L1, L2 Visa

I got my US L1 blanket appointment on Mar 6th at 10:15 AM. I reached visa office which is near gemini flyover in chennai at 9:30.
There was long queue outside VISA office. I stood in queue but what I observed was there was no need to stay in long queue but as others are standing we
also tend to stand. But it is up to you it is just my observation.

At 10:10 AM one guy came near to queue and asked to form new line those having interview at 10:15. We formed new line and one guy checked passport.
and we started to move and one more lady asked me if I had phone. I din't take phone as I already knew that we shouldn't take phone. I have been asked
to keep my normal watch too inside of my file of documents. As I started moving inside I kept my file for scanning and then allowed me to move to visa office
building.

For L1 B visa they will ask you to segregate documents and form 3 sets

1)I-129 S ( First 8 pages)
2) I -797 ( One page)
3)passport
4)Ds-160 ( Make sure to take the ds-160 which was signed and stamped during bio metric)
5) Visa issuance fee ( I gave Demand draft of around 35k which was given by my office)

I gave to lady who was sitting over there, she stapled all those 3 sets and tied rubber band to make one bundle.
you will be asked to show your passport many times keep it handy

Then I entered queue and gave my visa fee demand draft. I was supposed to write my passport number on back of DD. He asked my why I didn't write
and I said sorry :)

Then I entered another queue and gave finger prints and I entered another 2 queues I believe before I enter final queue for VISA interview

Final Queue for L1 B interview (Lady officer)

I said Good Morning mam

Officer : good Morning

Officer: Where are you working

I said YYYY company ( By the way I am working in very well known MNC company in US)

Officer : Purpose of travel

I said reason in 2 simple lines

Officer : what is your specialization ?

I answered fast this question and she interrupted me saying that she couldn't follow the answer.
I thought I ruined my interview at this point of time and my heart started beating very fast but I tried not to show it in my face, I said sorry and explained slowly again loudly to show my confidence. She raised eyebrows after listening answer. I felt nervous again

Officer : what is your salary ?

I said xyz from Indian comapny and going to get xxx dollars as per diem

officer : How long r u going to stay ?

I said 2 months

Officer : which place r u visiting ?

I said irving, texas

officer : why can't you do from India ?

I said because of constraints in accessing data it is not feasible to develop design and prototypes for new system.

What is your role in US ?

I said my role in India as I don't have any special role in US

She signed something and handed over 2 sets back to me saying that you need to carry these while you travel.
I understood that my visa got approved but I asked her if my visa is approved to hear golden words ?

officer : yes sir, your visa is approved enjoy the travel.. I said thank you so much and left visa office as big load of tension and burden
that got piled up is cleared

As I came out I asked Auto to reach office and when they enquired about visa I said visa is approved they started asking me for party.
I said visa only approved not travelling yet he started in his own english saying that sir visa is important visa rejected move to new company no hike and also he told me that sir ur visa u get in courier like that.... As I was in happy mood I gave 200 but they asked me more and finally gave 500 which includes my auto fare...

It is just to give the visa experience. Thanks to read my long experience. Questions and documents may vary so don't take this as final

First of all Big Thanks to whomsoever has make this informative portal.

Not going in details of questions and Answers as all are already same and helpful. Sharing My experience as below:

Me and my spouse face off the schedule at Chennai

OFC on 1st Feb
Interview on 2nd Feb. Only few Questions as same as all for L1. To my Spouse about marriage date only.

A Lady VO retained our Passports handing over blue form 221 G with case number and told it will go in AP and we will hear back in 4 to 6 weeks. she took my resume with PP.

We waited and as usual checking status to change every day but no updates. and finally as VO said 4 weeks, exactly on 1st Mar, case date was changed with same AP status and on 2nd Mar status changed to ISSUED. Passport received on 6th Mar.

All knows its very rare for L1 rejection and what I learned from my experience, if you fall in TAL, you will be subjected to AP and it will take minimum 3 weeks to process your case. So listen carefully what VO says while handing over the 221G because it will be followed same.

Meanwhile, after two weeks, since we all are checking status and tracking passport
I was gone through as following:

till two weeks :1/ your passport is still with the consulate/ Embassy
third week: 2/ there is no update on submitted number provided
once if you see your case status changed to Issued then
3/ your passport is final processing and will be sort out for processing the delivery
4/ you will get mail notification that "your passport in "ready to Pick up"

you will get earlier notification or update on your portal; rather than box tracking with PP number.

This is my experience. No need to worry about if your passport has been retained and no further documents asked for submission, you must received it as per VO said.

