Question on H1B visa stamping at Mumbai Consulate

[mysticblue 0]

I'm on H1B with I-140 (EB2) approved. I am planning a short trip to India for about a week. My stamping expired in July 2013 and I have approved I-797 till Sep 2014. Hence I will have to undergo stamping before coming back to the US.

I have obtained Biometrics appointment for 19-Aug and Personal Interview appointment for 20-Aug at Mumbai Consulate. It seems that I do qualify for the new "Dropbox" feature, but my employer has directly obtained the interview dates as above.

I had the following questions related to Visa stamping:
1. Is it possible to go for consular interview when one qualifies for the Dropbox. Does it impact the stamping in any way.
2. I will be having only 5 working days in India (19 Aug - 23 Aug). Is this sufficient time to have biometrics done, attend interview and get stamped passport back in hand.
3. What is the current success rate for stamping at Mumbai Consulate. Considering that and the trip duration is it recommended to go ahead with the plans. I haven't made any travel arrangements yet.

Any response would be greatly appreciated.

[jan22 3,043]

Haven't experienced this an Mumbai Consulate, but know about it in Hyderabad. (They say the processing is the same for all of India, though, so it might help you).

The most important thing about the Dropbox is to be sure of two things, from my experience -- that your visa doesn't say "Clearance received" and that the new visa is for the same employer as your last one. (My friend was called to come in for an interview because the new visa was for a different company). It takes about 3 to 4 days to get the visa from the Dropbox. If you go for the interview (and the same applies about the note on the visa and the company), it seems to take about two days. Seems faster, but depending on whn you need it, you might not get appointments soon enough. Hope this helps.