This is also in their. No significant updates or new guidance by US Consulates in India in the last week. Hi Kumar, First I would like to thank you for providing timely updates on your site. Looking for a B1/B2 interview waiver (dropbox) visa appointment? For the H1B visa renewal does the 48 months eligibility still valid for an interview waiver? US Consulates to issue about 800K visas in India in next 12 months. New, Renewal? It says that the proclamation is in effect, so they cannot process and need more information. Arshi, The rule is valid till end of this year, but the visa issued will be valid for the duration it is issued for. How many times can I login and try to reschedule . Check the. First Timer B1/B2 Slots: They said they will open first-timer B1/B2 Slots as soon as possible. My appointment is at Chennai consulate and in my ds160 I entered the location for submitting documents as Chennai. Below is sample 221g given at Consulate for H1B Dropbox before pandemic asking to attend the consulate for interview on any day. To know more on this read What is Clearance Received or Department Authorization annotation? You will be asked a set of questions in a guided wizard format, you need to complete them by selecting the relevant ones as applicable for an H1B visa. 1. Is H1B extension denial the same as visa denial? I am eligible for dropbox but I am unable to find any open dates for last 2 weeks or more for Mumbai. saw date Oct 17 2022 but when trying to book it showed error.. Now I try to book I dont see any dates in 2022 are all slots for B1/B2 gone.. H1B, H4, L, O, P and Q visa holders who meet certain criteria will get in-person interview waiver until end of 2023 ( Dec 31, 2023) .Also, F1, M, J visa holders who meet certain criteria would get in-person interview waiver until end of 2023 ( Dec 31, 2023). At the conclusion of the administrative processing period, the consular officer might conclude that an applicant is now qualified for the visa for which he or she applied. CEAC Website, Errors Info. Like Indian Time or US day time also we should keep checking slot? The trick to cancellation is to find an open slot. If so, how frequently do I need to check those data? anotherh1b, You would likely be eligible. Select a U.S. Embassy or Consulate: Wait Times for Embassy/Consulate See details on appointment availability and processing times Global Visa Wait Times Wait Time for Interview I booked a B1/B2 appointment for October 2022 on Sunday. The reason is it says Schedule OFC Appointment and many think it is for giving your Biometrics (fingerprints, photo). January 31st, 2022: Below are the latest updates from the last three weeks until today. They said they moved away from Language specific appointments for B1/B2. They said the slots would open up in batches in weeks leading to each student season. See below screenshot or check the tweet below. In the past, there was no option for someone, who qualified for dropbox, to attend an in-person interview, in case of an emergency. They are completely different from H1B visa denial. In general, Dropbox stamping does not need Biometrics. No new updates from last week. Ajay, I have seen this happen in the past. Response: If you had any US Visa issued in the past after you turned 14 years old, you would answer Yes. See below screenshot and check. What was your experience ? How about my wife and son, will they be eligible for drop box? Below are the key steps from the announcement, US Embassy had Visa Fridays Q&A session on Jan 13th, 2022. He is planning to visit in the year end may be November December . 1. They said in the next few weeks, just wait and keep checking. But the status of my H1 shows REFUSED. When I reached out to help desk, they replied Please follow the timings and instructions on your appointment. October 17th, 2022: Below are the updates from the beginning of October until today. In this article, we will cover the step-by-step process for H1B visa stamping using dropbox or the interview waiver option. Thanks. You probably need to carry all updated documents , otherwise you will get 221g. serious illnesses, injuries, or deaths in your immediate family), before making inquiries about status of administrative processing, applicants should wait at least 180 days from the date of interview or submission of supplemental documents, whichever is later. But, if they have requested for it, you need to honor it and go there. Check the above article, it has the full list of documents as well. This option is to add your dependents as applicable if you are taking your H4 Dependents (spouse and children) for visa stamping along with you. US Consulates continue to be operating in full swing to clear the wait times with the recent measures announced in January 2023. No change in the overall US consulates situation in India. Is that the case for everyone? 