US Introduces Domestic Visa Renewal Program- Indians to benefit most

This visa is crucial for technology firms, serving as a means to recruit a substantial number of employees annually, mainly from nations like India and China. The forthcoming pilot program, initially capped at 20,000 participants, follows the plan revealed by the White House during the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June.

Domestic Visa Renewal Program

Julie Stufft, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Visa Services, In an interview with PTI, stated, "In India, the demand (for US visas) is still very high. The wait time of six, eight and 12 months is not what we need and (it is) not indicative of how we view India."

"We want to make sure that Indian travellers can get appointments as quickly as possible. One way we are doing that is through the domestic visa renewal programme, which is focused very much on India. We are piloting that," she added.

Beginning from December and spanning 3 months, the State Department will grant 20,000 visas to foreign nationals currently residing within the country.

"We will do 20,000 in the first group. The vast majority of those will be Indian nationals living in the US and we will expand as it goes on. Because Indians are the largest skilled group of workers in the United States, we hope that India will benefit quite a bit from this programme and it will prevent people from having to travel back to India or anywhere for a visa appointment to get their visa renewed. It will allow our missions in India to concentrate on new applicants," Stufft said.

While the State Department has been actively working on employing a pilot program for a while, the formal announcement was made during Modi's visit. The plan, stressed in the joint statement and unveiled by Modi during his address at the Ronald Reagan Centre to the Indian diaspora, has been met with enthusiasm and approval from the Indian community in the US.

In response to queries, Stufft mentioned that a federal register notice, the primary official notification, will be released shortly. This notice will plan the essential steps, eligibility criteria for the first phase of applications, and provide comprehensive instructions.

The renewal programme is only for work visas and is planned for people who are living long-term in the US, however, willing to renew their visa without going back overseas.

Stufft further added, "This is an existing regulation that was allowed that we just have not used in about 20 years. These are work visas. It is intended for people who are living long-term in the US but want to renew their visa without going back overseas,"

Defining it as a "huge undertaking", Stufft said, "We're very excited about it. We're starting small with a pilot of 20,000 cases in December, January and February and we look forward to opening that to more categories of workers living in the United States in the rest of 2024."

Over one million H-1B holders to get impacted 

The State Department's action was termed as "meaningful" by Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a prominent leader in the Indian-American community. In his role as commissioner for the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, Bhutoria had put forward a proposal that was not only accepted but also recommended by US President Joe Biden.

"I am happy to see the recommendation I presented on behalf of immigration subcommittees on the Commission for H-1B visa stamping in the USA finally being implemented," he said. This relief will ultimately impact over one million H-1B holders, a considerably large number of whom are Indians, he further added.

Initial details of the program

The primary details for the program have been released, i.e.

• The programme will be limited to H-1B principal applicants only;
• The programme will be limited to nationals of countries that are not subject to reciprocity fees, one of which will be India;
• The programme will have certain eligibility requirements along the lines of the interview-waiver program;
• The programme will be available for 20,000 applicants initially; and
• The programme will involve voluntary participation.

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- Rajneesh Kumar