Thank you and All the very best to all candidates who may be applying for visa

My L1A VISA got approved today (6th March).

Questions asked -

Your L1A Blanket VISA got rejected? Reason? So in replacement you applied for this?
Client? and then confirmed was it the same client you applied your Blanket VISA?
Salary?
Roles and Responsibilities?
Asked about my daughter VISA?

And finally golden words - "Your VISA is approved" and i am going to cancel your active dependent VISA and asked for my confirmation, i said "Yes" and walked happily towards the exit door.

Thanks to the users who have shared a wide range of experiences in this forum

I work for a Big Tech Firm. I live in Mexico City and went to the embassy in Mexico City to process my Visa. They embassy staff made it clear that they do not encourage applicants who do not reside (any one who does not have a valid temporary or permanent resident card) not to apply their visa in the Mexico City embassy.

In the interest of being concise , I am not repeating all the info regarding the documents to be carried.

The interview lasted for 5 minutes with the focus on establishing the specialization. The forum covers in depth on how to prepare the answer to that question.

Thank you

We have applied for l1 a visa in Jan 2018 still haven't received ref please let me know how much time it take for USCIS reply

My L1B Individual visa has been approved last week and now I am planning for L2 visa for my wife.
Is there any issue in L2 visa if I am getting my Indian salary and perdiems and Housing allowance in US. My total annual wage amount is 90k USD.

I went to Chennai consulate with my wife and 2 kids recently for L-1A and L2 visa for dependents and got the visa approved. Few tips from my side.

1)Mobiles and Smart watches are not allowed- Please keep mobile phones and smart watches in your car or at hotel. It is not allowed and there is no 'Cloak room' in embassy. Regular steel watches are allowed. If you are stuck and dont know where to deposit these items, then there are reliable auto drivers outside the consulate near the lanes to help. Infact I saw embassy policemen directing people to these auto drivers to deposit items. I think they were doing this duty for years now and are very organized. When I came out happily after stamping, one or two auto drivers came running near me and gave their cellphone to call my driver. I was surprised and took one of their phone and called my driver and handed over RS.100/- note. It is not mandatory that they ask you for money. But you can choose to pay Rs.10/-, 20/- or Rs.100/- depending upon your mood.

2) Carry all mandatory documents: mandatory docs are four items a)3 copies of I-129 and I-797 b)DD for $500 c)DS-160 form d)passports. No other documents were checked or needed for me. Appointment confirmation page is required only to enter inside. Old passports can be carried but they didnt ask me to show anywhere. Keep these mandatory docs (4 items above) separately in a folder and all other supporting documents in another folder for easy handling. first stage is with a Documents verifying officer who asked me to takeout first 8 pages of I-129 and first 3 pages of I-797 separately in all 3 sets along with DS-160 and passports and give to him. He organize it and give you back. Here I made a blunder. I carried only two sets of I-129 and I-797 and left one copy in my car. Docs verifying officer allowed me to go inside and asked me to talk to counter-14 officer for gate pass and come back. Counter 14 officer who collected my DD for $500 and checked the docs again was upset that I forgot third copy. However he allowed me to appear with interview officer and check with them. We (including) moved to next counter for finger prints and photo session. My kids were aged 11 and 13 and so they asked for photographs which I carried, rather than clicking a photo. Then met Interview officer approved my visa and told me not to worry for 3rd copy.
  
3) Interview tips - While I was stressed that I dont have third copy, but the interview officer (a lady) relieved my stress by her smile and soft spoken nature, and I forgot mentioning the missing document. She started the interview asking my Title then 4 more easy questons...how many Sr.Managers in my organization, how long is my duration of stay in US, which place will I be staying, who are accompanying me, and how many people report to me directly and finally will I work at client site or stay in my parent organization in US? My answers for these questions were just 1-2 words each and interview over in just over a min (may be 90 secs) When she saw 3rd copy missing, I said I forgot in our car and will go out and bring. She said it’s not required as only two copies are needed. One for them to keep, and one for me to show at port of entry in US. I was relieved, but I request everyone to double check and all mandatory docs to avoid the stress. We came out within 45 minutes of time.

My L1B was denied in July 2017 for "Clearly Not Approval" reson. I was in USA for 5 yrs before on L1B 2010-2015
My company applied L1B Individual Visa and following are the dates:
L1B Individual Visa Application submission date: Sep 2017
RFE received date:Nov 01 2017
RFE Response submission date: Jan 24 2018
Fyi my application is in California service center .
When can I expect a decision on my application?

Hi,

I had my interview on 19th Jan 2018, my L1B Individual was approved by the USCIS after a primary L1B Blanket application visa application was rejected on 13th November 2017.

