I received a 221(g) green slip for my F1 from the US Consulate in Kolkata, India back in 2011 (presumably for falling under TAL). I graduated in 2018 with a PhD in Electrical Engineering. I currently work in a pretty vanilla Signal Processing team (as in, shouldn't raise any TAL related flags in the ideal case). I have an approved H1B that I am planning to get stamped this year, and I have concerns about receiving another 221(g). If I am asked about my PhD, I probably definitely will be placed on Administrative Processing (my thesis was signal estimation and detection). Any general tips, experiences, guidelines that anyone could provide would be highly appreciated. #h1b #221g #TAL #Stamping
Irrespective of anything. You might get 221g. All F1 to H-1B are getting 221g because of manual sevis updates.
Ugh. How often do they get rejected though, after 221g? I read that if you have a legit job in the US it almost always gets approved.
I am not sure about that.. but for me 221 g was cleared in short time about a week and was told that's it's regular for all
My F1 was rejected twice in 2009-10 and finally got it on 3rd attempt with a 221g in Kolkata (doesn’t matter ). When I went for H1 stamp after graduate studies it went as smooth as it could ! I have updated H1 stamp thrice and need to enter all those info about rejection from past every time , but nothing after that ! All new cases are fresh case and past result don’t dictate future outcome !!
Do you have any idea as to why you were given a 221g on your third attempt? I have heard that if it is TAL related, you'll basically fall under that group every single time.
It may or may not be related to TAL , they didn’t say outright but they did contact my department and received all EE courses I will be taking or can potential take !! One thing to ease your mind 99% info about visa online is false haha !! Don’t think too much just go ahead with your H1 — after being rejected twice and getting 221g 3rd attempt , everything seems simple now 😂 . It’s a fresh application trust me
I had 221Gs for two F1 stampings and my first H1B stamping but this time around for the 2nd H1B stamping, I was surprisingly issued a Visa without 221G. So it's all random. At this point I've let go of trying to work out the logic behind it. Chill and answer as succinctly as possible. Rest is luck!
Just avoid any TAL words about your job description. Just say my work was on communication systems and device. Only if they ask precise details about dissertation, then elaborate. I had got 221(g) during my F1 but no issues in h1b interview later and then dropbox stamping was also smooth. But always have contingent plan befoe you leave. Discuss with your manager prior to leaving. Give interview within 1 or 2 days of your arrival so that you have buffer time. Plan vacation for at least 3 to 4 weeks if possible. All the best
Thank you. I didn’t take any vacation time last year so that I can take a paid month off from work. It’s still a long enough vacation that I am having to pull some strings, but I am just worried that even a month might not be enough. Also, thanks for the non TAL words tip. Do they ever actually Google you while interviewing to make sure that you’re not lying? I would have to provide a very very vanilla description of my dissertation in order to not fall under TAL! ( I realize that I am overthinking, but isn’t that what 221g does to honest hard working people like us?)
Dont worry. I dont think they Google, some people say they do preliminary check of your DS160 but I dont know how true it is. Well you are not lying, you work on "communication system or technology" in a high level perspective. If they still ask exact details in less likely case, you can always give it to them without hiding anything. A lot of times 221(g) are also routine. 221(g) should be least of immigration concerns especially for an Indian. They have much bigger immigration challenges waiting for them.
I have a similar history - 2 221(g) during F-1 in 2010 and 2013. Went for H-1 stamping in Feb and got my third. My PhD is in Materials Science and Engineering, with focus on materials characterization of metals / ceramics.
Did you get another 221g this time then?
Based on what I read, every time you try to get stamped it will trigger the tal and you will have to wait
Does it usually take the same amount of time though? It took them about three weeks last time