H1B, H4 Visa

Hi all, thank you for all your experience here, it helped me a lot in my visa interview.

I had my biometric on Apr 10th, 2025. my slot was at 10:30am at Hyderabad Hitech city metro station, they allowed me at 10:10am into the que and it's completed by 10:40am. hardly its 30 mins. it was smooth, they asked only DS-160, appointment confirmation and passport, that's it.

Visa interview on Apr 15th and slot is 9:45am at Hyderabad. they allowed at 10:30am into the que and it's completed by 11am. it was also hardly 30 mins. the process is not taking much time, but we have to wait at outside for some time.

the questions are very less, I prepared more.
The VO officer was a nice and smiley face person. below are my questions and interview was hardly 1 minute.

VO: Good morning
Me: Good morning officer
VO: can you pass all your documents and passport
Me: passed all the docs and passport
VO: who will be your employer
Me: My employer will be XXXX
VO: What will be your salary
Me: My salary will be XXXXX USD dollars PA
VO: what will be your job designation
Me: My designation will be XXXX
VO: which state you will be travelling
Me: I will be travelling to XXXXX
VO: what is your highest qualification
Me: My highest qualification is Master of Technology
VO: can you put your fingerprints on machine
Me: I kept my right hand on machine
VO: Congratulations, your visa has been approved, you will get in 7 to 8 working days, take your visa rights pamphlet. good day (kept my passport and returned all my docs)
Me: Thank you, officer, have a nice day (with smile)

Apr 16th my visa status changed to approved and 18th I have received my visa with stamping via courier.

I have 7 months remaining in my i797, will i get rejected if i travel india and attend interview?

H1B visa stamping experience in Toronto, Canada

First time stamping

Interview: 25th March, 2025 (consular office asked a few questions related to job and experience and approved my visa)

Status changed to Issued on CEAC website: 28th March, 2025

Passport collected with stamping: 1st April, 2025

Thanks

I am on H4 visa . My case was approved in Jan 27, 2025. After that I have received an I-797C regarding my approval dates and below the approval dates it is mentioned. My I-797C mentions Approval notice and NOT Consular Notification.

Below is the stuff mentioned in my I-797C apart from Valid From dates

"We have mailed an official notice about this case (and any relevant documentation) according to the mailing preferences you chose on Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative. This is a courtesy copy, not the official notice.

What the Official Notice Said

The above application for extension of stay is approved. The temporary stay of the named applicants is authorized to the date shown above. "

For some reason neither my Attorney nor me have received the I-797A with the updated i-94 for past 2 months.
My Question is once my current i-94 expires do i need to leave US or Since my I-797C says "The temporary stay of the named applicants is authorized to the date shown above." I can remain in US and need to file a I-824 to receive a duplicate copy of the Approval.

Hey everyone,

I’m in a bit of a tricky situation and could use some advice from anyone who’s been through this or knows immigration well.

I was laid off from my H-1B in September 2024 and applied for a B2 Change of Status (COS) within the 60-day grace period. My B2 was approved until May 6, 2025.

My Questions:

I’m still actively interviewing but haven’t secured a job yet. My old H-1B visa stamp and I-94 are valid until September 2026, but my most recent I-94 (from my B2 approval) expires on May 6, 2025. Should I consider my latest I-94 (from B2) as my valid status expiration date?

If I get a job and my employer files an H-1B Change of Status (COS) before May 6, will I be legally allowed to stay in the U.S. while it’s pending decision?

If the H-1B is approved after May 6, can I still stay and start working, or will I have to leave and re-enter?

Would it be safer to apply for a B2 extension now just in case my job search takes longer?

I'm trying to avoid any issues with status or travel, so I’d appreciate any insights from people who’ve navigated this before! Thanks in advance 🙏

The eligibility criteria for Dropbox visa renewals have changed.

Starting February 14, 2025, you can only renew your U.S. visa in the same class through Dropbox if your previous visa expired within the last 12 months. Previously, this window was 48 months, meaning fewer people will now qualify for Dropbox renewal.

If your visa expired more than 12 months ago, you may need to attend an in-person interview instead.

Check your visa expiration date and plan ahead to avoid any delays.

