10 people say 10 different things.. I would like to get all your inputs..

I hear US embassy is putting the visa stamping for h1-b on hold for 1-2 weeks atleast and lots of them are getting denied..

Also students are getting deported from POE (but I am in h-1b, how will it effect me as I had also worked on my ssn which i was in F1, should i tell them I did work on ssn?)

Your inputs please... Thinking of visiting nepal soon but I am really in dillemma now..

Generally, nepal is the safest for stamping.
They just asked quick question, how many employee, where is your home, train station,

 Its all depend upon hows ur company or DHoti consultancy ..so far its good..just two week before my fren came from stamping so ...there is nothing like that...check ur own company  and u r good to go..

 mine is not consultancy. It is a good legit company with government contracting.. I heard lots of people say they p[utting lots of people in hold for h1 and also people getting deported from POE(in chicago)

 If you ask about the probability of success in Visa stamping, there is no such thing as "Probability" or "chance". It is either "Yes" or "No". Either you get approval or Rejection. Those are the 2 possibilities you have. Yes, there are cases where people get 221g for H1B, PIMS verification which might take from a week to months. There was a thread in sajha few months ago where a girl was stuck in ktm for more than 3/4 months and i don't know if she got approved or rejected..It truly depends on your luck, job, your answers and on the consular interviewing you. Take it just as when you went to interview for your F1 visa. What did you have on mind ? you'll have the same feeling when you go to US Embassy., Yes you'll get scared because you're trying to go to somebody's country and you need permission..
Compared to India and other countries, H1B or F1 stamping is fairly easy in Nepal, that's all i know but there's no such thing as 100 % guarantee.

Regarding answering at POE, make sure you tell them YES you have worked using SSN, You can't lie those people, within few seconds of entering your information in their computer, they can get your history..

Good Luck.

My situation was same as yours (the_hareeb, F1 turned into H1B, worked on SSN). I got mine stamped recently (last December). Due to high volume of students during that time, my interview was scheduled 2 weeks after the applied date. The interview itself was 2 minutes long (had to wait 3 hours there for my turn to come since they were interviewing the students first). Questions asked were how long you have been working there, how many people work in your team, etc.

Another thing I came to know about was while applying for my H1B, I think there's a box where you specify who should be notified if your petition is approved. I had Consulate at Kathmandu there. Which means a PIMS database at kathmandu already had a record of my I-797. I believe that's why I was not told to wait for PIMS verification (normally takes 2 days according to what I've heard).

At POE (Chicago), I wasn't asked much. We just had a normal conversation ( I forgot the specifics) but only took me 4-5 mins ( the guy was slow as hell and took time to staple I-94 on my passport).

I guess it depends upon people but mine went smooth.

Forgot to mention, I was not asked about working on SSN.

 when you guys went, did you all go lastyear. I hear they are strict now a days and tend to hold your passport for couple weeks even and some getting rejected. Do you think if i travel now, i may get interview date sooner compared to May when students may also apply.

Also, in case they ask me at POE if i had worked on SSN, what do you guys suggest the reason be for me to tell them as to why i worked on SSN.

Please share your expereince..

If you have a valid job, no need to worry at all. H1 stamping is not a hurdle in Nepal anymore- at least these days.

 thanks ans. That is exactly what i want to hear. But there have been some SCARY threads going in these days about people getting rejected, having put their visa on hold, point of entry problems etc..

I am little concerned about poiont of entry  too about working under SSN even in OPT for like 2 weeks. Please advice.

If I go I am planning on having MSP as POE as many have suggested.

puranaa kaagaz bro,

just a comment on ur probability theory since u strongly focussed on saying that the probability does not exist.
u said, " there is no term like probability or chance. There are only 2 possibilities, either approval or denial".
I am not sure if u studied probability in school or college, but you need to know that the possibility of either being approved or denied is the probability.

The first thing we study in probability is the probability of getting head or tail when a coin is tossed. As per your definition,the probability should not exist there too because as per you we will have only two possibilities, either we get head or we get tail (similar to either we get approved or rejected in visa). But as per probability theory that's the probability.

