I am very relieved to say that my H1 B stamping went off last week with no issues.
Background :
I came to the US about 5 years ago, did my masters degree, started working using EAD then along with the downturn got laid off.
Hence I scrambled to get a H1 sponsor. My first period of 2 years is over , I went to get my second h1 stamped.
H1 stamping:
Went to the consulate early though my interview time was much later, I saw many grilling sessions.
When my name was called I was pleasantly surprised when it was at the 'Check In' counter rather than the 'Interviews' counter. There were no questions just was asked to pay the fee and to come back at 3:00pm.
This is technically my first H1B stamp in the passport, my previous passport has expired, she didnt even once ask anything about this or anything else.
All this aside there were some sad stories, there were a group of young men, looked like Muslims , they were interogated with ferocity I have never seen.
One chap was on the verge of crying his visa was rejected and he had everything across the border somewhere , the visa officer simply rejected and countered anything he had to say to buttress his position.
Otherwise they tend to defer and ask you to come back after a few days [ especially the Chinese folks ].
Advice:
The Canadian border should not be a problem though I doubly made safe and crossed into Canada from Port Huron rather then Detroit.
I quadruple checked my documents, I took apart from the usual docs, a resume, technical eval, photos of my company, transcripts, payslips for 2 years and my old H1b papers.
I filled the ds 156 ages ago , I presume they did a background check before hand and made their decision.
Ottawa should be a straightforward bet for H1b first timers or renewals. [Non US degree holders BEWARE dont go !!]
I had a fantastic time, bundled econo vacation, great places to see around Ottawa and Gatineau Quebec.
good luck folks ,
thanks to all the folks here for their profound knowledge and help.
Background :
I came to the US about 5 years ago, did my masters degree, started working using EAD then along with the downturn got laid off.
Hence I scrambled to get a H1 sponsor. My first period of 2 years is over , I went to get my second h1 stamped.
H1 stamping:
Went to the consulate early though my interview time was much later, I saw many grilling sessions.
When my name was called I was pleasantly surprised when it was at the 'Check In' counter rather than the 'Interviews' counter. There were no questions just was asked to pay the fee and to come back at 3:00pm.
This is technically my first H1B stamp in the passport, my previous passport has expired, she didnt even once ask anything about this or anything else.
All this aside there were some sad stories, there were a group of young men, looked like Muslims , they were interogated with ferocity I have never seen.
One chap was on the verge of crying his visa was rejected and he had everything across the border somewhere , the visa officer simply rejected and countered anything he had to say to buttress his position.
Otherwise they tend to defer and ask you to come back after a few days [ especially the Chinese folks ].
Advice:
The Canadian border should not be a problem though I doubly made safe and crossed into Canada from Port Huron rather then Detroit.
I quadruple checked my documents, I took apart from the usual docs, a resume, technical eval, photos of my company, transcripts, payslips for 2 years and my old H1b papers.
I filled the ds 156 ages ago , I presume they did a background check before hand and made their decision.
Ottawa should be a straightforward bet for H1b first timers or renewals. [Non US degree holders BEWARE dont go !!]
I had a fantastic time, bundled econo vacation, great places to see around Ottawa and Gatineau Quebec.
good luck folks ,
thanks to all the folks here for their profound knowledge and help.