Only you have received our greenlight to proceed. If you have not received an email from us with specific instructions to begin your DS160, remain patient and continue to check your email regularly.

The answer here is NO. Please read the question correctly - it asks about the immigrant petition that someone might have filed on your behalf. The immigrant status is defined by a green card application, for example. In your case, the H2B visa is a NON-IMMIGRANT visa. So unless someone filed a green card application for you or on your behalf, then your answer here should be NO.

Generally yes. However, if you have been issued an H2B visa within the past 48-72 months, it is possible that your initial interview may be waived and, instead, you may be asked to submit your documents by courier.

Quite possibly, yes. It depends on when your last H2B visa was approved by the US Embassy in your home country. It is very important that you check your US Visa Info Account Profile and answer correctly (YES / NO) to the question regarding when your last H2B visa was issued.

You will be directed to mail your documents to the consulate instead of appearing in person for the interview . Follow the step-by-step instructions provided by the US Visa Scheduling Service, gather the listed documents, and mail them in.

The US Visa Scheduling Service sends pertinent emails to the applicant at the email address provided during the scheduling process. You can also check the DS-160 status link in your US Visa Scheduling Service account.

Yes. If, upon receipt of your documents, the Consular Officer determines that they have questions, you will receive an email instructing you to appear for an interview.

Yes, you should, if you can get such a letter. Ideally, provided that your employer is intent upon this, you would want it to state that they would hire you back.

Your current employer is the one you are working for now, in your home country (if you are employed).

USCIS uses numerous types of Form I-797 to communicate with customers or convey an immigration benefit. For example, Form I-797 Notice of Action is issued when an application or petition is approved. The I-797 A is issued when an H2B extension has been approved. For more information about the I-797 form, please go here: https://www.uscis.gov/i-797-info

It is not a bad idea to have a copy of his I-94 which shows that he is legally in the US.

Yes, you can.

Being unable to upload a photo may have to do with the fact that your application is incomplete or you made a mistake somewhere along the way. Also, the size of the photo may be too big. Photo has to be less than 240 Kb. Another possible cause is the format of the photo. Only a jpg format is accepted, so please check your photo.

If you have been to the US you must have a Social Security Number, not a Taxpayer's ID number. If so, please use the Social Security Number. If you have never been to the US before, please select "does not apply" from the drop down menu because it means you have neither a Social Security Number nor a Taxpayer's ID number.

NO. For the purpose of the H2B visa application, you are applying for the privilege of working legally in the US. Your friend has nothing to do with that. Just because he/she also received the job in the US and you may be on the same flight as he/she, it doesn't mean that he/she is your companion.

First, please review your job offer letter to identify the hourly wage you were offered. Second, please do a simple math as shown below: your hourly rate of pay x 40 hours per week x 4 weeks per month = minimum monthly income. Example: for someone who makes $13.00 per hour, the monthly income is calculated as follows: $13.00 x 40 hrs per week x 4 weeks per month = $2,080

You do not have a Taxpayer ID number, therefore leave the field blank. And if there is a “Does not apply” box next to that field, check that box. Providing your SSN is the correct action.

We do not believe the field allows special characters (dots) therefore the easiest way to quantify the length of your stay is in months. So if you’ve spent 2.5 continuous years in the US, then you can answer 36 MONTHS.

Your intended date of travel should coincide with the start date as shown on the I-797 form. Your last day of work will be the end date as it is shown on the I-797 form. The intended lenght of stay is, therefore, the interval between your start date and the end date and you can quantify that in months (ex. 6.5 months, 7 months). Rounding to the nearest half should be acceptable.

Extension of Status is NOT the same as Visa. Therefore you should provide details about the visa placed in your passport following your successful visa interview.

Having a job (no matter who the employer is) should not be unfavorable to you. On the contrary. Consequently, if you can provide documentation verifying your current employment with the respective company, then you should list your current job truthfully.

You have done nothing wrong – the system is set up to only accept 2 prior jobs. Therefore at this time you should proceed with finalizing and submitting the DS160, then paying the visa fee and scheduling your appointment.

The answer here is NO. There will be specific travel plans made for you until such time that we know your visa has been approved.

Yes, you can. Please make sure that you have the photo with you at the visa interview, or else your passport cannot be processed. Without the photo you will most likely not be allowed to enter the consulate. Make sure that the photo meets the requirements listed here (https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/photos.html )

You can submit your applications without the photo; you’ll just have to make sure you have the photo with you at the interview. So if you are stuck on uploading the photo, go ahead and submit without and move on to the next step.