So there exists probability in getting visa.
Being a probability fan, i couldn't resist myself in writing this. Don't yell at me.

I agree with ANS. If you have a valid job then no need to worry. US Embassy will just verify your documents and give the decision. For the record, I got mine stamped 3 weeks ago.

thank sguys that makes me feel whole lot better. What about questions asked at POE? working in SSN

I am not trying to scare anybody but i personally know 2 of my friends who were working in Nebraska were rejected. Now they're stuck in KTM and there's no way they can come back. There's definitely a risk. You only hear one side of story.. People who were rejected do not feel like posting in SAJHA that's all.
If they ask questions about working while on F1, then you're in big trouble...So, those 2 nepali students who were sent back never even thought about it like many of us. Everybody comes back with no problem but you never know what's gonna happen...If they don't like you at POE, they'll question you and send you back..
I also remember a guy who was sent back from POE because he opened his sealed I-20 envelope and he had to get another from US embassy KTM and come back to US, what  a hassle.

If your whole family is here, that's another problem. Sometimes they go into detail at US embassy KTM and they deny you because you have whole family in US.

There was another friend of mine who went to Nepal to get H1 Stamping along with his Girlfriend (both were approved for H1), they wanted to get married in Nepal and come back to US as a happily married couple but unfortunately, the Guy was Denied but the Girl was granted....They applied H1 before their wedding date. and Now the girl is back to US without getting married to that guy and the guy is still stuck in ktm....Last time i heard that the Girl is getting married to another Guy here in US.

All i wanted to tell you is that , There's a Risk no matter how good or legit your company/job is.

Have you heard of student who had 90% or Distinction marks denied F1 Visa ? same story !

Good Luck.

 purana kagaz, your two friends, were they in H1? what POE ?

 my family is here. They have GC, my dad got it from work.. but i am on h1.

Any of you guys worked in F1, did you guys get questioned at POE?

also as a suggestion is it safe to land in MSP as POE even if my job is not there?

I was a PhD student(had a full Graduate Assistantship) and went to Nepal to renew my F1 Visa and they rejected it for No Reason.
I contacted my University and my Advisor faxed the letter to Embassy Itself questioning the reasons behind my Visa refusal. I was a good student, doing research in the University. I was tensed cuz i didnt see any point or reason that they should deny my F1.

Next morning, i got a call from US Embassy that I'll be granted Visa and it was an Error.

I went there and got my Visa renewed.

US Embassy is unpredictable.
That's the day i opened an account in SAJHA as "guy_tensed".


Last edited: 25-Jan-11 04:31 PM

Read the following SAJHA threads...

http://www.sajha.com/sajha/html/openThread.cfm?threadid=84585

http://www.sajha.com/sajha/html/openThread.cfm?threadid=72943

Some of the stores from the thread:

"I had exact same story when I went to Nepal to get my H1b stamped last year. The interview went very well and I was hoping to get the visa the same day but unfortunately the visa officer handed me a letter saying my application needs some kinda admin processing....that turned out to be 221g. I was very frustrated."

"I was in the same boat as you were now. They took 2 and half months to issue my Visa. I had a great time staying in Nepal though I had a lil panic time everyday. So, I tell you to enjoy your stay there rather than panicking"

 i am more concerned about port of entry, working on ssn. since on h1 already, will the still check?

This is the case in Tijuana , see if same applies in nepal, just to be in safe side...

Beginning in early April, the Visa Appointment Service began requesting the approved I-129 petition receipt number at the time the applicant schedules his/her appointment.  If you scheduled an appointment at the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana previously, we recommend that you fax a copy of your approved I-797 to the NIV section at least 72 hours prior to your interview date (fax: +52-664-634-3069). Please include the date and time of your appointment, as well as the confirmation number given to you by the appointment call center.  Consular staff will determine whether your petition is registered in PIMS, and if it is not, will request that the petition be verified and added to the database.  Please note that we are able to verify petitions in PIMS only for individuals applying at the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana.  If you have scheduled an appointment at a different U.S. consulate or embassy, please contact NIV staff there directly with any questions you have regarding processing your petition-based visa.

http://tijuana.usconsulate.gov/petition_based_visas.html

good luck.!!