US H1B/H4 visa interviews and 221g response

Hi All,

I have gone through many blogs and found some good info on H1B visa interview questions and preparation. I also found lots of discussion about the temporary rejection/denial of VISA(221G). Thanks every body for sharing their experience. Even though, there is lot of info available on net, I could not find  any concrete conclusion. This has motivated me to write this blog which may help future candidates to get some clear info for US H1B visa and 221G cases.

I have got my H1B stamped (03/04/2012) and received passport. Below is my complete experience from starting till end date.

A: Petition filing by employer

My employer has filed my petition in 2nd half of the August 2011. The company has asked following personal documents to be submitted along with their employer documents to USCIS.

• Scanned copies of passport(All Pages)
• All Educational Certificates(From 10th till Highest Education)
• All Previous Employment Certificates
• Current Employment(Offer Letter,  Latest 3 months pay slips etc.)

B: USCIS Approval waiting

After submitting the petition(I797, LCA etc) to USCIS, employer shared the acknowledgement receipt and suggested me to track the status of application directly online at below link.

https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard.do

My application took approximately  4 and 1/2 months to get approved from date of submission and my status got change to approved in 2nd week of Jan 2012.

Employer has sent me the physical copy of approved petition receipt as soon as they have received the same. This Receipt is required for taking the appointment at nearest consulate( for me it is Chennai).  Keep this receipt safe. This will be one of the most important document for further processing.

C: Time to take appointment at consulate:

• Deposit Visa fee at HDFC branch. Bank will give you two/three slips with a barcode number on that. That number get activated in 2-3 working days and valid for one year to get appointment at consulate. Keep these receipts safe. This will be one of the most important document for further processing.

• By the time above number get activated, complete form DS160 by visiting below (Do not Submit the application if you have any doubt until your employer will verify the information entered, just complete this and save)

https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/

• Take the print out of DS160 Confirmation page and keep it safe. This will be one of the most important document for further processing

• After this, visit below and fix the appointment by using application ID(DS 160 application id), HDFC bar code and passport information.

https://www.vfs-usa.co.in/ApplnForms/RegularUser.aspx

If  you need any Information, Please ask your employer before filling  above sections.

D: H1B visa stamping document checklist (It may very case to case)

From your side:

1. Confirmation page of online submitted DS160 with CEAC bar code.

2. Visa interview fee receipt from HDFC bank.

3. Copy of interview appointment letter.

4. Passport original with 3 photocopies of First and last page and observations if any.

5. 2 Photos (2 inches by 2 inches)

6. Your educational and professional experience documents(originals)

7. 3 current paystub from employer.

8. Resume

9. Bank statement for last 3 months.

From company side:

1. H1B approval notice (need to carry original )

2. Copy of Petition with all supporting documents.

3. Letter to consulate

4. Company photographs(If company is small)

5. Employment agreement

6. Client letter/project related documents

7. Company office/space lease document(If company is small)

8. Last two year wage reports of company(You may not get. Company will send as 221g response) (If   company is small)

9. List of all the employee working with company with detail of salary for each employee (You may not get. Company will send as 221g response) (If company is small)

E: Time to visit the nearest consulate:

Cross verify the availability of all required document with your employer and carry all documents mentioned in section D with you before you leave for consulate for VISA INTERVIEW:

If you are out station candidate then it is advisable to reach one day before the appointment. My appointment was on 27th Jan 2012.

Book the hotel or stay nearby the consulate.

Reach the consulate before 30 mins. No need to go early and waiting outside consulate roads as security persons won’t allow to stand near gate.  Consulate security persons only allow the candidates with time slots.

For eg.

If you appointment is at 9.30 am , then reach consulate ~8.45 to 9.00 am and check directly with consulate security and tell them that you have appointment at 9.30 and they will guide you where to stand or guide others who have booked slots later then you to give space to you as your appointment is earlier then the people waiting in a queue. Normally security allows people with time slot in 45 min to 1hour form the current running time.

NOTE: Don’t take any ELECTRONICS ITEMS like Mobile, camera, pen drives, laptops. Security won’t allow all that.

Get the token for the FIRST COUNTERS for appointment from out-side counter by showing, DS160 confirmation page, petition approval receipt, HDFC bank slips and passport.

Get security check done and go inside the room. Seat and check for your tern(TOKEN No at SPECIFIC WINDOW )displayed in available LCDs

At this place, officers(Normally Indians) will verify few documents and ask to give finger prints and issue new TOKEN for Actual Interview with consulate TEAM(Normally US).

