Starting from January 1st, 2022, with the new Dropbox Eligibility option for certain first-time H1B Holders, you see a generic question asking about any US Visa, instead of an H1B Visa. Check the estimated wait time for a nonimmigrant visa interview appointment at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Please advice. You need to wait. My document dropbox appointment is on 20th Oct 22. Thanks Kumar, I went for re-interview and it went well. Arshi, The rule is valid till end of this year, but the visa issued will be valid for the duration it is issued for. US Embassy had Visa Fridays Q&A on December 2nd, below are the updates from the same session. You can fill a new DS-160 as needed and update the same info on USTravelDocs as well. On this page, we track all updates from official and unofficial sources, including users feedback and experiences. No specific questions or updates were there for H1B, H4 or L Visas, They are increasing permanent staff assigned to Consulates and Embassy in India, They will be processing interview waiver cases remotely to clear up backlog, They will do interviews on Saturdays across all consulates and Embassy to reduce the wait times. US Visa Appointment Slots Availability Tracker Beta You are entering data in America/Los_Angeles time zone. Check When to get H1B stamping after approval of petition. Nothing new. If I select no, it is asking to go for separate appointments for the kid. How long does it take to receive passport back after VAC appointment? Even though the text says Schedule OFC Appointment, what they mean is the appointment for Dropbox to drop off your documents. Hyderabad drop box updates. sai, It can take time. Should I wait till Sept 2022 for the further development of this or should I go ahead book that place holder appointment? The wait time estimate does not account for the time required for a consular officer to adjudicate the application nor mailing time of passports or other documents. All Cases. Make sure you adjust your entry date and time to provide accurate information to the community. Can someone confirm please, Good afternoon.. Next, you will be asked to select the Visa Category, which is relevant to H1B Visa. My offer letter has employer name as A & B US LLP. 2) Since my previous H1b interview was at Mumbai consulate, am I limited to Mumbai for my dropbox appointment? Thank you! . If any doubt, reach out to them or consulate directly. USA. This sounds like you can only apply if youre applying first time or renewing? Hey Sidx, Even I got the earliest dropbox appointment for May 2023 and seems like no earlier than this month is open for now. 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? See the above timeline in article for the most recent update. It has been showing this message from 1 week. I cant renew those passports in USA as only 5 business days left for my travel, but I can do in Tatkal renewal in India after I get visa stamping and before coming back to USA. Has this happened in January when there were rising cases? However, if there is a scenario that I-797 gets expired is there a way we can use the same receipt by updating the new DS 160 in the CGI profile ? They have also extended the hours in Mumbai during weekdays to address more cases. You can check VisaGraders Dropbox Tracker , they have data from users. Not even for other months also. In the past, the above question used to have question specific to H1B, but that is not relevant anymore until the end of 2023. It looks like in the below screenshot. Check the previous week updates. The above was confirmed by our user community. Appreciate you for the valid help. You can carry either color printout or a black-and-white printout of your appointment letter/ confirmation page. The response from the support team is, users cannot covert the appointments, but they can cancel and re-book, if they qualify. Hi, I have my H1B petition approved and in I-797B form with validity till August 2023. August 10th, 2022: Below are the latest updates from the end of July until now in August. Im stuck with my kid here and my husband is already in the US. Application Final Action Date. I need my visa renewed and was planning to get my visa stamped during my upcoming trip to India in November. Im so confused. But my approved petition (I-797) has A B US LLP. Important Notice: Except in cases of emergency travel (i.e. Overall Current Status Summary: US Consulates in India continue to be closed for regular operations as of February 13th, 2023. No change in US Consulates operation status, they all are processing in limited fashion as like in before weeks. I know these are commonly listed on this website but Im looking for experience from folks who got it approved. How long can I receive passport back after VAC appointment? Also, they do not plan to cancel existing appointments. Kindly help if someone knows or have been in this situations. This is same problem for everyone. I had my drop box appointment last week. The U.S. Mission in India has issued a record-breaking 82,000 #studentvisas