Successful visa stamping H4-H1B and H1-B 8th yr
Successful visa stamping for my wife’s H4-H1B(first time stamping) and my H1-B 8th year extension in Vancouver Canada. My wife had her education and work experience only from India. H1-B was applied when she was in India and she entered US on H4 visa after applying H1-B. H1-B was approved without I-94.
We booked our appointments thru
www.nvars.com for both myself and for my wife in the same time slot on the same day. We entered Canada by driving from Seattle to Vancouver. We went to the consulate on Monday morn 8:00AM for the 8:30AM appt. We stood in the 8:30AM queue.
The security guy gave instructions just before entering for security check. He insisted
- - No cell phones or any electronic device.
- - No bags for carrying docs (folders can be used).
- - No sealed envelopes.
- - No knives scissors or any other sharp instruments.
- - No coins. Only US currency for the $100 accepted for visa fee.
- - Keep ur appt letter first page inside passport and keep it in hand separate from ur docs.
- - No food or drinks when in line.
We finally entered inside for the security check. Unfortunately I had single sealed envelope. The security guard striked out our appt letter and asked us to collect our belongings from the tray and come in the 9:00AM queue with no sealed envelopes. So we came out, checked our docs and got in the 9:00AM line.
This time we cleared the ground floor security check and were asked to go 1 floor up. In the first floor they provide a list of docs that need to be submitted at the first level.
- - Passport
- - D-156 with pasted photo and signed
- - D-157 (collected only for male candidates. But better to have filled forms for female candidates as well)
- - $100 in US currency no coins
- - Job letter (from company to consular office)
- - I-797 original notice
U are given a few mins to arrange the above listed docs. We submitted these docs (both mine and my wife’s) as a family and so were given a single token. We waited in the waiting room along with others. Few mins later a security guard called set a token nos and we were taken in an elevator to the 20th floor. There again we had to go thru a security check (emptying pockets & removing belts). This time there is another short wait till ur token number is called for finger prints at a window1. Again we waited 15 mins before a VO officer called our number for the interview. We both proceeded to the window together.
VO: Good Morning
Me and Mywife: Good Morning sir
VO: How is XYZ Company treating u?
ME: blah blah blah…..
VO: which project are u working on?
ME: XXX project…. blah blah…
VO: which university did u do ur degree
ME: blah for my bachelors from India and blah for my masters from US
Then VO officer and myself started talking which then became chit chatting, about my company and as we talked the VO officer pasted a sticker on both our passports and asked us to collect our passports next day at 2:45PM. We collected our passports the next day.
All the best for everyone....
Thanks.
