H4 is in Progress + H4 EAD in RFE - Eligible for dropbox stamping - Is it okay to travel out of US for stamping?

I applied for H4 extension in March 2020 and applied for H4 EAD in July 2020 after my spouse got H1B approval for 3 years. My H4 biometric appointment is scheduled for December first week 2020.

Two days back I saw that my H4 EAD application had gone to RFE status. I haven’t received the RFE notice yet, but I guess it’s for providing a valid I-94 number as the I-94 which I provided at the time of filing H4 EAD was already expired in June 2020.

As per the relaxation on dropbox stamping, I am eligible for dropbox stamping in India until December 31, 2020.

So my questions:

  1. Is it okay if I travel to India and get H4 Visa stamping before December 31st and travel back to the US so that I can provide valid I94?

  2. Do I need to wait for the biometric appointment? I will be getting H4 Visa stamping, so H4 extension is invalid.

  3. What will happen to H4 EAD petition which is in RFE if I leave the country? As per the case status, they say that “we will not process your case until you respond or the deadline to respond has reached”. So does that mean the H4 EAD will not be affected even if I abandon H4 extension?

I would be grateful for any help.

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