H1 Visa stamping experience- Canada

my stamping experience at Toronto

My situation :
I had completed 6 years in US without green card. So I left US
and lived in India for 7 months, Meanwhile my Canadian PR was approved.
So I moved to Canada and lived there for 7 months.
After 14 months, I applied for a fresh H1-B and got approved.

I got appointment for stamping at Toronto on February 2, 2004

My interview time was 9:30AM.

I took all documents that was needed.
I reached there very early (at 8:30 AM).
The security folks let me in right away.

Once inside I was asked to go right away to counter 7.
There I gave my appointment letter and Passport to the lady.

She asked me to have a seat.
Then within a few minutes, I was called by a lady officer in the counter 6.


officer: So you are a canadian permanent resident, eh? (friendly way)

Me : Yes

Officer: So no jobs in Canada,eh ? (she was being sympathetic)

Me : Yes , I work in the bank ****.

Officer: So what is the deal. Is this bank sending you to USA?

Me : No, I am going to work in a new company.

Officer: ok.

(She looks at my documents)

Officer: Can I see all your past approvals.

(I show her all the approvals. One of them was misplaced. Both of us
search in the pile. Finally she finds it).

Me: Here is the proof of my leaving US.

(I show her the tickets I used to fly from USA.
She checks the tickets and also stamps in the passport).

Officer : Alright have a seat. Another officer will call you.

(That was it. All the officer wanted was to check that I was in
legal status for the full six years)


(The new officer was just for fingerprinting me.
He asked one question though - What do you plan to do in USA.
I replied I was an Oracle DBA , blah , blah , blah)


That was it!!!!!


I was asked to come next day at 3pm to collect passport with stamp.

I walked out relieved .

My comments - Do not worry . Just have all your documents .
Answer honestly and you will be fine.
 
guys,

ANy imputs on H4 to H1 stamping in Toronto.
My friend's wife has to travel to Canada on her new job for a week. No US degree. No prior H-1 stamping in passport.
ANy chances of rejections.If rejected what happens. DO they allow to enter into US or do they send back to India


ANy experience or inputs greatly appreciated
 
Cannot re-enter USA

If a visa is rejected for whatever reason, you cannot come back to USA.

Frankly I am surprised a senior member is asking this question
 
Amitkoh
When I went to Canada for stamping four years back for F-1 to H-1 , I went with full confidence that i can comeback if rejected. Atleast I remeber thats what they used to say then. I mean travel by road and they dont take i-94.etc
So i was curious whats the trend in post 9/11 world.
sorry to let you down with my seniority!!
Parshu
 
Anybody stamped H1B in Montreal

Has anybody stamped his/her H1B at Montreal? Can you get the passport in the same day or you have to wait three days? Please share your experience. Thanks.
 
amitkoh said:
Even if you are not from SR countries and your profession does not come under TAL, there is a chance that a background check, not visa condor or visa mantis, would be ordered e.g. common name etc. In that case you are stuck in Canada till that clears. It can take 72 hrs to 30 days. 98% cases get resolved in 30 days. Rest 2% take 3-4 months. I have had 4 US Visa stamps, US education and I am from India. Now I am stuck in Ottawa waiting for background clearance.

If you are from SR countries or work under TAL don't even think about going to Canada.
Click to expand...


You need to stop scaring people just because you were held back. Also you seem to have a habit of changing your stories. In some posts you said you were delayed for security check because your profession falls under TAL, now you're saying it could just be because of a name.

Also, they clearly state on the Canada appointment letter that IF you're processing will take more than the standard 1-3 days they will notify you via email or phone call. You make it sound as if you go there thinking it will only be 1-3 days and then all of a sudden you're told it will take 3-4 weeks...that is also not true.

Frankly, I don't think anyone should take what you write seriously because it just seems like you are mad that you are stuck in Canada and keep scaring people who will most likely not have any problems whatsoever.

:mad:
 
buntyhaz said:
Hi
Me and my wife are planning to go to Montreal or Otawwa for our visa revalidation begining of june. when I called up the consulate person, I was told that it takes 3 business days + the interview day earliest to get the visa.

