L1, L2 Visa

Hi

Need help here, l1a individual visa has been applied on 17th April and received RFE on 25th April. Is it common to receive the RFE on PP. how long will it take RFE to reach the employer.

Thanks in advance

Hi my L1B is set to expire in 6 months. I have already got my extension done for 2 years (so original 3 years and now 2 years extension).

Can I reapply for a fresh L1B visa again?

I applied for NEW EAD on 4th april 2017 .
I am on L2 dependent visa n filled EAD in a(18) category so mailed to

 USCIS
P.O. Box 660867
Dallas, TX 75266

I filled G-1145 with I-765 .
 usps dilevered it on 8 April 2017.

till date i have not recieved any reciept number...
what shoud i do please reply.

Thanks in Advance.
 S. sharma

The build up to US VISA can be very stressful and tiring; but all is well that ends well.

I work for one of the largest European banks and will be designated in a senior position in the US. My bank has pre-approved blanket VISA and hence from day-1 I had started talking to my bank's attorney who prepared my petition. In fact; i prepared my petition with focus on a few areas - Program management; Delivery Management; Resource Management; Governance, Stakeholder management & Budgeting. I had handed over this petition to the attorney who prepared it inline with my draft.

I had my OFC on 17th April; all went well. The only hitch I had was that my daughter's picture had to be redone as her ears weren't visible in the photo i presented. The OFC officer had written down this comment on my daughter's DS160 form and asked us to take a picture which can be scanned during the VO interview.

I had my VOC on the 24th. For months; i hd done several rounds of talking to the mirror and doing self interviews; going thru this forum had given both my wife and myself immense confidence (not over-confidence but the right amount). We had not taken my kids as they are exempt from attending OFC & VOC as they are less than 14 years.

My VO was a very sweet person who greeted us and this made us comfortable. She had asked about our kids and I told that they are at home; she acknowledged that it was a wise decision.

Here goes the interview:

VO - What VISA are you applying for?
A - L1A blanket

VO - Who is your petitioner?
A - YYYY X

VO - What is your designation / role in the US?
A - YYYY ZZZ

VO - Who will you report to?
A - YYYY XX Head

VO - How many direct reports will you have? who many indirect reports?
A - 6 direct reports and no indirect reports

VO - What is your salary in the US?
A - YYYY XX USD + Fringe benefits

VO - How long will you stay in the US?
A - 3 Years

VO - Will you work for your company or for a client?
A - I will be a traditional in-house employee for YYYY ;

VO - Haven't heard of YYYY Bank
A - YYYY is one of the largest banks in europe and we have quite a few subsidiaries in the US; I will be working as YYYY for the IT division of the bank.

VO - To my wife; Ma'am what is your highest degree
Her - Bachelor of Business administration

The VISA officier; give me sometime sir; there are a lot of you (referring to 2 of us + 2 kids). She smiled all along. She also asked us to have us lunch before going back to the kids. She was very sweet and was quite pleased with my profile both here in India & also the US.

All is well that ends well. We had prepared for all possible questions and also ensured that our answers were in sync with the well prepared petition; ensure that you answer to the point and don't beat round the bush. VO takes lot of interviews in a day and will always want to select the right candidate.

Thanks a lot for this group.

Hi,

Thanks a lot for this website's help, the forum postings were quite sufficient to prepare for the interview.

----------------------------------------
PS: Issue with DD: Some people had brought DD for $500 = Rs 35,000 These were NOT being accepted because the latest exchange rate is Rs 68, making $500 = Rs 34,000.
They were accepting DD (For Rs 34K), cash or credit cards at counter #14, so I would suggest don't bother with getting a DD. Just take cash or credit card (I took both in case card machine was down)
----------------------------------------

I had my interview on 21-April-2017 in Chennai. The lady VO was quite pleasant, it was morning appointment so she seemed in OK mood. The interview itself was quite light - no questions about 'why only you' or 'why can't this be done from India' etc.

I had gone with wife (non-working) and 2 kids.

Questions:
(1) Hi Hello
(2) To my family general chit-chat about kids and siblings
(3) To Me:
VO: Where do you work
Me: Answered with Indian company name and relationship to US Parent company

VO: How long you been working with this company
ME: 3+ Years

VO: Why do you need to go
Me: (Was prepared for 3 lines for this question) VO stopped me after the first line - saying 'ok ok so I get that you are the senior developer of this project"

VO: Where will you be working in US
ME: At parent company in SF

VO (To my wife): How long you have been married
Wife: xx years
VO: (pointing at kids and jokingly said) I can see

VO (To my elder kid): Who is this man (Me=Father), Who is this lady, who is this small kid etc.. My kid answered all of these clearly.

