The US State Department is working on a pilot programme that would allow some work visa holders in the US to renew their visas in the US rather than travelling to their home countries.
The pilot programme applies to qualified H-1B visa holders, a category that allows more than 85,000 highly skilled foreigners to come to the US to work for at least three years.
The programme is expected to eliminate the need to travel to a US consulate abroad when a visa holder needs to renew their status.
It would “address the uncertainty often experienced by U.S. companies that employ H-1B temporary workers,” a State Department spokesperson told VOA via email.
The State Department will evaluate whether this policy changes the availability of visa appointments globally, reduces backlogs and opens appointments for individuals seeking to obtain U.S. work visas outside the United States, the State Department spokesperson said on background, a method often used by U.S. officials to share information with reporters without being identified.
Immigration lawyers have been urging the administration to reinstate domestic visa renewals, which ended in 2004. They say renewing a visa often means incurring significant expenses to travel abroad and secure an appointment at a US consulate, which can lead to months of delays and disrupt a worker’s life.
The spokesman said the State Department hoped to begin accepting renewal applications by the end of this year, starting with voluntary participation by a small number of visa applicants.
But first the initiative must go through the rule-making process, starting with the White House.
Once that is done, the State Department will seek public comment and make any changes to the proposed rule. It then goes back to the White House for final review, followed by publication in the Federal Register and implementation of the rule.
In 2004, the State Department suspended the domestic renewal of certain employment-based non-immigrant visas because the agency was not in compliance with post-9/11 requirements, such as the collection of biometric data, mandated by the passage of Section 303 of the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act.
