got my H1B stamped in Toronto

D

din573

Registered Users (C)
Hi,
I have got valuable advice form this website concerning immigration issues and would now like to contribute my bit concerning my H1 stamping in Canada.

I am an F-1 to OPT to H1B case.this is my first H1B.I took all necessary documents as outlined here in so many posts,including visa appointment letter, complete H1B petition,I-129,H1b approval,letter of employment,paystubs,old F-1 documents with OPT card,transcripts from US and INdian colleges,Degree copies of both,etc.

I got my canadian single entry visa and flew to Toronto from NYC.It cost approx 180 US by Jetsgo.net(discount airline) and stayed at the Bond Place hotel(approx 50 US with tax).It is a decent place with some cheap eateries around it for good food.
Check out all-hotels.com for hotel bookings.you get some great deals there.the hotel is 10 minutes brisk walk from the Embassy

I was at the Embassy early.Get bundled up.it is pretty cold in Canada this time of the year.You have to present your appointment letter,H1b approval and passport initially and then wait for your name to get called out.You get to sit inside and wait away from the cold.THe person interviewing me was polite and went over my i-129 in detail,asked me a couple of questions about the kind of job I did,my company and how I managed to land the job.
She then asked to see my OPT card and my US degree certificate,after which she told me that I got the visa and asked me to go upstairs,pay the visa fee and give her the receipt after which she gave me a pick up card for my passport the next day.

That was it.it was simple and brief(approx 3 minutes) and all those harrowing months of research and anxiety were over in a flash.My advice is to go fully prepared with all documetns even though you may not be asked for most fo them.she did not ask to see anyhting else other than what i mentioned above.
anyway each case they decide is unique so prepare well for your application,but my advice is if you have all your documentation in order and have been in proper status all through out,relax and dont get worked up.Just answer the questions and handover only what you get asked for and answer to the point and clearly instead of rambling around which may lead to more questioning.

So go prepared with all documents,take it easy and be confident.after all the people at the embassy are not monsters out to destroy your dreams but just doing their duty in the prescribed word of the laws of this country.
anyway,best of luck with your applications and be positive and dont worry too much.take it from me as I went thru the same tension that you might be going thru and at the end it was unbelievably simple.

take care
din573
 
question for din573

din573 i have question for you, Did u get H1 visa after completing your degree or before that. I heard if person get F1 then he has to finish that degree and then get an H1 approval otherwise if a person does not complete his F1 degree program then H1 Visa is impossible. Could you please confirm that,

Thanks really
 
Hi din,
Thanks for that good posting.
In the document required for stamping they have asked "· Most applicants must be able to show strong commitments to a home outside the U.S. Therefore, you should submit evidence of economic and social ties to your home country and document the nature or purpose of your trip. ".
Did you take any financial support letter as we do it for H1, like the bank statements and assets back home say India
 
Hi people,

KCS503b

I took along documents that I first presented for my F-1 in Chennai to show evidence of economic and social ties to homeland,but was never asked for it.
I did take a letter of employment confirmation from my employer to show that i was currently working there as well as letters from my previous boss,current boss and Deparment head at college to attest to my work experience,skills and worth to the company.(all these she did not ask to see so i did not show them)

My advice is you that there is nothing wrong in taking too much of documentation,but present it to the officer ONLY IF ASKED FOR IT.
 
Answer to grlfrmnj1
Hi,
I completed my MS degree in the US which you have to in order to be eligible to apply for OPT under the F-1 visa.
I dont knw whetehr it is impossible to get H1 without finshing your degree for whcih you came under the F-1,but it iwll greatly improve your chances of getting the H-1 if the completed degree is in line with your job.

if you have not completed your degree but an employer wants to sponsor for your H1,then the employer and you have to be able to show that you have the necessary educational qualification or work experience which will make you eligible for the H1.In this case ,finshing your degree will make your case a stronger one.
best of luck

disclaimer:I am not an attorney,so you should check with one on this.:)
 
Kcs503b

Kcs503b,

H-1b is a dual intent visa i.e. temporary worker holding H-1b is considered to be a potential immigrant by Dept. of State. Proof of strong ties to your home country is only necessary in case of F-1, b-1 or b-2 visa’s because they are considered to be single intent visas i.e. you should return back to your country after studying or visiting U.S. and not become a financial burden on U.S. govt.

Above-mentioned message by kcs503b is for people who are applying for F-1, B-1 or B-2 or other single intent visas.


