H1B Visa stamp in Pakistan, Latest situation

That makes sense. You can do the following. Both of you apply for your visas the same day. Being a woman she will probably have no background check and may get it the same day or the next. If you get stuck, then she can travel on her own to the US before you enter. You will technically still be in H-1B status and she can thus enter on H-4. Make sure she carries a copy of your I-797. Once she enters, you can enter the US on your AP. Just make sure it is a day after her entry. Please run this scenario by a competent immigration lawyer. Good luck!!!


zeeshanbutt4 said:
the reason for H1-b stamping is that i am ready to get married now. I want to bring my future wife with me on H-4 , if i use AP then my status will be parolee and she wont be able to get her H-4.
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I'm not sure if she will get her H4 stamped if the primary H1 is not stamped yet and had applied together . I asked the officer at ISB that if my H1 stamping is pending "Administrative review/security check" and my wife applies for H4 will she be issued H4. The answer was that she will not be printed a visa(or won't be able to use it untill H1 gets issued because they may put an annotation on it ) until the primary gets cleared. It would probably be a different situation if wife applies for H4 but the primary doesn't apply for H1, then there's no reason not to stamp her H4 because she will be using H1 approval as her basis for her H4. Again, just my two cents, please confirm with a lawyer!
Triple Citizen said:
Being a woman she will probably have no background check and may get it the same day or the next. If you get stuck, then she can travel on her own to the US before you enter. You will technically still be in H-1B status and she can thus enter on H-4. Make sure she carries a copy of your I-797. Once she enters, you can enter the US on your AP. Just make sure it is a day after her entry. Please run this scenario by a competent immigration lawyer. Good luck!!!
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You are probably right. The OP can also forego the H4 for his wife and wait until he is ready to receive his GC and the submit a follow-to-join for his wife. Surely this will translate to a longer duration for the couple being apart.
 
Just to give you an idea. My name is also zeeshan and when i came to pakistan for H1B renewal, my security clearance took place in 5 days.

And for 485 it cleared in just 61 days (you can see from my signature). You have already filed your 485 and your date is also current, just keep this situation in your mind that what will be the situation if you 485 will be approved really fast.
 
thanks for this information brother

MA_05 said:
Just to give you an idea. My name is also zeeshan and when i came to pakistan for H1B renewal, my security clearance took place in 5 days.

And for 485 it cleared in just 61 days (you can see from my signature). You have already filed your 485 and your date is also current, just keep this situation in your mind that what will be the situation if you 485 will be approved really fast.
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first of all brothers thank you so much for ur response, MA 5 your response really helped, about 485 i know it can be cleared really quick. But so far my I-140 is also pending and i have plans to go to pakistan at the end of april, if my I-140 is approved during that time then i will take very next flight availabe to pakistan.
 
what documents i need

MA_05 said:
Just to give you an idea. My name is also zeeshan and when i came to pakistan for H1B renewal, my security clearance took place in 5 days.

And for 485 it cleared in just 61 days (you can see from my signature). You have already filed your 485 and your date is also current, just keep this situation in your mind that what will be the situation if you 485 will be approved really fast.
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would you please tell us about your interview at islamabad, Secondly do they return your passport (if ask) if they make you wait for security clearance.
please also advise what documents i need to take with me. i am planing to go to pakistan at the end of april 2008
 
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zeeshanbutt4 said:
would you please tell us about your interview at islamabad, Secondly do they return your passport (if ask) if they make you wait for security clearance.
please also advise what documents i need to take with me. i am planing to go to pakistan at the end of april 2008
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I would treat MA_05's situation as an extreme exception. I am not sure how his 485 got approved so quickly especially since his dates are out of processing time, but anyhow, good for him.

I wonder if you can just simply go to the Pakiland, marry your fiance, come back on AP and do whatever readjustment to switch back to H1B status. This way your new wife can apply for H4 and come see you later.

Again, it's just a thought, you may want to consult your attorney.


Stoned!
 
