H1 Visa Experience Chennai Consulate

H1-B renewal

Hi,
I'm working for a company in the US for the last 4 years. My first H1-B visa was valid from dec 2000 to dec 2003. I had my petition approved for a new H1-b which is valid from dec 2003 to dec 2006. I am travelling to India in Aug-Sep and I need to get my H1-B renewed at the Chennai consulate. Since I already had an H1-B and I'm not a first time applicant, can I use the drop-box, or do I need to schedule an appointment with the consulate? I tried to schedule an appointment, but the earliest date I got was 2 days before my departure date. I have my dates set and it would be very difficult to change my travel plans. Please advice how I can get an appointment in the first few days. I should've known about the difficulty in getting appointment,
Sincerely,
Sanjay
 
well no more drop box anymore, and this ahs caused long delays in the visa appointments as well. There dosent seem a way out unless u wanna try some other consulate

the other option is to get it stamped from, canda/mexico and then leave.
if ur stamp expired only in dec 2003, u had an option to send it for revalidation to St. Louis but now thats gone too.
 
Please help me Gurus...

I got 221 g rejection when I sent my Passport to St Louis for revalidation. The reason was "Not clearly approvable at this time. Please visit a consulate for the visa."
and my previous expired H1-B visa is stamped "CANCELLED without prejudice"

Planing to go Chennai's U.S. Consulate on August.. Please advice me.. Is it a good idea to go for stamping or not?

In the DS156 form what should answer for the
question 31
Have You Ever Been Refused a U.S. Visa?
question 35
Has Your U.S. Visa Ever Been Cancelled or Revoked?

Thanks in advance
munnaed
 
Pay requirements

Hi all,

I am going to India this December for my H1-stamping. I was on F1 got a job in the US in 2002 and got my H-1 with that company and I have stuck with them since then (~ 2years). My pay is kind of low right now (~40K yearly) and was concerned about this.

Can this cause any sorts of problem in my stamping process?

Thank you...
Sok
 
immilab

No there was no explanation but asking me to take consular officer interview under section 221(g).

please advice me if anybody experienced same kind of situation...

thanks in advance
 
My wife is going for her H4 visa in September and I dont have paystub for february. My employer did not run payroll even though I was on project. I got a letter from my employer stating that I was on unpaid leave for entire february. I have proof that I did work in february, including client certified timesheets and client payroll website.

Would this be an issue for H4 stamp? What would be the best way to answer questions regarding the missing pay stub?

Thanks
 
I don't think that is an issue. You can always say it was misplaced. They would rather more interested in the most recent/current pay-slips, w-2 and your tax returns.
 
I have a similar case as need1gc. My H1B was approved in february 04. Before that I was on F1/OPT. My employer continued paying me on 1099 till June. I am going to India in October and have to get my H1 stamped. I will only have 4 pay stubs on W2. Will this be a problem?? What are the chances of being asked to show all the pay stubs? What possible explanation can I give about the missing pay stubs?
Any advice would be great.
 
Port of entry issues: Time gap between stamping and entry into US

Hi:

I am working in India and applying for a fresh H1. I will be going for stamping soon. I want to know how much time gap I can give between stamping and travel to US. FYI, my H1 is done on premium processing.

Thanks,
Immigra
 
HI GCBeku
How did your Consulate interview Go???
Can you pls reply

gcbeku said:
I dont have w2 for year 1999 in which I was F1 student with a assitantship. I have 1040 form that I got from IRS. I am leaving for India tomorrow and I thought we need w2 and 1040 for the years one is employed under H1. Will I be OK if I take the 1040 only.


Please Help!

Thanks
Click to expand...
 
HI Lake superior
How did your interivew go .
Did they asked you any old payslips .. and old w2 s for the total time of your employment in usa ??
Did you show them all the compansy h1s and all the companys w2s and lCA
or just present LCA and last year W2 is enough???
pls reply

Lakesuperior said:
Hello Freinds,

I don't have one pay stub/W-2 for one month from my previous company as i didn't received it due to change of address from them. I filed for that year with 11 months of pay stubs/ W-2 from my current employer.
So, if i am asked for that one month pay stub/w-2 from that old employer what should i do??. The salary for that month was deposited in the bank and that is the only proof for the pay for that month.
I resigned from old employer on Jan 30th and joined the new company/employer on Feb 5th. There is a gap of 5 days between the employements. Will this also create a problem??
This happened almost 3 years back.