in 2022 to date, higher than any other country. Do you guys know what is the tentative dates available for dropbox? See the below screenshot. Hi, Has anyone had a Dropbox CoS L1B to H1B appointment after 4 pm, like 4.45 pm? I had booked h1b visa in person interview appointment as during that time 24 months rule was there for interview waiver program. Can I still do it as my previous DS160 is expired? anotherh1b, You would likely be eligible. Applicants scheduling visa appointments in a location different from their place of residence should check post websites for nonresident wait times. Update: Before November 28th, 2021, for dropbox or interview waiver appointments, it used to show IW at the end of the consulate name in the dropdown, where you select the interview location. When I reached out to help desk, they replied Please follow the timings and instructions on your appointment. Is this expected? I am in the same situation. I am wondering if doing our dropbox first and then scheduling kids dropbox will take too much time and instead should I do appointment for all 3 together even if the delay is > 300 days. Please can anyone confirm this? Hi, Ive dropped off my documents on feb6th 2023 at hyderabad hitech city metro office and my visa and location both were same (HYD)..so after two days the status was changed to application received then its changed to approved.. since then i mean its been 8days and so on the status still shows approved only..im little worried is it completed approved or iwill be in process? You can read the below updates in the timeline for the most recent updates. Its really frustrating. 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. No changes in the US Consulates status in terms of their operations; everything is still operating at limited capacity. Future F, M, and J appointment openings at the Embassy and Consulates will be for interviews taking place after Aug 14, so if you need to arrive at school by mid-Aug, book an appointment now! They say that wait times for H and L visas for both first-time applicants and dropbox have been cut into half. But dropbox results take anywhere between 4-6 weeks as per few folks here in this forum. Regarding slots for other visa types like B1/B2, H1B, L1 and others see below updates from April. H1B Visa dropbox appointment availability times USA H1B Visa venkatbolla July 17, 2021, 6:15pm #1 Hello Everyone, Anyone able to book H1B dropbox appointment recently? There was no Visa Fridays Q&A by US Embassy in the last two weeks, which was supposed to be on March 11th and March 18th. See the below screenshot from US Embassy website and the. This guidance is in-line with the customer service response from previous week. They suggest to attend the interview, if they have a slot confirmed. Also, in general, they do not plan to cancel appointments, if there is no specific local guidance or restriction. Priyam, You can submit anywhere, no need to do anything about DS-160. This includes H1B Visa as well. travel.state.gov site shows too much delay. This will reduce and some hassle and we may see more people traveling to India. No one knows. The reason is it says Schedule OFC Appointment and many think it is for giving your Biometrics (fingerprints, photo). DO NOT cancel appointment or restart the process. Pankaj, You should reach out to consulate for the same. How to Apply for H4 EAD? Now, with the new dropbox option for certain new H1B applicants, it does not have that. I was on L1B Visa and changed my status to H1B couple of years ago. I am going to schedule mine and I wanted to get an estimate on the wait time for dropbox appoitments. Also for all supporting documents, carry originals and copies of the same. Drop off your listed documents at locations mentioned on the appointment letter. US Consulates in India continue to operate in very limited fashion and not open for regular operations yet. Select a U.S. Embassy or Consulate: Wait Times for Embassy/Consulate See details on appointment availability and processing times Global Visa Wait Times Wait Time for Interview All US Visa Dropbox Submissions . There are currently no appointments available. I'm able to see dropbox availability across all sites. I have the same case. Not just the recent one. Below is the summary. Everything is as in the previous week. In this article, we will cover the step-by-step process for H1B visa stamping using dropbox or the interview waiver option. If you haven't already have it.. Use below for tracking dates, its helpful https://t.me/H1B_H4_Visa_Dropbox_slots Dec 23, 2021 3 2 Amazon baua OP Wow Dec 23, 2021 0 Netflix dumbfuk2 Dec 23, 2021 0 Amazon baua OP Ajith, Sometimes, it can take time. You should have H1B Visa Stamping done before and have, Your H1B Visa was stamped in your passport after Jan 1, 2008, Your H1B visa stamp in your passport should not have, Your H1B visa stamping in your passport should be issued after your 14. How did you get the appointments at two different locations? Share your thoughts and inputs in comments section below. If you give the I-797 approval notice original, you may not get it back. However, the drop box appointments we are getting are for Nov 2023. Microsoft k5a78gy. I havent got any communication from the emabssy/consulate. If you plan to renew your H1B Visa, you may be eligible for Dropbox / Interview Waiver option. They will verify all the documents and then take the listed documents in the above checklist. May 23rd, 2022: Below are the latest updates from the previous week, until today. Well, this keeps changing, very hard to say. 2. Planning to visit India now. As of February 2023, you can apply for H1B visa stamping for both in-person and interview waiver. 