The U.S. Department of State (DOS) has announced---via posting of a Federal Register Notice---the launch of a Stateside Renewal Visa Pilot Program limited to approximately 20,000 H-1B holders initially. The DOS notice describes the pilot program, which will resume stateside visa renewal for qualified H-1B nonimmigrant visa applicants who meet certain requirements. The pilot program will accept online applications from 1/29/24 to 4/1/24. The pilot program will be limited to H-1B principals renewing a prior H-1B visa issued by Mission Canada with an issuance date from 1/1/20 through 4/1/23, or by Mission India with an issuance date from 2/1/21 through 9/30/21. (88 FR 88467, 12/21/23)
This is an exciting step forward for modernizing and streamlining nonimmigrant visa renewals! Both immigration practitioners and foreign nationals will benefit from a process allowing nonimmigrants to renew their travel visas from within the United States. We are excited to see how the pilot program goes and to see what steps DOS will take next to make the visa renewal process more efficient.