No, you cannot. To access the procedures for the country you are from, please go to www.petrinagroup.com/visa and click on STEP 4.

By law your employer is obligated to reimburse you for the visa fee in the first paycheck you will be issued.

If you have been issued a visa before, your old visa information will likely show. You must add yourself as a new applicant by clicking on the respective button in the upper right corner of the screen.

Please book the date you can at this time; then, make a habit of checking the website 2-3 times a day from your phone for any changes. It happens often that earlier appointment dates become available; once you see one, you can take it.

The US Consular office should have you in their records as having had the visa before. If you have a copy of your old visa, you should take it with you. Other proof that you had a visa could be copies of old paychecks, letter of employment with the US Employer(s) and so on. The police report is good to have on you when you go to apply in person. They will likely not ask you about it.

You must use the passport of the country you are in when it is time to apply for the visa. If you are in South Africa, then you should use the SA passport. You may mention to the US Consular officer that you have multiple citizenships, but your visa stamp will be affixed onto the SA passport. If you were in England or Germany, you would use the appropriate passport.

Some you absolutely do. Some you may not need and the consular officer may not ask for them. But in our experience it is better to have them with you than not have them, in case you are asked to produce them.

We will send you a copy of the form along with a copy of the job order and the support letter from your employer. In order to receive these documents you must first fill out the Visa Appointment Form and provide us with a copy of your DS 160 bar code confirmation as well as the date of your visa interview. We cannot and will not release these documents until we know that you a) filled out the DS 160 application, b) paid your visa fee and c) scheduled your visa interview.

Proof of actual funds is not an indication of your ties with your home country. The employer will pay or reimburse you for the cost of visa fee and transportation and after you arrive on site you will start earning money. If you have a bank statement you may take it with you, but it will not be a document that the consular officer is likely to ask for.

Pease read the instructions you received carefully – it clearly lists all the actions you must take.

If you have an appointment with a specific time, you should only arrive at the consulate / embassy about 1 hour before.

This will vary from employer to employer, but generally there will be little time between the time you receive your processed passport and the date you must travel to your employer. It could be as little as a few days or as much as a week.

The H2B regulations do not specifically mention who buys the plane ticket. The regulations do mandate that the employer is responsible for the most reasonable and economical cost of transportation from your point of origin to the employer. Having said that, in the majority of case the employer will buy the ticket for you. If you wish to buy your own ticket, please let us know and we'll inform the employer accordingly. The employer will then reimburse you for the cost.

Yes. PGI or the employer will arrange transportation. In situations where your flight is delayed or you arrive very late, you may be required to take a taxi or an Uber in which case the employer will reimburse you for the cost. As you prepare to travel you will receive pertinent instructions on where to go to be picked up.

Yes. The social security number assigned to you is yours for life.

Upon your arrival in the US, after approximately 24 hours, you can and should apply for a social security number. You will need your passport, your valid I-94 form which attests to your legal H2B status and the one page application form. Once you submit your application in person to a local Social Security Agency office, they will issue you a receipt which you then give to your HR office. On the basis of this receipt, until you receive the Social Security Card in the mail, you will be able to be paid.

Absolutely not. This would be agains the law and neither us, nor our clients work this way. Under the H2B regulations no one is allowed to ask for money, or financial guarantees, in exchange for offering you a job.

You shoudl not give notice until you have applied for the visa and it has been issued. Then, you should immediately inform your current employer and give the proper notice. You should not give notice before; this in case your visa isn't issued.

Normally, we expect our clients to have secured all necessary approvals to hire you by mid-late August. As soon as that happens, we provide you with the necessary instructions to begin the visa application process.

If you prepare for the winter season which begins in October, then you would be expected to travel in the first half of October. If you looking to travel to the US for the summer season, then you would be expected to travel in the second half of April / first half of May.

If the employer buys the ticket for you, then you will be provided a form to fill out where you will be asked to provide your name (as it appears on your passport), your date of birth, your passport number and the city / airport you wish to fly out of. The employer will use the information which you provided to then buy the ticket for you. If you come from smaller countries, with fewer "large hubs", the employer will be as flexible as possible in accomodating you but it may not always be possible.

Not unless you have a permanent residence in that country. If you do not, we advise that you go back to your home country and apply for a visa there.

As of August 2022, the CDC does not require quarantining due to COVID. State and Local guidelines would still apply and your employer may need to observe COVID guidelines as they apply to their local municipality, county or state.

As of August May 2023, vaccination is no longer mandatory for foreign citizens entering the US.

As of May 2023 a COVID test is no longer required to travel by plane.