Is that true? Can anyone please tell me the approx timings in each of the consulates so I can get the visa appointment. 3 days leave would be an impossible for me vacation wise...


thanks in advance

Sid
Click to expand...

See my post:

http://www.immigrationportal.com/showthread.php?t=128102

There were quite a few people who were getting H-1Bs all of whom were given their passports back the same day at 3pm. I think for a while it was taking 3 business days with the new security and background checks but that has now improved to the point where they can give it back to you same day.

I highly recommend Montreal. There are nice hotels nearby. I am staying at the Residence Inn - Downtown Montreal. 15 min walk and 5 min by cab to US Consulate. The process is nice there, people who work there are very nice too.

good luck and don't worry...go in with a positive attitude. Sometimes reading these forums can scare you for no reason. Just have all your papers with you and as someone said, answer honestly and you'll be fine.
 
tnadkarni

Just because u did not have any problems does not mean that no one else will. You posted ur experience and amitkoh posted his/her own. So let people reading this decide what they want to do and please do not say that people should not listen to amitkoh. You bring up interesting points abt the processing time and if urs is a special case it will require special processing. But remember that what goes behind the doors after u apply for visa no one knows. So u can be subjected to different checks that u will not be even aware of. So when visa officer tells u that u need to wait for checks to be completed u really dont have choice. But again that does not mean that everyone will go thru that..Its like very rare cases. So post messages which will help people gather different advices and not just rather depend only on ur advice.
 
Got our H1/H4Visa Stamped at Montreal!!

Hi All,
Thanks a lot for your inputs and suggestions. We took an appointment at the US consulate, Montreal for the revalidation of my H1 and my wife's H4 on June 1st at 8:30 AM.
The procedure was pretty simple.
1) Went there at 7:45 AM. passed security check, went up the elevator to 19th floor, paid at the counter.
2) my number comes up, the lady there was very nice and friendly. She took all my papers and asked the following questions:
1) Were u ever here on student visa? I replied "No".
2) Do u have any family members in the US? I replied "No".
3) Did the company file immigration for u? I replied "Not yet".
Thats it, I was asked to wait till my number is called again. Since I was the first person, I waited for some 30 mins, when my number popped up again.
Went to another counter, there was a guy, who said, "this is just plain revalidation, same company , same position..?" I said "Yes". Gave the finger printing, and asked to pay at the counter the $50 fee.
Paid and came back. He asked us to come back at 3:00 PM to pick up our passports. And we are now back in the US.

thanks again to all those who replied to my query.

this was immensely helpful

Sid
 
Hey All,
Thanks for all the useul info. I have been on OPT till Dec 31 and started on H1 for a Univ from Jan 1st. Any one with this type ? F1-H1B ?
I want to go to Canada sometime in July for stamping and wanted to check the issues. Any experiences would be very helpful.
Thanks
S
 
I am simply stating what you are saying in the end that anybody who posts experiences like amitkoh needs to explicitly state over and over again that this is a limited situation.

As you see buntyhaz had almost the identical experience as me in Montreal and what NO ONE realizes is that you will ONLY hear about problems on these message boards. People who have no issues with the process rarely will come on here and post.

I just am annoyed that all amitkoh seems to post is how what happened to him could happen to anyone and this is causing an unecessary amount of fear and worry for those of us looking to get visa stamps in Canada.

I'm glad it's working for everyone... :)
smxhan said:
tnadkarni

Just because u did not have any problems does not mean that no one else will. You posted ur experience and amitkoh posted his/her own. So let people reading this decide what they want to do and please do not say that people should not listen to amitkoh. You bring up interesting points abt the processing time and if urs is a special case it will require special processing. But remember that what goes behind the doors after u apply for visa no one knows. So u can be subjected to different checks that u will not be even aware of. So when visa officer tells u that u need to wait for checks to be completed u really dont have choice. But again that does not mean that everyone will go thru that..Its like very rare cases. So post messages which will help people gather different advices and not just rather depend only on ur advice.
Click to expand...
 
