Hi,
I came to the USA on a J1 visa and now I have an I-797 H-1B Approval Notice - please note the H-1B visa is not stamped on my passport.
I have also applied for a permanent residency and have received the receipt of the application from the USCIS.
Question:
I am planning to visit India - do I need an H-1B visa stamped on my passport in order to re-enter the country (USA)?
I am assuming when you say filed for permanent residency aka Green card, you have filed form I-485. If that is the case, did you also file EAD and advance parole? If you have advance parole, you can travel back using that and dont need H1B visa. However if you do that, you will be admitted on AP status and lose your H1B status. In such situation you can use EAD to continue your employment and can choose to switch back to H1B status by having your employer file H1B extension of status.
Otherwise yes you will beed H1B visa to enter back to the US.