Please Help!! expired Visa travel to India

[califnik]

1) My previous I-94 on my passport was till Feb 2000
2) the I-797 i have currently is valid till April 2006 (Previous I797 is valid till March 2004, I did a H1 transfer from that company)

3) My last date of entry into the country was Feb. 1999 when from F1 student visa the passport was stapled with a I-94 till my student visa approval notice date (Feb 2000).

4) Got H1 approved from 07/2001 to 03/2004. But got laid off ON joining.. got new job on 10/2002. So no tax/W2 for 2 years.

5) Should I try fr H1 visa stamping in Chennai saying that I was legal to stay in US since my I94 says March 2004 (or APril 2006)...
I have paystubs/W2/tax forms for 2003 (+ all supporting docs from lawyer and my company) OR

is it safer to try for a BUSINESS TRANSFER visa (L1) as my company has a branch in Bangalore too....

PLEASE HELP!! ANY HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!
Thank You,
Regards,
Nikhil.

 

[sdrblr]

Looks like you have all the reqd docs and you have been in status all the time...Just go to chennai and get H1 stamped.

 

[califnik]

Originally posted by sdrblr
Looks like you have all the reqd docs and you have been in status all the time...Just go to chennai and get H1 stamped.

Hi .. I forgot to mention; that I was laid off from period of 07/2000 to 09/2001. So I do not have tax statements/W-2's from that period.... I was ONLY legal to stay in the US till my 1st I94 expired (03/2004).

PLEASE HELP!!

 

[meowmeow]

Chennai Consulate is very notorious. Even for h4 visa, they ask the w2 for all the years worked(spouse) + photos of the client + w2 of all the employees .....and much more...

why dont you try in mexico or canada ?

meow

 

[califnik]

Hi Meow:
I am single; I don't have any H4 problem.. Only H1B.
As far as I know; Canada or Mexico is harder... goto www.amcits.com . They have a notice there in red, which states that it's better to go to ur home country...
ALso; in case its rejected there; you have to go back to ur home country, u cannot return to the US (within 30 days, as the rule was before)...

PS: I heard that Mumbai consulate is bad and that Chennai is easier.. But my address in Passprot is in Bangalore so I have to goto Chennai :-(