Please throw your advises/opinions.

Thanks and Happy New Year.

Lakesuperior
Click to expand...
 
de_friend said:
Hi,

Here's my situation:

1. I have applied for 7th year H1-B extension based on labor pending. I am expecting an approval in the next 20 days with the corresponding H4 for my wife.

2. I am planning for a India trip in August for my brother's wedding. My wife will be accompaning me

3. My H1 visa stamp in the passport expired in Dec 2003. My wife's H4 visa stamp expired in March 2004. My wife got a new passport issued in Washington DC due to name change and the old passport is labled as "cancelled". The stamp is in the old passport and there is no stamp in the new passport.

4. We are thinking of getting the passports revalidated in US, but its currently taking 3 months and I will not be able to go in August.

5. We both have Canadian Immigrant visa (PR) stamped in our passports.

Questions:

1. Is it safe for us to get the visa revalidated in Chennai?

2. Can I use TTServices Drop box facility or do I have to go for an interview?

Any input is greately appretiated.

Regards
Nick
Click to expand...
7TH year H1 AND H4 Revalidation in Chennai Consulate

Hi Folks,

i am currently on 7th Year H1 with an Approval petition valid until Feb 2005.
i am planning to Visit India in Sep and have an Interview at the US consulate in Chennai for the Visa Revalidation of my H1 AND H4 for my wife.

Would any of you with prior experience on 7th Year Revalidation, pleae shed some light on the questions listed :

1. Would there be any restriction on the H1 AND H4 revalidation, if the petition is valid only for a couple of months. Having appearing for the Interview in Sep and wondering, whether the Consulate would raise an issue in providing the H1 AND H4 Visa Until Feb 2005. There would only 4.5 months left on the approval petition I-797.

2. I had my 8th Year of H1 approved recently and is Valid until Feb 2006 (Exact dates are Feb 2005 - Feb 2006). Just wondering, whether i can submit the Approved petitions and request the Consulate to have the Visa Revlidated until Feb 2006, using the 2 approved petitions.

if so, how would it work for H4 Visa, i have only my 8th year H1 approved and couldn't apply for 8th year H4 extension, as my wife had already left the country by the time we had applied for the 8th year extension.

Can we apply for H4 Visa until Feb 2006 using the Approved H1

Also, if the Consulate accepts the request and agrees for the Revalidation until Feb 2006, would it provide 2 Visa Documents (one until Feb 2005) and the other Until Feb 2006 (Valid from Feb 2005 - Feb 2006) or will it be one Single Visa, valid until Feb 2006

Could any of you gurus with any insights onto this , please respond to my questions. i'd really appreciate your time and response

Thanks,
Ragavan
 
7th Year H1B and H4 Visa Revalidation in Chennai

Hi Folks,

i am currently on 7th Year H1 with an Approval petition valid until Feb 2005.
i am planning to Visit India in Sep and have an Interview at the US consulate in Chennai for the Visa Revalidation of my H1 AND H4 for my wife.

Would any of you with prior experience on 7th Year Revalidation, pleae shed some light on the questions listed :

1. Would there be any restriction on the H1 AND H4 revalidation, if the petition is valid only for a couple of months. Having appearing for the Interview in Sep and wondering, whether the Consulate would raise an issue in providing the H1 AND H4 Visa Until Feb 2005. There would only 4.5 months left on the approval petition I-797.

2. I had my 8th Year of H1 approved recently and is Valid until Feb 2006 (Exact dates are Feb 2005 - Feb 2006). Just wondering, whether i can submit the Approved petitions and request the Consulate to have the Visa Revlidated until Feb 2006, using the 2 approved petitions.

if so, how would it work for H4 Visa, i have only my 8th year H1 approved and couldn't apply for 8th year H4 extension, as my wife had already left the country by the time we had applied for the 8th year extension.

