As part of efforts to accelerate long visa processing times, the United States Department has announced that a limited number of H-1B specialty occupation workers will be eligible to renew their visas in the US starting in January.
In addition, State Department officials said that an extension of the interview waiver program in order to qualify for temporary visas is also being developed, VisaGuide.World reports.
The H-1B visa program allows US employers to bring employees from other countries if they cannot find them in the US in order to work there temporarily and fill in labor shortage gaps.
Person in Specialty Occupation Visa allows people engaged in specific fields, such as architects, IT specialists, accountants, lawyers, and doctors, among others, to work legally in the US for a specific period of time.
A total of 85,000 H-1B visa allocations are made in one year; of them, 20,000 are dedicated to those holding advanced degrees from US institutions, while the rest, 65,000, are approved on a lottery basis.
The domestic renewal pilot program is proposed for more than 20,000 persons. It means that those qualified for the H-1B visa will be eligible to mail their visas to the State Department and will not be required to travel outside the US to complete visa stamping.
According to a report from Bloomberg News, a Federal Register notice with details is expected to be published next month.
We really need to get proof of concept that it works before we can extend it to a larger group. This is a huge change for folks who live here and previously would have had to leave the United States.
At present, if a visa requires a stamp at an embassy or consulate abroad, the person must travel to the location.
The significant backlogs for appointments cause uncertainties to persons as to when the stamp can be finished.
The efficiency of visa application processing has been notably improved by the interview waiver program. Introduced for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has been repeatedly extended by the Biden administration.
The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, in December last year, decided to extend until December 31, 2023, the interview visa waiver program for certain H-2 (temporary agricultural and non-agricultural workers) applicants, as well as for certain students, professors, short-term scholars, research scholars, or specialists (F, M, and academic J visa applicants).
Through a statement, the US Department of State also noted that the measures enabling consular officers to waive the requirement for in-person interviews for specific categories have also been extended, including for certain temporary workers who have an individual petition approved by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (H-1, H-3, H-4, L, O, P, as well as Q visa applicants).
Up to this point, several organizations have called on the government for an additional renewal, which can be done through an agreement reached by the Department of Homeland Security and the DOS.