H4 renewal or H4 visa extension

Hi;
My Wife (on H4) and myself (H1b) both have our current visa expiring in September.
My wife is currently outside the US and will only be able to fly back in August.
I applied for H1b and got my extension approved, waiting on my I-797 now.

Given that my wife will only come close to her visa expiry, is it advisable to file a new H4 visa while she is outside the US as opposed to waiting & filing for extension once she comes into the US.

She had a medical emergency and so cannot travel back to the US immediately.

If we do apply for a new H4 visa is the approval going to take longer. Can we apply for a new H4 visa when her current H4 is still active.

Option 1:
Show the H1B i797 at the port of entry and request longer i94 for H4 (even when the current H4 visa stamp expires in September - but should be valid on date of entry). The CBP should be able to issue a longer H4 i94 to match H1b i94.
If she gets longer i94, there will be no need to file H4 extension.

OPTION 2:
I suggest to apply H4 visa at US embassy if you can find an appointment.

OPTION 3:
Otherwise, she will have to file i539 extension after entering the US

3 Likes

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Is option#1 applicable if she comes after the current visa expires? Or should this be before the current term ends.