u/Miserable_Raisin998

Hi all, I'm a faculty in the US, and I got the academic H1B (no lottery). I have been trying to get an appointment for the stamping (in India), but there's simply none available this year, and it looks like the few for next year are also all booked out. I absolutely need to visit every year to see my parents. I am currently in the process of preparing my EB1A application with Chen, who gave me an approve/refund guarantee. I have also almost submitted the EB2NIW. I was wondering if it makes sense for me to switch to O1 for the ease of international travel. I will not be submitting the i-485 anytime soon since India's PD isn't expected to get current any time soon. I'd love any advice from folks here. I would also love to hear any warnings about potential risks of doing this. Thank you.

Is there any scope of getting H1B interview slots in India for the coming year? Where can I get this news from?

Like the title says, I'm very nervous that I'll end up not getting an appointment for a date before August 2027, which is what it looks like --- what happens if one just can't find an appointment within one year of payment of the H1B visa fee?

I'm booking flight tickets for my parents, and it's international tickets. I am also buying them business class tickets for maximum comfort. The price is $8000. I have Bilt and Bank of America credit cards, and both are getting declined (booking via Lufthansa). How would I go about making this purchase? I have "gold" level preferred rewards membership with BofA, if that matters.

EDIT --- I feel really dumb; I was mistyping the security code; it went through just fine.

Hi all, I'm a faculty in the US, and I got the academic H1B (no lottery). I have been trying to get an appointment for the stamping (in India), but there's simply none available this year, and it looks like the few for next year are also all booked out. I absolutely need to visit every year to see my parents. I am currently in the process of preparing my EB1A application with Chen, who gave me an approve/refund guarantee. I have also almost submitted the EB2NIW. I was wondering if it makes sense for me to switch to O1 for the ease of international travel. I will not be submitting the i-485 anytime soon since India's PD isn't expected to get current any time soon. I'd love any advice from folks here. Thank you.