US is going to launch a pilot program for the domestic renewal of specific H-1B visa categories

According to a US official, the US will launch a pilot program in December for the domestic renewal of specific H-1B visa categories. This initiative will help a substantial number of Indian IT workers.

This occurs months after the plan was unveiled by the White House during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit in June.

Julie Stufft, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Visa Services, stated in an interview with PTI that "there is still a lot of demand" in India for US visas. Six, eight, and twelve months of waiting is not what we need, and it does not reflect our perception of India.

Their goal is to ensure that Indian tourists can schedule appointments as soon as possible. Their domestic visa renewal program, which is heavily focused on India, is one way they are achieving that. She said, "We are piloting that."

20,000 visas will be issued to foreign nationals who are already in US

The State Department will issue 20,000 visas to foreign nationals who are already in the country over a three-month period beginning in December.

In the first group, they will complete 20,000. The vast majority will be Indian nationals living in the United States, and they will continue to expand as time goes on.

After this new move, People will not require to travel to have their visa renewed

Because Indians are the most skilled group of workers in the United States, we hope that this program will benefit India significantly and save people from having to travel back to India or anywhere else for a visa appointment to have their visa renewed. It will allow their missions in India to focus on new applicants, according to Stufft.

First official notice will be released soon

Even though the State Department has been preparing to introduce this program on a trial basis for some time, Modi's visit marked the official announcement of it.

The Indian community in the US has applauded and welcomed the plan, which was addressed in the joint statement and declared by Modi during his speech to the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Center.

In response to a query, Stufft stated that the first official notice of this will be released very soon in the form of a federal register notice, which will outline the instructions and include a description of all the necessary steps as well as information on who is eligible to apply in the first tranche.

However, she confirmed that they are granting these visas within the US. It is the intention to mail a visa to us in Washington from the United States. According to her, they process and print the visa, insert it into the passport, and mail it back to a people in US.

Domestic visa renewal program is limited to work visas

In order to obtain a renewed visa, individuals no longer need to travel to Mexico, Canada, India, or any other country. She stated that when this federal register notice is released in a few weeks, it will make that very clear. Stufft emphasized that the domestic visa renewal program is limited to work visas.

They haven't used this allowed regulation for the past 20 years, but it is still in place. These are visas for employment. According to her, it is designed for those who wish to renew their visa without returning abroad but are long-term residents of the US.

Stufft called it a "huge undertaking" and added, they are very excited about it." Starting small, they will be testing the program with 20,000 cases in December, January, and February. Later in 2024, they hope to expand it to include additional worker categories residing in the US.

Also read: US Embassy in India hits record high, Issuing 140,000 student visas

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