US launches 5-week H-1B visa renewal campaign, accepting 20,000 applications

Up to 20,000 qualified nonimmigrant workers can renew their H-1B visas domestically.

Washington:

H-1B workers, including Indian nationals, do not need to leave the United States to begin applying for visa renewals, a significant change after nearly two decades.

Up to 20,000 qualified nonimmigrant workers can renew their H-1B visas domestically.

The U.S. State Department announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States in June 2023 that it would conduct a domestic pilot program for the renewal of certain petition-based temporary work visas, including for Indian nationals.

During his visit, Prime Minister Modi announced at an Indian-American community event in Washington that H-1B visa renewal stamping is underway in the US.

The development was noted in a joint statement issued by the White House after the visit, demonstrating the two countries’ commitment to streamlining the visa process and making life easier for temporary visa holders.

Over the next five weeks, the pilot program will accept a total of 20,000 participants, evenly divided among workers who have recently received H-1B specialty occupation visas at Indian and Canadian consulates.

The U.S. State Department released a website ahead of the launch of the pilot program that allows visa holders to confirm their eligibility. Applicants could fill out visa applications on the agency’s website last week, but had until Monday to submit them.

“I am pleased to see the Department of State officially launch the Visa Stamping Program in the United States today. This initiative is designed to streamline and improve the visa process for legal immigrants, making it more efficient and less burdensome. It will eliminate the need for these applicants to travel abroad to renew their visas, “Ajay Bhutoria, a prominent advocate on immigration issues told ANI.

“I believe this positive change will benefit the thousands of individuals invited to work in the United States and contribute to the growth of our nation’s businesses and economy,” Baturia added. The pilot program is the President’s Asian One of the recommendations from Butoria, the Advisory Committee on Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, is now being implemented by the State Department.

Currently, the program is limited to H-1B workers who meet the criteria set out in December and does not include dependent visa holders such as spouses and children on H-4 visas — something many workers expressed frustration after the eligibility details emerged a reason.

Butoria also advocates for other important immigration reforms, including reducing the green card backlog

The State Department said the initial launch of the visa renewal process within the United States will be a limited pilot program to test the operability of the program. If the pilot program is successful, the State Department has expressed strong interest in expanding eligibility for the program to other visa categories and individuals.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)