H1B stamping at Mexico city experience


onlysam

Recommended Posts

I attended for H1B stamping in Mexico city. Below is the experience. Hope it will be helpful to someone.

 

 

August 21st -----------------> Landed in Mexico city 

August 22nd at 7:20 AM ---> ASC fingerprinting appointment

August 23nd at 8:00 AM ---> Visa interview

 
 
My case, going for 3rd visa stamping, working on EVVC model. I got Mexico visitor visa for 6 months, pretty easy, process will take less than 2 days. 
 
Actual Interview
 
ME : Good Morning and gave the passport and DS-160 confirmation.
VO : Are you here only for H1B stamping?
ME : yes (VO started looking in the system)
VO : What is your employer name?
ME : Told employer name.
VO : how long you been with them?
ME : more than 2 years.
VO : What is the job title?
ME : Told the job title as per the H1B LCA
VO : I see that you are on H1B since 2006, and you had 2 stamping before. Can you see your LPR(Green card) details?
ME : I gave my certified labor(PERM) and I-140 copy. (She started checking)
VO : Let me check on DHS website.
ME : ok
VO : Told there is no PIMS update and also I need to validate your LPR petitions, and gave 221G form, and gave the passport back to me.
VO : VO told I will request for PIMS update.
ME : I asked how long it will take? And How can I contact/communicate with you? 
VO : VO told I can send emails as shown in the 221G form. (VO highlighted the email address)
(visas_mexico@state.gov)
ME : Thanks
 
Came back to the hotel, and checked the visa status online,
 
 
Online the visa status is shown as "Adminstrative processing".
 
 
 
24th August 
 
I called a DOS customer service number "603-334-0888", told that I attended visa interview and that VO told PIMS update is not done. They asked for H1B receipt number, I told the number, they told my petition is in PIMS, and told maybe it will take 1 or 2 days to get updated in embassy database.
 
I send e-mail to the E-mail address in 221g form, asking for update and saying that DOS customer service is saying my petition is in PIMS. 
 
Online the visa status is still shown as "Adminstrative processing".
 
 
25th August
 
No update all morning. Sent one more e-mail, asking for update.
 
I went to US embassy at 3:00 PM and showed my 221G form, and told that I need to check about my pending visa petition with VO. Embassy people didn't allow me inside, they told I can come at 10:00 AM tomorrow and can talk to VO about it.
 
The 10:00 AM time is actually mentioned on the 221 G form I got, it says, if your finished all the pending/requested activities on the 221G form, you can come at 10:00AM and talk to VO about your visa application.
 
26th August
 
I went at 10:00 AM, showed my 221G form, they let me in now, the embassy person took my passport, I went through security and went inside. Embassy person came to me with my passport, and told me to go to a particular visa counter, and gave my passport also.
 
It was the same counter and same VO, where I attended the original visa interview on Tuesday.
 
VO : VO told I am glad you came back, your PIMS is done, and she checked something on the system and told everything looks good.
 
VO  : gave a paper with a blue token on the top, and said I can come in at 3:00PM today to collect my passport, but told, there is only 50% chance for the passport being available today.
 
VO : told, if the printing team can do it today, you can collect it, otherwise it will be Monday.
ME : I said thank you.
 
 
Came back at 2:30 PM, big line, went through security again, passport is ready. Verified the details on the stamping, everything looked good. Signed on the paper saying received the passport. 
 
 
Overall positive experience, other than the delay due to PIMS update,
 
I think you can go to Mexico for H1B stamping only for renewals as TCN, not for 1st time h1b stamping. I think you can't even go for COS stamping. I am not 100% on this.
 
Client letters and pay stubs are not checked. If you are on H1B for more than 6 years, they will check for your green card status, so make sure you take copies. If you are on H1B for more than 6 years, and if your I-140 is pending, take the pending I-140 receipt, that will be sufficient.
 
Mexico city is nice, flight tickets are not expensive from USA. I stayed at "Hotel Astor", it is 15 mins walk from the US Embassy, decent clean hotel for the price paid. Communicating in Spanish language could be an issue, but I am able to manage using mobile phone. Major US mobile carriers work in Mexico city, there is no issue accessing data also, you may have to call them and request to activate North America plan to your mobile account.
 
  
 
 
 
Link to comment

Hello Sam

 

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am going for stamping on Sep 8 and 9 (ASC and Visa interview) may i know what is your H1B Petition I-797 approval date ?

I was informed that if the time frame between I-797 approval and Visa interview is less that 6 months then PIMS update may not complete Automatically, Consulate need to request for Update. Just want to confirm that is correct. Appreciate your reply, also how is mexico city. What taxi/Cab you took from Airport.  am hearing some scary things from my colleague who are second generation Mexican. Your  reply is greatly appreciated.

 

thank you

Link to comment
  • 2 months later...

Mine was approved on Jan 2015. Yes, consulate will requested PIMS in my case.

For taxi, you will see counters in the airport, you can tell the address and pay there, they will give the receipt and card, and they will tell where to go. You need to show the card and receipt to the driver outside, there will be people waiting outside from that cab company.

Within the city, it is very easy to get cab, just raise your hand, they will stop, rates are reasonable. You can also use UBER.

Link to comment
  • 11 months later...
19 hours ago, cchaitali said:

Do we need a visa to visit  Mexico if you have a valid US visa stamp ? 

I traveled in June to mexico With having approved I-797 & expired visa.

you don't need to have valid visa stamp to visit mexico if it's less than 20 miles & less than 30 days travel. You can travel to mexico to get your visa extension/ transfer stamped, but it should be in same category.

Link to comment
  • 10 months later...

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.