I agree with StonedAnt in that MA_05 may be an exception as far as the how long it takes to get H1 stamp or I485 approved. Although my own H1 stamping was done in 5 days. You can certainly request the officer to return your passport but it will add few more days when your H1 visa needs to be printed in the passport. Embassy will have to contact you by phone to ask you to send the passport through AmEx. If you can tolerate the delay resulting from that, get the passport back after the interview. In my case, I took following docs in a folder and presented only company letter and H1 approval notice when appeared at the window. I wasn't asked for any other supporting documents.


Note: Don't volunteer any information unless asked. Just answer to the point and keep a positive attitude.

1. All Prior Tax returns
2. Lease agreement
3. Few Recent pay stubs
4. All prior H1 approval notices with older employers
5. Offer letter from my current employer
6. Letter in support of H1 from employer
7. Utility Bills
8. US Driver's License #
9. Experience letters from previous employers
10. Copy of older I-94s

Good luck!
zeeshanbutt4 said:
would you please tell us about your interview at islamabad, Secondly do they return your passport (if ask) if they make you wait for security clearance.
please also advise what documents i need to take with me. i am planing to go to pakistan at the end of april 2008
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thanks for the information

jefkorn said:
I agree with StonedAnt in that MA_05 may be an exception as far as the how long it takes to get H1 stamp or I485 approved. Although my own H1 stamping was done in 5 days. You can certainly request the officer to return your passport but it will add few more days when your H1 visa needs to be printed in the passport. Embassy will have to contact you by phone to ask you to send the passport through AmEx. If you can tolerate the delay resulting from that, get the passport back after the interview. In my case, I took following docs in a folder and presented only company letter and H1 approval notice when appeared at the window. I wasn't asked for any other supporting documents.


Note: Don't volunteer any information unless asked. Just answer to the point and keep a positive attitude.

1. All Prior Tax returns
2. Lease agreement
3. Few Recent pay stubs
4. All prior H1 approval notices with older employers
5. Offer letter from my current employer
6. Letter in support of H1 from employer
7. Utility Bills
8. US Driver's License #
9. Experience letters from previous employers
10. Copy of older I-94s

Good luck!
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thanks again for all that information, i have never changed my employer, i got my first H1-b from ISLAMABAD, never went back to pakistan, i am on my 7th year of h1-b extension.
1)i have offer letter which i got in 2001 from employer
2) i have letter of support of H1 extension from employer 2006.
do i need any updated letter from employer with current salary and vacation information.
i would really appriciate your response on that, Secondly thanks to all brothers to keep this thread alive. this is only source of information about ISLAMABAD.
 
1. Offer letter of course would be dated whenever you accepted the job.
2. Are you talking about the letter sent with H1 extension application to USCIS? That's ok to carry with you.In fact if you have the copy of the H1 extension application, you can carry that as well but now with PIMS, the consular officer is going to verify your H1 extension approval in their system.

It would definitely be a good idea to carry latest letter from employer stating the you are currently employed with them and after the vacation would be joining them back.

Mine was 7th year extension too. Had my first H1 from Isb as well.

zeeshanbutt4 said:
thanks again for all that information, i have never changed my employer, i got my first H1-b from ISLAMABAD, never went back to pakistan, i am on my 7th year of h1-b extension.
1)i have offer letter which i got in 2001 from employer
2) i have letter of support of H1 extension from employer 2006.
do i need any updated letter from employer with current salary and vacation information.
i would really appriciate your response on that, Secondly thanks to all brothers to keep this thread alive. this is only source of information about ISLAMABAD.
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zeeshanbutt4 said:
would you please tell us about your interview at islamabad, Secondly do they return your passport (if ask) if they make you wait for security clearance.
please also advise what documents i need to take with me. i am planing to go to pakistan at the end of april 2008
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They asked the following questions. Remember i visited there just after my marriage.

1. Show me approval notice (I gave to her)
2. Show me the offer letter (I gave to her)
3. Show me your marriage certificate (I gave to her)
4. Show me marriage certificate in native language (I gave to her and she just matches the dates on both)
5. So you came here on wedding (I replied Yes)
6. What you were doing there (I replied I am a software guy writing software)
7. Have you worked on open dot net (I realized by this question that she didn't know anything about computer so i simply said yes)
8. Has you wife been in USA before (I said no)
9. Can she speak english (I said no although she can understand it)

Then she said you applicatin has been approved on renewal we are not asking that much questions. Are you suppose to come here and should we sent back it to you. I said send it back to me.

