I doubt the DS160 filling. Currently, I am residing in the USA. I have two approved I797 the current one is valid up to 01/09/2025 and the other one is valid from 01/10/2025 to 01/08/2028. I have booked a visa stamping appointment with the new i797 ( 01/10/2025 to 01/08/2028 ), I am planning to travel to India on September 19th, 2024, and come back on October 18th, 2024. Do I need to stamp with the current i797( one is valid up to 01/09/2025) to come back to the USA?
I recently experienced this situation, and it became complicated. I have been doing this for over a decade, and it was still a bit out of hand. The thing is, they will use your new I-797 no matter what. What you should do (which I did not do) is insistently show both I-797s and explain that there is no gap in status. (At the interview, the lady even observed that I am continuing in the same workplace etc, so I thought they knew it was not a first time I-1797, where the 10-day rule applies)
What they did with me was they gave me a visa for the new I-797’s date and made an annotation under issue date, which said: not valid for travel until 10 days before I-797 start date. This caused a lot of stress as I know you need a “valid visa” to enter the US. It all went well eventually but I would have liked to avoid the worry. Just show both I-1797s and tell them your situation clearly is my advice.