H-1B visa: Renew US work visa without travelling to India

In a big relief to Indian professionals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that Indian professionals can renew their work visas without travelling abroad. H-1B visa: Renew US Work Visa without travelling to India.

“America’s new consulates will be opened in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. It has now been decided that the H1B visa renewal can be done in the US itself,” PM Modi said while addressing the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington D

The significant decision will help thousands of Indian professionals working in the US as they can continue their jobs without the hassle of travelling overseas for the renewal of their H1B visas. Recently, the U.S. Department of State decided to launch a pilot to adjudicate domestic renewals of certain petition-based temporary work visas later this year.

Indian nationals will be included in this project, with the aim of implementing it for a larger group of H1B and L visa holders in 2024. US President Joe Biden and PM Modi emphasised that the mobility of professionals, skilled workers, students, investors, and business travellers between their countries plays a crucial role in strengthening bilateral economic and technological collaboration.

“While acknowledging the important steps taken to augment the processing of visa applications, they noted the pressing need to further expedite this process. The leaders also directed officials to identify additional mechanisms to facilitate travel for business, tourism, and professional and technical exchanges between the two countries,” read the joint statement.

H-1B Visas are issued for duration of three years. When H-1B visa holders seek renewal, they are required to have their passports stamped with the new expiration dates if they plan to travel outside the United States and re-enter. Currently, re-stamping of this visa cannot be done within the United States.

Before 2004, H-1B visa holders had the option to renew their visas within the United States. However, this policy changed in 2004, making it mandatory that H-1B visa holders must travel outside the US to have their visas renewed. This change caused significant inconvenience, especially for those facing long wait times for visa renewal.

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The H1B Visa offers many benefits to its holders. It is highly valuable due to the lengthy process of finding an employer, getting selected in the lottery, and receiving approval. Typically, a foreign national is initially given a 3-year period of stay in H-1B status. As the end of that period approaches, they can apply for an extension of the visa, up to a total of 6 years.

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