H1B visa appointment availability

[suemon]

Hey so my visa was approved on Monday in Calgary.. Do u have any idea how long does it take to receive the passport because i cant see ay updates online...

You will receive a tracking number very soon in your email, and you can see the exact date for delivery. i got mine within a week

 

[harrygill2308]

You will receive your passport either by this Friday or latest by next Tuesday.

Thanks for the info.

 

[harrygill2308]

You will receive a tracking number very soon in your email, and you can see the exact date for delivery. i got mine within a week

Thank you.. still nothing on tracking number upto this point...lets hope for the best...

 

[swan0206]

Hi - Can someone please confirm dropbox eligibility for H1B stamping in Canada? I have Canadian PR and live in Canada but my last H1B stamping was in India. Thanks!!

I do not think we are eligible. Even i was similar situation but was told i wasn't eligible. First in case, i dont think they are honoring any dropbox appointments at this time.

 

[harirajmohan]

Hi - Can someone please confirm dropbox eligibility for H1B stamping in Canada? I have Canadian PR and live in Canada but my last H1B stamping was in India. Thanks!!

Rules change all the time. So we dont know fully whats happening currently. Just go with what the website leads to. Once you create profile, pay the fee, it will automatically tell whether to send documents or schedule interview. So just follow the site's workflow. Even if you had stamping earlier, they may have some other criteria hence its better not to expect only drop off and go ahead with applying and see what you get.

I do not think we are eligible. Even i was similar situation but was told i wasn't eligible. First in case, i dont think they are honoring any dropbox appointments at this time.

There was one H4 reported recently in this forum he/she was allowed to do dropbox got the stamping done(similar case - first stamping in Canada while the earlier stamping was in India). So no idea if its for H4 only or H1 too.

 

[harirajmohan]

The State Department’s Visa-Issuing Authority Is in Crisis
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/13/consular-affairs-state-department-visas-crisis-history-reform/
"Several leaked internal memos and cables point to a drastic restriction in finances for the bureau that will lead to reduced services until at least 2022, and perhaps even 2023.
It already has a backlog of more than 500,000 immigrant visa applications and millions for non-immigrant visas, including student visas. Moreover, during the Trump era, some 400 employees quit or retired—many of them visa officers—and even now, one in three State Department staff, according to a recent survey, are looking to leave their posts"

 

[dry.00]

The State Department’s Visa-Issuing Authority Is in Crisis
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/13/consular-affairs-state-department-visas-crisis-history-reform/
"Several leaked internal memos and cables point to a drastic restriction in finances for the bureau that will lead to reduced services until at least 2022, and perhaps even 2023.
It already has a backlog of more than 500,000 immigrant visa applications and millions for non-immigrant visas, including student visas. Moreover, during the Trump era, some 400 employees quit or retired—many of them visa officers—and even now, one in three State Department staff, according to a recent survey, are looking to leave their posts"

Damn....
I hate dealing with immigration.
It seems like year after year, it gets harder to deal with.

 

[gmaple07]

The State Department’s Visa-Issuing Authority Is in Crisis
https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/08/13/consular-affairs-state-department-visas-crisis-history-reform/
"Several leaked internal memos and cables point to a drastic restriction in finances for the bureau that will lead to reduced services until at least 2022, and perhaps even 2023.
It already has a backlog of more than 500,000 immigrant visa applications and millions for non-immigrant visas, including student visas. Moreover, during the Trump era, some 400 employees quit or retired—many of them visa officers—and even now, one in three State Department staff, according to a recent survey, are looking to leave their posts"

Although this data is alarming ! it still does not explain why its much slower in Canada while other countries like India, Mexico - its much faster and easier to get a more recent date (atleast for stamping)

 

[harirajmohan]

Although this data is alarming ! it still does not explain why its much slower in Canada while other countries like India, Mexico - its much faster and easier to get a more recent date (atleast for stamping)

May be they are moving slow due to canada entry restrictions with quarantine and stuff - not sure if they are treating it as bilateral issue...
Or may be they keep the visa officers less due to less visas required for Canada(due to Canadians dont require visa for most visa categories). I dont think they can easily estimate the travelers demand for visas in Canada/mexico from US visa holders. Possibly the pandemic created a storm where people got stuck inside US which they didnt account for.

