L1, L2 Visa

Hi,
I am currently on L1b blanket and my PED or the I94 expires on May 2020.
My extension documents are being prepared by the attorney's currently as they have suggested that it is better to go to the consulate as chances of rejection is less there.
I want to know if going to the Canada consulate or the home country consulate which is the better option in terms of chances of rejection.
Does going to Canada consulate reduces my chances of getting the extension?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi All,

Firstly, I would like to thank this forum as this has helped me a lot and I was confident about reviewing the experiences and was able to successfully clear the visa interview. I would like to share my experience.

I am from New Delhi and came to Chennai on 17th for the L1 blanket processing. 18th was the biometric and 19th was the visa interview. I realised that my moving out of daily kiosk and staying 2 day in advance in Chennai gave me peach of mind and was only focused for the interview and nothing else.
Biometric on 18th Nov was easy hassle free.
on 19th Nov my appointment time was 8:45 am, reached the consulate at 8:25 am, please try to reach just 15 - 20 mins in advance and not much in advance else he will keeping waiting in long queue and I tell you its humid and you many not like it. I was with my family and we were allowed in 10 mins of our reaching.

Inside I was asked to first arranged the I-129 and first page of 797 in 2 sets, I had done this in advance so it was easy for me and i was directly guided to make the payment. And I say others arranging papers at a distance with papers scattered. Please try to have this arranged when you come so it will not be a hassle.

Made the payment of $500. I had all option of payment with me except the DD. I had USD, INR cash and credit card. A day in advance I had called my CC bank and informed them about the transaction which is going to happen on 19th and I also informed that I will not carry the mobile to receive any call for the transaction confirmation. Post the interview also I called the Bank to confirm the transaction.

After payment I was asked to move straight to the interview area. Straight away the executive asked me to move to window 32. There was a boy who was giving interview and was giving interview for Student Visa and he finally got this approved.
Now it was my turn.

Good Morning Officer
VO - Good Morning, paper please.
Me- I gave the papers, all three passport, 3 set of I129 and 797 and my DS-160 (only primary applicant)
VO- which Visa
Me - L1 A Blanket
VO - Which company you work for?
Me - YYYY just replied the company name
VO - Do you have any VISA?
Me- Yes, I have a valid B1 Visa
VO - When did you last Travel?
Me - I gave the accurate date of landing in US?
VO- How long you where there?
Me - 2 Weeks, I came back on (gave the returning date)
VO- Max how long you have stayed in US?
Me - 12-13 weeks (FYI - I have multiple travel history)
VO - Why is your employer sending you?
Me - explained the reason, in 4 - 5 lines.
VO - What will be your designation
Me - ZZZ
VO - Will anyone report to you in US?
Me- - Yes, I already have 1 and have budget to hire more.
VO - So you will have a team in US?
Me - Yes
VO - Any indirect report?
Me - Yes, currently in India I have 15 indirect report and they will continue to report while I am in US.
VO - what will be your Salary?
Me - XX yearly in USD
VO - to my wife -- how long you have been married?
Wife - XX
VO -- what is the highest qualification of both of you? (to me and my wife)
Me -- XX Wife XX (PHD in XX)
VO - to my wife -- what is your background of study?
Wife - ZZZ
VO - You have a son?
Me - yes, here he is (he was sitting in the chair so the VO was unable to see him)
VO-- how old is he
Me - XX years

all this while she was typing in her computer and continued for a min or so after the last question, and finally she started looking for the stamp, and I saw she picked the approved one and I was like....OMG...
She stamped all three set and wrote a date...I say the date to be three years from today. She said, your visa is approved, I will return you two copies and retain one. carry one when you enter US and give one to your HR.

I was super excited, thanked the VO, took paper she gave and started moving. I walked to the waiting area and sat to check the papers and I saw she there was only 1 set of the paper, but I remember she mentioned she will return 2 and wife also mentioned that she said she will return two. I was little confused and checked with the staff available there and he also mentioned that you will get 1 copy, but I was sure she mentioned two set to return as I was suppose to carry 1 while travelling and one to be given to the HR. I asked the staff to confirm and then he took me to the counter the VO gave me another copy.

So, please make sure you check the paper before you exit the building. Also make sure you check the dates which is mentioned in the paper. On odd times it has happened that they mention today's date and that will be a problem.

We were out of the building by 9:25, so in about 45 mins everything was done.

Overall, be confident. prepare for the interview. The set of questions are standard and you can find all questions in the forum.

All the best to all.