VO Kept working on her computer and I thought my L1b Blanket was getting approved, but in the end the VO gave the blue form 221(g) with case number, it was ticked "Administrative Processing", kept all the passports and the Forms I-129S and I-797 and said "you will have to wait for admin processing".

I asked why and she did say "nothing wrong with your interview but sometimes this happens" She also said "we don't need any further documents from you"

Any ideas why anyone is put under "Administrative Processing"? I read that it is security checks, especially for muslim surnames. It's racist and unfair to muslim guys but anyways that's not the case here.
 
The only silver lining is that she kept all our passports.

Hi All,

My L1B visa was rejected in Aug 2016.
There were normal questionnaire during interview but in the end VC rejected it saying that it doesn't meet our visa requirements and gave 221(g) blue slip.

Now my employer is planning to file L1 Individual petition but I have few questions before going for L1 Individual Visa.
 
1. Is there any criteria for l1 individual, I have total experience of 3.1years with current employer and in IT.
Some people told me that for l1 individual you need to have experience of more than 4years or so.
2. Does USCIS look for anything specific in petition and document provided by employer ?
3. Is it too early to apply for l1 individual ?
4. What is the process once USCIS approves it ?
5. Are there any new amendment made in L1 Individual visa by US govt. ?
6. What are the chances of it getting approved under premium processing ?

FYI: My employer has asked to take call on it since they feel that for l1 individual, person should have more experience otherwise chances of it getting approved at USCIS is bleak.

Thanks!!

Hello Experts,

I really needing your expert comment/suggestion here:

Seen is that
Last year my L1 blanket was rejected and then they have applied for Individual, which got approved recently.
and employer has taken appointment for my visa stamping (L1 Individual).

Issue is that on appointment confirmation receipt it has previous DS-160 confirmation number which was created last time for L1 blanket while this time again I have created new DS-160 application so idealy it should show new one.

When I reported this discrepancy to my employer, they said that when you will go for OFC (biometrics/fingerprint) tell them this issue and they will correct it on the spot.

So question is that is it possible that they can update it on OFC time?
If not then what can we do now?

As my concern is that the previous DS-160 application was created for L1 blanket which consist employer petition no. however new DS-160 consist my individual petition no. which is approved.

Please suggest.

Thanks & Regards,
Virat K.

L1 a individual petion denied at uscis .what are next options? Can i apply for l1b?

L1B visa in my exp was good.Not so easy ,not so tough.
1.Just be confident in anwer and smile.The visa officers are therer to grant you visa only and doesnot want you to reject unless you give them a chance for it.

2.Be confident in you anewers and don't be afraid by the line or the people who are getting rejected.Infact just think of what are you going to answer.

L1B visa- 4years 8month experience.
3.Don't Panic.
Coming to the point:

Questions:
1.How are you?
A:I am doing good. How are you?
OF:I am fine.
2.Where are you working
A:I am working in **** which makes *** solution in ERP domain.
3.Where are you going to work
A.I will be working in same company from US.
4.What do you do.
A.I work in XX team in my company .We help customer migration their DB .I do end to end implementation and provide development services to customer.(Add jargons but make sure you know each one of them as some offciers might ask.Simplyfy you answer anmd elaborate in 3 4 lines as officers are quiet smart in understanding these info).Don't fumble.
5.Will you get salary from US as wel,
A.No .I will get per-iumn and company accommodation + transport fromm company
6.Why do you need to go:
A.I have developed the particular module for the customer and is not stuck in integration and customer cannot expose their data to outside env and hence I need to go there to solve th eissue.(Its a story,But make them believe that)
7.Why cant it be done remotely.
As issue is in productoiun systemcustomer does not want to expose data outside their premises.So I need to solve it there.

VO:OKAY.Your visa is approved.
THis site helped a lot.I would say..Just trust your self and be prepared for all the questions mentioned in the inintial page of this website.
All the best!

Immihelp has been of lot of help. Posting my experience to reciprocate.
Visa Type - L1A Blanket
Location - Chennai VAC and Chennai US Consultae General
Date - 07 April, 8 am and 11 am slots

Preparation:
Few days before my interview I read the visa process details/tips, FAQs and venue description on this site. This created a sense of familiarity about the overall process and helped me be comfortable on the day of OFC/PA. I carefully went through the documents required, made sure the documents were correct and in order. Then I went through the interview experiences posted here. Read about first 15 pages made a list of possible of questions (by first 10-15 pages you get a fair enough idea) and reviewed my answers. My company organises a visa briefing and mock interview session, so that helped as well.