My I-94 expired on 28-May-2018, but I had a valid I-797 until 21-Aug-2019. I had to travel to India for an emergency on 20-Apr-2018. While returning to the USA, I did not get my visa stamped with the updated I-797 date. As a result, my I-94 was still updated to 28-May-2018. Unaware of this, I stayed in the USA until 22-Jun-2019 and exited as soon as I realized I had overstayed with an expired I-94. Later I continued to stay in home country for some personal reasons. Its been almost 5.6 yrs since i exited USA and now I am planning to travel back to USA.

Will there be a 10-year ban on my entry to the USA if I want to return? Please help me with the right answer so that I can plan my future accordingly.

Hi all,

I need help with my H1b situation. My company filed for H1B but did not file LCA (a small company and didn't contact an immigration lawyer while filing the petition). I received RFE with feb 21 as the deadline and it doesn't look like company is willing to respond to the RFE.

Following are my questions:
1. I am traveling to India on Jan 10th and returning back on March 15th, is it ok to travel while having an active h1b RFE? (I have valid STEM EAD till June 2026.)
2. By the time I come back to the US, I will probably get an H1b denial. What kind of questions can I expect while returning to the US?

With a expired visa can i travel to Canada and comeback within a week

I came to the U.S. on a student visa in August 2021. Unfortunately, in June 2022, I made a mistake and got a DUI (BAC 0.18). I pleaded guilty, and the charges were reduced to <0.14 BAC. I completed all court-ordered penalties, including a year of probation and a 16-week alcohol abuse course.

In February 2023, I was approved for OPT and applied for STEM OPT the following year. I was lucky to get selected in the 2023 H-1B second lottery, but my employer decided to file it under consular processing. The petition was sent to USCIS in November 2023.

In January 2024, I received an RFE and responded by March 2024. Thankfully, my H-1B was approved on March 22, 2024. Around the same time, I applied for a STEM OPT extension, but USCIS denied it on May 24, 2024 reason stated was my status has changed to H1-b but I filed my petition on consular process not change of status, due to a system error. I had the option to file a Motion to Reopen (MTR), but my attorney didn’t receive my I-797B copy in time.

Since my 30-day grace period ended, I had to return to India in June 2024. My attorney raised multiple service requests to get my I-797B copy, but USCIS didn’t respond. Finally, in November 2024, I sought help from a congressman. Surprisingly, they were able to get me a courtesy copy(I-797) in just two business days.

I scheduled a visa interview for December 2, 2024, and attended it. The visa officer didn’t even ask for my I-797B copy, even when I offered it. He focused on my petitioner and the position offered.

NOV 26th 2024- VAC done HYD.

DEC 2nd- Visa interview

ME- Greeted VO

VO- Hand me your passport

ME- Handed it over. " Do you need my I-797?"

VO- " I will let you know what I need do not give me your documents."

Me-"OK"

VO- "Who is your Petitioner"

ME- Mentioned the name

VO- " What is your payrate?"

ME- Mentioned

VO- "Is it a client project or your companies project?"

ME- Our company project

VO- " From when are you working for this employer?"

ME- Since my STEMOPT and asked him I had something to show him regarding my STEMOPT Denial

VO-" I have everything here I do not need anything else. anyways you will not be issued a visa today!"

ME- I replied "OK"

Was typing something and proceeded for the next thing about my Master's Degree

ME- Answered about my degree

VO- "What happened in 2022?"

ME- " About the DUI?"

VO-"YES"

ME- Explained him what happened that day and told him that I agreed and cooperated with the cop and did everything they had me to do. 

VO-"Do you have the police department documents with you?"

ME- I handed them over 

VO- checked all the court documents and all the reports I submitted and asked me " Do you have the police report"

ME- "Everything should be in there"

VO- Looked into all the documents and said " I have to look into your case and we will notify if I need anything else"

ME- Handed me over the White 221g slip and marked on requires additional administrative processing. Did not return the passport

VO- "Consulate will contact you if we need any other documents"

ME- Thanked him 

I am confused what should I do next. I was expecting a 221g for the physical panel. He did bring out an yellow form and he mentioned "I need to verify your documentation and I don't think you need the medical test for now" and he put the yellow form a side.  What can I expect now, How many days would it take to get a response from the consulate?

Was it a good sign keeping my passport with them and handing me over a 221g?