And thats all. After a week i got a call that from American express that they got our passport with visa stamps on it.

Wish you best of Luck.
 
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StonedAnt said:
I would treat MA_05's situation as an extreme exception. I am not sure how his 485 got approved so quickly especially since his dates are out of processing time, but anyhow, good for him.

I wonder if you can just simply go to the Pakiland, marry your fiance, come back on AP and do whatever readjustment to switch back to H1B status. This way your new wife can apply for H4 and come see you later.

Again, it's just a thought, you may want to consult your attorney.


Stoned!
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Yes it is surprising not only to me but for my lawyer too. In fact my 485 was approved even before traveling document and EAD which eventually rejected latter because of approved 485.
 
Last time I went abroad, I was a bit overly cautious, so besides the documents that Jefkorn mentioned, I took business cards from my manager, director and vice president, along with my own of course. I also had the HR lady provide me a new Employment Letter which stated my start date, my current job duties, my rough salary, incentives etc. I also had the HR lady's business card stapled to the letter. On top of that I had the HR lady write another letter that stated that I was going on vacation abroad, leaving on X date and was expected to return back on Y date. Like I said, I went a bit overboard.

My attorney had also provided another letter template that was supposed to be put together by my employer requesting the new visa sticker from the embassy, but I didn't need that since I was not going for stamping. It sounds silly to carry all these documents, but it was all my life's work and lot of those documents came in extremely handy when I came back to the US and had to go through Special Registration for the first time.


Stoned!
 
I was appeared in US consulate Islamabad for my H1 visa on March 20, 2008, at the end they required some addition doc from my company which i submitted on April 8, 2008, till now im waiting, i have'nt recieved any call from consulate, my passport and my all company related document is submitted at us consulate, can any one suggest me what i need to do.

thanks and regards
khurram
 
Looks like they are asking for "company documents" lately. I had a friend's wife apply for H4 and she was interviewed for an hour and half and asked to submit the tax returns for the primary H1 and company's tax returns. What exactly are the additional documents they requested from your company?

You can contact them asking about your H1, if they have received required docs, it's internal workload that may be holding up the decision. You can give them a call to find out when can you expect H1 stamping.

khurramwaheed said:
I was appeared in US consulate Islamabad for my H1 visa on March 20, 2008, at the end they required some addition doc from my company which i submitted on April 8, 2008, till now im waiting, i have'nt recieved any call from consulate, my passport and my all company related document is submitted at us consulate, can any one suggest me what i need to do.

thanks and regards
khurram
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They were asked about my parent company photograph, tax return, notarized list of employee, which i submitted after 2 week of my interview, at where in US islamabad consulate should i call about my case.

regards
khurram
 
Got this from Google:

American Embassy
Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5
Islamabad, Pakistan

Telephone: (+92) 51-208-0000
Fax: (+92) 51-2276427

Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday
8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

E-mail: webmasterisb@state.gov
 
Hi,

Thanks for your reply, i send him an email, they reply me that my application goes in administrative processing and it will take time, at this point my question is, does he approve my visa and put my case in admiinistrative process or he still considering my case, in email he didnt mention any thing related to approval only he mention the administrative process.

regards
khurram
 
The consulate cannot make a final determination of your case until they hear from DC. Administrative process is the terminology used when awaiting something from DC.
 
Unless there's some derogatory information about you on the record, your visa is approved pending "security clearance". In other words, if your H1 visa had to be rejected, it would have been rejected without sending your info for administrative processing. It's matter of time, it can take anywhere from 1 week to couple of weeks and in worst case scenario months as well.
khurramwaheed said:
Hi,
Thanks for your reply, i send him an email, they reply me that my application goes in administrative processing and it will take time, at this point my question is, does he approve my visa and put my case in admiinistrative process or he still considering my case, in email he didnt mention any thing related to approval only he mention the administrative process.
regards
khurram
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