OFC/PA experience:
The OFC process is detailed in few other posts, so I wont repeat. It is fairly straight forward and quick. You just need to follow instructions given by the staff. I reached 15 mins before my slot and finished the whole process in next 15 mins.

I reached for the interview too 15 mins before the appointment, there was a queue outside the
Consulate and had to wait for about 10 mins in this queue. Once inside, the process upto the interview is well organised and again all you need to do is follow instructions given by the staff.The queue for actual interview was long, I spent close to 25-30 mins in this queue. The interview itself was about 3-4 mins. Overall the process took around 50-60 mins.

I was interviewed at Counter no.21 by a (good looking)South Asian origin American officer. He was to the point, hardly made eye contact -mostly kept working at this computer but was pleasant to interact with and sharp.
Here is the transcript of the interaction;
The VO calls me to the window, does not wish when I step forward. I wish him with a smile and he acknowledges.
VO: Pls pass on the documents.
Me: Just the Passport or all documents?
VO: All the documents
I pass the documents through the window slot.
VO: Are you applying for L1A or L1B visa?
I am applying for L1A
<Briefly looks at the documents>
VO: How long have you been working with current employer?
Me: Just over five years. I have experience with other organisations prior to this
<Looks at the documents and the computer screen frequently while asking next few questions>
VO: What will be your designation in the US?
Me: Business Development manager
VO: Whom will you report to?
Me: I will be reporting to XX who Head of Business Development for my group – ZZZ
Vo: And whom does the Head of Business Development report to?
Me: He reports to the VP..Vice President of the group, who in turn reports to the CEO
VO: How many people will be reporting to you?
Me: I will have n direct and n indirect reportees (n= number)
VO: Can you tell me the designations of your reportees?
Me: Yes, n of them are X managers, n are Y managers and a Z associate (X,Y,Z = role type)
VO: How many projects will you be managing?
Me: I will be managing three projects
<VO gives a slightly quizzical expression, I interpret that this could be due to the fact that my petition mentions *two* customers, so I go on and clarify>
Three projects for the two customers - XX and YY (XX and YY = customer names).
<I see he looks convinced and is browsing through the other sections of the documents hence I dont elaborate further>
VO: How long do you intend to stay in the US?
Me: The initial duration will be one year and will extend upto three years
VO: So I am approving your visa and we will be processing your documents
<I get a little confused about the "processing your documents" part, not sure if this impacts visa approval, so I ask>
Me: I am sorry, what am I supposed to do next?
VO: (patiently) Let me complete this and I will answer.
<He fills the Action Block in the I797, I can see it says Approved for three years, that clears the confusion!>
VO: I have approved your visa. Here is what you need to do next...
<goes on to give instructions on next steps, when the passport will be ready and how to collect it, to keep one copy of I797 handy in Carry-on luggage while travelling and to give the other copy to HR in US)
I thank him and leave.

Few points/observations, which are not mentioned in other posts or I missed reading:
- Smart watches are not allowed at both VAC and Consulate
- You will be standing throughout the process at OFC and then at the Consulate (outside as well as inside - before and during the interview) There isnt any drinking water near the Interview counter, so make sure you are well hydrated before entering the Consulate.
- The interview counters are like glass windows, open and you stand during the interview.
- The attire does not seem to matter both at OFC and PA, however I suggest if you are applying for a visa for managerial and business purposes like L1A, dress in a formal attire you are comfortable in and wear for meetings (not necessarily a suit)
- Some VOs/applicants are loud and you can overhear their conversations, I personally think it is best to ignore them and not read too much into it. I interacted with the other applicants in the queue and people watched (applicants and VOs :-)), this usually distracts and relaxes me. Do what works for you.
- I had read/was given contrasting suggestions on how to answer interview questions - Some suggest be to the point and give answers only in few words/lines (someone posted "dont act too smart"!). Whereas others suggest this is your only chance so make sure you indulge in small talk, describe your answers well and give as many details possible to make a strong case. Heres my suggestion - as you would in any other interview, go with the flow. Observe the VO's responses (some are chatty, some not) and decide how to answer. It is a good idea to ask the VO if he/she would like any further information for certain answers if you are not sure and unable to read them (especially on important questions like role, team, product, skill etc) And if you are not good at initiating small talk, avoid it, just a basic greeting is good enough.

I know the built up around US visa processing can be quite stressful. Understandably so, given the long and detailed documentation process, high rejection rates and personal aspirations. However, I felt the actual process at VAC and Consulate was extremely simple, reasonable and the "interview" - one of the easiest I have ever given :-) If your petition is well made, all documents are in place, you have done basic interview prep and dont have any objectionable past records, you have nothing to worry about!

All the best and thank you to immihelp :-)