Go and seat quietly inside the actual Interview Building. Check for your tern(TOKEN No at SPECIFIC WINDOW )displayed in available LCDs. Don’t try to behave modestly and don’t speak to others. if any questions then please talk to security in-charge roaming there.

F: Actual interview with VISA Officer

Depending on the discussion, VO will decide to issue VISA or 221G. Now a days 221G is very common even if you have all the documents so don’t panic and surprised for issued of 221G.

I was asked below questions and was issued 221G(green slip).

1. VO: Hello Sir, How are you?
Me: I am fine. How about you Sir?
2. VO:Where you will go?
Me:xxxx
3. VO:What is your education?
Me:xxx and xxx
4. VO:What was your major?
Me:xxx
5. VO:For Whom you will work?(Tricky Question)?
Me:I didn’t get it?
VO:Who is you client?
Me:I said xxx
6. VO:From where you will work?
Me:xxx
7. VO:You will work for service based company then why you will work form your company office?
Me:There is an agreement between my company and client and all development work will happens   from my company office only. We will work like ODC.
8. VO:Sir, I am from IT back ground. Can you please let me know the client name again? In what business it is? I Could not understand the why you will work for Non IT Client?
Me: xxx, It has many business, and from my company we have one project for which we have to develop and Port of the xxx solutions.
9. VO:On what project you will work? What you will do ?
Me:Porting of xxxx, yyyy solutions, applications and solutions on xxx device. And also to providing xxx and xxx security onto devices.
VO: What kind of xxx and What kind of yyyy solutions?
Me: xxxx and yyyy.
VO: Can you give me more details:
Me: Company has signed the NDA and I will come to know about exact modules and applications once I will join the office in xxx location.
10. VO: What kind of Security?
Me: Encryption and Decryption of packets transmitted over the network.
11. VO:whom you will report?
Me: Mr. xxx
12. VO: Why you will report to xxx?
Me: my company is a startup company and we have small team
13. VO: How many Team members are there in your Team?
Me: there are around 12-13 team members.

At Question 10. He started filling the Green Slip and after completing the questions He told that he need few documents. sugessted me to ” Sit and Check if you have all the Documents” If you have then Please come back to me before leaving Else Send me All the Documents in Once Shot.

For more info on 221G, please refer below link.

http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/consular/refused-or-pending-visa/221g-administrative-processing.html

http://chennai.usconsulate.gov/refused-or-pending-visa.html

G: 221G response submission from employer/self

All the marked documents in 221G (green slip) were submitted by my employer after 1 exactly month(29th Feb 2012) and suggested me to wait till consulate’s response.

AT this time, I started reading the blogs and info available on net and GOT disturbed and frustrated by readings the info: Few responses and conversation like:

• It will take 2 months
• For me it took, 4 months
• Submitted on xx date and still waiting
• Your case is referred back to USCIS
• We do not deal your case now. contact to USCIS
• We can not issue visa this time
• please resubmit so and so documents
• your case is still under administrative processing
• we can not tell exact time for processing
• xx color slip takes this time and yy slip takes this time

After Frustration, I stop reading all  and you know I got surprised by getting mail immediately after 1week 1day (7th March 2012) from VFS that your passport is sent back to you. again with curiosity, started exploring the blogs for  the meanings and what the mean?

Next day I got passport with new 221G(Blue Slip) saying that my passport lamination is not proper and it is damaged. Please get observation/re-issue the passport and submit to nearest VFS center.

H: Again 221G( Blue Slip)

I applied for new passport in TATKAL case and again Passport Office Bangalore rejected my case in tatkal saying “My previous passport was issued at XXX location and they have not uploaded my photo last time against the file and also passport is damaged so we can not consider the same under TATKAL. Please apply under NORMAL category”

Applied new passport under normal category and got Passport after 12 days. Thanks to C-LEVEL passport officer for considering my case under post-police verification.

Resubmitted the Passport(OLD and NEW both) and required document marked in 221G Blue form at VFS Bangalore on (29th March 2012). Received  a mail after 5 days from VFS stating that  your passport is sent back to you.

Received passport Yesterday(04/04/2012) with STAMPING DONE 🙂

SUGGESTION for 221G CASES:

Please don’t be panic. If your case is genuine then you will get the response in due time frame. Don’t worry and don’t get frustrated.

All the best for your H1B stamping done. Hope this blog will clear all the doubts regarding H1B stamping.

Best Regards,

🙂 Hardik 🙂