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Posting this experience so it may help folks who are going to go for their H1B Visa stamping in India.
My particulars:
- H1B petition renewed in Dec 2012 working for the same employer
- H1B visa stamp expired in Jan 2013
- Previous H1B Visa stamped in New Delhi in Oct 2009
My experience
1) Submitted DS-160 online
2) Went through the ustraveldocs.com site to schedule an appointment for H1B renewal in New Delhi
3) Qualified for using drop box to get visa renewed
4) Aug 13: Went to Stanley Offsite Document Collection Center in New Delhi and submitted my documents (it was quick and smooth)
- DS-160 confirmation page
- Dropbox confirmation page
- passport
- copy of I797 approval letter
- 2 passport size photo
- Employee Verification letter from my employer
5) Aug 14:
- UStraveldocs site showed that my passport was delivered to post
- Status on CEAC site changed to "READY" - use DS-160 number to check
- Later in the day, CEAC site showed "Administrative Processing"
- Got an email from Stanley team that I've been issued a 221-G and visa officer has requested a machine readable passport
6) Aug 15
- Called Stanley helpdesk and requested that the submitted passport be returned so I can apply for a new passport in India
- Stanley folks escalated and shipped the passport
- Got my passport back on Aug 17th
7) Aug 19
- Applied for reissue of Indian passport under Tatkal scheme and was approved the same day
- It took couple of visits and meeting with Assistant Passport Office & passport officer to push a quicker resolution [did not actually help ..even though I tried]
- Took 2 weeks for the new passport to be delivered.
- Note: under tatkal scheme, reissue of passport is listed as 'Dispatch on 3rd day excluding the date of submission'. This is not true per my experience. the whole process takes it own sweet time
8) Aug 31
- Received new passport
9) Sep 3
- Went back to Stanley office in New Delhi and submitted new passport
10)Sep 4
- Passport delivered to post
- Last status updated date on CEAC site showed to be "Sep 4th". Status of application was still "Administrative Processing". I concluded that visa officer had seen the app and took some action
11) Sep 5
- Status on CEAC site changed to "Issued"
12) Sep 7th
- Passport with visa stamped delivered to my home
Lesson(s) learned:
a) If you are in US and wanting to get H1B stamped, please make sure that your passport is machine readable. It will perhaps be easier to get it done at a Indian Consulate in US. More importantly, you will have the luxury of time to get this done as long as you are in good lawful presence status
b) If you are in Adjustment of Status proceedings, it might be better to apply for a Advance Parole before you go to India. If things really get stuck then you may have an option to come back using Advance Parole (consult your attorney)
c) My 2 cents: I'd recommend opting for an appointment at the consulate instead of a dropbox (if you are pressed for time and need to return to US quickly). This is to avoid shipping delays in case you encounter a 221g or any other information that a visa officer may need as most likely you'd be carrying such docs with you.
d) Proactive Step: Figure out a way to get Indian Adhaar Card (identity card) with your Indian home as the address. Its widely adopted now as proof of residence.
e) Proactive Step: If you are renewing your passport in at an Indian Consulate in US, then make sure your permanent address is listed as your India address. This way, there is always a link to your home in India (if you need it in future).
f) Proactive Step: It would be good to have an NRE/NRO account with a bank in India which support NEFT (national electronic fund transfer) using online banking. I had this and it really helped pay for the visa fees quickly. Otherwise, your family/friend in India has to go through the hassle of visiting an HDFC branch and doing it all in person.
Needless to say, I went through this nerve-racking experience... it all worked out in the end.
Good Luck!!
My particulars:
- H1B petition renewed in Dec 2012 working for the same employer
- H1B visa stamp expired in Jan 2013
- Previous H1B Visa stamped in New Delhi in Oct 2009
My experience
1) Submitted DS-160 online
2) Went through the ustraveldocs.com site to schedule an appointment for H1B renewal in New Delhi
3) Qualified for using drop box to get visa renewed
4) Aug 13: Went to Stanley Offsite Document Collection Center in New Delhi and submitted my documents (it was quick and smooth)
- DS-160 confirmation page
- Dropbox confirmation page
- passport
- copy of I797 approval letter
- 2 passport size photo
- Employee Verification letter from my employer
5) Aug 14:
- UStraveldocs site showed that my passport was delivered to post
- Status on CEAC site changed to "READY" - use DS-160 number to check
- Later in the day, CEAC site showed "Administrative Processing"
- Got an email from Stanley team that I've been issued a 221-G and visa officer has requested a machine readable passport
6) Aug 15
- Called Stanley helpdesk and requested that the submitted passport be returned so I can apply for a new passport in India
- Stanley folks escalated and shipped the passport
- Got my passport back on Aug 17th
7) Aug 19
- Applied for reissue of Indian passport under Tatkal scheme and was approved the same day
- It took couple of visits and meeting with Assistant Passport Office & passport officer to push a quicker resolution [did not actually help ..even though I tried]
- Took 2 weeks for the new passport to be delivered.
- Note: under tatkal scheme, reissue of passport is listed as 'Dispatch on 3rd day excluding the date of submission'. This is not true per my experience. the whole process takes it own sweet time
8) Aug 31
- Received new passport
9) Sep 3
- Went back to Stanley office in New Delhi and submitted new passport
10)Sep 4
- Passport delivered to post
- Last status updated date on CEAC site showed to be "Sep 4th". Status of application was still "Administrative Processing". I concluded that visa officer had seen the app and took some action
11) Sep 5
- Status on CEAC site changed to "Issued"
12) Sep 7th
- Passport with visa stamped delivered to my home
Lesson(s) learned:
a) If you are in US and wanting to get H1B stamped, please make sure that your passport is machine readable. It will perhaps be easier to get it done at a Indian Consulate in US. More importantly, you will have the luxury of time to get this done as long as you are in good lawful presence status
b) If you are in Adjustment of Status proceedings, it might be better to apply for a Advance Parole before you go to India. If things really get stuck then you may have an option to come back using Advance Parole (consult your attorney)
c) My 2 cents: I'd recommend opting for an appointment at the consulate instead of a dropbox (if you are pressed for time and need to return to US quickly). This is to avoid shipping delays in case you encounter a 221g or any other information that a visa officer may need as most likely you'd be carrying such docs with you.
d) Proactive Step: Figure out a way to get Indian Adhaar Card (identity card) with your Indian home as the address. Its widely adopted now as proof of residence.
e) Proactive Step: If you are renewing your passport in at an Indian Consulate in US, then make sure your permanent address is listed as your India address. This way, there is always a link to your home in India (if you need it in future).
f) Proactive Step: It would be good to have an NRE/NRO account with a bank in India which support NEFT (national electronic fund transfer) using online banking. I had this and it really helped pay for the visa fees quickly. Otherwise, your family/friend in India has to go through the hassle of visiting an HDFC branch and doing it all in person.
Needless to say, I went through this nerve-racking experience... it all worked out in the end.
Good Luck!!
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