H1B, H4 Visa

Thanks all for sharing your experiences. Now its time to give back to this forum.

Background: I am a full time employee with a US based company working since 5.5 years. This was my 3rd stamping from the same company and 2nd dropbox.
I am from mumbai so decided to submit the documents there

Landed on 7/2
SUbmitted documents on 7/3, CEAC shows no status
7/4 - Holiday
7/5 - CEAC shows application received
7/6 - CEAC shows application received
7/7 - CEAC shows application received
7/8 - 7/9 -> Weekend
7/10 - Morning around 10 AM,last updated date changed to 7/10, but status still shows Application Received
7/10 - Same day, Status changed to Administration Processing @12 PM
7/11 - Around 12 PM status changed to Issued

Yet to collect the passport.

I attended the interview with family including a US born infant on the 5th and 6th of July at the Hyderabad consulate and here is my experience.

For the biometrics, the plastic bag containing the infant formula (powder) and umbrella were not allowed inside. The reason we were told was the formula has to be in liquid form and umbrellas are not allowed. Once inside the office, it took about 20 minutes for the whole process.

On the day of the interview, the entire process took around 90 minutes. We did not have to wait too long in the line outside the gate. But once inside, we had to wait for more than an hour at different stages. No preference wan given for the infant.

At the interview counter, we were asked the following questions

1. Who are you working for?
2. How long have you been working with the employer?
3. What is your salary?
4. (To my wife) How long have you been married?

At the counter it hardly took 5 minutes.

The next day eod (7th July), the status of the visa became 'issued'.

We stayed in the hotel named 'Manasarover - The Fern', which I found to be very convenient. The locations for both bio-metrics and the interview were walk-able from the hotel.

Hello,

Our visa interview was on July 10th my H1B and my wife's H4. We reached the consulate early and waited outside in the car as they only took people before 15 mins. I joined the line at 8:30 with interview appointment at 9:30 and went thru the security check and sat outside for 45 mins. The. We went inside for fingerprint verification. No more seating area. After fingerprint we just waited in very long line where we could see all the Interviewers and Interviewees.

This was our second H1B/H4 stamping, the first one was expired 2 years ago. And I came to India after like 4 years and my wife after 3 years. I had and I-140 approved from my previous company and new company just files PERM.
Direct Employer, an very small company with around 50 people. My salary was above the range of what Trump decided on what H1Bs should really earn in his executive order, I am mentioning this because I thought this was one thing that would make a good case for my Interview. My wife has H4 EAD but she doesn't work as we have a son who is 11 months old US citizen.

I was wearing formals, Light Blue shirt and Black trousers. My wife was wearinf blue jeans and off white top.

We greeted each other, I stood on the left corner of the window and the speaker I guess was pointed to the right becoz of which I could hear the VO properly. My wife could hear him loud and clear.

VO: pass my your docs
ME: passed him our passports and I-797s

VO: is this H1B renewal
ME: hmm, I changed the company and they filed my H1B so I guess yes its a renewal
(I fumbled because I didn't if this would be considered as renewwal or new visa, but I acted cool. My wife told me after the interview that I was respectfully informal and talked to him like I would talk to one of my co-worker)

VO: what company
ME: could you please repeat the question

VO: Repeats
ME: company name

VO: who is your wnd client
ME: no end client, I am direct employee

VO: whats your designation
ME: could you please say that again

VO: repeats the question
ME: designation

VO: what city do you live in
ME: could you please repeat that question

VO: repeats
ME: City, State

VO: whats your salary
ME: my salary

VO: do you have any child
ME: yes sir 1 son

VO: is he an american citizen
ME: yes

VO: Mam, whats your highest level of qualifiction
Wife: highest level of qual. (He was typing a lot of things in his computer)

VO: do you work
Wife: no

VO: did you read this pamphlet
ME: yes

VO: do you have any questions abt it?
Me no, not really

VO: your visa has been approved you will receive an SMS
Us: thank you

VO: returned my old passport but asked again just to check my old h1b and returned it

I am still waiting for status to changed to ready for pickup from IT is still in US embassy. Not being able to hear the questions really made me nervous the third time I had to ask him to repeat the questions but the VO was cool and didnt look frustrated or anything.

I will update my status in here once I receive my passport. I hope this helps you guys.

Thanks!

Attended H1B on June 12th.This was my renewal.

Was asked for Passport and I-797 by supporting staff which were handed to VO.
Below are the questions asked and got Visa approved.

1 . Since when are you working for this employer
2. What is your Salary
3. Highest Qualification
4. Designation

Immihelp visa experiences were a life saver for me when I prepared for my Visa Interview (VI) . So I would like to say a huge thanks to all members who shared their experiences here. I will try to be as detailed as possible so that it helps H4 dependents going alone for their stamping. If you have any question, feel free to leave a comment.

