I recently submitted my documents for H1B and H4 visa (for my wife) at the US Visa Application Centre in Chennai and wanted to help others who have appointments at . See the below screenshots. guidance given by the Head of US Consulates in India for the rest of 2022 and 2023. There was an outage as well for the appointment booking website due to high traffic over the weekend. I was wondering if there is any possibility that embassy will cancel appointment due to rising covid cases? Hi kumar. If any issues, call support. Please advice. Update: In the past, the question used to say Was your most recent H-1B visa (temporary occupation, temporary worker or trainee) issued in after January 1, 2008? Eligibility criteria says person should have done visa stamping before.. Gauri, No, he should have got F1 visa to go to the US right, that would help him with interview waiver. Hi Kumar, First I would like to thank you for providing timely updates on your site. So, you would answer based on most recent one, which is from 2022 and approved. I do see some dates open in Nov , Dec of 2022 and from Jan 2023. In this case, it clearly tells that the applicant has to attend the interview. My previous h1b visa got expired in March 2018. Did you go for Visa appointment or Dropbox ? I am not seeing any slots mostly. You need to go only during the appointment date and allowed times to the dropbox location in the appointment confirmation letter. You would get another screen that shows the below text with the next steps to follow, as shown in the below screenshot. On this page, we track all updates from official and unofficial sources, including users feedback and experiences. Am I able to apply for the interview waiver even though I already have a H1B? Is this normal? Is this fine? To give you more context, when your H1B Visa was issued by the US Consulate, the H1B Visa foil that was glued in your passport would have the H1B Sponsoring Company name and the petition number details on it under the annotation section, as you can see in below screenshot. At the conclusion of the administrative processing period, the consular officer might conclude that an applicant is now qualified for the visa for which he or she applied. Hope it goes well. The updates are accurate and reflect weekly updates from consulate. The chance to secure such appointments opens up shortly. However, I only see 1 receipt getting auto-populated in the MRV window and I see a pop-up asking me to pay another 190$. On Jan 11th, US Embassy said that they do not plan to open any more F1 visa stamping slots for in-person interview for the month of January. Think earliest available Dropbox appt is in may for now.. slots were opened for jan/feb/March and got filled up few weeks ago. See the above timeline in article for the most recent update. You need to complete Online Non-Immigrant US Visa Application and complete all the details related to your current H1B sponsor and previous employment information. We cant expedite/retrieve passport during this period, so make sure to drop off the passport only when youll be able to wait for full processing to be completed. The situation is same as previous week. The slots they will open in the next round will be for interviews after August 15th, 2022. I am looking for appointment in August in any consulate since my dropbox eligibility is ending on August 25th. We are in USA now. Your spouse and kids will not be as they have not been to the US. We continue to update this page, you may bookmark this page. US Consulates and Embassy in India have picked up the pace of processing of US Visa applications based on the measures they indicated in January. If it is an emergency, you can request for an Emergency appointment by giving justification. But, it is just general information for your background. B1/B2, H1, F1? If your H1B visa was not approved by the US Consulate for some reason with the dropbox option, then you will be notified that your visa was not approved. Or any contact details to verify that I am in right page? What is the success rate of H1 stamping in Singapore? It can take time to complete this form. They also suggest H and L Visa applicants to not leave the USA, unless they have a confirmed appointment for dropbox / stamping. US Embassy organized Visa Fridays on May 6th. What should my answer be to the question on cgi website: Do you have a previous US visa in any class issued? Read below. Luckily after lot of try today, i got OFC ( i believe this is biometric/Fingerprinting appointment in chennai location) and consular appointment on further date, i got in MUmbai consulate. Got married in 2019. The process to request an expedited nonimmigrant visa interview varies by location. or do we need to pay again to schedule? January 31st, 2022: Below are the latest updates from the last three weeks until today. Regards. Below is the list of documents that need to be submitted for H1B Dropbox Submission during the appointment : Never give any original documents, except your passport. No mention of any date when they will open slots. Thanks in advance! Hi, My son is eligible for drop box. They said they moved away from Language specific appointments for B1/B2. This will reduce and some hassle and we may see more people traveling to India. It seems like they have been granting non-immigrant tourist visa appointments in recent weeks ( with constantly shifting # of calendar days to get an appointment) but yet this article states that they will not resume accepting those