Successful H1B stamping at Toronto

T

titu

Registered Users (C)
I changed status from F1 to H1B after completing my Masters in the US. Went for H1B stamping at Toronto on 7/7 & got the visa without any issues.

At the window, I was asked to submit:
appointment letter
DS156
DS157
One picture
bank deposit slip (all 3 remaining copies)
passport
original I797 approval

During interview, the counselor asked for:
LCA copy
I129 petition copy
US diploma &
any previous passport(s) that had any US visa.

I was surprised that he didn't ask for employer letter, pay stub, I20/I94 copies or any other document.

Overall a very smooth procedure. My analysis is that if one has US education then stamping is much easier.

Please post if any of you have any specific questions & I'll be try my best to answer.

titu
 
Can you please explain to me if we have Indian (CIVIL) degree.I am also planning to go to Mexico to get stamped ASAP.

Plese give suggetions.How to get LCA (Is this original or photocopy)

Please explain about this "LCA copy
I129 petition copy" ,i hope both are same .Actually i came on h4 and changed to h1 since 2.5 years and working for a big organization.

And how was the interviw and how did you get your Canadian Stamping.If you get a chance please send emailto jc_cdp@yahoo.com.

Thanks in advance
jaya
 
Jaya

LCA is different from I129

LCA is the first step when processing your H1B.
They the company/attroney sends the LCA along with I129 and supporting documents to the INS for approval.

Your company should have both of them. LCA is 3 page document and I129 is a 4 page document.

I have been to canada vancouver to convert my visa to H1b with out any problems. If you have a local canadian consulate you can get the visitor visa the same day. I think even mexico is the same.

Just carry all your documents and previous statuses and you should be fine.

Hope this helps

Good Luck
 
Mexico will be more sympathetic to Non us degree. Toronto is notorious for rejecting non US degree holder H1 applicants. Dont risk trying for H1 if you are a H4 to h1 candidate...
 
Hi jcreddy

LCA = labor condition approval (obtained before one can apply for H1B)
I129 = your H1B petition to INS/BCIS

your HR/lawyer should have copies of both. Make sure that you not only carry I129 petition copy, but also all the supporting documents that your lawyer submitted with the petition. And also make sure that LCA & I129 copies are certified by the lawyer.

The interview process was nothing except what I wrote, they asked me for LCA/I129 copies, US diploma & all previous passports, that's it.

I'm not qualified to answer on the chances of getting a stamping in Canada or Mexico without a US degree. Of what I understood of my trip by talking to other folks in the visa queue like me, the counselors are more likely to approve visa for people with US diploma. Personally speaking, if I were not having a US diploma & wanting to go for stamping in Canada/Mexico, I would be prepared & ready with my next steps in the unfortunate event that the visa is denied. But as others pointed out, maybe Mexico is more favorable than Canada for non-US degree people........... you will have to talk to more people about it.

Good luck.

titu
 
Hi ZeusChicago

I believe it is allowed as I just got my visa stamping done, & so have others in this forum. And yes, I'm an Indian.

titu
 
Thanks for the responses. I went to Toronto before Spet 11 to change from H4 to F1..but wasn't sure if it is still allowed.

THanks again.
 
Titu

Stupid question here, could you please tell me the procedure to get Canadian visa. I live in Washington, DC.


Also, I assume you made appointment on web.

My case is F1 -> Opt -> H1


Thanks

Anil
 
Hi anil34

I applied for the Canadian visa by mail at the Canadian Consulate in Detroit since this is the closest Canadian consulate to where I live.

Normally they say they would take 2-3 weeks to process a visa but I got my passport back in 7 days.

Please see the attached link to get details for applying the Canadian visa.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/index.html

Hope it helps.

titu
 
H1 stamping

Hi titu,

Congrats on ur visa stamping. I have an appoinment at ottawa counsulate. I have done my masters in the US and been on F1 visa. My OPT card is valid till July 20, 2003. My h1 starts from July 20th. My concern is my student visa expired on Dec 2002. Was ur student visa still valid when you went to canada. any suggestions would be appreciated
 
Hi loiven1

My student visa had expired a long time ago. My understanding is that it doesn't matter if the visa is expired so far one can prove through the I20/I94 that the person is in valid legal status in the US. Student visa is only for the purpose of entry into the US as a student, the duration & validity of the stay is determined by I20/I94.

