H1B Visa Stamping Experience

I recently visited Calgary, Alberta to get my H-1B Visa stamp on my passport. The entire process was so time-consuming, expensive and somewhat intimidating than it should have been. In this blog post therefore, I’ll go over my experience from the beginning to the end and help you avoid some of the mistakes I made, hopefully saving you a lot of time (in paperwork preparation & waiting in lines) and money (making sure you give yourself enough time to get your passport back).

Getting an appointment
To visit any of the consulate generals in Canada, you need to make an appointment at an appropriate Consulate General in Canada. They have an efficient and easy to use online system to do this. However, with the huge demand for appointments, it is extremely difficult to get an appointment. According to the site, new appointments are usually posted 6 weeks in advance. I was naïve enough to time my appointment based on when I wanted to visit Canada. Little did I know that it usually works the other way round! I spent 5 weeks at the website trying to score an appointment but with no luck. I then called one of the “pay-per-call” numbers to find out why I did not see any appointments. She said the demand for appointments is extremely high and there are not enough slots available. She said I should try checking at least 8-10 times a day. To increase my chances, I gave my login information to my sister to ask her to check as well. Lucky for me, the next day when she was looking for an appointment in Toronto, she got a message saying an appointment just opened up for October 27th 9:00AM at the Calgary consulate. She immediately called me and asked me whether Calgary was good enough. I asked her to get that appointment since I had no idea when we would see an opening again. It might seem discouraging at first but don't give up and if you have a relative who you can trust, ask him/her to help you get an appointment. Once you get an appointment, the reservation of that appointment costs CAN $8.75.

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. ~Newt Gingrich

Planning the Calgary Trip
The US Consulate in Calgary is located at 615 Macleod Trail, Calgary, Alberta. This is between 6th and 7th avenues. Most of the hotels in downtown Calgary are 4 star hotels whose price ranges anywhere from USD $200 - $400. Who said you have to pay that rate though? Priceline to the rescue – I named my own price at priceline.com in the downtown area and scored a room at the Hyatt for $100 per night – can’t beat that!!! Even better, the Grand Hyatt is the closest hotel to the consulate – about 2 blocks down – 10 minute walk (if that). Don’t worry if you can’t get Hyatt though – other close hotels are Marriot and Fairmont Palliser. They are both walking distance to the consulate, about 4 blocks away. Priceline may put you at the Westin which is a little far – about 15 minute walk or a 5 minute (CAN $4.00) cab ride.
I had a minor hiccup in my booking because I was anticipating to get my passport back the next day and had purchased a return ticket for Wednesday 1PM. Unfortunately for me, I was told my passport would be ready for pickup on Wednesday at 2PM. So I asked Continental to see if they could put me on a later flight for the same day however they said it would cost me an extra $700. While I was on the phone with Continental customer service, I went to kayak to see if I could find a one way ticket from Calgary to New York - luckily I found one departing Calgary at 6:00PM that day for $300. So I had to let go my original booking and spend an extra $300; but that was definitely better than $700. DAMN CONTINENTAL!!! Anyway so my advice would be, give yourself at least 3 full days to get your passport back. If you have someone to go with you, make a vacation trip out of it for a coupla days coz making alternative arrangements aint fun and is expensive.

H1B Required Documents
Place these documents in a folder of their own since this is what you will be handing in to the visa officer:
1. Appointment letter
2. One passport-size photograph
3. Form DS-156
4. Form DS-157
5. Original copy of I-797A (I had 2 pages, you may have 1 or 2)
6. Employment letter
7. Pay stubs (last 5 months)
8. Monthly bank statements (last 3 months)
9. Travel itinerary
10. Scotia bank deposit slips (2 copies) - I had a relative in Canada deposit the $131 dollars on my behalf and mail me the deposit slips. If you don't have this privilege, finding a Scotia bank in Calgary is fairly easy and the process should not take more than 15 minutes.