appointments until September of this year Can you please clarify? Otherwise, they may question. When administrative processing is required, the consular officer will inform the applicant at the end of the interview. It shows details about document drop-off and pickup options for a fee as well. They say they cannot share exact dates on when they will release dates for October to December. . In the past, the above question used to say in the same class for which you are applying, now it does not show that anymore due to certain exceptions until the end of 2023. See below screenshot or check the tweet below. Next, you need to select the language of the interview that you plan to do if you have to go for an interview. H-1B Holders in the U.S. H1B stamping availability Ottawa aninanda Feb 16, 2022 1 2 Next A aninanda Full Member Jul 12, 2021 41 4 Feb 16, 2022 #1 Whats the current wait-time for Ottawa for H1B stamping for folks living in Canada? it will stop showing you appointment dates and just give a dropbox submission letter and ask you to drop it at . Yes or No 2. US Embassy had Visa Fridays Q &A Session on September 22nd, 2022. I have been trying to get a F1 visa appointment for more than a week now and not able to get an appointment. Due to the overwhelming demand, there are a limited number of daily interview waiver appointments, and they generally fill shortly after they become available. Application Final Action Date. Lawyer Questions. Mihir, Usually for kids, both parents must have the stamping done and valid. pic.twitter.com/Vea0uwvx1X. You can fill a new DS-160 as needed and update the same info on USTravelDocs as well. May 18th, 2022: Below are the latest updates from the last two weeks, until today. I booked a B1/B2 appointment for October 2022 on Sunday. Good news! Thanks, Hi, My wife had a L2 visa expiring in Feb 2023 based on my previous L1B visa I recently switched from L1B to L1A and now we are trying to apply for a fresh L2 visa for my wife from India. It has nothing to do with dropbox stamping eligibility. So I booked my dropbox h1b appointment at oct 2022 at hyderabad so can I dropoff my documents at chennai? Slots are fully booked for H and L for the next few months. I see my kids passport will expire on 20-Feb-23. On CGI Federal Website, once you add your basic information, you will need to select New Appointment / Schedule Appointment from the menu on the left-hand side. It says that the proclamation is in effect, so they cannot process and need more information. Kindly help if someone knows or have been in this situations. Aug 20, 2021 0 1. See below tweets. April 19th, 2022: On April 18th, 2022, US Consulate in Chennai hosted a Facebook Live Q & A session with Mr. Don Heflin, who is the head of the US Consulates in India. Thanks Sid. Below is the summary. are those payments valid? Hey Sidx, Even I got the earliest dropbox appointment for May 2023 and seems like no earlier than this month is open for now. I recently heard the news about mail in applications. I wanted to apply for a drop-box appointment for myself and my wife. I have an invitation to present my research papers (3 papers) for world Congress in August 2022 I have applied for B1 visa for the first time I have attempted emergency application but it was not granted . This policy applies to both interview and interview waiver (dropbox) appointments. Your H1B visa stamp in your passport was not lost, stolen, or canceled, or has CWOP written on the visa. Dropped off docs at Chennai VAC (for Delhi VAC) on Oct 26. You can check complete details about this change at US Visa Dropbox / Renewal VAC vs. IW Confusion, New Change. Current passport and any old passports with a U.S. visa. June 28th, 2022: Below are the latest updates from the previous two weeks until now. Yes. What is Clearance Received or Department Authorization annotation? I am working in the US on approved H1B. They said that it is unlikely to have another batch of B1/B2 visa slots released in 2022 and say you might get lucky, if someone cancels. In the next step, you will be asked a few questions related to your H1B Visa Stamping status to check, if you are eligible for dropbox or not. February 13th, 2023: Below are the updates from from February 7th, 2023 until now. Thats more than in any month since July 2019 and one of our highest monthly totals ever! In all cases: You must first submit the online visa application form (DS-160), pay the application fee, and schedule the first available interview appointment. Could someone please share the list of documents you sent for Dropbox renewal? No changes in the situation and consulates continuously say the same message on their official Twitter account saying that they have limited capacity and slots. Any idea how to make sure this ? The lifting of the travel ban to the US does not mean that you can get an appointment to get visa stamping. As per the US Visa Dropbox Appointment Letter, below is the screenshot of the list of documents that you need to carry for document submission. Any guidance/suggestions are appreciated. My case was created on Oct 28. January 1st, 2022 : Below are the latest updates from today. On Feb 18th, they updated during their Visa Fridays that they do not know when they will open first time B1/B2 Appointments. Are you looking for any specific location. I have a set of questions regarding my H1B case, my lottery got selected in April 2020 and the petition was approved till Sept 2023. The US Embassy did not clearly tell when they will open