My son turned 14 and his previous H4 visa was issued before 14th Birthday. Based on recent dropbox guideline, it says if you have issued with any previous US visa, then that person will be eligible for dropbox. We are planning to visit India during feb 2024 and planning to take dropbox appointment for me and family. I have couple of questions and any insight into these topic is highly appreciated.
During visa stamping process, I know US Consulate don’t take fingerprint of person below 14 years and that is why in earlier dropbox eligibility criteria, there was a question if your previous visa issued before 14th Birthday. Wanted to check if this question still exist in recent dropbox eligibility criteria ?
If the answer to above question is yes, then my son has to attend Face 2 Face Interview at US consulate with Biometric appointment. But some where I read that H4 child will be issued with visa only when you carry valid visa of both parents. If I and my wife use dropbox and my son avail F2F interview, in such cases how my son will carry our visa when stamping process is happening in parallel ? Moreover we can’t wait our dropbox process to be completed and then my son carrying our passport to consulate with stamped visa and this might consume lot of time.
Can the entire family take F2F interview slots just avoid above issue (point-2) ? Given the current scenario, I am not sure if there will be enough F2F interview slot open
If your son attends the visa interview separately, then, they will issue form 221g for him and will ask him to submit your H1B visa stamp copies as and when they become available.
You should be able to take F2F interview appointment for whole family if you include any one person who is not eligible for dropbox.
I am also in the same boat. Do you need both parents’ stamps, or is the primary applicant’s visa sufficient? Additionally, is it possible to secure in-person visa slots for h4? Any idea how far in advance one can secure a slot?
Hello @anil_am22, Thank you for your reply. I am also in the same boat and me and my wife are not eligible for dropbox. So, if we book face to face appointment then our child (15 years old) can come with us? No need to book separate appointment for him?
We are exactly in the same situation with a 14 year old ineligible due the clause stating that she received the last visa before she turned 14. My spouse, me and younger kid 12 are eligible for Dropbox.
I have been writing to the help desk on the sequence of how to, schedule the interview so that we optimize our time. From what I understand after having spoken to multiple people is that it is important for the parents visa to be stamped on the passport, before you send your 14 years old in for an interview. She needs to carry the copy of the parents stamped visa for the interview.
I estimate that it will take us a minimum of 7-9 weeks to wrap up the entire sequence of events
3~4 weeks wait for parents to get their passports back after Dropbox.
Initiate drop box for 14 year old and then apply for interview appointment within 2 weeks .
2~3 weeks for the passport of the 14 year old to come back.
Hence we are talking a minimum of 7 weeks to a maximum of 9 weeks , assuming the Dropbox appointment in point 2 is secured on time.
After the interview for your kid, they will issue a form 221g to submit the parent’s visa stamp copy.
You can submit it as and when you get the visa for parents.
Thank you for that clarification. If a 221g is issued does she have to gain book an appointment to go the consulate or can the photocopy of the parents H1B stamped visa be submitted at the VAC or online ?
I’m in the same boat here…planning to go to India in August by when my kids would have turned 14. Is there any way we can get in person appointment for all of us so that we can avoid the delay in Dropbox?
My daughter has been in US for more than 10 years. My daughter is now attending in-person interview (H4 Visa) after turning 14 years as part of the requirement to get US VISA. We booked her appointment next month while I have already had VISA and my wife has dropped her documents last week. My wife VISA is currently getting processed at Embassy.
Can someone help with what types of questions are asked for my 14 year old when going to in-person interview? I have looked around but couldn’t find anything helpful, so asking for that information. Any help in this is very much appreciated.
Hi,
I have to go for visa stamping, have 14 yr old kid. Please Can anyone tell me the best process to go with in-person interview of the 14 yr old kid?
Anyone who has experienced the process, please kindly share.
I wanted to share our recent experience with the visa application process, which might be helpful for others who are planning to apply for a visa.
We booked an in-person appointment for both myself and my 14-year-old child to attend the interview at the visa consulate. This was done to avoid any potential delays in obtaining my child’s visa. Within four days of the interview, we received our passports with the visas stamped.
During the interview, the officer asked several questions, including details about my employer, the intended duration of our stay, and a few questions directed at my child regarding his studies. The officer was professional and courteous throughout the process.
I believe that being well-prepared and providing clear and concise answers helped in making the interview a smooth experience. I would advise others to do the same.
Hi @Shan
I want to book an in-person appointment for myself, my spouse and our child. While both my spouse and I are eligible for for drop box, our child is not. Could you please provide guidance on how to answer the interview waiver questions to ensure that we can all be eligible for an in-person appointment? I’m the main applicant and listed my spouse and child as dependents in the application. Do I have to list my child as the main applicant? Please advise. Thank you.
@anil_am22 Would this cause problem or hold against us during visa interview as my child is listed as the primary applicant. Do they check that while asking questions as primary applicant is mainly interviewed rather than the dependants? Please advise. Thank you.