US visa application times

December 19, 2014 1:59 PM

I'm applying for an H1-b visa to enter the US. All my documents are ready. All I need to do now is go to the embassy in London: I have an appointment on Monday, which is the 22nd. The problem is this: I already have a flight booked back to the US on the 31st. Should I change my flight now, or wait?

The embassy says that typically it takes 3-5 days for the visa to be given. Since Christmas day and boxing day are not working days, the 5 working days after the 22nd are:

- the 23rd
- the 24th
- the 29th
- the 30th
- the 31st

Should I change my flight now, or should I wait?

(To change my flight costs $300 + the difference in price between my old flight (about $600) and the new flight.)

The safe option is to change my flight now. It'll cost about $700.

If I wait, I might get my visa in time for the 31st, in which case I won't have to change my flight at all - hooray! On the other hand, if I wait I might not get my visa in time, in which case I'll have to book a flight to the US at very short notice, which is likely to cost a small fortune.

My first day back at work in the US is the 5th of January.

Thanks in advance, MeFites!

(I live in the SF Bay Area, in case that's relevant.)

posted by HoraceH to Law & Government (17 answers total)

It may be helpful to know what citizenship you hold. Citizens from some countries may have longer processing times than others.
posted by dfriedman at 2:04 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Good point, - thanks, dfriedman. I'm a UK citizen.
posted by HoraceH at 2:05 PM on December 19, 2014

You should not take my word as gospel, but my understanding of this is that you should be OK with your flight--but you may need to leave and reenter the country again on another date. (Which will probably be more expensive.)

H-1B isn't a visa, it's a status. If you're a UK citizen you can enter the US as a visitor (B, but it's a visa waiver country so you don't need papers in hand) even if your H status hasn't been granted yet. But your status can change (B to H) once the H gets granted...usually the easiest/fastest way to change status is to leave and reenter the country.

Regardless, you should be asking your employer these questions and your employer should be the one finding out for you. H is an agreement between the US government and your employer, so they should be the ones doing the legwork for this.
posted by phunniemee at 2:09 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Oh, and for what it's worth, a 3-5 day timeline for granting an H-1B is way out of whack. Something seems wrong here.
posted by phunniemee at 2:10 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

I would wait until after your appointment on Monday. At your appointment, you can hopefully ask questions like: How likely is this visa to be processed in time for my flight? and Is there some way for me to pay for accelerated processing?

I'm sure that flight prices might go up between now and Monday, but I'm not sure how much they really will, especially since you potentially have until Jan. 4 to leave.

I wouldn't play around with entering the US without your visa stamp (regardless of status) if your true intention is not to visit but to stay and work, unless you have gotten that advice from an attorney who is representing you or your employer, or the immigration officer who is processing your case (and I'd be wary of the later).
posted by sparklemotion at 2:13 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Is there some way for me to pay for accelerated processing?

FYI you can and it's called "premium processing" but I believe once the application has already been received you're SOL on that front.
posted by phunniemee at 2:24 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

Um, this time line seems all wrong for an H1- B visa. Generally applications are submitted early in the new year and all the granted visas become effective October 1st.

Or are you just worried about the application travel blackouts?
posted by saradarlin at 3:26 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

saradarlin brings up an excellent point I hadn't even considered; if this is your first H-1B you've got more than a travel problem here.

You say "back for work" though so maybe you're switching H-1Bs from a previous US employer? That would make more sense, but still 3-5 days is very fast and your employer should be the one doing all the filing here. Please check with them.
posted by phunniemee at 3:31 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

The OP's history suggests he is an academic, and it's my understanding that the H-1B quota does not apply for academic H-1B visas, so the timing is not unusual.

I'm also in the US on an academic H-1B. I know this is not London but FWIW, the last time I was at the US consulate in Melbourne in 2012 for visa renewal, my appointment was on a Friday and I had my passport back on Wednesday. They should tell you on the spot if your visa is approved and approximately how long it will take to get your passport returned.

My guess is they will have it done on time, but I know if it were me I would not be enjoying those 5 days of stress and I would probably change my flight now just for peace of mind.
posted by Shal at 3:50 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

If I'm reading you correctly you are going to your embassy interview to get your travel stamp, yes? You already have your approval notice? If so this process takes more like a week - I've done it a few times, the last time was this Oct and the processing times are 3-5 days plus an extra day to courier. If the cost to change your flight is the same regardless of the date you change it, I'd wait.
posted by poissonrouge at 5:38 PM on December 19, 2014 [1 favorite]

For what it's worth, it sounds like the OP already has an approved petition and is going in to the embassy for a visa appointment - the premium processing that phunniemee mentioned refers to getting USCIS to approve the petition more quickly but won't affect how long it takes the embassy to print the visa. I'm not familiar with London but I know that in some posts it is possible, though never guaranteed, to pick up the visa within a day or two of approval if one can show a compelling need to travel soon and is willing to return to the embassy rather than wait for the courier service. I would ask about this possibility at your interview and wait to change any flights until you have an answer on the 22nd. You should not pay anything extra for this service.
posted by exutima at 10:11 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

The 3-5 days thing is more like 1 - 8 - assuming no complications.

If you ask and say you're travelling really soon, they may allow you to pick the visa up (pickup is at least a day faster, and guarantees the courier can't mess it up.) A friend got their visa 24 hours after their interview from this.
posted by Ashlyth at 11:59 PM on December 19, 2014 [2 favorites]

I love Metafilter, but your best chance of a quick, accurate and up-to-date answer to this specific question will be from www.visajourney.com (information about US visa applications of all sorts from all countries - it has a great forum, with lots of active, knowledgeable and supportive UK and ex-UK members.)

My 18-month-out-of-date answer is that it's possible, but very risky. I received a notification that my passport was supposed to be available for pickup on Day 5 after my interview, but when I turned up at the courier office, it hadn't arrived. The staff there were super-helpful and explained that they had ongoing issues with the US embassy giving dates a day early. I didn't have a flight to catch, so picking it up the next day wasn't an issue for me. If you're having it posted, Christmas post makes this even more risky. But the passport delivery system was new when I went through the process, so the issues may have been ironed out.

I was asked in my interview if I had a flight booked - I hadn't, as I'd been advised not to, but the only possible reason for them asking that question is to enable the passport delivery to be expedited. I would definitely ask on Monday at your interview if there is a way to expedite it, check out the courier service website advice, and make a decision on Monday after that conversation.

Good luck!
posted by finding.perdita at 2:21 AM on December 20, 2014 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thank you everyone - this has been very helpful.

Yes, I'm an academic. I was on a J1 last year, and my transfer of status to H1-b has been approved already.

It seems that I should go on Monday and ask them for their best estimate of how long it'll take. I can make a decision then about what to do!

I'll also post a question to www.visajourney.com.
posted by HoraceH at 4:28 AM on December 20, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I won't be able to enter the US before I get the H1-b stamp - because the US Embassy will have my passport.
posted by HoraceH at 4:29 AM on December 20, 2014

Response by poster: I'm not sure if any of you will say this - but in any case here's an update. My visa was processed in a single day; I picked it up on Monday and I'm now in CA. I took a risk by not rescheduling my flight - and it paid off!

Thanks for all the answers!
posted by HoraceH at 9:15 AM on January 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

Yay! Good news!
posted by phunniemee at 5:26 PM on January 1, 2015 [1 favorite]