H1 Visa stamping experience- Canada

Appointment..

Hi Forum,

How can I get appointment for my H1 visa revalidation in Toronto US consulate? NVARS.COM is not working for some reason.
Also, what is the waiting time before you get an appointment?
Please help.

thanks..
 
Hi Desrman,
congrats on ur stamping....I am going to vancouver on nov24th for my first H1b stamping....can you share ur experience?....hows are the visa officers?....any specific doc they are asking for?....did you get the passport on the same day?.....were there any rejects?...Hope to hear from u soon....

Thanks
 
Vancouver experience

Of all the people i saw in the consulate that day i couldn't find one rejection or security check. There was one Iranian woman arguing with everyone including security officers but i think her case was a complicated one(not plain vanilla H1B stamping).. There were two officers one Indian and another American both of them were very friendly. In my case they asked for letter from employer and paystubs. The passport was returned on the same day at 3pm. Best of luck, i know its difficult to not worry about it but dont worry too much you should be able to get through this as well.
 
desrman,,
can you tell me about the 10 day rule? the US consulate website says that i can't get my visa revalidation stamped before 10 days of the expiration of my 6th year H1b visa,...is that ture ?
desrman said:
Got stamping done in Vancouver this monday.Included the Transit visa on form 157 , no issues or questions asked in the interview. If folks have any questions let me know..
 
NVARS.COM site is back - i tired today morning and it was working good.
You are getting appoitments for the 1st - 2nd week of Jan 2006 for Tronto.

here is the info to call by phone in case if you are still having problem with NVARS.COM site

http://www.amcits.com/phone.asp
Call from U.S. - live operator
1-900-443-3131
US$2.00/minute
7 AM-10 PM (ET) Mon-Fri
--------------------------------------------------------------------------From Canada
- live operator
1-900-451-2778
CA$2.25/minute
7 AM-10 PM (ET) Mon-Fri
--------------------------------------------------------------------------From Canada
- recorded info
1-900-451-6330
CA$0.72/minute
24 hours daily
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

From US
- recorded info
1-900-656-2222
US$0.65/minute
24 hours daily


Meanwhile if somebody who have visited Toronto recently plz do share your exp. How long does it take to get back the Passport?


sanksin77 said:
Hi Forum,

How can I get appointment for my H1 visa revalidation in Toronto US consulate? NVARS.COM is not working for some reason.
Also, what is the waiting time before you get an appointment?
Please help.

thanks..
 
nishokie said:
desrman,,
can you tell me about the 10 day rule? the US consulate website says that i can't get my visa revalidation stamped before 10 days of the expiration of my 6th year H1b visa,...is that ture ?

I am not aware of the rule, maybe someone who is in the same situation as you can answer it
 
Stamping in Toronto

Hi! All,

I am planning to go for Visa stamping next yera in Toronto. My only concern is I have been in the US for the last 4 yrs. during which I have changed my visa status a few time. I came here on B1( through a company) and then changed it to F2 -H1-F1. I am currently on f1(OPT) and plan on getting my visa stammped to end this stream on status changes. What are my chances of my visa getting rejected in Toronto? I have all the documents in place including a degree.

Any advise would be appreciated.

Thanks.
 
here are the documents required for H1b visa.......see in bold for the 10 days rule.....does anybody know anything about that ?

H1: Temporary Worker of Distinguished Merit and Ability
DS-156 (application form).
Valid Passport (at least 6 months).
One passport-size photo.
Older passports containing previous visas.
Documents substantiating previous legal status in U.S.
US$100 non-refundable application fee.
Reciprocity fee (if applicable)
I-797 (either I-797A or I-797B - I-797C is not acceptable) Must be original and full page. Appointment should be made ten days prior to the validity date on the I-797 or after the validity date has passed.
Current employment letter indicating the nature of work, duration and salary.
Recent paystub/payslip.
Copy of I-129 petition completed by employer and filed with D.H.S.
Copy of approved LCA if applicable.
If previously under J-1 in U.S. applicant needs waiver of 2 year foreign residence rule.
Evidence of qualifications must be original or certified copy. Consular officers in Canada may refuse to issue a visa to H-1B applicants if their education and /or work experience is solely or predominantly from a country other than the U.S. or Canada.
desrman said:
I am not aware of the rule, maybe someone who is in the same situation as you can answer it
 
what happens if they send you to security clearance?

If we are going to canada for h1 stamping, then they put you to security clearance, then are we stuck in canada until it's cleared for a couple of weeks?

How about in tijuana, mexico? is it easier to come back to US while waiting for clearance?

I'm from Indonesia and i'm really scared if I get this, since Indonesia is moslem country, even if I'm not.

what do you think is my chance?
 