Previous Visa: L1 Blanket expired in Nov-2019

Current Petition: L1 Individual, approved after premium processing in the US by USCIS for two years. It is legal for the candidate to work in the US on the approved petition. If they leave the US, they will need to come back with a passport stamp. It is therefore, beneficial to travel to India and get the visa stamped, preferably 2 months ahead of visa expiry (you'll understand why in a few).

First appointment: I had to cancel my first appointment at Chennai as I booked it as an L1 Blanket. This is my third L1 (first with another company, second blanket with current employer, and third current L1 Individual). I called customer care to check if I can still attend, they asked me to cancel and reapply.

Learning 1: Please talk to your Lawyers, HR and be certain about visa title. My approved I-797 does not distinguish, L1 visas, just says approved L1.

Second appointment: I now knew my correct visa. The ustraveldocs page asks: “are you applying for the same visa as the last visa?” I chose, yes (wrong!), and it became a drop box scenario. I appeared at Delhi VAC and was told to apply again for biometrics and visa interview.

Learning 2: Take time to fill up the application. Understand all fields.
Emergency appointment: Note that at the VAC they just marked my case as a no-show. I did not need to re-spend the money; the appointment window opened 24 hours later. For the emergency appointment, I explained why I needed to back in the US (I shared it with my HR and they created the request on the company letterhead), and attached my approved I-797 and I129S. Any untruths, half-truths can permanently affect your ability to work in the US. If you do not have pressing needs, wait for the appointment. Next day Chennai Consulate approved my request. We appeared for biometrics in Delhi and interview I booked I requested in Chennai. I chose Chennai instead of Delhi (my family home) because they had the first available appointment. All others were in Jan or very late Dec.

Learning 3: Prepare for an emergency request, in case you have incomplete documents etc. If done well ahead, you can be at the Consulate in the next 2-3 days.

Biometrics Delhi VAC: Delhi VAC is on the Metro station. Do not bring bags, phones etc. We arrived in an Uber and travelled back in an auto. We arrived at 8 a.m. for an 8:30 appointment, got in the queue, our passports, DS-160s were scanned, and on the back, an RFID type sticker was put. Please read the RFID, it shows your data such as interview date, any errors can cause delays. We were out at 9:15 a.m.

Chennai:
• We stayed at The Park, Chennai. It is a 5-minutes’ walk from the US Consulate in Chennai.
• We arrived outside at 9:30 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. appointment. A bus stop is next to the Consulate and there were autos. Total bedlam. We stood in the heat unnecessarily. Better to arrive 15-20 minutes prior and you will directly get into the queue.
• Bring only printed docs, passports, cash, cards, etc. in a clear plastic folder.
• There is an ATM in the waiting area as well if one needs to withdraw cash.
• We waited about 30 minutes for fingerprint scanning. Take out only passports.
• Queues now start separating L1-blanket petitioners get priority. All others go in one large group.
• This gets taxing as you can hear Officers ask questions on a mike. My remedy, I prayed.

Visa Interview: Questions
• What is your Title?
• Where will you be based?
• What is your compensation?
• How many years have you been with Amazon?
• To my wife: Ma’am please confirm your date of birth.

Note: As I mentioned my L1-individual, petition was already approved. This is also my second L1 visa (first Blanket, second Individual) with the current employer so they may have enough data on me. Our visas were approved. They kept passports.

Here are the questions I had prepared for:
• Who is the Petitioner?
• What do they do?
• Salary?
• Location?
• Title?
• How many reportees?
• How many indirect?
• Role and responsibilities?
• How are you involved in business decisions?

Other questions I heard (unsure of visa types)
• How many directs will you have?
• What are their titles?
• Who do you report to?
• Where are they based?
• What is your job?
• Why can’t someone else do it?
• One person had to pay SEVIS fee, his company hadn’t done that.

More than anything else, I’d recommend reading this forum multiple times. I found it extremely helpful. Thank you to all who have contributed.

Hi,
My company has filed L1B blanket VISA for me I need to complete DS160 and attend interview in next 10 days.
In DS160 it is mentioned in Previous Work/Education/Training Information section
NOTE: Provide your employment information for the last five years that you were employed, if applicable.

Here need you help
I have been working in current organization for last 3.5 years before that 2 years I didnt work for any company. So shlould i mention this gap in DS160 or should i mention my old company and work details which I worked 5 years back?

or should I mention as freelancer in gap time?
If some one knows please comment on this.
thanks
Ram

This forum was really helpful in preparing for the interview. Sharing my experience here.

