Query on Interview waiver and Automatic Vis revalidation

USA H1B Visa
1

My nationality is India and I’m currently working in a valid H1 approved petition valid till October 2025. I initially entered US in 2014 (under a different company) with my approved L1-B visa. Later, with the same organization I had my status converted from L1 to H1 during October 2016.

Please note that, I only have my L1 visa stamped in my passport. To have my current H1B visa stamped in my passport, I’m planning to go to Toronto US consulate in Canada. I would be applying for a visitor visa for my travel, Given this, I’ve a few questions regarding my planned H1B stamping in Canada.

  1. Am I eligible for a visa interview Waiver in Canada? I’ve never been refused a visa. But, I’ve had rejections for my L1 and H1 extensions. I did not re-apply for my L1-Extension as I had my H1B visa available in the meantime. For my H1 extension rejection, I had it approved after re-submitting.

  2. Would I be able to return back to US from Canada irrespective of the outcome of the Visa interview? If for any reason my visa gets rejected while in Canada, would I be able to re-enter USA using the automatic visa revalidation rule?

2

You will need to apply in the country of your residence or nationality to be eligible for dropbox.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/important-announcement-on-waivers-of-the-interview-requirement-for-certain-nonimmigrant-visas.html

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/nonimmigrants-present-visiting-canada-mexico.html

Once you appear for visa interview, you can no more use visa revalidation. If your visa is denied, you will need to go back to India and reapply visa there.

3

Thanks a lot @Kalpesh_Dalwadi for your answers. It really helped.

Could you please my next query? Would I be eligible for drop box in India if I plan to travel to India.

Again, in summary

  1. Indian national; travelled to US in L1-B in Jan 2014. Only L1-B visa stamped in my passport at this moment.
  2. L1-B extension applied August 2016.
  3. Got H1-B in October 2016. L1-B extension rejected in April 2017. Got into H1 status automatically
  4. H1B extension rejected in Feb 2021. Re-applied and got approved.
  5. Currently have I-797A till October 2025.
4

Did you go through the dropbox eligibility KB that I shared above. That should have the answer.

5

Thanks @Kalpesh_Dalwadi. That answers my question