Visa stamp interview for H1B renewal

[Buddy4all]

I had my H1B issued in 2007 and I had it renewed it once after the first three years had expired in 2010. However, I  stayed in US for just 5 months of the six year term of the petition. Other times, I was working in india at the premises of one of the offshore development offices of my US employer. Legally, these two companies are bound by a Client- Supplier relationship and the india office is NOT a subsidiary of the US Company. The decision to stay back in India was my own decision and my employer reluctantly allowed it. For the time I was in India I was on the payroll of the India development office and not the US Company.

 

Now, my US employer has got me an extension for three more years. and it has been approved by USCIS last week.

 

Please try to give a head start considering:

 

• I have had my passport stamped just once. The visa stamp has expired in 2010.
• After my first extension in 2010 for three more years, I did not apply for a visa and did not travel.

 

I plan to apply for visa renewal at New Delhi Embassy soon along with my wife and kid. Is there a possibility of any awkward questions or issues raised by the visa officer considering that I did spent majority of the 6 years of earlier H1B in india?

 

Also, my first interview was marred by a 221g background check that too around 18 months. Is there a possibility of a repeat?

 

 

[jairichi]

I do not think there will be awkward questions.

It might be possible to get 221G but cannot be predicted for sure.

[Buddy4all]

So is it safe to assume that a 'reluctant' H1B user is not necessarily a bad thing in the eyes of the visa officer? Also, since the 221g on my previous stamping was because of a common muslim name, why on earth should they do a background once again?

[Buddy4all]

And BTW what is the current estimated time it takes to get a 221g background/name clearance at the New Delhi embassy? Any idea?

[jairichi]

So is it safe to assume that a 'reluctant' H1B user is not necessarily a bad thing in the eyes of the visa officer? Also, since the 221g on my previous stamping was because of a common muslim name, why on earth should they do a background once again?

Every time I go for visa stamping I need to get security clearance due to nature of my work. Why do they do that every time? I don't know. It is simply their procedure.

[jairichi]

And BTW what is the current estimated time it takes to get a 221g background/name clearance at the New Delhi embassy? Any idea?

No such statistics exist.