Get stamp on current passport OR wait for renewal ?


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Posted

Due to covid-19 I have been stuck in my home country. I secured the visa extension till May 2023 and have to mandatorily get visa stamping due to consular notification. My current passport expires in April 2021. Renewing it may take about a month hence I don’t want to wait and want to get visa stamp on my current passport. Suppose I also get my passport renewed after that and book my travel back to USA after mid Oct 2021. At that time my current passport (having H1B stamp) will be having a validity of less than six months.

1. Do I need to get visa stamp again on my new passport ?
2. Will the immigration officer allow me to enter with stamp in old passport and a new passport without stamp ? If yes, what is the I-94 end date they are likely to put – April 2021 OR May 2023 ? 

Posted

1. You don't need to get visa stamp again on new passport. But there might be requirement when you apply for VISA that your passport should not expire within 6 months so if you get your visa date in less than 6 months of your passport expiry then it may not work. Check with some travel agent before you book the visa appointment date.

2. Immigration officer will allow you to enter with stamp in old passport and new passport without stamp. I-94 end date will be your VISA end date. But if you don't renew your passport and go back to USA with your old passport then immigration officer will only give you I-94 until your old passport expiry date so make sure you apply for passport renewal before you fly back.

I have been also stuck in India and have applied for my wife's passport renewal recently. I applied online in normal process and booked the appointment on 8/21 at passport office and today's status shows Passport printed and ready for dispatch. That means I should get it in less than 15 days. It depends on where you apply but in general it is not taking that long as it used to be.

Or you can apply passport in tatkal seva and that will speed up your passport renewal process and then you can apply for visa stamping.

Posted

1) When you go for Visa stamp you passport should have validity of more then 6 months.  

2) You will get stamp till your I797 end date and not passport expiry date

3)If you will enter USA with old passport you will get I94 date untill your passport expiry date

4)You can enter with Visa on old passport and new passport without stamp. In this case you will get I94 expiry date as per Visa expiry date

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