Successful H1 Visa Stamping in Jamaica

[gads]

Hi All,

 

A little background - I went to H1B Stamping in the week of 20th July to Jamaica. I work as an IT consultant and have my visa until 2016.

 

My interview was at 11 and reached by 9:30 along with another friend. You sit under a roof inside the embassy and wait for your turn to go in for fingerprints. You come back again after fingerprints and sit in line for the interview. It was noon by the time i reached the VO's counter

 

Interview:

me: Good Afternoon sir. Gave my passport along with 797.

VO: good afternoon. I-129 and Employer Letters.

VO: after checking and typing something... what does your client do?

me: Told

VO: What do you do?

me: Told

VO: How long have you been in your city?

me: more than 2 years.

 

He wrote the date on the redslip and checked/typed something for a couple of mins. Gave me redslip and asked me to come on Thu.

 

IMPORTANT: Some of my friends who went to one of the VO's got the white slip which they VO's usually give to jamaicans. Indians who go for H1B typically get the Redslip. Please see for people who post about this for their experience in the near future. This delayed their plans and had to extend their stay to get their passports. This may be a one time issue as the reporting systems might have crashed at the US embassies that week. http://www.cnbc.com/id/101862033

 

check passport status here:

http://ceac.state.gov/ceacstattracker/status.aspx

 - from my xp... if the status says "Issued", it is most likely waiting for you to pick it up.Once you pick up the passport, be sure to check for your photo, name, visa type, dates, 797 id, etc at the counter itself.

 

Don't forget to get the check list from the other posts on this forum. It will be helpful to keep your docs in order.

 

Jamaica Stay :

I stayed at knutsford hotel... which i think is the best we can get for our stay. They had good breakfast and a restaurant. Also they changed our room when the AC was not working properly. Tandoor is at a walkable distance from knutsford.Through out our trip Reid took us to embassy and other places. He was helpful and patient. He was our tour guide to Ocho Rios where he arranged a bus for a big group (10 alone from knutsford). Ocho Rios is a fun place to visit. Check it out if you have time to spare. 

Shoot me an email if you have any questions and want Reid's number.

 

Good luck!

[visu99]

Thanks for sharing. I am planning to visit soon. 

 

Which airlines did you book and for how many days should i plan for? 

Please let me know Reid's number as well. 

 

Thanks much!

[gads]

I booked AA thru expedia. Most of us went there on Sunday and had interviews on Monday.

Regarding the number of days.... like some people in other tipcs suggested... i took two one ways... return with a full refund in expedia. Since its generally asked at jamaican customs to present the ticket.... you can book a return flight the night before you leave... since there will be free 24hr ONLINE cancellation in expedia. I suggest you go that way. Cancelling a full refund flight is a pain and you have to call. I ended up asking my friend in US to call expedia n cancel it.

 

You can also take a round trip ticket... but most of the people who got their passports on wednesday... ended up changing their flights from Fri to Thu. There is a fee to that.

 

But, the week I went... had the unusual delays... so it all depends.

 

Good luck!

[gads]

btw... I don't think it's clear in my initial post - My interview was on July 21st 11AM and got my pp back on Thursday. cheers!