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. Need to wait for summer. Regarding slots for other visa types like B1/B2, H1B, L1 and others see below updates from April. Also, it will include changes to dropbox requirements in recent times during the pandemic. They have not given exact date when they will open slots for Fall 2022. Its for H1B Visa stamping in India. October 25th, 2022: US Embassy hosted Visa Fridays Q & A on Facebook last Friday, Oct 20th. My last H1B visa stamp expired more than 48 months ago. Dropbox appointment available for New Delhi Vac for September 2022. thanks for the reply! This is my first H1B Visa stamping. US Embassy India updated their website saying that travelers to the US do not need to show a negative COVID test anymore starting from June 12th, 12:01 AM. If it is an emergency, you can request for an Emergency appointment by giving justification. February 7th, 2023: Below are the updates from starting of February 2023. * Calendar days refers to every day of the week, including days when embassies are closed (such as weekends and holidays). The duration of the administrative processing will vary based on the individual circumstances of each case. Thats more than in any month since July 2019 and one of our highest monthly totals ever! if in doubt, reach out to support. Some sites like Delhi only have availability in 2023, but most others are showing availability in 2022. Response: Check, if your most recently issued US Visa meets all the below conditions: If your answer is Yes to all the above 3 points, then you would answer No to this question. Student Appointments for Fall 2022 will be opened later in the spring. Wow ! Now, with the new dropbox option for certain new H1B applicants, it does not have that. So, it is confirmed based on experiences as well. H1B Visa Tracker (FY 2023) US Visa Stamping Dropbox (Interview Waiver) Tracker; J, It clearly tells that the B1/B2 interviews will be from Sep 1st, I dont understand what is wrong. Stay positive. The would be the actual name of the country which you were applying for a visa from. Depending on answer to this, we might or might not qualify for drop-box. Verify the details and click on continue. US Consulates continue to say that the limited slots opened are exhausted in a very short amount of time. Hi, I have my H1B petition approved and in I-797B form with validity till August 2023. No, there is no refund as such. If you do not have any annotations in the visa stamp such as Clearance Received or Department Authorization, you would answer No. At present, working in Singapore on Employment pass. It is divided into sections with a summary, and timeline for easy review. GUIDE to Travel to US with valid Visa on Expired Passport ? Those who are attending the interviews now, could someone tell when they booked it and if they have been waiting for several months or more than a year? New, Renewal? When I raised a question to the ustraveldocs team, they suggested that If I am confident that I should be offered Dropbox option, I should CANCEL my current appointment and go through the questionnaire again and answer it to the best of my knowledge and then i might be given the Dropbox option. Does this mean the answer is yes to the question? Lets now look at the next steps after the submission of documents. Since September 2019, if you plan to use Interview Waiver/ Dropbox option for US Visa renewal in India, you need to book an Appointment for US Visa Dropbox . November 8th, 2022: US Embassy had Visa Fridays Q&A last week, below are the key updates from the same, including regular updates. First, you need to select the visa type either Nonimmigrant or Immigrant. This is one of the highest monthly totals ever since July 2019 as per them. Did you go for Visa appointment or Dropbox ? as I understood. No other new updates. H1B gives up his option of dropbox and combines his application with H4 to appear for an interview along with H4. How to check whether slots are open or not. The lifting of the travel ban to the US does not mean that you can get an appointment to get visa stamping. No date was mentioned when they will open. But I got an interview waiver. If your H1B visa was not approved by the US Consulate for some reason with the dropbox option, then you will be notified that your visa was not approved. They said that it is unlikely to have another batch of B1/B2 visa slots released in 2022 and say you might get lucky, if someone cancels. 