We had an appointment at 10 Am and we reached just 5 minutes before and went inside immediately, there was no waiting time as we were on time. Once inside, we sorted the documents and got it verified. After that we were asked to move to a different building and there was a queue to make payment. We carried cash to make the payment to avoid hassle of card not working, internet down etc. So payment was done is 15 minutes. Then we were asked to join the queue for interview. There were approx. 50 candidates before us. Our turn came, visa got approved and we came out by 10:55, exactly in one hour from the time we entered.

Visa Type: L1B blanket & L2 for wife
Visa Date: first week of November, Chennai

Me: Good Morning officer. How are you doing?
VO: She responded with a smile and asked to give passports and documents.

VO: Which company do you work for?
Me: Gave the Answer.

VO: What will be your designation?
Me: Told.

VO: What is your highest qualification?
Me: Told

VO: What will be your US salary?
Me: Told about base salary and bonus

VO: For how long have you been working with this company?
Me: 5 years 6 months

VO : What is your specialization?
Me: Fumbled in the beginning(even though I was prepared) but covered up to a great extent. Visa Officer was showing interest(nodding) in what I was saying and typing all this time.

VO: What do you currently do?
Me: I gave a detailed answer of my current project.

VO: How long have you been working on this project?
Me: I said 6 months and continued with justification how my experience in other projects will help in making the project I am going for successful.

VO: When long have you been married?
Me: I Told the exact date. She actually meant to ask my wife.

VO: to Wife - What is your highest qualification?
Me: Told

VO: to Wife - So I see you work for ABC company?
Me: This was a tricky question as she wanted to verify whether right person has come or not. My wife said she works in XYZ company. TIP: if you can’t hear the office clearly, ask to repeat rather than saying Yes to everything.

VO: Congratulation, both visas are approved and gave me two stamped copies back and said that passport should be ready in 5 business days.
Me: Thank you, have a good day.

We checked with security if anything else is pending. He said no and we came out.

Tips:
* It is okay to be nervous on the day of interview, but preparation helps as questions are mostly standard.
* If you are married and traveling alone, be prepared to justify why you are not taking your spouse(it was asked to someone before me)
* Reach maximum 15 mins before interview, no point going early as other who came early were waiting outside.
* Don’t worry about what questions are being asked to candidates before you and their visa status(Approved/rejected), most probably you will not go to same counter as there are ~10 counters.

Sharing the experience for the group.

Oct first week L1A petition approved
L2 - Processing time was 9 months in texas
we need to apply for EAD for L2 hence went to India for stamping.
Put our papers in Dropbox
After a week got our passport back with 221g White Slip with Interview
Went to interview after 2 days.
Interview cleared....
Got the Passport in 5 days.

Overall this process took 3 weeks.

Hi,
My husband had filed his L1 visa extension on March 10th 2019. We had filed L2 and EAD also with it. Later in July we changed to premium. He received an RFE. The RFE was responded and the visa was approved on Sept 20th. But L2 and EAD is still pending.Its been 9 months as of now and my visa is being processed at Texas location.When we checked the visa processing times it is showing around 8 to 10.5 months. Is it normal for L2 visa approval taking this much time?
I have seen few discussions/experiences in some blogs that people who had applied after March have received their L2 approved.
Please let me know if anyone have any information about the processing time. And if there is any way I can expedite it.
Thanks

Hello Everyone,
Thanks for posting your experience here, it was really helpful.
I was very much scared , as the same VO had rejected two L1 Blanket petitions just before me, so all my confidence went down the drain just before the Interview.

My experience (starting directly from the Interview):

Me: Good Morning
VO: Your passports and documents please.
VO: (While scanning the passports) Which company do you work for?
Me: Gave the Answer.
VO: Will you be working for the same company in US?
Me: Yes.
VO: What will be your designation?
Me: Told.
VO: What will be your US salary?
Me: Told ( Upwards of 100K)
VO: For how long have you been working with this company?
Me: 4 years, 10 months.
VO: ( To my husband who was there with me for L2) When did you get married?
Husband: Told the exact date.
VO: ( To my Husband) Do you have the marriage certificate?
Me: Since I had it in my file, I gave it to her.
VO : ( To me) What is your specialization?
Me: Fumbled to a great extent while saying the first line, but continued it pretty well.
( Visa Officer was all this while reading something on her Computer)
VO: ( To my Husband) Do you have the wedding photographs?
Me: Gave her 10 photographs, 2 with the family each side, and few of the wedding ceremonies.
VO: (to me) Can someone else do your work in your team.
Me: Answered as No and then gave an explanation that only I can do it because of my experience.

