US visa: There is positive news for US visa holders. The United States is likely to resume domestic visa revalidation for specific categories on a pilot basis with the aim of expanding it in the coming years. This could be advantageous for numerous foreign tech workers holding H-1B and L1 visas.
The pilot project launch is scheduled for later this year. Thousands of Indian tech professionals based in the United States will benefit once the project is fully executed. Until 2004, non-immigrant visas such as the H-1B visa could be renewed or stamped within the US for certain categories.
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Tough visa renewal rules
However, post 2004, foreign tech workers, particularly those holding H-1B visas, must leave the US and travel to their home country to get the H-1B extension stamped on their passports for visa renewal.
Again, the passport must be stamped with the renewal dates for all H-1B holders if they wish to travel outside of the US and re-enter. Currently, H-1B visa restamping can only be done at a US consulate and not within the US. This puts foreign guest workers and their employers at great inconvenience. Things become significantly tough when visa wait times are longer than 800 days, or more than two years. H-1B visas are usually issued for three-year periods.
Techies hired from India, China
The H-1B is a non-immigrant visa that enables US companies to hire foreign workers with specialized theoretical or technical skills. Thousands of employees from countries such as India and China are annually hired by technology companies on this visa.
“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,” a State Department was quoted as saying.
“We cannot comment on how many visa holders would be initially eligible, but the pilot would begin with a small number of cases before scaling over the following 1-2 years,” said the State Department spokesperson.
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