Visa question for all with non CS degree

I have a degree in MS-Industrial engineering from a US university.....I have 2 yrs of work experience as software engineer in India.....I am going for my stamping to canada....heres my question-What are the possbile answers I can give to the VO if he asks me why I studied Industrial engineering and working in software sector?
I would really appreciate if some one can answer this and have a discussion about this so that it can help the non CS guys working in the IT sector.....How can we convince the visa officer?...looking forward to ur replies and convincing answers:)......
 
First thing you may want to do is to see if you took any course in CS during your MS. Also, did you do any projects in CS related area. Then you can always say that you started enjoying the work that is related to CS and it was too late to officially change to CS. However, you have taken courses/done projects in CS area. If there is anything remotely connected to CS in your transcript, you can point to that and say that it will show that you did CS stuff. I don't think it is important to be a major in CS. As long as you are in a related field you are fine. If you are a science major and if you are doing CS that might be a stretch. But, when you are in one branch of engg and you do stuff related to another branch in engg it should be fine.
zulu123 said:
I have a degree in MS-Industrial engineering from a US university.....I have 2 yrs of work experience as software engineer in India.....I am going for my stamping to canada....heres my question-What are the possbile answers I can give to the VO if he asks me why I studied Industrial engineering and working in software sector?
I would really appreciate if some one can answer this and have a discussion about this so that it can help the non CS guys working in the IT sector.....How can we convince the visa officer?...looking forward to ur replies and convincing answers:)......
 
My experience is about a year old. Myself and several others did manage to come into the US after being referred for a security check (with expired visas, Valid I94)
ssg10 said:
If we are going to canada for h1 stamping, then they put you to security clearance, then are we stuck in canada until it's cleared for a couple of weeks?

How about in tijuana, mexico? is it easier to come back to US while waiting for clearance?

I'm from Indonesia and i'm really scared if I get this, since Indonesia is moslem country, even if I'm not.

what do you think is my chance?
 
stamping from canada

Hi,
I am citizen of Pakistan and I came in USA on may12,2004 on B 1/2 for CSA and apply in eras.I got six months entry till Nov 11,2004.In Oct 2004 I extend my visa and my visa approved till april 3,2005.Than I convert my visa from B1/2 to F1 (student visa) from Kaplan.My F1 approved and my period will expires in Jan 22, 2006. I got a prematch Medical job on H1 that start from June 19,2006. Than I talk with my attorney he said me that you can convert the visa from F1 to H1 not before six months of start of your job. and second thing I want to go to canada for taking visa so in this condition what should I do because canadain attorny told me that we can take you before april,2005.
so give me good suggestions wht can I do now?
bye TC
Harry
 
This is the same Q I have been asking so many times with no reply. Can we enter US with expired or cancelled visas NOW or not, in case Immigration Officer orders a security check or administrative processing? There has been no confirmation that one can enter these days..therefore I am on the sideline as well, not stepping out.

ela6 said:
My experience is about a year old. Myself and several others did manage to come into the US after being referred for a security check (with expired visas, Valid I94)
 
dcmetro22042 said:
This is the same Q I have been asking so many times with no reply. Can we enter US with expired or cancelled visas NOW or not, in case Immigration Officer orders a security check or administrative processing? There has been no confirmation that one can enter these days..therefore I am on the sideline as well, not stepping out.

you can come back to US with expired visa in passport WITH UNEXPIRED I-94. HOWEVER, if you apply for visa in canada and its rejected/cancelled then you are not eligible to readmit into US as you violated caluse of "Automatic Visa Revalidation". check this link for details.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/laws/telegrams/telegrams_1441.html
 
dyingforgc: This is exactly the info I was looking for. Thanks for the information. I have posted on that thread. My case is complicated.
 
I am in same boat like you getting 7th year extension (3 years extension, labor pending). Can you share your experience? Are you a U.S master degree holder?

nishokie said:
thanks for narrating your experience. i have quick question, my 6 years on H1b is expiring in March 2006. i have a new H1 extension(i-797) for another 3 years and i want to get my passport stamped with this new H1.....

i looked up the US consulate website for toronto and it said you can't take an appointment till 10 days before the expiration of your current H1B visa...is that true? can i get my new H1B stamped in December even when my old H1 b visa is going to expire in march 2006.
thanks.....
 
no i have a bachelors degree from the US and am working on my masters right now...the problem is that my 6 years on h1b expire in march and i'd really like to go to canada for visa stamping in december becoz of the holidays but the website says that i can get my visa stamped only 10 days before the renewal starts.....so i have to wait till february to get the visa stamped now.

saro28 said:
I am in same boat like you getting 7th year extension (3 years extension, labor pending). Can you share your experience? Are you a U.S master degree holder?
 
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