221g - blue slip F-1 -> H-1B

[blue_slip_chennai]

Dear Members,

I went for stamping at the US Consulate in Chennai or my H-1B stamping and I've been issued a 221g blue color slip with nothing other than Administrative Processing. I'm a little worried now after reading other's experiences and thought i;d take some advice from this forum.

 

My background:

Undergrad in ECE

5 years of work experience (software development) in India

Masters in the U.S. (majoring in IS) Started to work in the for my employer during my OPT as a Software Development Engineer. Direct full-time employee (no end client/vendor etc)

Employer is a small start-up with ~30 U.S. employees. They filed my petition. No RFE, the was case approved. Went for stamping in Chennai and standard questions were asked (job title, salary, major) hardly around 30 seconds. VO issued a blue slip with just a cross on:

"Your application is refused for administrative processing. The application will be reconsidered when administrative processing is complete."

and kept my passport. No documents or contacts or whatsoever was asked. VO declined to give a timeline when I asked.

I'm a little unclear as to what this means and frankly a little worried. I contacted my company's attorney and she said it's usually for security reasons or if they suspect fraud. Company also mentioned all previous visas and one green card are approved.

I am shocked at this. I've done everything the legal way, worked hard, finished my M.S. graduating at the top 5 of my class, got a full-time offer and got my H1 picked, no RFE and now this happens to me.

What can I do other than just wait it out? Please help.

 

 

[NotAnAttorney]

Looking at the events, it more looks like a simple back ground check or also related to the holiday season.

Usually during Holiday season we see more number of cases sent for Administrative Processing.

Don't panic, you should be okay.

Update your post when you see some progress in your case.

[blue_slip_chennai]

Update: It was Issued. Nothing was asked from Employer or Me. Looks like a simple security check as "NotAnAttorney" pointed out which was delayed.