I am currently in US on L1 visa valid till 2011. I have an approved H1 petition (approved in July 2009) to start work from 1-Oct-2009. My H1B petition has been approved for Consular Processing at Chennai Consulate. Now I plan to quit my current company and work for another company on H1B. I am getting married next month and my fiancee is on H1 visa too. Due to my present situation, I do not want to risk going to chennai and being denied my visa there. What are my options now to avoid going to India for Visa Stamping?
1) Is it possible to convert my consular processing to Change of Status now? Is it same as reapplying for a fresh H1 , paying all the fees and undergo the entire H1B approval process again?
2) If conversion is possible, what is the procedure and how much does it cost?