Got Married - 8th May
I submitted my DS160 on 30th May - also had it cross checked with hubby's immigration lawyer.
Visa Fees -190$ - paid in Axis bank on 2nd June. You can also do this with IMPS (i could not do this as my bank does not allow transactions more than 10K INR )
Appointment wait time was about 23 days that time. I got VAC for 22 June and OFC for 29 June. I went for interview along( husband's visa extension was already approved before our marriage via dropbox)

Ten Printing at Mumbai VAC: carry only 3 things 1)Print out of DS160 confirmation page 2)Appointment confirmation email printout 3) Your passport
They will be putting a sticker on your Passport and will stamp your DS160 confirmation page (both of these documents are checked when you go for your VI)

My OFC appointment was at 10:30 am. The line outside Consulate started at 9:30 am and took forever to move. One lady came crying out of the consulate and few folks were jumping with joy when they came out. Try not to focus too much on such stuff. Finally at 10:20 am the line began to move. We were seated in the waiting area in rows and one row at a time was sent inside. Bollywood singer Shaan was sitting in the row just in front of me. He seemed very down to earth and was smiling back at people when they smiled at him. There was a huge waiting time and my row was finally sent inside at around 11:10am.

After my ten printing was done, the staff checked my passport sticker and asked to keep my husband's I797 outside. The line to get to Interview counters was like the one in temples but it was moving very fast. My VO was a lady who looked like in her late 20s/early 30s.
Here is my interview:
VO: signalled me to come forward
Me: said Hello cheerfully and passed my Passport and husband's I-1797
VO: *smiles back and greets* - have you gone through the rights pamphet
Me: No - I haven't received any
VO: *passes me over a pamphlet* - you should go through it as it has important information on your rights
VO: what is your highest qualification
Me: Masters in XX
VO: from where did you do this Masters
Me: from Mumbai University
VO: *looking at I797* - where are you going to be working
Me: *startled* I will not be working.. this is a H4 interview
VO: *realized the goof up* Oh.. What is your husband's name?
Me: XX XX
VO: where did you guys meet?
Me: we were in the same college, same engineering college.
VO: When did you get married?
Me: XX XX
VO: Where are you currently staying?
Me: at my husband's place with my in-laws
VO: Can I see your marriage certificate and wedding album
Me: Sure here is the certificate -*I slipped the marriage certificate* - we do not have the album ready as yet but have some photos printed separately*gave the photos to VO*
VO: How big is the album? (i think she mis heard me why I wasnt carrying the album)
Me: The album will be very big.
VO:*looks at photos* Was this one of the big ones?
Me: Yes we had a lot of guests.
VO: *returns my photos and marriage certificate* says something away from the mike which I couldnt hear
Me: *collected my stuff and just assumed that my Visa was approved as she did not give my passport back* said thanks and left

Overall interview was very casual and more like a chat. I kept smiling throughout.
My tip to everyone is just be confident, and do some mocks if you have never given interviews.Ignore the outcomes of other people's interviews. Read your DS160 thoroughly and anticipate questions based on your form. Dress up well- I was wearing jeans and a floral top with a shrug and loafers. If you dont hear what the say, politely ask them to repeat. I should have also done the same as VO could have been speaking something important.

Passport was ready for pickup on the same day as VISA interview but I collected it the next day.Although my passport was expiring in 2018, I got my visa stamped until the expiration of my husbands H1B (until 2020). You will need a govt issued id and a signed copy of the id with your phone number mentioned to collect the passport. You can take your mobile along for passport pickup. Do remember to verify all details on your visa when you receive your passport.

Below is a whole list of documents I was carrying (only I797 , marriage certi and photos were asked)

My Docs:
Passport and Passport copy
Confirmation email printout
DS160 Confirmation page stamped by VAC folks
Axis bank Visa fee payment receipt
Letter on Husband's company letter head saying that I am his dependent and he is a bonafide employee of the company (Company is a widely known firm)
Email Printout of email from HR saying XX was the last day at my office(I was still working when I went for the interview and had mentioned my current Job in my DS160 form)
US VISA style photograph

Husbands Docs:
Copy of I797
Copy of his passport
Copy of his Visa
Husbands H1B petition (which included his petition, LCA, I129 and other docs)
Husband's employment letter
Resume
Pay Stubs
Banks Statement for last 3 months
Tax filing docs for last 3 years

Other Docs:
Marriage Certificate
Some photos from our wedding doing wedding rituals ( mangalsutra, fire ceremony, with our parents, garland ceremony, with guests etc)

Apart from the above questions, below are some other questions which I had anticipated and had prepared accordingly
- what visa are you applying for
- where does your husband work
- what does your husband do
- what is your husband's annual income
- who is the CEO of husband's company
- how many employees does your husbands company employ?
- since when is your husband in the US?
- since when is your husband in the current company?
- can your husband cook?
-has he applied for green card?
- what is his date of birth?
- what is his most annoying habit?
-when did he stamp his H1 visa?
- why did you not come along with him?
-will you be working in the US
- what will you be doing there?
- why was your F1 rejected? (it was rejected in 2011)
- what countries have you visited?
- Do you have any relatives in the US?
- what does your sister do in the US? ( i had mentioned my sibling being in the US)
- what do your parents do?