My attorneys then applied for the L1B individual because it was business critical for me to travel to the US and to start certain implementations.

But, what we thought would be a formality to attend interview and get a final nod for Visa stamping on our passports, didnt quite happen.

The VO put me on Administrative Processing (may be because he wanted to cross check the reason for my L1B rejection before) and collected mine and my family's passports and after 15 days i received an email that my passport was returned and i was supposed to collect it.

Inside the passport was a 221G slip which asked me to submit PCC from the RPO.

Now that I have sent me documents today,
can anyone help me understand how long is this process going to take ?
what does this sign say about the Visa stamping rates ?

Thanks,

Hello All,
 
My Interview was scheduled on 9th of Feb 2018 at Chennai consulate. I will provide my entire experience here.
Important tip:
Two-three days before interview book a Hotel nearest to the US consulate. US Consulate and OFC center are a km apart from each other so it will help a lot and will save unnecessary travel time. Book an early morning flight if you are travelling from other city. As I have witnessed heavy traffic rush during afternoon. Take another valid identity card as you will need to submit your passport to the Consulate if your visa is accepted.

@After reaching Chennai:
Book a cab through OLA or Uber as it will be easy to find your destined Hotel as they have GPS and drivers are easy to communicate with.

@US Biometrics (OFC): Takes only 5-10 minutes.
1. Carry your passport, 1 copy of DS-160 confirmation and Appointment letter.
2. Arrive 10 minutes before your scheduled time. There are volunteers to guide you through every stage.
3. If you are carrying a mobile if you need one for GPS, switch it off after you reach Biometrics center.
i) Check your documents on 1st floor.
ii) You will be directed to 2nd floor where the sticker having your name written on it, information of your Visa class and fee will be sticked on your passport. On the same floor there are several counters where they will take your finger prints and photo and will stamp on your DS-160 confirmation. The same DS-160 confirmation you need to carry with you during your Visa interview the next day. Listen to the instructions properly given by the person on the other side of the counter. After this its done.
The same day prepare well the questions and answers for the interview. My anxiety levels were so high this day that I couldn’t stop revising the Q&A again and again. Just believe in yourself and God. Pray to god, it will surely help you to relieve your stress.

@ US Consulate: The Judgement day
1. Carry all your relevant documents such as: 500$ fraud detection DD, 3 copies of your petition I-129, 3 copies of I-797 and 3 copies of letter of support, paystubs, training certificates, marksheets. Do not carry cellphones, watches or pointed objects other than ball point pen. Carry some cash/card.
2. Arrive atleast 15-20 minutes before your scheduled time.
3. You will see two lines outside the consulate near the bus-stop. One for the latest interview batch and other for the next batch.
4. Then you will be directed inside the building where they will do security check.
5. Then the person sitting at the table will hand over a placard to you which shows how to arrange your documents. Arrange them accordingly and hand them over to the same person. He will check them and will remove unnecessary documents and will tie the 3 sets of the documents alongwith your passport and 500$ DD.
6. Then you will be directed to the main building. At the immediate 1st counter which you will come across as soon as you enter you will have to pay the fees i.e the 500$ DD and the person will handover the receipt to you.
7. Then you will be directed to the line for the interview. You will be able to hear the ongoing interviews of the applicants here. Just focus on what you have to tell the Visa officer and pray for god as it’s a tensed situation.
8. After few minutes I was directed to one of the counter and the interview went as below

ME: Good morning officer
VO: Good morning

VO: Hand me over your passport, petition copies and fee receipt.

VO: Which company do you work for?
ME: YYYY company

VO: What does YYYY do?
ME: told in one sentence.

VO: So YYYY is leader in ZZZ?
ME: Yes

VO: It will be internal project or external?
ME: external

VO: Will you work for client?
ME: Both, at US office and at client side.

VO: Who is your client?
ME: ZZZ

VO: For how long will you work?
ME: A year and half

Then came the Golden words
VO: Your Visa has been Approved. I will keep your passport and 1 copy of the petition and handed me over the other two copies of the petition.

I wasn’t expecting such a short interview. But someone has said, if you give your 100%, God and luck will surely help you. Visa officers are not sitting there to reject you. They are nice people who interview atleast 200-300 applicant a day. Their task is really stressful as they need to decide upon the person’s case in 5-10 minutes if everything goes smooth. That is why they expect short, crisp and “to the point” answers. The more you try to hide something more cross questioning you will face.

My Visa arrived in 3 working days.
Best of Luck to all of you for your interview!!