H1b visa passport stamping

[percy-rn]

Hello, can anyone help please. Can anyone tell me how long it takes once a H1b visa has been approved by USCIS, to get the visa stamp in your passport. I have read some conflicting information, the US embassy in London website states that it takes 3 days to process the visa and send the passport back but i a footnote it says that the 3 processing days do not include the administrative processing time - which can be up to 90 days! But according to other websites (immigration attorneys/lawyers, immigration blogs & chatrooms where people recount their personal experiences), most people only wait a few days. I am not sure I am understanding this correctly. How can the US embassy keep someone's passport for 3 months? Meaning that person cannot travel anywhere or use their passport for ID/legal purposes, etc. Is this just a 'worst case scenario' doomsday time frame which is fairly unheard of, or is it common to take so long? What exactly are they doing for 3 months, sice USCIS has already approved the visa (and USCIS often takes a long time to approve the visa in the first place, unless premium processing is used.) Anybody out there who has a H1b visa who can share their experience with me I would really appreciate it, because 3 months to get a stamp for a visa that US Immigration have already approved seems totally illogical and unrealistic. Would the employer understand and be prepared to wait even longer? Seems ridiculous. Thank you!

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

My understanding from another website I frequent is if approved then usually takes only a few days it is only if it goes into further processing that they can keep it for a period of time however if necessary you can ask for your passport back

[percy-rn]

Thank you Silver Dragon. Do you know why it would go to further admin processing? If the applicant (RN) doesn't have any convictions etc and has never had any issues with immigration at all, would the process be classified as 'standard' and incur a 3-5 day wait? Trying to figure out what would justify this potential extra administrative time. Thank you very much

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

They will tell you at the time of interview if it is going into further processing. If you have been told you have been approved then you should get your passport back in a few days. Usually goes into further processing when from certain countries or your name is similar to names they have on their list

[percy-rn]

Thanks so much Silver dragon you are a great help, providing info and reassurance! Another quick question, I understand that they see the applicant and any close dependents at the same time (spouse, children.) Does the dependent get their H4 processed in the same time frame, 3-5 days? We are UK citizens and have a fairly common surname but there aren't many RNs going to the States on a H1b so hopefully there won't be a huge list of nurses all called Jones/Smith/Johnson/Clark etc to warrant any delays!!