Hi all,
I am visiting Pakistan this December to get my H1b Visa stamped. Was wondering does any one know how long it takes for this process. I also need to file my wife’s H4 as well over there so she can travel back with me . Any information regarding this will be appreciated.
Thanks
hey,
i'm not sure what visa the h-1b is...is it the job visa?
i know a couple guys from my old school who were working in the usa and came to pakistan in the past yr to get their visas stamped but all of them are now laid off and working in pakistan b/c the embassy took too long to process their stuff, in fact they are still waiting. for one of them its been almost a yr.
only two or three people i know were actually able to get their visas stamped in time and return to the us.
its a risk for sure, there's no guarantee it will be done in time, and ur employer in the us might not want to keep u on employed status for such a long time.
the embassy also refuses to divulge any info about how long they will take to send back the passport and so on.
i dont mean to be the bearer of bad news brother but i felt like i should let u know about this when i read ur post...u shud really think abt it before making this move...
good luck :)
irem
I personally know two cases where these guys went back to get their visa stamped but didn't get it back in time to keep their jobs in the US.
I do not know personally anyone who has gone to Pakistan, got his visa stamped, and came back within a few weeks or month. This is not to say there aren't any that have.
thats not good news..I have to go back to get married
can’t u get it stamped in Canada or somewhere in mexico? I got mine stamped from Vancouver long time ago. If you have already had you visa stamped once and if it hasn’t a year since your h1 stamp has expired, u can get it renewed from Dept of State in St. Louis by mail. I have done that too.
aww
well, i had a friend and he got married in USA for that reason. his wife, also Pakistani, was working in the US though. i think u should talk to many different people and find out what your options are and what safety precautions you can take before travelling. maybe you can talk to your employer abt it, keep working from home in pakistan…etc ?
i’m sure you can figure something out!
inshallah things will turn out well and shadi mubarak! :k:
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*Originally posted by Asif2000: *
can't u get it stamped in Canada or somewhere in mexico? I got mine stamped from Vancouver long time ago. If you have already had you visa stamped once and if it hasn't a year since your h1 stamp has expired, u can get it renewed from Dept of State in St. Louis by mail. I have done that too.
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Damn you stole my reply,
I was going to advise the same thing, but of the two I think Mexico would be a better option.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Aejaz: *
Damn you stole my reply,
I was going to advise the same thing, but of the two I think Mexico would be a better option.
[/QUOTE]
is this still happenning? i thought they had put restrictions on this..not sure tho...
do a nikah over the phone..avoid hassle with embassy red tape
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by irem: *
is this still happenning? i thought they had put restrictions on this..not sure tho...
[/QUOTE]
Canada has made it stricter, but I believe in Mexico they are still doing it.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by irem: *
is this still happenning? i thought they had put restrictions on this..not sure tho...
[/QUOTE]
Yes they did put restrictions on it.
They didn't use to take ur I-94 before when you traveled to Canada or Mexico. This means that u could come back with expired stamp but valid I-94. (Note: You have a valid I-94 that comes with your H1 approval but you don't have a visa stamp or it may have expired.) They now take ur I-94 at exit with intention to give u a new one on ur return based on ur valid visa. So this means that, if you don't get that stamp that you went to Canada for, they won't be able to give you a new I-94 and you won't be able to return back. Whereas before you could still retrun if they US COnsulate denies you visa in Canada (or Mexico) since you still had the I-94.
^
thx for the explanation
TommyKnocker I reckon you should check with an immigration lawyer or INS before making the move though. be completely sure.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Aejaz: *
Canada has made it stricter, but I believe in Mexico they are still doing it.
[/QUOTE]
So is it worth trying in mexico? I dont wanan end up in mexico if I get denied entry in US..
..Also does any one know the rough time frame isalamabad embassy is taking for H1B..like an average time ..is there a way I can start my H1 process while being in US or do i have to be phsycially there for the process to start?
there is no average time...literally...could take a couple weeks to over a yr...its totally random...and the bad part is that when ur passport is with them they dont tell u how much longer it would take them to process...
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by irem: *
there is no average time...literally...could take a couple weeks to over a yr...its totally random...and the bad part is that when ur passport is with them they dont tell u how much longer it would take them to process...
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hmm..thats definately not good news..I'll see what I can do about it
Thanks irem
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by TommyKnocker: *
So is it worth trying in mexico? I dont wanan end up in mexico if I get denied entry in US..
..Also does any one know the rough time frame isalamabad embassy is taking for H1B..like an average time ..is there a way I can start my H1 process while being in US or do i have to be phsycially there for the process to start?
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What is you current visa status on your passport? I am not asking about your legal status in the U.S. The two things are different and do matter.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Asif2000: *
What is you current visa status on your passport? I am not asking about your legal status in the U.S. The two things are different and do matter.
[/QUOTE]
Well i came here on F1 for my Matsers which is expired of course since last year. That the only visa i have on my passport
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by TommyKnocker: *
Well i came here on F1 for my Matsers which is expired of course since last year. That the only visa i have on my passport
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That won't help then. I was thinking that if your F1 visa wasn't expired then you would have been able to return even upon denial. This won't leave u with many choices now will it?
These are tough times. I would apply for a multiple entry Canadian Visa (instaed of single entry) to go there so that if your U.S visa is denied, you can still move in and out of Canada. Better yet, apply for Canadian Immigration. It might take some time and delay your wedding and cost a lot of money but might be worth it. It will be upto you but I would not go to Pakistan for my H1 visa stamping in any case. Talk to a good lawyer, a desi one if possible. Desi lawyers may not be very effecient but they are very well infomred from what I have noticed. This is due to the number of cases they file from desi people with similar issues.
Tommy, a friend of mine went to Pakistan recently, and it took him 1 month and 10 days, he said they were late by only 10 days, which was because of the 12th rabiulawal holiday, that gave them 4 to 5 days off. But he also mentioned there were some people there waiting for a while, so its a little risky. Good Luck!
This is from our company's lawyer a while back:
You can not do the stamping in Canada or Mexico for the countries with these restrictions (dont know if she said it cause people get stuck or if its not possible legally).
She also said the time its taking depends on peoples names. Common names that may be associated with wanted figures are taking longer then names that cant be confused with others. if its possible I would
say follow Fraudias advice and get married over the phone, make it legal and have her come here on an H4 visa.
Will update when I talk to her again.