For H-1B visa holders, US may soon resume domestic visa revalidation
For renewal of these visas, foreign tech workers have to go out of the country, mostly to their own country to get the H-1B extension stamped on their passport.
With an aim to benefit thousands of foreign tech workers on H-1B and L1 visas, the United States is planning to resume domestic visa revalidation in certain categories on a pilot basis to scale it up in the next few years. The pilot project will be launched later this year.
When fully implemented, the pilot project would be a big relief to thousands of Indian tech professionals in the United States. Particularly the H-1B, certain categories of non-immigrant visas could be renewed or stamped inside the US until 2004.
How to get your H-1B visas renewed in US?
For renewal of these visas, foreign tech workers have to go out of the country, mostly to their own country to get the H-1B extension stamped on their passport.
When the H-1B visa is renewed, the holders need to get their passports stamped with renewal dates if they wish to travel outside of the US and re-enter the country. As of now, H-1B visa restamping is not allowed within the US. Restamping can only be done at any US consulate.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. In the US, tech companies depend on it to hire thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
What does US State Department say on H-1B visa renewal?
Speaking to PTI, a State Department spokesperson said, “We are working in earnest on plans to restart this service for certain petition-based NIV categories, and we hope to have a pilot up and running later this year. This would eliminate the need for these applicants to travel abroad to renew visas.”
The official informed that domestic visa revalidation has been facilitated until 2004 for applicants who were physically present in the US and renewing a visa in certain petition-based non-immigrant visa (NIV) categories.
However, the State Department has declined to comment on the number of visa holders initially eligible for the revalidation. “We cannot say anything about it. But the pilot would begin with a small number of cases before scaling over the following 1-2 years.”
What is existing H-1B renewal rule?
Under the existing rule, that came into force in 2004, the procedure for restamping H1-B and L visas is to visit the home country and submit their H1, and L1 visas, passports, and documents by way of a dropbox or interview.
People have to wait months or years for H1-B visa stamping or sometimes they get no response after submitting all documents and get stuck for over two years in their home country. While their families are waiting in the US for him/her to come back, the presidential commission had argued in one of its meetings last year.
Moved by a commission member, Ajay Jain Bhutoria from Silicon Valley, the presidential commission recommended that H1-B and L visas be allowed for restamping in the US by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), PTI reported.
The commission also urged the USCIS to establish a separate department or unit to handle restamping of renewed H1-B and L visas within the US.
(With PTI inputs)
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First Published:10 Feb 2023, 01:01 PM IST
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