New Delhi:A big relief may be on the horizon for thousands of Indian techies in the United States as the country is planning to resume "domestic visa revalidation" in certain categories on a pilot basis with the goal of scaling it up in the next few years.
The pilot project which is scheduled to begin later this year has deep implications for foreign tech workers on H-1B and L1 visas who may
now be able to renew their visas more easily.
According to a PTI report, a State Department spokesperson said, “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.”
Further adding, “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.”
H-1B visa is a Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in occupations that require technical expertise. Tech companies use it to hire employees from countries such as India and China. H-1B visas are issued for three years at a time.
Before 2004 certain categories of non-immigrant visas, particularly the H-1B, could be renewed or stamped inside the US. But after that, for visa renewal of these visas, the foreign workers with H1, and L1 visas, had to go to their home countries to get an H-1B extension stamped on their passports. Once their visa is renewed, they need to get their passports stamped with renewal dates. This is important if they want to travel outside of the US and then re-enter the country.
At present, H-1B visa restamping is not allowed within the US and restamping can only be done at any US consulate. This was is a big inconvenience for foreign workers as the visa wait time could take from 800 days to 2 years.
The much-sought-after H-1B visas are issued for three years at a time.