Department of State Announces Domestic Visa Renewal Pilot Program for Certain Eligible H-1B Nonimmigrants

December 22, 2023

According to a Federal Register notice  published December 21, 2023,  the State Department will open its much anticipated domestic visa renewal pilot program on January 29, 2024.  The program will allow eligible applicants to renew an H-1B visa while still in the United States, without the need to travel to a US consulate abroad.

The pilot renewal program is limited in scope.  The program will only accept applications from January 29, 2024 until April 1, 2024, and will be limited to only 20,000 applications.  The pilot program is also limited to only a small group of individuals who received an H-1B visa from a US consulate in India or Canada during a specific period of time.  This specific time period is February 1, 2021 to September 30, 2021 for those whose H-1B visas were issued in India, and January 1, 2020 to April 1, 2023 for those whose H-1B visas were issued in Canada.   And, in order for an H-1B nonimmigrant to be eligible for the pilot program, among other additional requirements, the individual must be eligible for a waiver of the in-person visa interview requirement, must have submitted fingerprints to the State Department previously, must have maintained and continued to maintain H-1B status previously, and their most recent admission to the United States must have been in H-1B status.

If you have any questions about your eligibility for this DOS pilot program for H-1B domestic visa renewal please contact the immigration attorney at LHSCD working on your case.  Or, to schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys, please complete our Consultation Request Form.

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