Do we need fresh stamping to enter US if I have a H1B extension?

USA H1B Visa
1

Hi friends

I am in US now and my H1B expires on  Dec 27th 2013. I have applied for a H1B extension. Let’s say I got the extension for 2 more years. Now my question is; 



1. Can I go on a vacation to India and come back to US without any issues, when I am in the extension period? I heard that extension becomes invalid the moment we fly out of US and we have to go for a fresh stamping to enter US again. Is that true?

Can someone please clarify my doubt? 



Thanks



Rajesh
2

Rajesh,

I am assuming your H1B visa stamp on your passport is valid till Dec 27th, 2013. In such case, if you plan to travel to India and return to US before Dec 27th, you do NOT need to go for visa stamping as your Old visa stamp is valid. But, if you re-enter US after Dec 27th, you need to go for visa stamping as you do NOT have a valid H1B Visa stamping on your passport.

In general, if you need to enter US, you need to have a Valid Visa stamped on your Passport. Once you are in US, you would need to maintain your status, even if the visa stamp on passport is expired.