Can we apply for H4 Visa until Feb 2006 using the Approved H1

Also, if the Consulate accepts the request and agrees for the Revalidation until Feb 2006, would it provide 2 Visa Documents (one until Feb 2005) and the other Until Feb 2006 (Valid from Feb 2005 - Feb 2006) or will it be one Single Visa, valid until Feb 2006

Could any of you gurus with any insights onto this , please respond to my questions. i'd really appreciate your time and response

Thanks,
Ragavan
 
well you should be able to show them both the approvals and get the stamp till feb 2006.
As for H4 ext it would have been needed only if she was in Us at the time. Her H4 will be based on ur H1 so all ur documents as well documents confirming ur marriage and evidence of her being in status all through(I-94's copies and previous extensions)should suffice.
 
Experts need help

We are planning to visit india sometime in dec'04. When I tried getting an appointment in dec, I don't see they have opened dec yet. I am talking about TTS web service.

Do anyone know typically how long before they will open a particular month for scheduling an appointment??
 
Hi,

I have submitted my H1 revalidation on 12-JUL to St. Louis. I am still waiting for my stamped PP. I have few questions;
What is the phone number used to call at DC office to know the status?
How do I know if my MO from Bank of America is cashed or not?

Also if someone can share the experience of fingerprinting in India.

I will really appreciate your feedback, since I am planning to visit India this DIWALI.

thanks
 
Same Day Visas at Chennai Consulate ?

Hi Folks,

I have an appointment for a H1B visa at the Chennai Consulate in early October (am presently in the US and visiting India for a short duration to bring my family back).

I understand that the Chennai Consulate does not return processed passports on the same day as the interview. From other postings in this forum, it appears that it takes anywhere from 2 to 5 days for the passport to reach the applicant.

Recently, some visitors from India told me that their passports were issued on the same day as their interview (their interviews were in early August). I was somewhat surprised because I thought the Consulate's policy is return the passports by courier only. After all, do they not collect a courier fee as part of the visa application ?

Can other readers on this forum share their experience ? My interview is at 3 pm...I doubt whether the Consulate will issue the visa and return the passport on the same day.

Thanks in advance.
 
Hi all,

I've been reading this forum a lot, after
I was affected by the h1 cap. OPT expired in
June and I came back to India immediately.
Had the I-797 approval notice without change
of status.

Anyways, I had taken all the documentation
mentioned on the consulate website.

Questions I was asked were:-

1) For how long have you been working in this
company ?
x months

2) What were you doing before that ?
studying at xyz university

3) What were you studying at xyz university?
MS in xy

4) When did you graduate from xyz university?

5) What were you doing after you graduated
and before you started working ?
told him that after I graduated I was on
Optional Practical Training.Then
told him I was looking for a job that matched
my specific skillset, namely xyz which I studied
during ms in xyz university? those kind of jobs
are hard to find and the economy is also quite
bad. So I was refreshing my skills and sending
job applications and attending interviews
till I got the job that I thought was the best
fit for my specific skills and qualifications.

6) Do you have your original degree certificate
from xyz university ? Can I see it ?
he looked at it carefully

7) Where is your company located ?
xyz,california

8) Where is xyz?
between yy city and zz city.

9) What will your salary be from october 1st ?
xyz dollars

then he asked me to pay the fees in window one !!

Seemed to be pretty ok. I was quite lucky I think.

My opinion was that the visa officer hardly looked
at any documents other than my passport,
degree certificate and application form.
Even though he had most of them in his hands, he
seemed to have made his decision mainly from the
interview.

But this was just my experience and it could
vary from person to person. He might scrutinize
anything ...so its a good idea to have everything
in order, even though he may not even look at it.

other miscellaneous info:
the dd should be perfect. my dd was not accepted at the
first window (the indian clerk claimed that the date
was not clear .....but i feel that he just wanted to harass/ill
treat me). so i had to leave the consulate with full tension
and change the dd and return within an hour.

after that things were fine. I got the passport back after two days by courier.

thanks,
affectedgapcap
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top