petition was approved and I had scheduled an interview for early Dec. I completed the biometrics in late Nov and had the barcode sticker with "L1B" printed on it stuck to my passport. I was apprehensive about it as mine was an L1A blanket and I checked with the VFS front desk at the biometrics office. They assured me that B meant blanket here and that the consulate would know that mine was an L1A visa application.
          The biometrics itself was easy and me and my spouse got it done in 10 minutes.

          Reassured, we prepared for our interview day, only to get notified that the interview was cancelled due to the consulate being closed on the day of George bush Sr's funeral ceremony. We were assured that additional slots were being made available and were asked to reschedule at no extra cost. However, we were very disappointed to see that the next available date was one month away. There were no special provisions for people rescheduling because of the above mentioned consulate office closure.

          We rescheduled for January and picked a morning slot. We were there 15-20 minutes before and liked the efficiency of the process. We were let in to the building about 5 minutes prior to our appointment time. First, we had to sort our (I129, I797) into three sets and we were sent off to the second building. We paid the consular fees (I had taken cash in USD) and then we joined a queue of people waiting before counters for their turn.

          We saw a lot of rejections and questioning happening in most counters and we saw people with families leaving the place dejected. Some of the conversations were loud enough to hear without eavesdropping and we came to understand that a lot of L1s were being rejected. Almost all interviews lasted more than 10 minutes. We had a gone with a mindset of there being nothing to lose in the case of a rejection and we were already prepared mentally with roadblocks like the consular office closure when we had originally scheduled. In short, we were prepared for any outcome.

          When our turn came, we went to the third counter from the right and the officer was an American male.

          (VO): Good morning, please provide your documents.
          (Me): Good morning officer, here you are.

          (VO): (Opening the document set and keeping it next to him, looks at his computer) So, you work for yyyyy company?
          (Me): Yes, that is correct.

          (VO): How many years have you been with the company and what is your salary in the US?
          (Me): answered

          (VO): What is your role in the US, in which office (if it was a client office) and how many reportees do you have?
          (Me): explained my role in 2-3 sentences, mentioned the city where I would be working from and that mine is a product company and hence not a client location, that I have no direct reportees and xx indirect reportees

          (VO): Are you involved in any sales or contract signatures on behalf of your company?
          (Me): No

          To my spouse:
          (VO): How long have you been married?
          (Spouse): answered.

          The officer was silent for a minute or two as he typed on his computer. Then he said: "I am approving your visa,BUT I am approving it as an L1B instead of an L1A" and he stamped the I129 form and circled around the L1B option.
          I was shocked and was about to ask for the reason for this decision. I decided to stay quiet and we returned back acknowledging that, at the very least, our visas had been approved. Later I found a few similar cases in the forum where an L1A application had resulted in an L1B decision. This is really strange and I am hoping I do not face any issues when it comes to extending the visa. Any inputs would be appreciated.
          Thank you for sharing your L1 visa journey. Despite the unexpected challenges, your preparedness and positive mindset truly shine through. Your approach of having nothing to lose and being mentally prepared for any outcome demonstrates your resilience and adaptability. It's unfortunate to hear about the rejections others faced, but your determination and readiness set you apart. Stay focused, confident, and trust in your preparation. Remember, each case is unique, and your strength and positivity will guide you towards success. Best of luck on your continued L1 visa journey, and keep pushing forward towards your goals with unwavering determination!

          Comment

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