Hello,

can someone advise me on the timeline for the Canada trip? I got the news that my H1B has been parorved for extension today, but have not got it in hand yet. Shopuld get it in 2-3 weeks from the lawyers.

How far ahead should I plan ? A month or so ?

Any help would be appreciated,

idasgupt
 
I plan to go to Toronto in July for my first H1B stamp. I converted from F1 to H1B (6 months ago) while in the US. Advice on the following would be great:
1- Is it possible to enter the US if my stamp is denied? I still have the I-94 in my passport and I am driving to Canda via Niagara Falls.
2- How many days/ hrs does it take to get the stamp? I am not in a profession on the TAL list and I am Indian
3- Anything else I should be aware of

Thanks all for the advice in advance. I really find this forum very useful. I promise to post my experiences once I complete the stamping process.
 
Visa for Canada

Hello,

please advise on the following. To apply for a visa to go to Canada for the H1 stamping, should I write on the Canadia visa form that I am going to Canada for US visa stamping ? Or should I write just a tourist visit ?

Please advise, any help would be much appreciated,

thanks,

idasgupt
 
H1b revalidation visa in canada on duplicate passport - original lost

Hi,
I lost my passport in the mail after the DOS mailed it out with my new H1b visa. I am now applying for a duplicate passport at the Indian Consulate in Houston. I am planning to go to Canada or Mexico to get my visa on the new duplicate passport. I only have copies of my previous visa stamp with me. How risky is it to get my visa in Canada or Mexico?

thanks
 
FirstH1 said:
I plan to go to Toronto in July for my first H1B stamp. I converted from F1 to H1B (6 months ago) while in the US. Advice on the following would be great:
1- Is it possible to enter the US if my stamp is denied? I still have the I-94 in my passport and I am driving to Canda via Niagara Falls.
2- How many days/ hrs does it take to get the stamp? I am not in a profession on the TAL list and I am Indian
3- Anything else I should be aware of

Thanks all for the advice in advance. I really find this forum very useful. I promise to post my experiences once I complete the stamping process.
Click to expand...

From what I understand and I'm not a lawyer:

1. Not legally. Sometimes the border officers are lax and will not check everything but technically since a few years ago you can no longer re-enter from canada/mexico with JUST a valid i-94. This used to be the case but now you need a valid visa

2. Not sure for Toronto. People have posted same day and next day. I got it same day in Montreal

3. Read this message board there are plenty of first hand experiences.
 
tinkerman said:
Hi,
I lost my passport in the mail after the DOS mailed it out with my new H1b visa. I am now applying for a duplicate passport at the Indian Consulate in Houston. I am planning to go to Canada or Mexico to get my visa on the new duplicate passport. I only have copies of my previous visa stamp with me. How risky is it to get my visa in Canada or Mexico?

thanks
Click to expand...

In my opinion, very risky. Do you have your original I-797 and other visa approve notice of action forms? If you at least have that you have a better chance. If all you have is a duplicate passport and photocopies of previous visa stamps...I wouldn't leave the country.
 
Second H1 stamping in Toronto

Gurus,
Please advise.
Background:
I came to the US in 1996 on an F1 visa, stamped from Bombay. In 2000, I took up a job and got an H1-B approval. Same year, I went to Canada and got the H1-B stamped (from F1 to H1). Following that I changed my job three times (every time I transferred my H1 to the new employer).
Currently I have an approval for H1-B with my current employer, valid upto Dec 2005. The stamp in my passport has expired in early 2002 (hence cannot send for revalidation with in the US).
Question is - can I go to Toronto again, and get a new H1-B stamp? I have US education, my first H1 stamp was from Canada, I have never been out of status. However I heard that there were some recent rule changes as a result of which everyone is requried to go back to their home countries, is that true? Is anyone out there who had a previous H1 stamp, and recently went to Canada to get another H1 stamped successfully?
 
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