H1b visa application

thezapper

Can anyone give me some information about the time it takes to get a H1b visa processed. My future employers have applied for a H1b for me and been told that the application was successful. They are going to send me the paperwork (probably this week) and then I have to go to the US embassy in Dublin, have an interview, give them my passport and they will put the visa in it and post the visa back to me.

My questions are: Roughly how long does it take to (1) get the appointment at the embassy and (2) after the interview how long does it take to get your passport back.

The reason I want to know is that I'm about to book flights and obviously I want to make sure I will have my passport back by the time I fly.

Any help would be appreciated.

lil_lisa

Congratulations on the visa!

There is currently a four day waiting period for an appointment, you can check here.

Also the wait time for the visa is shown there. Its usually roughly 2-4 working days between the day you leave the embassy and the day you receive your passport in the mail.

ellieswellies

Congratulations! I am all set to have my employers file my H1B soon, but I need to get my veterinary license sorted before I can file (and it's taking FOREVER...but we're getting there!). What do they ask you when you go in for the interview?

thezapper

Thanks to everyone for your responses. All went well and I arrived in the States yesterday.

Even though the web page quoted by lil_lisa said the wait time for interviews was 4 days, when I called the US embassy to make the visa appointment the first available one was in about 7 business days. So beware of that if anyone else is applying.

I had the interview at 8am on Monday morning and got my passport back in the post the following Thursday, so 2-4 days for that was correct in my case.

The interview itself was very straightforward. At that stage I think they are really just trying to establish that you are actually the person in question that the visa is for so expect some questions about what you work at etc just to see if you know what you are talking about.

One final thing. When checking in for your flight make sure the airline give you the white I-94 form. The green forms have been done away with (thanks to the ESTA) but with a H1b you still need the white one for going through US immigration. I didn't know this and Aer Lingus didn't give me one so I had to go back and fill in in after I got to immigration. Not a major disaster but worth knowing.

ellieswellies

The interview sounds fairly straightforward! My employer is doing the premium processing - does that mean that the whole application process could be done and dusted in 2 weeks, or is the interview in addition to that?

Also, I'm filling out the I-94 form myself because my employers didnt' really understand most of it...is this a really bad idea, or should I get some legal advice? It's a first time H1B for a fairly obvious speciality occupation (veterinary) and I enclosed a bunch of stuff with the application saying that I have the required degree and it's the equivalent of a US degree etc. I'd be grateful for any advice on this!

lil_lisa

Are you sure its the I-94 form? That's a simple departure card you keep in your passport along with your visa.

whichever form it is, as long as you give true information and have your company check over it there shouldn't be any issues. Legal advice should be sought if you don't understand parts of the form or if you are unsure. The last thing you want is to have a H1B rejected because of a formality error!

ellieswellies

oops sorry I meant i-129! I must have been thinking about I-94's as well. I defo kept it all truthful and on the straight and narrow but I really don't want to have it rejected because of an honest mistake! My employers don't 100% know what they are at with it either so I guess we'll have to see what happens, they're filing it today so fingers crossed.

Bluearyan

Hello Everyone !

My H1B petition was approved in October 2008, but I couldn't go to USA as it was peak of recession and IT jobs were very hard to find in USA.

I'm an Irish Citizen and would like to appear in US consulate in Dublin for H1B visa as my petition is valid till October, 2011.

Can anyone tell me how are chances of getting visa now?
Any advise in this matter is appreciated, Thanks

lonestargirl

Bluearyan wrote: »

Hello Everyone !

My H1B petition was approved in October 2008, but I couldn't go to USA as it was peak of recession and IT jobs were very hard to find in USA.

I'm an Irish Citizen and would like to appear in US consulate in Dublin for H1B visa as my petition is valid till October, 2011.

Can anyone tell me how are chances of getting visa now?
Any advise in this matter is appreciated, Thanks

This doesn't make sense, you would have had to have had a job offer and that company then petitioned for a H1B for you. You can only get the visa to work for the company who petitioned for you. Do they still want you? and why haven't they employed you yet?

silja

As lonestargirl says, for a H1B visa you need a sponsoring employer, and they need to fill in updated forms before your interview. If they are willing to do so then your chances of getting the visa are extremely good (unless you have criminal convictions or similar).

Maybe you are thinking of a different visa, such as a B1 (visa for visiting the USA for business purposes, but usually onyl for 6 months)?

Bluearyan

silja wrote: »

As lonestargirl says, for a H1B visa you need a sponsoring employer, and they need to fill in updated forms before your interview. If they are willing to do so then your chances of getting the visa are extremely good (unless you have criminal convictions or similar).

Maybe you are thinking of a different visa, such as a B1 (visa for visiting the USA for business purposes, but usually onyl for 6 months)?

Thanks Lonestargirl and silja.

I dont know whether i posted my question properly.
Basically H1B has been approved in INS in the year 2008 and my employer wasn't interested in the last 2 years as the market wasn't good and at the same time I wasn't willing to travel as I was having job here in Ireland.

