did they ask additional documents? Sometimes, the Consulate would ask you to appear in person on any day by visiting the consulate at a certain time and sometimes, they may tell you wait as it needs more processing. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Read Sample US Visa Annotation section location for more info. US Embassy had Visa Fridays Q&A on December 2nd, below are the updates from the same session. 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. September 12th, 2022: Below are the latest updates from early September until now. When did you schedule your appointment? latest update by Mr. Don Heflin in Facebook Live on September 29th, 2022. Actually, most of the new ones are not placeholders as per their guidance. They will verify all the documents and then take the listed documents in the above checklist. The next big batch of slots will come later part of November. The appointment letter would have all the details related to the representative submission process. Also, in general, they do not plan to cancel appointments, if there is no specific local guidance or restriction. But the website took me to book OFC and Consular Appointment. Hope it goes well. What is the success rate of H1 stamping in Singapore? To proceed with your interview waiver application Step 1. Well, this keeps changing, very hard to say. F1 Slots to open in mid-May for June and beyond. Not even for other months also. It may happen, due to the change in situations, many of these are not known until like the day of the interview or drop-off date of documents. All they ask for are questions about your visa expiration date and general criteria. Can we go with Drop-Box slot for my wife and 2 Kids? MHim. You would see this listed as Step 3 in the wizard as in the below screenshot. They announced multiple measures on January 22nd to address the wait times. Dropbox appointment is mandatory in India for US visa Stamping. The last visa I have in my passport is my student visa from college. I am going for a dropbox appointment in Feb 2023. Rescheduling drop off date allowed. As there are no drop box interviews available, can he choose to appear for interview instead, as there are appointments available. They said it can take anywhere from 10 to 30 days to get a passport with a US visa after the submission of documents for B1/B2 renewal. June 28th, 2022: Below are the latest updates from the previous two weeks until now. Worried if I take appointment in India and getting my passport in time without delay and not effecting my return travel to Singapore. No specific date or week was stated by them. Is Dropbox for first time H1B stamping from F1, still valid for 2023? December 26th, 2022: Below are updates until today since last week. First-time B1/B2 applicants can now book in-person appointments for interviews. US Embassy updated that as mentioned in Facebook live previously, they released 100,000 H and L Visa appointments and thousands have booked appointments. Any idea when future F1 appointments will be opened? I am not sure why they asking for re-interview. Libin, There is no pattern as such. 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. As long as you have your I-797 approval valid and I-94 valid, you are fine. Please advise. 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. If you click on the Add by Name option in the above screenshot, then you will get an option to add the spouse or child-related DS-160 and all their personal details here. Will the slots open up? Just note that youll need to leave us your passport for up to 3-4 weeks while the application is being processed. guidance given by the Head of US Consulates in India for the rest of 2022 and 2023. I do see March 2023 but that is too far. Below is screenshot of the info from their. If you do not have any annotations in the visa stamp such as Clearance Received or Department Authorization, you would answer No. Sam, Yes, you maybe eligible for it, if you meet all other conditions. Also, they said you cannot get the passport back during these 3 to 4 weeks period if you really want to for any reason. If I apply for their B1/b2 renewal, will they qualify for interview waiver and if yes are there slots available for B1b2 Dropbox? No changes in terms of consulates operation status. Vicky, it is a common issue. In January 2023, US Consulates and Embassy processed over 1 lakh(100,000) visa applicants. Can I still do it as my previous DS160 is expired? Work days refers only to days when the embassy is open and does not include weekends and holidays. You qualify for the Interview Waiver. 20,000 New Dropbox Appointments Available In India In a welcome move, The US State Department has announced an additional 20,000 dropbox interview waiver appointment slots in various US consulates in India. If you hold a dropbox appointment and need emergency appointment, you need to cancel and book an in-person slot using above option. US Visa Appointments in India 2022 updates by Head of Consulates, Guidance by US Head of Consulates in India for appointments, US Visa Interview Waiver for Some visa types, Dropbox Extended, Guide to Apply for US Visa Emergency Appointment in India, Community Group for US Visa Appointments India Discussions, Visa Fridays FAQ Comments on Facebook.com, US Dept of State extends interview waiver for certain nonimmigrant visa holders. Hi Kumar, My spouse was on H4 visa starting from 2017 and we did the visa extension in 2019. Read below. Check full details at New US Visa Interview Waiver Provisions 2022. There is no change in the guidance. Today even on the OFC appointments page it is saying There are currently no appointments available. US Consulates in India issued a record number of, US Embassy conducted Visa Fridays Q&A last week on September 8th, 2022. what should I select for Did your most recent application result in you being issued the visa?. See below screenshot or check the tweet below. US Consulates continue to be operating in a limited fashion, with no changes in the overall situation. I continued to live in US on F1 visa till 2021 (did not go back for stamp renewal). Email traveldocs support with copies of both