There is a saying - hope for the best and prepare for the worst- this was somewhat my case. All the best to everyone for their interviews. If anyone has questions, I can ans it in the comments below.

Attended H4 Visa interview at Hyderabad on 5th July

Interview Questions :
1. How long have u been married ? Answered
2. What does your husband do ? Answered
3. What is your husband salary ? Answered

VO asked have you received the pamphlet and read thru. Answered yes.
Thats it. VO typed something into the computer and said you are good to go.
Retained the Passports.

Thanked VO and left the counter.

Hi,

I had visa interview at Chennai consulate on June1 and it went well.The officer asked only 3 questions.
1. Petitioner 2. Salary 3. location of work.
At the end of the interview, he mentioned that visa is approved but will take 2-3 more days for processing. But the status is still showing as administrative processing even after a month. Is anybody else in same boat ?

Thanks

H1B is slavery. By sharing our knowledge with each other, we can deal with this modern day slavery bit better. So please make sure you come to forums such as these and share your knowledge with others. Here is my experience:

I already have a H1B visa stamp from the same company that is valid for three more months. My new H1B extension begins 90 days from the day I applied for the new visa (90 days from when I dropped off the documents at the dropbox). So I was bit worried about what would happen. I wondered if I was taking unnecessary risk by going for a new visa stamp when I already had one. But my thinking was to get the new stamp as soon as possible given how volatile the political climate is. Also, I did not want to travel out of the country when my visa (and I-94) expires in three months.

I dropped off the documents at the Hyderabad Gowra Grand address on Monday morning and three days later, on Thursday, got a message on my phone saying that the passport is ready for pickup. I was astonished and thought something was wrong. But when I checked the visa status online, it said "Issued". I was still bit tense until I picked up the passport on Sunday and after I picked up my passport, I saw that everything was fine. Much later, when I entered the US at the end of the month, the immigration official did not even bother to see my I-797 approval notices (I had two of them - current and future). I later checked from home and saw my I-94 had full 3 years on it. So everything went as expected.

Some notes:

- I have been working as a full-time employee for the same company for several years, so that might be the reason why the whole process was so smooth.
- When I was dropping off the documents, the guy in the counter at the dropbox office seemed very inexperienced and said that my pictures were not good. I told him I had them taken by an American professional photographer and I also offered him another set I was carrying if he felt those were better. He later accepted the first set after making some noises about how it won't be his responsibility if something bad happens. I said that's fine. This guy was generally inexperienced and seemed unsure of many things. Bottomline, its better to take two different sets of photographs in case the people at document drop-off office make some noise. Given how many things could go wrong, this one thing can be eliminated by carrying an additional set of passport photos.
- I filled out DS-160 but when I went to cgifederal site, I found out the hard way that if you have a new passport, you cannot change the passport number unless you contact them. So I called cgi people who asked me to email them scans of the new passport. I sent the scans and again called them once again to make sure the cgi site showed my new passport
- The fee can be paid in *any* Axis bank branch.
- They will ask you to write the phone number on the documents so make sure you have your phone number (remember, you won't be allowed to take your phone with you)

I attend the interview on 30th june. in the Chennai.

I started filling the ds 160 application before 30 days.without completing ds 160 take the appointment.

2 days before i realized my DS 160 expired(save 30 days only) not able to pull the application.Call the customer they suggested no need to cancel visa appointment fill the new application and take in to bio bio metric office and they will update the ds160 confirmation number

interview day:

i have 2 kids one is us citizen and second one Indian citizen they allowed both inside embassy

interview question:

1. Who is Petitioner?

2. office location?

3. Title of the job ?

Wife'

1. how long you married

kids
1. how old are you?

Thanks
 

Hi All,

I am going in for a dropbox for my H1b Visa Stamping. I was working with Company A from 2014 to Apr 2016 and my Visa was valid till Sept 2016.

I changed to Company B and have been with them for 14 months now. I have been told that the petition / Employer change should not matter when you are going in for a Dropbox.

Can anyone please confirm if they had a similar experience.

Vik