Delay in Visa Stamping–Send Inquiry to US Embassy / Consulate

 

Make sure:

1. You have checked the Visa Processing or Stamping for your Location and that duration has been surpassed.
2. OR, if your case has been referred to 221(g) Administrative Processing than you have waited for at least 60 days.

Also, make sure you have checked your Visa Application Status Online.

There are two ways you can send your queries to US Embassy or Consulate in your Location

1. You can send queries to designated email address displayed on US Embassy or Consulate website. For example for US Consulate Karachi the email address is KarachiVisaQuery@State.gov
   
2. You can also send your inquiries using “Non Immigrant Visa Unit’s Web Based Email Submission Form” available on US Embassy or Consulate website. For example, following form available on US Embassy Islamabad’s website.
   

Check Current H-1B Visa Application Processing or Wait Time

 

From US Department of State Website, you can now check:

1. Current Wait Time for H-1B Visa Interview Appointment
2. Current Processing Time or Wait Time for H-1B Visa Application (for cases which are not referred to 221(g) Administrative Process)

All you have to do, is to go to US Department of State Website

Select your desired Location from the drop down list and click “GET WAIT TIMES” button. Both Wait and Processing Times of selected Location will be displayed on the following page.

221(g) Administrative Processing and the Actual Visa Stamping

 

On the day of your H-1B Visa Interview at US Consulate or Embassy, when Visa Officer finished asking questions, he/she will conclude the interview by letting you know whether you succeed or failed in the interview. If you succeed, there are two cases:

1. The Visa Officer hand over to you a 221(g) Administrative Processing Form and say that Administrative Processing is required in your case.
   
   It is possible that the Visa Officer will ask for some more documents related to you or your Sponsor, which you and/or your Sponsor has not submitted throughout the process. Not that these documents were required initially, but they might need them in your case for further clarification.

   It is also possible that they don’t ask for any further documents and your application still have to go through the Administrative Process.

   The actual amount of wait might also vary from case to case. Generally they give you the time of 6 to eight weeks, but in actual it can be less or more than.

   “After the interview, many visa applications necessitate further routine but required administrative processing, an integral part of the visa adjudication process that can be neither waived nor expedited. Individuals whose applications require this processing will be informed of that fact at the conclusion of their interview. Most administrative processing is completed within 60 to 90 days of the visa interview, but some cases do take longer. We cannot predict how long this processing will take for any particular case.”

   Source - http://islamabad.usembassy.gov/nonimmigrant_visa_faqs.html

    

2. The Visa Office will inform you about an estimated time frame when your H-1B Visa will be stamped on your Passport.

UPDATE – You can now Check your Visa Application Status Online, click to read more

In either cases, once your H-1B Visa is stamped on your Passport and your Passport is ready to be collected from American Express, you will receive a call from American Express representative to come and pick it up.

Please Share Your H-1B Information ANONYMOUSLY to Help Others

 

Dear readers,

I’ve setup a live form at the right side of this blog. If you have applied for the H-1B Petition ever, you are requested to kindly fill this form. This effort is to anonymously collect and publish the data for common good of all.

You can also view all the submissions made through this form, at the bottom of this page.

Thanks!

Syed Muhammad Humayun

H-1B Petition I-129 Processing Time and Trends

 

This post is a part of series of posts that makes up “The Complete Process Trail for H-1B Work Visa”.

Current Trends – As of today i.e. 16th December 2012.

Following chart depicts the current I-129 Processing Time of USCIS National Average and Vermont Service Center. So, based on current trend, if your petition will be filed at Vermont Service Center, a decision might be taken in 2.1 months from the actual date of filing. A decision could be Approval Notice, Rejection or an RFE.

Following chart shows the I-129 Processing Volume Trend of Vermont Service Center.

Following chart shows National Trend for I-129 Processing Volume

Source – USCIS

How to view most current Processing Time, Volumes and Trends?