Sincerely,

RamFan
 
thanks din573 and RamFan. Hi din I appreciate you for taking patience and replying even after you are done with your job.
 
Hi din573,

I registered on the nvars site, at the end of February. It is more than 11 days I haven't recieved my appointment letter by mail. I called them today ($2/min phone call), they said it will normally take 10 business days for letters to come from canada to usa.
The hitch here is I have to send this appointment letter to Canadian embassay for getting my canadina visa.
Could you throw some light on this
 
Message for kcs503b

kcs503b,

I have scheduled an appointment for my wife and myself for March 21’ST. I have received all the forms and appointment letter from U.S. consulate in Toronto, Canada within 5 days of scheduling the appointment.

I am not sure why you are experiencing the delay. May be your appointment is further down the road. Hopefully you will get it sometime soon.

Are you an Indian citizen? If not....that could be a possible reason for the delay (if a citizen of middle eastern or other muslim country). I am not sure if appointment scheduling and citizenship of an applicant are correlated.

Good Luck,

RamFan
 
That was a good post. It seems nothing has changed from when I went to Toronto in June 2001 to get my H1 stamped. Had the same experience, in fact there were no questions, just some polite conversation about the city where I lived.

However, inspite of warnings not to take electronic stuff into the consulate, I forgot to check my son's pocket - he had his gameboy with him. The guard at the gate said that the coffee shop around the corner would 'safe keep' the gameboy, which they did for $2.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Is getting H1B stamped in Toronto still a good option?
Where do I start then? Any web site or contact phone number?
Do you need to get a visa to go into Canada? Where is the visa from?

Thanks for advice,

wy
 
on f1-opt, applying for h1

hey,

i am on a f1 opt, the company i work for is going to apply for my h1 b in april (premium processing). could you please tell me how the process is these days? is it difficult to get an approval or are they still linient. i have worked for this company for almost a year now.

thank you for your help in advance.
 
Hi din573,

Thanks for the posting. I am also going to Montreal to get a new H1B stamp and I am worrtied about the risk of not getting a visa and having to fly home to get it. I have a couple of questions.

1) I assume that you were taking a risk in leaving the US - if the visa was rejected you would have to go home and get it. Did you have a contigency plan?

2) What documents were needed to get the Canadian visa? Are the Canadians giving any problems to issue visitors visa knowing that people cannot re-enter the US without a valid visa?

Thanks
 
got my visa stamped in Vancouver

Hi guys,

I got my H1 stamped in Vancouver.
I had not recieved my Appointment Letter. I called the 900 number atleast 6 times (total cost $70). Finally one gentleman told me that, they will fax the letter if I had'nt recieved it till 2 days before my appointment. But in case of Vancouver, they won't fax. But it is ok if I have the online appointment reference number. So this reference number was enough, and nobody insisted, both at the border as well as the consulate.
From the Seattle airport I took a bus to Vancouver - www.quickcoach.com
At the border they asked me few questions, checked my I-797, canadian visa, how long I am going to stay.
I had an appointment at 8.30
They ask you pay the 100$ cash first.
Then you have to go to the visa officer. She asked me about my OPT (I am changing from F1 to H1). When I graduated, how long I have been working for this current employer. I had a gap between my OPT time and the time I applied for my H1. She asked me about the gap and I told her it is was the Grace period. Actually after the Practical training is over there is a grace period of 30 or 60 days ( I am not sure). The the thing is she did'nt go through the documents much, since I had all the documents, I was able to provide whatever she asked, looks like she was impressed.
She gave my passport along with my I-797 and asked to pay the reciprocity fee at the top floor.
There since the cashier did'nt have change he asked me to pay by credit card.
I got my passport at 3.00 pm.
There is a public car parking lot opposite the consulate, they charge CAN$2.50 for 1/2 an hour.
While coming back at the border they checked the visa and took the old I-94 and asked me staple the new I-94.
Thanks for the guidance guys. And a special thanks to Jaxen
 
Ref Canada

Hi TGC36, pab77 and others who may be able to answer some of my questions about the Vancouver consulate regarding new H-1 stamp (I am on OPT). Here goes:

1. Did you get a multiple entry visa?
2. Did they ask you for any originals? I suppose you don’t submit originals, only copies.
3. Did you get the visa the same day Sagar?

Also about getting your Canadian visa, can you share the details for that as well.
a. Did you send your appointment letter sent by the consulate, as evidence of reason for travel?
b. How long did it take for you to get the Canadian visa?

Thanks much for your help

Shefali
 
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