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. They are still operating in a limited fashion with limited appointments. This new option is valid until the end of 2023 ( Dec 31st, 2023). US Consulates continue to be operating in full swing to clear the wait times with the recent measures announced in January 2023. Schedule an appointment to submit your documents.Step 2. The amount shown will vary by country in local currency. No changes to the vaccination requirements, you still need to be fully vaccinated. It will be listed as Step 6 and looks like in the below screenshot. Any guidance/suggestions are appreciated. In this case, it clearly tells that the applicant has to attend the interview. Question 2: Was your prior visa annotated Clearance Received or Department Authorization?. It should be noted that the Wait Times for a Nonimmigrant Visa to be Processed information by country does not include time required for administrative processing. While I am filling my details for VISA appointment, in Petitioner field do I need to put the exact name A B US LLP if it is okay to have A & B US LLP in DS-140 as employer. US Consulates continue to be operating in a limited fashion, with no changes in the overall situation. Limited Availability of Slots : They continue to say that the slots are limited and they fill quickly. The estimated wait time to receive a nonimmigrant visa interview appointment at a U.S. embassy or consulate and is based on workload and staffing and can vary from week to week. J, It clearly tells that the B1/B2 interviews will be from Sep 1st, I dont understand what is wrong. This includes any of your recent US visas, including the H1B Visa. 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). You can watch YouTube Video on where & how to check for US Consulates openings, wait times. I am eligible to drop off my documents though. Once completed and submitted online, you will get a confirmation number. yes, you should go at the same time and date. All they ask for are questions about your visa expiration date and general criteria. No significant updates or new guidance by US Consulates in India in the last week. They did confirm that renewals for B1/B2 slots are opened on a rolling basis. Thats more than in any month since July 2019 and one of our highest monthly totals ever! U.S. Visa: Reciprocity and Civil Documents by Country. This January, the U.S. Mission to India processed over 1 Lakh visa applications. Could you please help? Is there a probability that we can get an earlier appointment or this is likely to be the first avaialble slot, Also, is there any other way through which we can extend her existing L2 visa. US Consulates in India continue to be operating normally despite the recent COVID-19 cases increase in the country. I was able to get their B1/B2 Dropbox slot for sep 2022. Ever travelled to US. Response: Check your previously issued US Visa annotations section. No new changes in the US Consulates situation in India. All the slots in 2023 and beyond are not placeholder slots. There will not be any slots open for March 2023. You can read the below updates for previous guidance. Earlier in March, as part of the Visa Fridays Q&A, US Embassy stated the below on. I am still waiting for my dependants approval (Wife and kid). Could you please list all documents you sent to them for Dropbox renewal? 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. Pathetic, Dont know what to do and who to escalate this to. I see my kids passport will expire on 20-Feb-23. Please press the Back button and choose a new OFC appointment Date.. 100K H and L Visa Appointments to be released in October in India. Can anyone please clarify whether the slots are opened & booked already or yet to be opened.. For full details check : During the week of Feb 7th, there was a video update given by US Embassy on the status of appointments and their focus for next months. Hi Im Keerthana My husband is eligible for Dropbox for H1B and me and my son both are added in my husband application we just want to confirm do we need both me and my son need to go in person interview or can we go for Dropbox along with my husband please give me suggestions on this. They are opening more H1B Slots, but due to the demand, they fill up quickly. My wife and son never had a US Visa before. All they says is they will opened soon. Again, in December 2022, they