H1B Stamping in Canada - Am I eligible?

[stlkrishna]

I have valid I-797 till 2014 and also have the valid the I-94 which came with I-797.

When I came to US first, I came with an employer X. I transferred to different employer Y. Currently, I am with employer Y from the beginning (almost).

The H1B visa on my current passport is expired in 2010. The expired H1B visa has old Employer name. After that, I never got stamped.

Can I go to Canada to get H1B stamped? I live near to Chicago. If so, which place in Canada do you recommend?

I am planning to go to India next year sometime.

[Suri K]

You can go to Canada for stamping. However, be prepared for possible (may or may not happen) administrative processing which might take several weeks. I would recommend you the following:

1) Apply for Canada visitor visa ahead of time (only NewYork allows walk in other places it is through mail. So, it takes time)

2) Make sure your H1B petition is amended with latest project details.

3) Make sure your LCA was filed before you actually started your job.

4) Make sure that your client and all the involved vendors if any understand that you are going for stamping and it may possibly result in admin processing. Request for remote option in case it happens.

5) Gather all necessary documents (Go through the forums you will know what type documents they are requesting).

6) Book the appointment ahead of time (some consulates dont have dates available for next 4 months)

All the best!

[stlkrishna]

Thank you very much for detailed reply.

Appreciate your time.

I will check all the forum posts to get complete information.