My H1B is approved for 3 years from Oct 2008 to Oct-2011, but since Irish people have visa waiver scheme to USA, we need to get the visa stamping for H1B, which comes under non-immigrant temporary work visa category.

My employer is basically a consultant company which hires employees and place them in different organizations on contract basis. Now, I have a job offer from an organization and I wanted to go for visa stamping.

I dont know the chances of getting visa stamping in US Consulate. are there any kind of rejections for H1B visas? please throw some light on this.

Hopefully i explained my question properly...appreciate your your time and help

lonestargirl

Bluearyan wrote: »

My employer is basically a consultant company which hires employees and place them in different organizations on contract basis. Now, I have a job offer from an organization and I wanted to go for visa stamping.

You can only work for the original employer. They are not supposed to contract you out on a H1B and one reason for the decline in number if H1Bs over the last few years is that USCIS have been clamping down on consulting companies.

The company who have offered you the job can of course petition their own H1B for you.

RMRS

Hi all,

I am a Secondary School Music Teacher from Ireland and am hoping to move to Los Angeles this coming summer. I want to apply for a H1B visa but I have no idea where to start. A lot of websites are asking for money in return for "expert services"...hmmm.

If anyone has any information on where to start, where to look etc etc I would greatly appreciate it. If anyone has gone through the process I would love to hear from you.

lonestargirl

RMRS wrote: »

I am a Secondary School Music Teacher from Ireland and am hoping to move to Los Angeles this coming summer. I want to apply for a H1B visa but I have no idea where to start. A lot of websites are asking for money in return for "expert services"...hmmm.

If anyone has any information on where to start, where to look etc etc I would greatly appreciate it. If anyone has gone through the process I would love to hear from you.

You don't apply for the visa straight out, you get a job then they sponsor you and then you apply. I have to say I think getting a school to sponsor you will, in my opinion, be very difficult - there are lots of qualified US teachers out there.

Bluearyan

lonestargirl wrote: »

You don't apply for the visa straight out, you get a job then they sponsor you and then you apply. I have to say I think getting a school to sponsor you will, in my opinion, be very difficult - there are lots of qualified US teachers out there.

Well....depends on what kind of teaching profession you are into.
As Lonestargirl said there are many qualified people in USA for teaching profession but I heard that there is a huge requirement for teaching mentally retarded students and then there is some requirement for mathematicians.

So..there are some areas where they have requirement for teaching in USA and Candana.

thezapper

RMRS wrote: »

Hi all,

I am a Secondary School Music Teacher from Ireland and am hoping to move to Los Angeles this coming summer. I want to apply for a H1B visa but I have no idea where to start. A lot of websites are asking for money in return for "expert services"...hmmm.

If anyone has any information on where to start, where to look etc etc I would greatly appreciate it. If anyone has gone through the process I would love to hear from you.

I think you will find it very difficult to get an H1B as a school teacher in the US no matter what the subject. As lonestargirl said first you have to find a job and then the visa application process begins. As part of the H1B application process your employer has to show that the job in question was advertised and that you were the best/only applicable candidate for the position hence justifying the visa. H1B visa holders that I know tend to have degrees like MD/PhD/masters and work in a very specific niche positions therefore it can easily be argued that they are the most qualified candidate.

I may be wrong.

Bobon

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone would know if it were possible to go to the States on the 12 month student visa and then possibly get an employer to apply for a h1B visa that way? Anyone heard of people doing it this way? Also would anyone know how much it would cost an employer to sponsor an employee thru h1b?

Cheers

Darren1o1

Bobon wrote: »

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone would know if it were possible to go to the States on the 12 month student visa and then possibly get an employer to apply for a h1B visa that way? Anyone heard of people doing it this way? Also would anyone know how much it would cost an employer to sponsor an employee thru h1b?

Cheers

I did! Actually J1 summer, the 12 month J1 (internship) x 2 and then H1B. It costs a your company (depending on lawyer costs) around $5K to sponsor somebody.

myamigo

Hi
I am a first time H1B applicant.
I have attended the H1b visa interview in Dublin Consulate on 10th Dec 2012. They were looking for the W'2s for all the employees and said that they dont need any other information from the principle applicant. The Visa officer kept my passport and petition copy aswell. Also the VO said that we will process your application as soon as possible.
I havent heard any thing back from them until 27th dec when i received an email saying " your case is pending review, we will contact you when processing is complete ".

Could you please throw some light on my case
Thank you

thezapper

myamigo wrote: »

Hi
I am a first time H1B applicant.
I have attended the H1b visa interview in Dublin Consulate on 10th Dec 2012. They were looking for the W'2s for all the employees and said that they dont need any other information from the principle applicant. The Visa officer kept my passport and petition copy aswell. Also the VO said that we will process your application as soon as possible.
I havent heard any thing back from them until 27th dec when i received an email saying " your case is pending review, we will contact you when processing is complete ".