1. Go to https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/Dashboard.do
2. From the second table at the bottom titled “Processing Times”:
1. Select a form type – select “I-129” and click “Next” button (page will refresh)
2. Select a form sub-type – select “H-1B – Specialty Occupation – Visa to be issued abroad” and click “Next” button (page will refresh)
3. Select an office – select any office you wish to view and click “Next” button (page will refresh)
4. Current Processing Time will be shown in the form of chart (similar to the chart shown above – the very first image above)
3. On the same page and just beneath the second table, there is a link “View national volumes and trends for all applications”. Click on that link and it will take you to a new page titles “National Processing Volumes and Trends”. From that page:
1. Select a form type – select “I-129”
2. Select an office – select any office you wish to see
3. Select chart type – select any chart you wish to see
4. Click on the button “Get Results”. Page will refresh and you will see two charts similar to the one shown above – last 2 images)

Request for Evidence (RFE) Processing Time

 

USCIS can process your response for RFE in as little as one week, but usually they’ll take 6 to 9 weeks for processing. However, there are examples when they took 12 weeks or more to process the response against an RFE.

Bottom line: No one can predict, how much time USCIS will take to process a response. It is advisable to contact USCIS, if you (read Sponsor) do not receive any response from USCIS in 90 days or 12 weeks of time.

H-1B Petition I-129 filing by Sponsor

 

This post is a part of series of posts that makes up “The Complete Process Trail for H-1B Work Visa”.

Based on the documents that you have sent to the Sponsor and the accepted Offer Letter, Sponsor will prepare the H-1B Petition I-129 and submit it to any one of the following Service Centers of U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) based on the applicable jurisdiction.

• California Service Center
• Nebraska Service Center
• Texas Service Center
• Vermont Service Center

Source: USCIS

Your sponsor can submit your H-1B Petition I-129 in either of the following processing modes:

1. Regular Processing
   • Processing Time – up till 6 months
   • Base filing fee – US$ 325
     • American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA) fee
       • US$ 750 for employers with 1 to 25 full-time equivalent employees, unless exempt
       • US$ 1,500 for employers with 26 or more full-time equivalent employees, unless exempt
     • Fraud Prevention and Detection fee
       • US$ 500 to be submitted with a request for initial H-1B status or with a request for a beneficiary already in H-1B status to change employers (does not apply to Chile/Singapore H-1B1 petitions)
     • Public Law 111-230
       • US$ 2,000 to be submitted by a petitioner which employs 50 or more employees in the United States where more than 50 percent of its employees in the United States are in H-1B or L-1 nonimmigrant status.
       • must be submitted with a request for initial H-1B status or a request for a beneficiary already in H-1B status to change employers
   • Turn around time – Within 6 months
2. Premium Processing
   • Processing Time – Within 2 weeks
   • All fees mentioned in “Regular Processing” above
   • Additional fee of US$ 1,225 for employers seeking Premium Processing Service

Source: USCIS

So does Premium Processing has Higher chances of Approval? the answer is No. Its just a way to expedite the processing of your application. Premium processing will not increase your chances of approval. And, if you are applying for H-1B for the first time, there’s no need to go for Premium Processing, because even if you know early, that your H-1B Petition I-129 has been approved, you can not enter USA before 1st of October the same year.

Then why should one go for Premium Processing? there are cases when opting for Premium Processing is beneficial:

1. H-1B Transfers – because candidate can work right away and do not have to wait for 1st October. Moreover, candidate want to switch early instead of being stuck with existing sponsor for long
2. H-1B Addendum – because candidate can work right away and do not have to wait for 1st of October
3. etc.

Once the H-1B Petition I-129 is submitted by the Sponsor, the USCIS Service Center will send a Receipt Notice bearing a 13 digit alphanumeric reference number.This is the petitioner’s (sponsor’s) first confirmation that the petition is in the adjudicating queue.

You will now have to wait for the approval of your petition by USCIS. During that period you can check about your case status from time to time on USCIS website.