H1B Supporting Documents
These are documents that are nice to have with you during your interview just in case they ask for them. I was not asked for any additional documents however I took the following:

Current Employer
1. I-797C (if applicable)
2. I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant worker
3. H Classification Supplement to Form I-129
4. H-1B Data Collection and Filing Fee Exemption Supplement
5. Labor Condition Application for H-1B & H-1B1 Nonimmigrants
6. Petition letter provided by your employer
7. Offer letter
8. Resume
9. Brochures describing what your company does

Previous Employer (if applicable)
This was my second H-1B visa stamping. I got my first visa stamping done at my home country and I took copies of that application with me as well.
Note: Based on my research, you can only get your visa stamping done in a country other than your home country if:
1. You are getting a visa stamping renewal
2. If you have never been out-of-status at any point during your stay in the US
With that said however, I know of some people first-hand who have gotten their first time visa stamps from Canada. It all depends on your tolerance of risk.

Education
1. Official transcripts (Undergrad + Grad)
2. Official diplomas (Undergrad + Grad)
3. All I-20s forms that were ever issued to me during my education (Undergrad + Grad)
4. EAD Card (You usually get this as part of the Optional Practical Training after your graduate)

Government and Federal
1. Original W2 forms (for all the years that I have worked)
2. Copies of tax returns corresponding to each W2.
3. Social Security documents for the last 3 years. This is a document that you receive in mail each year that gives you a breakdown of how much you have paid in social security.
4. Copy of driving license and social security card.

Personal
1. Copies of title deeds that show ties your home country e.g. home and/or business and/or piece of land.

At the Calgary Consulate
Arrive at least an hour before your appointment even though the appointment letter says do not arrive earlier than half hour before your appointment. Enter at the 615 Macleod Trail entrance and you will see signs for the Consulate – follow them. You will have your first screening here – keep your appointment letter and passport handy. The officer will then escort a group of people to the 10 floor in batches. Here you will have your second “airport-like” screening and will be given your queue ticket. When your number pops up in the LED ticker, the first visa officer will take your application packet. Submit the Required Documents packet mentioned above. Once she’s confirmed that everything on your DS-156 and DS-157 look good, she’ll ask you to take a seat. The second time your number shows up on the LED screen will be for your finger printing. Most likely this will be in Booth A. In Booth A, the lady will take your finger prints and ask you to take a sit again. The third time your number shows up on the LED screen will be for your interview.

My interview
When I approached the window, the visa officer gave me a receipt and asked me to pay the reciprocity fee at the Cashiers window and bring him back the stamped receipt. After I showed him the paid receipt, he asked me a few questions regarding my immigration, my undergrad and grad schools and my employer. He then gave me a ticket and asked me to pickup my passport with visas on Wednesday at 2pm (my appointment was on Monday). A week before my appointment, I called one of those “pay-per-call” numbers and asked a representative about PIMS verification. She said I do not need to do anything that is not specified in the appointment letter.

Things to do in Calgary
Calgary Tower – a good way to kill 30 minutes or so. It costs about CAN $13 to go up and get a 360 degree view of Calgary.

Stephen Ave – my hotel was a block away from Stephen Ave. This avenue has a bunch of restaurants, bars, pubs and a mall.

Places to eat in Calgary
Bungalow – located on 17th street between 4th and 5th ave. I went early in the evening before it got crowded and hung out with the guy who runs the place and bar tends, Renee. The place apparently gets really packed and attracts a hip crowd on the weekends and they usually play techno/trance music. I went on an off day so did not get to experience this. They have a pretty simple menu – I had one of their grilled flatbreads which is similar to a pizza but the dough is naan-like.
Unicorn bar – located on Stephen Ave. Nice pub with wide selection of tap beers and tvs. I had their signature grilled chicken burger. One of the best chicken burgers I’ve ever eaten.
Melrose Café & Bar – located on 17th street between 6th and 7th ave. Very ESPNZone-like with pretty servers and a plethora of TVs showing all American sports. I went here on a Monday night to watch the Monday-night football game.
Falafel King – located on Stephen Ave. I went here with the intention of eating a falafel but the Chicken Shawarma on the menu looked extremely appealing. Shawarma is a Middle Eastern Arabic-style sandwich usually composed of shaved lamb, goat, chicken, turkey, beef, or a mixture of meats. The chicken one that I had was phenomenal. The beef and falafel looked good as well. And the people working here are extremely friendly especially Mike.
Opa! – located inside the Stephen Ave Mall. A greek fast-food restaurant that serves gyros and souvlakis. I had the chicken souvlaki which was pretty good.

My goal for this blog post was to help you with your visa stamping process. I hope it was informative, comprehensive, and organized. If you feel that it saved you time and/or money and would like to make a donation, you can do so through PayPal.