Washington, D.C. U.S. Department of State (DOS) has initiated a rule-making process for the visa renewal within U.S. DOS’s draft Federal Register notice, “Pilot Program to Resume Renewal of H-1B Nonimmigrant Visas in the United States for Certain Qualified Noncitizens,” is currently under review by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), a division within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
The current U.S. immigration laws, gives authority to DOS to issue visa in U.S. for A, C–2, C–3, G or NATO category, and those maintaining status in the E, H, I, L, O, or P nonimmigrant category. Typically, U.S. visa are renewed abroad, except A, G and NATO visas, at a relevant Consular post. Now with the new policy, the Visa Office of the DOS will be renewing the visa by stamping the foreign citizen’s passport in the U.S.
With this new pilot program, the DOS will receive applications for renewal of nonimmigrant visa, esp. H-1B for the time being. This will greatly help non-citizens without a need to wait for a visa processing to return the U.S. or to return from any foreign trip.
It has been reported that the option to renew H-1B visa within United States will resume in early 2024, however, it is still going through pre-rule making process.
Earlier last year, the DOS had extended the policy of “Interview Waivers for Certain Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants“. This flexibility has been proven very helpful for visa applicants since its implementation in August 2020.
[Last updated October 31, 2023]
Note: This is a blog post by Adhikari Law PLLC and should NOT be construed as a legal advice.
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