Could you please throw some light on my case
Thank you

Have you worked in the US before? If you did you would have a W2.

silja

myamigo wrote: »

Hi
They were looking for the W'2s for all the employees and said that they dont need any other information from the principle applicant.

Do you mean they wanted tax info from all the other employees of your prospective US employer?

myamigo

Thanks for the reply silja
Yes the VO was looking for the employees w2s to check the companies legitamacy. He has given me a piece of paper and written down the same on that and also included that there is no other info required from the principle applicant.I have not worked in US before.
uote=silja;82504411]

Do you mean they wanted tax info from all the other employees of your prospective US employer?[/Quote]

myamigo

I have not worked in US before.
They were looking for w2s of all the employees to check companies legitimacy.

silja

Sounds like they are suspicious and think it's jut a friend of yours wanting to get you over.
What sort of job will you be doing and do you know the employer personally? Do you know if they sent the required documentation yet?

myamigo

I would be working as a programmer analyst , i know the employer well and no issues with them. They have even sent the W2's to the consulate. Today i have contacted them and they have given me the same reply " Your case is in review and would contact you once it is processed ".

myamigo

Hi

I havent received any update on my case.
Can i ask for my passport and travel to India?
Will they update my case so that i can get it stamped in India.

Do you think its a good option?

silja

You can definitely ask for your passport back. Of course if they are doing security checks, asking for your passport back may delay the processing.

To get stamped in India, I believe they'd need to send all the paperwork there by diplomatic pouch, which may take a while.

delaney001

Hey,

Got my H1B today. Next time I'm going home (Ireland) is 18th December.
I believe I have to get my visa 'stamped' before I come back to the US, once I leave.

What I want to know, is if I go to the embassy on the morning I arrive in Ireland (Friday the 19th), what is the likelihood that I will get my passport back to me before the 3rd of January?

I cant really go home for any longer than that, does the embassey work over Xmas or will they shut down the 19th and cease all processing until the 2/3rd of January?

Thanks in advance

Darren1o1

Most experiences for me I have got it back in 2-3 days.

Darren1o1

silja wrote: »

You can definitely ask for your passport back. Of course if they are doing security checks, asking for your passport back may delay the processing.

To get stamped in India, I believe they'd need to send all the paperwork there by diplomatic pouch, which may take a while.

They used to have to send it there. They now have a digitized system

delaney001

Darren1o1 wrote: »

Most experiences for me I have got it back in 2-3 days.

And was that around the Christmas week or during the year?

Another question, can you prebook in for a date in the embassy. I know normally they just give you the next available day but is it possible to ask them for a specific date?

Cheers.

Darren1o1

delaney001 wrote: »

And was that around the Christmas week or during the year?

Another question, can you prebook in for a date in the embassy. I know normally they just give you the next available day but is it possible to ask them for a specific date?

Cheers.

No but i have got it around busy times, like in may when all the J1's are cycling through. Normally they recommend that you call and book. You should try do it 3 months ahead.

delaney001

Darren1o1 wrote: »

No but i have got it around busy times, like in may when all the J1's are cycling through. Normally they recommend that you call and book. You should try do it 3 months ahead.

Ya ill try ring them tomorrow or some stage of this week.

Cheers for that

thezapper

delaney001 wrote: »

Hey,

Got my H1B today. Next time I'm going home (Ireland) is 18th December.
I believe I have to get my visa 'stamped' before I come back to the US, once I leave.

What I want to know, is if I go to the embassy on the morning I arrive in Ireland (Friday the 19th), what is the likelihood that I will get my passport back to me before the 3rd of January?

I cant really go home for any longer than that, does the embassey work over Xmas or will they shut down the 19th and cease all processing until the 2/3rd of January?

Thanks in advance

Are you currently working in the US on a H1B and renewing your H1B or is this your first H1B? I am in the US on a H1B at the moment. It took me about 4-5 business days to get my passport back from the US embassy with the H1B in it. They post it back to you so you have to have an address in Ireland they can send it to. They do not allow you to pick it up in person. Bear in mind that you have to make an appointment at the US embassy by calling a 1550 phone number. You can't just turn up.

If this is a renewal of your H1B then I would be interested to hear about that myself as I have to renew mine in Nov/Dec and like you I don't want to be back in Ireland for too long.

delaney001

thezapper wrote: »

Are you currently working in the US on a H1B and renewing your H1B or is this your first H1B? I am in the US on a H1B at the moment. It took me about 4-5 business days to get my passport back from the US embassy with the H1B in it. They post it back to you so you have to have an address in Ireland they can send it to. They do not allow you to pick it up in person. Bear in mind that you have to make an appointment at the US embassy by calling a 1550 phone number. You can't just turn up.

If this is a renewal of your H1B then I would be interested to hear about that myself as I have to renew mine in Nov/Dec and like you I don't want to be back in Ireland for too long.

Well, no I'm on the 12 month J1 visa. This is my first year applying for the H1B, and I got it today. So just trying to figure how many days I need at home max. As I want to book my flights for xmas in the next few days, and want to be able book the return flight with a bit of confidence that I'll have my passport back in time.