On November 28, 2023, the Department of State (“DOS”) announced the launch of a Pilot Program which will permit an initial Twenty Thousand H-1B visa holders to renew their visas by mailing them to the State Department rather than having to travel abroad to renew. The program which was first made public in February 2023 is set to debut in January 2024.
Read moreUS Expected to Announce Measures to Ease Visas for Skilled Indian Workers
According to a Reuter’s exclusive report the Biden administration is preparing to “facilitate the residence and employment of Indians in the country” by announcing new regulation that will permit “a select group of Indian and other foreign workers on H-1B visas…to renew their visas within the United States, eliminating the need to travel abroad.” The report reaffirms our previously reported news from The Department of State’s (“DOS”) February announcement introducing the prospect of launching a pilot program for H and L visa holders to renew their visas in the US, instead of having to travel abroad.
Read moreDOS Adopts New Technology and Enhanced Coordination to Streamline Administrative Processing Security Screenings
As part of the visa application process at Embassies, applicants are subject to a background screening process. In accordance with Department of State (“DOS”) procedures the consular officer may determine that “additional information from sources other than the applicant may help establish an applicant’s eligibility for a visa” requiring “administrative processing.”
Read morePilot Program for H and L Visa Renewal in the US Announced
Keeping in line with its efforts to improve visa processing backlogs at the consulates and embassies around the world, the Department of State (“DOS”) announced a plan to launch a pilot program for H and L visa holders to renew their visas in the US, instead of having to travel abroad. In an interview with Bloomberg Law, Julie Stufft, deputy assistant secretary for visa services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, shared the news of the program that should be initiated later this year.
In 2004, the DOS discontinued domestic visa reissuance service for certain nonimmigrant visas in the United States. Restarting the program by permitting certain H and L visa holders to revalidate their visas domestically, rather than having to travel internationally to renew their visas, is the latest means DOS is planning to take to alleviate the visa application backlogs that developed at consulates as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will keep you updated as more details surrounding the launch of the pilot program become available.
Changes Implemented at US Embassy and Consulates in India to Alleviate Visa Processing Backlogs
Following the Department of State’s (“DOS”) October 2022 update on its efforts to improve visa processing backlogs that resulted due to worldwide embassy closures throughout the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its commitment to lowering visa interview wait times , the United States Mission in India has expanded its services. Beginning January 21, 2023, the US Embassy in New Delhi and Consulates in Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata have opened consular operations on Saturdays to accommodate first-time visa applicants who require in-person visa interviews.
Read moreDepartment of State Provides Update on Visa Processing Backlogs
The Department of State (“DOS”) published an update on the their efforts to tackle the visa backlogs that they have been faced with worldwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The DOS is committed to lowering visa interview wait times and optimistically reports embassies and consulates are “recovering faster than projected” and will return to pre-pandemic processing capacity this year.
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