Approximate stats on 221g slips issued for H1B renewal

[indianinus100]

I am heading to India to get my H1B renewed and all the H1B experiences and stories about administrative processing are making me very nervous. Seems like almost every experience mentioned here (https://www.immihelp.com/experience/...sa_h4visa.html) has resulted with a 221g issued. So I am trying to find out two things:

1. Roughly how much percentage of folks get 221g issued for H1B renewals? Is it close to 100%? Or is it perhaps, 50%? I am sure folks who don't get 221g issued generally don't share their experiences on here, but I am trying to get a rough estimate.

2. What's a typical wait time after 221g is issued? I am going through past experiences listed in the page above, and seems like the rough wait time (not counting holidays) is about 3 to 4 weeks.


A little more about my own background:

I work as a FTE for a top financial company in NYC. I work directly for the company. I have been working for almost 11 years. I did my undergrad and masters here in the US and I have been in US for almost 15 years. My I-140 has been approved. No arrest records, and never had any difficulties with my previous Visas (F1 and earlier H1B approvals and renewals). My past H1B with the same company and same job has been renewed without any issues. Nothing has changed since the last approval, except I just need a new stamp.

I'm going to India after a long time (~5 years), so I need to renew my H1B visa. From what I read and from the eligibility checker, I am not eligible for dropbox because my previous H1B visa stamping expired long time ago even though my I-797 has been renewed appropriately for last few years. I have never been out of status.


I am managing my expectations and I am preparing for any outcomes. Although I have booked the flights for only 3 weeks, I am aware, I may need to stay longer if I get the 221g. What else should I be doing to prepare? What else should I expect? Any advice or suggestions would be great.

[sie_221g]

Unless you get a request to submit any extra documents via email or document dropoff locations, most administrative processing is done within 2 weeks. If you do end up messing up your interview and if they return your passport right then, it might take 3-8 weeks. 221g's are really random. I got a 221g yellow slip for no reason. it got cleared up within a couple of days after sending documents but the consulate took too long to issue my visa.

Edit: As far as interview prep goes, make sure you know the details of every place you've lived and worked at in the US. Make sure the job responsibilities you talk about match with your resume, ds-160 and h1b petition. Don't cut corners when answering questions. Try to answer in as much detail as possible. My previous H1B interviews lasted 10-15s so I took a casual stance when answering questions and I think there was a disconnect when I tried to explain my work to the VO.