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Date: Thu, 22 May 2003 09:31:16 -0400
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Hi all,
Maybe it's time for some reassuring news...I obtained my H1B visa stamp at
the US embassy in Bern 2 weeks ago, without any problem.
Here is the film of the events:
I was on a J1 (research fellow) which was available until November 2002. I
was submitted to the two-year rule. Thus, I first obtained the waiver (it
took about 6 weeks in spring 2002), then I submitted the application package
for the H1B. It took 3 months to obtain the H1B approval notice (I got it in
September 2002), without paying the 1000$ express fees! Therefore I was
allowed to stay legally in the US. However I knew that the first time I was
traveling abroad, I needed the visa stamp to reenter.
I had to go to Switzerland for a one-week trip in the beginning of May 2003.
My parents took an appointment for me at the US embassy in Bern.
As you know, it is not possible to schedule an appointment in a US embassy
abroad by calling from inside the US...
Anyway, I went there with the requested documents (look at the website of
the US embassy in Bern) and everything went smoothly. Except that I did not
have the right size for the pictures. They sent me to a "photomaton" in the
basement of the Bern railway station and accepted that I give these pictures
in the afternoon at the time they printed the visa.
I had no problem at the re-entry at Logan Airport.
Now some remarks:
1) If you work in a sensitive area, such as nuclear facilities, research
labs on dangerous viruses, etc, then your visa stamp might be considerably
delayed because your passport and documents will be sent from the US embassy
to Washington for review by the Homeland Security Dpt. This process can take
months... It is the US embassy employee who will decide whether you work in
a sensitive field or not. Here I suggest that you avoid using scary terms in
your job description.
2) If you are a Swiss citizen going to the US embassy in Bern, things are
going to be much easier than if your are from a Middle-eastern country,
China, North Korea, etc. Sad but it's a fact. In addition, I heard that the
US embassy in Bern was pretty well organized and things went fast provided
that you brought all the requested documents. However, even for a Swiss
citizen, things might get more complicated if you go in a US embassy from
another country.
4) My experience is very recent and reassuring. However, it is clear that
things can get still tougher. For example, see the article in the newapaper
"Le Temps" of May 21: it seems that the new Swiss passport is not adapted to
the US custom regulations that will be implemented next September...
Hope this helped
Renaud Du Pasquier, M.D.
Harvard Medical School
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Received on Thu May 22 2003 - 10:42:33 PDT
