apply for a visa stamp while H-1B is expiring

[matrix1]

Thank everybody here for valuable information in this forum.

My H-1B visa is expiring in May. I will apply for an extension.

I would like to visit my home country in March or April. Is it OK for me to apply for a re-entry visa stamp with my current H-1B visa expiring in May and an extension application pending?

How does it take to do the background checking?

 

[alren]

If you are coming back well before May, I would not apply for a new visa.

(Just a theory, avoid it if it is not absolutely reqd.)

 

[matrix1]

Do you mean I don't have to wait for the approval of the extension or you mean I should not go back to my home country before the approval?