slots for December 2022 or for next year. US Consulates are set to release tens of thousands of F1 visa slots for Fall 2022 starting from mid-May stay tuned. They try to release bulk slots now and then so that they do not disappear immediatelyand again suggest to keep checking. As the F1 visas for spring are processeed, now they say that they will focus on the H1B, L1 and other petition based visas starting from February 2022. March 29th, 2022: Below are the latest updates from March until today, includes last week as well. No more placeholders slots, you can book appointments far beyond 6 months up to 1.5 years and use the same. As long as you satisfy all the general eligibility criteria for H1B Visa Dropbox, as listed in the above section, you are eligible for H1B visa stamping using the dropbox option. Below is the confirmation screen with the next steps for the process in India. Can I get stamping for my dependants using my approved I797? Yes, they have opened slots for first time B1/B2 applicants and started interview from September 1st week of 2022. Have not traveled since got the H1. How long does it take to receive passport back after VAC appointment? Aug 20, 2021 1. It looks like in the below screenshot. Thanks Kumar and I agree, I was just venting out. We will cover all areas like dropbox eligibility requirements, booking appointments, documents checklist, how it works with employer change or H1B Visa Transfer situations, and status changes. Do the questionnaire on the CGI Federal Portal, it will tell you. If you need any specific language support, you can request it during the interview at the consulate on the day of the interview. I am trying to book appointment for first time tourist visa for my parents: 1. Do not worry. There are currently no appointments available. In addition, it is important to thoroughly review all information on the specificEmbassy or Consulate Visa Section websitefor local procedures and instructions, such as how to make an interview appointment. You need to click the Drop-Off button at the bottom of the message to proceed with your interview waiver/ dropbox visa application. As part of my application, I have a minor child (dependent) who is currently at H4 status without a stamped visa (last stamped visa was L2). For kids below 14 years to be eligible for dropbox, both parents need to have Visa stamped in their passport. Check H1B Dropbox Requirements. See the below screenshot on how it looks on CGI Federal Atlas website. Hi Kumar It will be my sons first time visa stamping. I am eligible for dropbox but I dont see any OFC appointments in Mumbai or other consulates. Pathetic, Dont know what to do and who to escalate this to. Is there a need to take photos also or will it be taken on the spot at the dropbox center? Keep checking. No changes in the US Consulates situation or the way they are operating in the last week or so. The scheduling page is showing no appointments available for any of the VACs. There were no US visa refusals anytime in the past. No new changes in the US Consulates situation in India. Is H1B extension denial the same as visa denial? Bala, Many of them booked around July, August time frame when they release lot of B2 slots. Hi, Me and wife had H1+H4 dropbox on Feb 8th for the Hyderabad consulate. So, if you have an appointment, you are good, otherwise, you would need to defer your admission. Will i be eligible for Drop Box? Appreciate any help here. They plan to open some more slots for Fall and winter as resources allow. You can check VisaGraders Dropbox Tracker , they have data from users. This has come when there are scores of eligible visa applicants hesitating to travel to India for a lack of available appointments. Hi Pankaj, Any update after your interview? Planning to visit India now. No changes in the US Consulates status in terms of their operations; everything is still operating at limited capacity. Question 2 has also changed with the new interview waiver option for certain new H1B visa interview applicants. Hi All, Ive booked my dropbox appointment for May 2023 with my existing passport details but my current passport is expiring in October 2023. Mind it that you can click about 12 times in 24 hours and you can get locked out from your CGI account for 72 hours if you clicked more than stipulated. I also have the same case I tried today but the same situation, not sure how to book an appointment with the kid. H1B primary uses dropbox and H4 dependent appears for the visa interview. See the below tweet from US Embassy. Biometrics? If so should I dropoff my documents at the same time as given in the appointment at chennai or should I dropoff a little earlier? Most of it not available at least until September. Like before, you can take any available appointment on the calendar and request that it be expedited. We have received visa dropbox appointment and we are confused about the documents needed for her H1B COS. Do we need to submit previously approved H4 approval letter (from 2019) for her? You can check the timeline section to get detailed links and, official sources, and news screenshots in the next section. Do not panic. You should arrive at the time of your appointment. Also, under the Petitioner section, you need to enter the USCIS-approved H1B visa petition details including the H1B Case Receipt Number on the same page. 3) 2 years have passed, since I submitted the documents during the H1B process, most of them might have expired, due to the validity clause on the document.