H1B - Pakistan Visit Experience

Name
Ranajee
Country
United States

My Year 2004's Pakistan Visit Experience:
Applied for my H1B stamp
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1. I came to Pakistan in June 15, 2004 with I-797 H1B approval notice
2. Applied for US visa stamp within a week or two
3. Got my passport back with interview req. after 2 weeks of application
4. Went the following day and showed them the following documents
a. I-797 H1B approval notice
b. Job Letter
c. Two recent paystubs
5. I was asked briefly about my job duties and was told that I'll get my passport back after security clearance
6. Got my US visa stamped on August 13th

Total processing time = one and a half month

Documents required for application were:
1. DS-156 (Fillable online with barcode from State Dept. website)
2. DS-157 (PDF fillable)
3. DS-158 (PDF fillable)
4. Parent's Info form (Hard to find online, but available at a third party site)
5. 2 x 2 size white / offwhite background passport sized photo

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I travelled in December 2004 for two weeks to get married and my wife had already applied for H4 visa, and she got it stamped after showing my I-797 form, my passport and visa copies and marriage photographs in October 2004
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Recent Travel:
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My Year 2006's Pakistan visit experience:
Applying for my H1B stamp + my wife's H4 stamp
================================================== ===
1. I came here in Pakistan on Oct 18, 2006 with my I-797 H1-B approval
2. Applied with all the aforementioned forms and Rs. 6,600 application fee
3. Applied via AMEX Travel Services on Oct 20, 2006
4. AMEX told me that due to Eid, US embassy will get my papers after a week and after a week, I'll get my passport back and will be told if interview is required.
5. Got the passports (my wife's and mine) back from AMEX on October 29th and interview date is given on November 9, 2006
6. Went for interview, took four hours from Paking lot to interviewing window and took less than 5 minutes for the interview. We chose English as a mode of communication during interview. The councelor asked questions from both my wife and I, some of them that I remember are the following:

a. What is my job function
b. How long have I been working
c. Does my wife work or no
d. When did I visit USA last time
e. Saw our marriage certificate (I already had it in English along with attestation from US State Department)
f. Saw original I-797 notice of action forms
g. Told us that we both got the visa, my wife will get her passport in a week, and I'll get mine in two weeks or three.

7. Got my wife's passport along with US visa stamp on Nov 14, 2006
8. Got my passport along with US visa stamp on Nov 30, 2006
a. Clearance recieved on Nov 27, 2006 (11th business days of interview)
b. Visa issued on Nov 29, 2006 (13th business day of interivew)
c. AMEX got the passport on Nov 30, 2006 in their 3:30pm mail

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Prepare all the forms prior to your travel and submit them the same day as you arrive in Pakistan and give yourself a month. That was my experience.
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Nonimmigrant Visas

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