 

[gmaple07]

I do not think we are eligible. Even i was similar situation but was told i wasn't eligible. First in case, i don't think they are honoring any dropbox appointments at this time.

@swan0206 @varungoel99 folks - how do we know if we are / are not eligible for dropbox ? My last stamping was in India but after answering the questionnaire, it does show that I may be eligible - but i am not too sure if it really true. Wondering how/where can we confirm if we are indeed eligible ? Also did you end up getting a dropbox or had to schedule the appt ?

 

[swan0206]

@swan0206 @varungoel99 folks - how do we know if we are / are not eligible for dropbox ? My last stamping was in India but after answering the questionnaire, it does show that I may be eligible - but i am not too sure if it really true. Wondering how/where can we confirm if we are indeed eligible ? Also did you end up getting a dropbox or had to schedule the appt ?

Hi, nope i didnt get it. i got an appointment to schedule but not a dropbox option, this was back in March. not sure about recent options. let us know if you see any different. thanks.

 

[harirajmohan]

@swan0206 @varungoel99 folks - how do we know if we are / are not eligible for dropbox ? My last stamping was in India but after answering the questionnaire, it does show that I may be eligible - but i am not too sure if it really true. Wondering how/where can we confirm if we are indeed eligible ? Also did you end up getting a dropbox or had to schedule the appt ?

There was one member reported that he/she got the dropbox option for the first stamping (while earlier stamping was done in India).
Rules always change. They might be relaxing guidelines due to pandemic. As its new, not many had done it. If its asking you to courier documents then its drop box. You dont have any other confirmation on it. Just follow the instructions whats show in the site.
Its good without interview sine you dont need to make a trip, spend time and money just for 2 minute interview.

 

[ildebee]

Looking for feedback on how to interpret my Calgary H1B renewal application process. I started a new DS-160, but yet to submit. In parallel, I created my new account today with ais.usvisa-info to scan appointment availability. All my past renewals are from one consulate outside canada, typically using dropbox. As I walked through the 5 step wizard at ais.usvisa-info, step 2 was choosing courier post to collect, currently at step 3 where I have to enter payment.The title for step 4 which I cannot preview yet, reads 'register to send documents' and step 5 title reads 'instructions'. @gmaple07 was this your experience as well? @harirajmohan do you know, if this is how dropbox instructions for canadian consulates looks like?

 

[harirajmohan]

Looking for feedback on how to interpret my Calgary H1B renewal application process. I started a new DS-160, but yet to submit. In parallel, I created my new account today with ais.usvisa-info to scan appointment availability. All my past renewals are from one consulate in India, typically using dropbox. As I walked through the 5 step wizard at ais.usvisa-info, step 2 was choosing courier post to collect, currently at step 3 where I have to enter payment.The title for step 4 which I cannot preview yet, reads 'register to send documents' and step 5 title reads 'instructions'. @gmaple07 was this your experience as well? @harirajmohan do you know, if this is how dropbox instructions for canadian consulates looks like?

Sending documents is drop box here as there is no in-person application submission.
Just follow the workflow that leads to and you should be fine.
Yes seems the steps are similar to what i had but it would only tell me after payment was made but not sure if it tells you before paying the visa fee. Either way, following the workflow is the only thing we need to go with.

 

[sriinn]

Hey so my visa was approved on Monday in Calgary.. Anyone has any idea how long does it take to receive the passport because i cant see ay updates online. as of today morning..

Is it regular appointment or emergency appoinment? till July appointment getting cancelled.