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. Has this happened in January when there were rising cases? June 28th, 2022: Below are the latest updates from the previous two weeks until now. Question 2 has also changed with the new interview waiver option for certain new H1B visa interview applicants. Thanks. Only at this point will a consular section consider your request for an expedited appointment. Its letting me select an OFC appointment for June 2022 but then when I try scheduling a consular appointment the system shows a message that no appointments available at this time. You can check the US Visa Stamping Experiences section with L1 experiences. So be careful. But dropbox results take anywhere between 4-6 weeks as per few folks here in this forum. The calendar app does not even open. Currently I have an approved H1B petition and preparing to book appointment. June 13th, 2022: Below are the latest updates from June 1st, 2022 until now. There is no requirement for the actual applicant to submit the documents. They did confirm that renewals for B1/B2 slots are opened on a rolling basis. Im planning to renew my passport by Jan or Feb 2023, so do I need to cancel my existing appointment and redo the whole process with a new passport OR carrying the old + new passport at VAC should be fine? The process to request an expedited nonimmigrant visa interview varies by location. I cant renew those passports in USA as only 5 business days left for my travel, but I can do in Tatkal renewal in India after I get visa stamping and before coming back to USA. Hi Im applying for a new h1b through interview waiver.I would like to get my spouse on h4.My spouse has had rejection in the past but no rejection since last visa.Will she be eligible for waiver ?can I book in same appointment ? Depending on your choice, pick the relevant option and click on continue. MHim. Please visit our website to determine whether you are eligible for drop box processing and schedule an appointment for document drop-off. May 23rd, 2022: Below are the latest updates from the previous week, until today. US Embassy had Visa Fridays Q &A Session on September 22nd, 2022. This new option is valid until the end of 2023 ( Dec 31st, 2023). You can read the below updates for previous guidance. Trying to book B2 Visa Interview appointments for my parents for Chennai Consulate for few weeks now and all I see are 2024 Dates, which is insane and tells me that the software is broken! No changes in the US Consulates situation or the way they are operating in the last week or so. Have a few questions from DS-160 perspective. They qualified for interview waiver and got drop box dates in Sep. No dates earlier than September for B1/B2 dropbox. See the timeline section below for official links, screenshots of news. Work (H1b, L-1) - H and L visas . Same for me also I hope they extend the visa fee validity beyond 12 months. There most recent Visa Fridays Q&A on July 15th, below is the summary of the responses from US Embassy, Visa Appointments are now open for all visa types, Only in-person appointments are eligible for Emergency, If you are dropbox eligible and still need an emergency appointment, you need to answer the question . You need to answer them correctly based on your situation. They suggest to cancel and book dropbox slot, only when they find a slot. This includes H1B Visa as well. Best is to split, get the parents appointments done and approved, then apply for kids. You can check. Have been trying since last 1 week. The city you select here does not really matter. They say they cannot share exact dates on when they will release dates for October to December. The officer may also conclude that the applicant remains ineligible for a visa. Have a safe 2022! July 26th, 2022: Below are the latest updates from the beginning of July until now. If you plan to renew your H1B Visa, you may be eligible for Dropbox / Interview Waiver option. I also got OFC and Consular appointment only even though I am eligible for Dropbox. Is this expected? Is this normal? I wanted to apply for a drop-box appointment for myself and my wife. It looks like this, as in the below screenshot. US Consulates to release 100K Appointments for H/L visa dropbox applicants for 2023. I know these are commonly listed on this website but Im looking for experience from folks who got it approved. Read below. So, if you have an appointment, you are good, otherwise, you would need to defer your admission. Last petition expired in Jan 2021. Am I eligible for Dropbox in Singapore? I got my H1b visa approved in USA in 2022. No change in US Consulates operation status, they all are processing in limited fashion as like in before weeks. Date for Filing Visa Application. V, They can file an extension when closer to the expiration. Will there be a problem with that? Actual interviews will be post Sep 1. Archana, No one knows. November 2nd, 2022: Below are the key updates from last week until now. Please read the full summary of, You may also watch the full recording of the Facebook Live below. 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