Department of State Announces H-1B Visa Renewal Pilot Program in the U.S.

Dec 21, 2023 | Human Resources Services, Immigration Updates

The Department of State is launching a pilot program for domestic renewal of H-1B visas, offering a significant development for qualified applicants. The program, active from January 29 to April 1, 2024, allows eligible H-1B visa holders to renew their visas within the United States, a departure from the standard process requiring renewal from outside the country.

Eligibility and Application Details:

  • Scope: Limited to H-1B visa renewals.
  • Requirements: Applicants must meet specific criteria, including prior visa issuance by Mission Canada (from January 1, 2020, to April 1, 2023) or Mission India (from February 1, 2021, to September 30, 2021), among others.
  • Application Process: Applicants can apply online at travel.state.gov.

Aim of the Pilot: The pilot aims to test the feasibility of resuming domestic visa renewals and to assess its effectiveness in reducing global visa wait times. This move is aligned with the Administration’s commitment to improving federal service delivery and supporting U.S. industry partners.

Application Procedure:

  • Period: Online applications accepted from January 29, 2024.
  • Limits: Weekly limits on applications based on the region of prior visa issuance.
  • Processing Time: Expected to be 6-8 weeks from the receipt of required documents.
  • Fees: Non-refundable and non-transferrable $205 MRV fee.

Requirements for Participation:

  • Includes criteria such as in-person interview waiver eligibility and maintaining H-1B status.

Documentation Needed:

  • A completed DS-160 form, a recent photograph, passport, Form I-797, and I-94.

Important Notes:

  • Visa issuance through this program is not guaranteed.
  • Ineligible or incomplete applications will face refusal under INA section 221(g).
  • This pilot is a temporary arrangement, and participation is voluntary.

Related Posts:

H-1B Cap Season: Employer Considerations in the Event of a Recession

By Miki Kawashima Matrician, Co-Managing Partner, WR Immigration Boston As fiscal year (FY) 2024 H-1B cap season begins, many employers are looking to how the current economic climate could affect their immigration plans. Here are a few considerations. For a complete overview, please see a recording of a November 17 webinar from WR Immigration. Watch now>> Impact to Workers on F-1 STEM Extension: Continued Eligibility After Corporate Restructure? ​ Foreign nationals with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields working for E-Verify employers are eligible to apply for a two-year extension of their one-year F-1 Optional Practical Training (known as “STEM extension”). If the foreign national employee filed for a STEM extension under a subsidiary’s E-Verify number and is subsequently moved to another subsidiary or parent entity, the new employing entity must also be an E-Verify employer. If the new employing entity is not an E-Verify employer, that foreign national employee would no longer be eligible for the STEM extension. This is true even if the STEM extension has already been approved: when the new employing entity is not an E-Verify employer, the F-1 holder cannot continue to use the STEM EAD. If the new employing entity is […]

Immigration Update

In this edition, find the latest news on the April Visa Bulletin, COVID-19 flexibilities, the H-1B electronic registration selection process, and more!  April Visa Bulletin Shows Worldwide EB-4 Backlog of 5+ Years, EB-2 Retrogression EB-5 Backlog DOS is no longer including a separate column covering applicants chargeable to El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras in the charts titled, “Final Action Dates for Employment-Based Preference Cases” and “Dates for Filing of Employment-Based Visa Applications,” for applicants who are seeking an immigrant visa in the EB-4 category. Final action and filing dates for applicants from these three countries are now provided in the column headed “All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed.”  Previously, DOS was applying the per-country limit to the EB-4 subcategory, which made the “North Central American” (NCA) countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras oversubscribed, but preserved religious worker priority dates as “current” for all other chargeability areas. DOS has now announced that it interprets the limit to apply to the family/employment-based system as a whole and not within each category. In other words, because the NCA countries are not oversubscribed in the total family/employment system, DOS cannot set a cutoff for them separately within the EB-4 category.  EB-2 Retrogression  EB-2 […]