Hope it helps.

titu
 
Thanks for the reply. So You got a canadian visitors visa without having a valid US student visa. Guess if you show H1 approval they would give you the visa. If your visa had got rejected in Toronto you would have had to go to India. What all did you send for canadian visa
 
hi
i have a question about my going to toronto for frist time h1 stamping. This is the chornology of events in my case :

1) First F-1 visa expired on 31 May 2001, went to Mexico to get it extended until Dec 2001 along with the I-20 extension from my school (original I-20 was only until 31st May 2001).

2) Applied for OPT card in dec 2001 and OPT started on feb 2002 and expired in feb 2003.

3)Applied for H1b in dec 2002 but just received it in june 2003.

I have a masters degree and what do u guys on this forum think about my case ... was all the while my status legal ? and is it advisable to go to toronto for visa stamping... would the immigration officer ask me about why i chose mexico the first time and this time toronto...

Personally if i get denied its better to go to canada since i have friends there .. who could help me arrange my trip back to my home country...

thanks
4evernp
 
Certified copies of i129

I have received the copies of my i129 and labour .But these documents are not certified by the attoeney who applied my case.
Can i get notirized from out side attorney .
Actually my company notarized the whole package not each and every page,is this OK to go get stamped from Mexico.
 
Hi 4evernp


I think you should not have any problems other than since your opt expired on Feb and you got your H1 only on June that might be an issue. since you are only allowed 60 days. but since you had filed for an H1 in December you might still be in status if you have not worked during feb to june. I guess going to Canada or Mexico would be the same issue
 
My spouse wants to go to Canada or Mexico for her getting her passport stamped as she came to US on H4 and has since converted to H1B.

Is this still doable ? I thought third country citizens are not allowed in Canada or Mexico.

Thanks in advance
 
F-1 -> OPT -> H-1 in Montreal anybody?...

hi,

I'm planning to go to Montreal in mid-September to get new H-1 stamped. I studied at a big university (Univ. of Maryland College Park) on F-1 in US, got M.S. in 1998, then Ph.D. in 2002, was then working on OPT and now changed status to H-1, still working at the same university as a postdoc.

Does anybody know:

1x. The general attitude towards H-1 stamping after F-1 --> H-1 change of status in Montreal consulate?
2x. Whether attorney-certified copies of LCA and I-129 are necessary?
3x. Whether the passports are returned same day or next business day (like in Toronto, as I understood from the forum)?
4x. Regarding certifications of LCA and I-129: They were signed by the head of the university department that deals with international students and workers (International Education Services). So, it might be impossible to get attorney certification. Do you think I should get these copies signed by that guy saying that these are true and correct copies of LCA and I-129?
5x. I have my undergraduate (B.S.) diploma from Russia, and it was sent along with all documents to INS when I was changing status from F-1 to H-1. Should I bring the original and notarized translation to H-1 interview? Would it be advisable to have that diploma also evaluated by evaluation service? (e.g. www.wes.org). [I _do_ have M.S. and Ph.D. from Univ of Maryland now].
6x. My passport expires in April 2004. It is strictly enforced that the passport should be valid 6 months after the end of proposed stay in U.S.? H-1 approval is valid from 05/13/2003 to 05/12/2006. Can the application be rejected saying "renew your passport first and then come for the visa"?

I have already been to Montreal to extend F-1 for OPT about a year ago, and everything went smooth and nice.

Thanks for any and all help you can provide.

I'm from Russia, if that might matter.

/dzxing
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Payment of $100

Hi All (titu as wel)

What is the best way to pay $100. I am going to Toronto, Canada for F1`-> Opt -> H1B stamping (first time)


Is NovaScotia bank closeby ?

Can you pay in the morning itself, my interview is at 10 am


Suggestions ?

Thanks

Anil
 
Yes....

...you can pay on the morning of the interview. Most of the bank branches open at 9:00am. There is one that is 3 blocks from the consulate & if you plan to be there by 8:50am or so, then you can easily be done with the deposit & reach the consulate before 9:20/9:30am.

In my case, I had reached Toronto the evening before, so after dinner I just took a walk to the consulate area & saw the bank branch location.

titu
 
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