VO: ( to my husband) How many people attended the wedding?
Husband: 350-400
VO gave her first reaction, she was shocked to listed such a huge number.
VO: ( to me) What do you currently do?
Me: I gave a generic answer of what the team does.
VO: ( again) What do YOU Do?
Me: Gave her specifics of my role and job responsibilities.
VO: Started looking at the petition and picked up the stamp, I knew this was the stamp of “NOT APPROVED” but she did not say anything. As soon as she was about to stamp the papers, she stopped, looked at the stamp, looked at me , smiled and said Ohh! Wrong stamp and that is when I smiled.
She gave me two stamped copies back and said that passport should be ready in 3-4 business days.
All the hard work and Interview preparations finally paid off in the 3 minutes of the interview.
Tips:
Don’t LIE in the interview about anything, VO knows what is there in the petition and they are quite learned professionals. They also keep on reading on their screen about the things that we are saying.

Immihelp helped a lot in preparation, went through forums and noted down unique questions, and prepared for them along with the list published in immihelp. Time to give back..

Went for L1A (individual petition) interview for self and L2 interviews for spouse and kid.

Important:
1) Photos have to be less than 6 months old.
2) Passport should have 6 months minimum validity.
3) Get all documents as instructed in the interview confirmation.

At the consulate:

We reached at 7:30 am for 8 am interview; and they let us right in along with the 7:30 group (stroke of luck).

Initially they checked everyone's passport, and kept each DS 160 inside the relevant passport.

Next had to go to a counter where they scanned the photographs, and then sent us to another counter to get our fingerprinting done.

Then had to wait for the interview.

Interviewer asked the following questions:

1) What does the petitioner do?
Ans. Responded in 2-3 sentences giving specifics about the company.

2) What is your role in the company?
Ans. Answered in detail, she interrupted midway and went to the next question.

3) How long have you been working in the current company?
Ans. xx years.

4) How much total experience do you have?
Ans. xx years

5) Do you have hiring and firing authority?
Ans. Yes, manage the division and have hiring and firing authority.

6) What is the budget that you manage?
Ans. -- mil.

7) How many direct reports will you have?
Ans. -- people directly reporting to me.

To spouse:
What is your highest education level?
Ans. CPA from the US

To kid:
How old are you?
Ans. -- years old.

Then she asked that she will cancel all the old visas, she stamped across for all the passports, and then said that our visas were approved, and we should get the passports in 3-5 business days. Also asked to see original marriage certificate and kid's birth certificate.

Its been 2 business days including the day of interview, so waiting for passports.

Good luck to everyone! Good preparation gives a lot of confidence. Also, good to have papers organized. Though we were not asked for anything, we had all papers duly paper-clipped and post-its for key papers, just in case we were asked. Also carried few wedding pictures, pictures of current and US offices.

I have listed my 221g experience in 221g tracker- https://www.immihelp.com/experience/433580-L1A-221G-at-Calgary.html#div_439573

Below is in detail experience-
My interview was on 22nd Oct 2019 for L1 and L2.

Counter-1- Documents were sorted and kept in order. For some reasons, my spouse picture returned as blur. So the officer said to provide new photo only if the visa is approved.
Counter 2- Paid the fees
Counter- 3- Interview

VO- What do you do?- Answered in 1-2 sentence in which i mentioned about my DRs.
VO- How many DRs you have?- 12

Then, he started stamping dates on my petition, cancelled visa, returned 2 sets of petition and bundled their copy of petition with our passports. He started typing and reading on the computer. Then he took our petition and had conversation with another officer in the background showing front page of I129S for few minutes (~5 mins). As he was talking, i saw my petition in which he has stamped the dates with approved dates.
Later came back and started reading and typing things in his computer. He asked to return the petition copies and handed over 221g (yellow slip) with a comment about L2 photo to be submitted. No other boxes were checked. He said-
one thing you can do today is to submit the photo and other thing they will do some processing at return back which may be quick or may take few days. They retained our passports.

Since then, it was waiting period for about 10 business days and check CEAC website and different intervals during the day until Nov 4 the case got updated

Nov 7- the status changed from Admin processing to Issued

Nov 8- Received the passport

It is just a waiting game and remain patient until your case has been touched. During the period,i was going through different forums reading about 221g experiences. It is just a blackout period you need to go through until the case gets updated. You wont get any responses to your questions.