I have been following many posts on this forum and I came to know that for OFC interview, one of the requirements is to have passport validity upto atleast 6 months after the intended stay in US. I have couple of questions regarding this requirement
Is this requirement very crucial?
If yes for 1, then - My H1B visa will expire on October 1st, 2015 and my Passport will expire on 13th Feb, 2016. So there is a 4.5 months gap between the two dates. Should I renew my passport in this situation?
No. There is error in the interpretation about passport validity requirement at OFC.OFC has no requirement of passport validity.
Ds 160 form asks about passport expiry date.
In the old system before taking appointment , one had to mention passport expiry date. It had to be at least 6 months beyond the date you were taking appointment.
In the new system I believe it is same though I am not 100% sure about it. There are no guidlines/remarks about this in the new system. Unless one comes across case of passport which is expiring one can not be 100% sure about current system.Call centres are of limited use only.
However I can certainly say that passport validity requirement IS NOT 6 months beyond the intended stay.Also OFC has no role in this.
DS 160 form and Appointment system decide about passport validity requirement., NOT OFC.