passport and they will assist. It is mostly the documents you submit and your eligibility criteria that matter. I do see some dates open in Nov , Dec of 2022 and from Jan 2023. Check the above article, it has the full list of documents as well. US Visa Stamping Passport Tracking Statuses meaning, H1B Visa Dropbox Process Step by Step Guide, Guide to Apply for Emergency Appointment in India. You can chose to attend the in-person interview, if you have it confirmed. Here are some of our Consular officers providing updates and information on current consular services. Select the country and state of residence You will get an option to select the country or state of your residence. GUIDE to Travel to US with valid Visa on Expired Passport ? Ravi, You need to keep looking, they open slots almost daily on rolling basis. Im in the same situation. All you need to do is take your passport and go to the Embassy on any day before 10 AM. We are in USA now. How long can I receive passport back after VAC appointment? The updates are accurate and reflect weekly updates from consulate. Can we write to the embassy and check in any way possible? The city you select here does not really matter. Student visa appointments are available on our website. B1/B2, H1, F1? This form is an elaborate application outlining details about your current H1-B sponsor, previous employer, location for visa stamping, etc. Have a safe 2022! Also, they do not plan to cancel existing appointments. This is for Mumbai consulate. You can check more at Sample US Visa Dropbox Confirmation Letter India. 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. AM22Tech Team Updated 19 Oct, 22 US visa dropbox appointment made mandatory in India Listen to this article CEAC Website, Errors Info. H1B dropbox query. Best is to split, get the parents appointments done and approved, then apply for kids. Prediction. US Bans Travelers from India Exceptions List, NIE Details, 17 NIE Experiences at US Consulate India Letter Format, Travel, 16 US Critical Infrastructure Sectors eligible for NIE, US Consulate Chennai Guidance Can you apply for NIE, while in US, New US Visa Interview Waiver Provisions 2022, US Consulate India News Alerts COVID-19, US Visa Stamping Experiences section with L1 experiences, GUIDE to H1B Visa 2023 Lottery, Registration, Predictions, News, FAQs. Question 2: Was your prior visa annotated Clearance Received or Department Authorization?. If you have answered the wizard questions as mentioned above and if you are eligible, you will get a confirmation saying that you are eligible for Interview Wavier or Dropbox. Current passport and any old passports with a U.S. visa. We need to wait and see, if this would change in the upcoming days as there are more cases reported now. They filed the H1B visa (cap exempt) and it got approved. The second page would have the details of the Dropbox Location and instructions. Is there a need to take photos also or will it be taken on the spot at the dropbox center? 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. No change in the overall situation of consulates, they all are operating in limited fashion. Thanks Sid. In general, dropbox does not require an interview, but in case, they want to interview you, you need to select that and click on continue. Hi! Rohit, If you are eligible for dropbox, you cannot go for an interview as the system will not let you do that. Check US Consulates contact info. OFC stands for Offsite Facilitation Center in the US Visa Appointments context. US Consulates in India processed about 130,000 Immigrant and Non-immigrant visas in February and March 2022. Should I wait till Sept 2022 for the further development of this or should I go ahead book that place holder appointment? key updates, December 15th, 2022: Below are the updates from the start of December until today. Check the. Is that the case for everyone? its been more than 48 months, near to 5.5 years? Yes, slots are opening on a rolling basis for B1/B2 now. I am looking for appointment in August in any consulate since my dropbox eligibility is ending on August 25th. They try to release bulk slots now and then so that they do not disappear immediatelyand again suggest to keep checking. Thank you for providing timely updates on all visa types. The previous one was help on July 29th, you can read the update on that below. If you have not got an F1 appointment, they said they will open more slots for the rest of the July and first half of August later. The F1 stamp in my passport expired in 2017. Regarding slots for other visa types like B1/B2, H1B, L1 and others see below updates from April. No, there is no refund as such. It will be of great help to me. Is this universal or a worst case scenario? I am very confused, are there no visa appointments for first time B1/B2 visa applicants in the year 2022? They plan to open some more slots for Fall and winter as resources allow. The question does not indicate an H1B visa in the question as well. 1) How do we know the real time appointment status for the H1B interviews? If a visa applicant has not established that he or she is eligible for a visa, the consular officer must refuse that application. 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? Thanks Kumar. Its a shocker that we have such a terrible software that thousands of folks will be relying upon. So hopefully by that time slots will open? Does this mean the answer is yes to the question? I was looking for slots and did the questionnaire, I was eligible for interview waiver. Currently, they are processing interview waivers and limited in-person slots. SUBSCRIBE if you find this video even slightest of helpful to you.Telegram Group - https://t.me/dropbox_H1B_H4_visaupdatesHiMy name is NiharikaI like to con. OFC appointments are available but the visa appointment is not. It can take between 3 and 21 days to have your visa processed through DropBox. The process to apply for H1B Visa stamping using the dropbox or interview waiver option is not very different from the general visa renewal for other types of visas. From the article you linked, it is clear that the H category visa is no longer bound by the 48 month rule.