confirmed the availability of the 48-month dropbox rule for 2023 and beyond as well. See below screenshot of the response. Response: If you did not get any US visa stamping(including H1B Visa) refused at a consulate before, you would answer No. If you are an F1 student and not able to get visa slot for stamping, you may seek. Lets look at each of the steps now. Is that accurate as per your knowledge? You may add your H1B Dropbox details anonymously at US Visa Dropbox Stamping Tracker to get details on current processing time trends and for community benefit. The visa status on the CEAC website will continue to show status as Administrative Processing or Refused. I want to go ahead & choose this option but not sure to provide incorrect information by No to the question Whether you held a previous US visa, September 2 slots available for Mumbai OFC appointment for visa stamping anyone interested can chk, people, delhi OFC showed 10 slots try now. US Consulates continue to say that the limited slots opened are exhausted in a very short amount of time. They also said they cannot guarantee getting a slot. Ok, so dropbox appointments are immediate they ask you to send documents as soon as you fill up questionnaire. Or only H1B letters are necessary? Yes, they are the most available slots. They are not opening slots for fresh B1/B2 stampings yet and do not know when they will open B1/B2 Stamping slots for first time B1/B2 applicants. Thread starter svcanadapr; Start date Apr 13, 2019 . Does this mean the answer is yes to the question? See the below screenshot. Read below and the timeline for weekly updates. Lawyer Questions. My F1 visa was rejected and aprroved in the next attempt. To avoid issues, get yours and your wifes dropbox stamping done and then apply for your sons dropbox. Any update on your situation, i also have a same situation. Currently we have April 2023 appointment which was last chance to book in the 5 th attempt. You should refer to the instructions on the website of the Embassy or Consulate Visa Section where you will interview, or on their online appointment scheduling site. At present, working in Singapore on Employment pass. There will limited slots for B1/B2 and it can take time to get one. . That is just few days after 6 months of drop box appointment date. Overall, the process to renew an H1B visa, using an interview waiver/ dropbox option, is very straightforward and should not have any complications. Below is the confirmation screen with the next steps for the process in India. US Embassy India updated their website saying that travelers to the US do not need to show a negative COVID test anymore starting from June 12th, 12:01 AM. February 28th, 2022: Below are the latest updates from February until today. pic.twitter.com/BBv8LZT7oo. 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. If it is an emergency, you can request for an Emergency appointment by giving justification. doddamani, No one knows. When I raised a question to the ustraveldocs team, they suggested that If I am confident that I should be offered Dropbox option, I should CANCEL my current appointment and go through the questionnaire again and answer it to the best of my knowledge and then i might be given the Dropbox option. No new updates in terms of slots for other visa types. You can check the US Visa Stamping Experiences section with L1 experiences. Gauri, Very hard to get a slot. Aug 20, 2021 0 1. H1B Visa 2023 Tracker US Visa Stamping Trackers US Visa Appointments USCIS Processing Times Visa Approvals Rates Login What's New on VisaGrader? I created my profile in ustraveldoc and added my dependants. This shows that the U.S. remains the most sought-after country for higher education. From the article you linked, it is clear that the H category visa is no longer bound by the 48 month rule. They are completely different from H1B visa denial. Below are the payment options for Dropbox Stamping in India. April 25th, 2022: Below are some key updates since the previous update. Shall I provide those new valid documents in case VO requires it during the interview or do I need to re-upload the documents somewhere before the interview happens? Many assume that they may not be eligible for H1B Visa using the dropbox option. Sometimes, it can take up to 3 weeks as well. Read the latest official news summary at: You can check full updates at the below Facebook Post. Thanks Kumar. Now he want to visit india for visa stamping for the first time.can he get appointments? I also would like to understand the same. The guided wizard looks like in the below section screenshots. You will need to click on the option that says Add by Name as it looks in the below screenshot. Select the best city that you can think of where you would go for stamping. What was your experience ? I am in the same situation. F1 Appointments for Fall 2022: US Embassy mentioned that they will give slots to students who did not interview before, instead of giving more slots for someone rejected. 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