Well just to let you guys know that some of you might want to consider the Vancouver consulate (if it is convenient for you to travel).
I live in Seattle and last Friday we went to Vancouver and got our stamps without delays.
I am from Mexico but I saw people from many countries getting H1B or F1 visas.
If you plan to drive from Seattle to Vancouver please allow yourself enough time to cross the border. At the consulate we went to the second floor to pay the $100 fees and then we were given a number. About half an hour later our number cas called and we went to the 20th floor were we waited to talk to the officers.
Then our name was called by a more "senior" officer that only asked for an employment letter (make sure it's current and shows your salary) and approval notice then she quickly went through all the answers to the forms DS-156 and 157 and she gave us a little receipt with the amount we would pay for the reciprocity fee. Finally she said we would be called by another officer shortly.
A few minutes later a junior officer called us and asked just a few questions, how long have you been in the US, where do you work, what do you do (please make sure you can explain this concisely in layman terms)... this is kinda important because I saw a few people having problems explaining what the do or it did not quite match what the employment letter said however I don't think any of them were denied the visa. And that's it, you're told to go and pay the reciprocity fee (you can use credit card here but not for the $100 application fee) and return the receipt to the officer. Your passports with visas are picked up at 3pm on the same day.
This is my second time in Vancouver and it was pretty laid back. I saw peoples renewing their visas that did not have paystubs or employment letters or even a guy that could barely speak english (the officer asked a staffer to traslate) and they still got the visas.
At the border, we waited a looong time waiting in line (about 2 hours on Saturday afternoon) and we got thru without glitches.
So at the end I am glad I decided to go to Vancouver instead of St. Louis but of course maybe this venue is not as convenient for many people as it was for me. Just another option for you to consider.
I live in Seattle and last Friday we went to Vancouver and got our stamps without delays.
I am from Mexico but I saw people from many countries getting H1B or F1 visas.
If you plan to drive from Seattle to Vancouver please allow yourself enough time to cross the border. At the consulate we went to the second floor to pay the $100 fees and then we were given a number. About half an hour later our number cas called and we went to the 20th floor were we waited to talk to the officers.
Then our name was called by a more "senior" officer that only asked for an employment letter (make sure it's current and shows your salary) and approval notice then she quickly went through all the answers to the forms DS-156 and 157 and she gave us a little receipt with the amount we would pay for the reciprocity fee. Finally she said we would be called by another officer shortly.
A few minutes later a junior officer called us and asked just a few questions, how long have you been in the US, where do you work, what do you do (please make sure you can explain this concisely in layman terms)... this is kinda important because I saw a few people having problems explaining what the do or it did not quite match what the employment letter said however I don't think any of them were denied the visa. And that's it, you're told to go and pay the reciprocity fee (you can use credit card here but not for the $100 application fee) and return the receipt to the officer. Your passports with visas are picked up at 3pm on the same day.
This is my second time in Vancouver and it was pretty laid back. I saw peoples renewing their visas that did not have paystubs or employment letters or even a guy that could barely speak english (the officer asked a staffer to traslate) and they still got the visas.
At the border, we waited a looong time waiting in line (about 2 hours on Saturday afternoon) and we got thru without glitches.
So at the end I am glad I decided to go to Vancouver instead of St. Louis but of course maybe this venue is not as convenient for many people as it was for me. Just another option for you to consider.