Big relief for H1B visa holders: You can now renew a US work visa without traveling to India
The important decision will help thousands of Indian professionals working in the US as they can continue their jobs without the hassle of traveling abroad for their H1B visa renewal.
Washington: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his highly anticipated address to the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Center in Washington, announced that Indian-Americans would no longer be required to leave the United States for the renewal of their H-1B visa.
“It has been decided that the extension of the H1B visa will not now require anyone to leave America. A pilot project for this will start soon. This will help thousands of IT sector workers here,” Prime Minister Modi said while addressing the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Center in Washington.
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VIDEO | “It has been decided that the extension of the H1B visa will not now require anyone to leave America. A pilot project for this will start soon. This will help thousands of IT sector workers here,” Prime Minister Modi said in a speech to the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Center, … pic.twitter.com/uHtdLT5gBh
— Press Confidence of India (@PTI_News) June 24, 2023
The important decision will help thousands of Indian professionals working in the US as they can continue their jobs without the hassle of traveling abroad for their H1B visa renewal.
Recently, the US State Department decided to launch a pilot later this year to review domestic extensions of certain petition-based temporary work visas.
Indian nationals will be involved in this project, with the aim of implementing it in 2024 for a larger group of H1B and L visa holders. The program will continue to expand to include other eligible categories.
US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Modi stressed that the mobility of professionals, skilled workers, students, investors and business travelers between their countries plays a vital role in strengthening bilateral economic and technological cooperation.
“While acknowledging the important steps taken to improve the processing of visa applications, they noted that there is an urgent need to further accelerate this process. The leaders also directed officials to identify additional mechanisms to facilitate travel for business, tourism, and professional and technical exchanges between the two countries,” the joint statement said.
The Prime Minister’s announcement received a standing ovation from the Indian diaspora, who warmly applauded the decision.
What Are H-1B Visas?
These visas are issued for a period of three years. When H-1B visa holders apply for an extension, they must have their passports stamped with the new expiration dates if they plan to travel outside and re-enter the United States. Currently, re-stamping of this visa cannot be done within the United States.
Prior to 2004, holders of an H-1B visa had the option to extend their visa within the United States. However, this policy changed in 2004, making it mandatory that H-1B visa holders must travel outside the US to get their visa renewed. This change caused significant inconvenience, especially for those who had to deal with long visa renewal waiting times.
H1B visa extension
The H1B visa offers many benefits to its holders. It is very valuable because of the lengthy process of finding an employer, being selected in the lottery and getting approved.
Typically, a foreign national is initially granted a 3-year residency in H-1B status. As the end of that period approaches, they can apply for an extension of the visa, up to a total of 6 years.
Requirements for H-1B Visa Renewal After 6 Years
Some H-1B visa holders who have had a pending employment certification application for more than 365 days or 1 year may have the option to renew their visa beyond the 6-year limit, in 1-year increments. This extension can be done until a final decision is made on their work-based permanent residency. However, it is important to note that the 7th year extension is only available to people who apply for green cards through the employment-based category and does not apply to people with pending family requests.
H-1B Extension Processing Time 2023
For the regular application process, the visa processing time takes more than 3 months to get approved. It takes a minimum of 4 weeks to 5+ months to process the H1B renewal, depending on whether RFEs have been issued. As of September 2023, the Texas service center has the fastest processing times.
H1B Renewal Process
Extension requests are similar to the original H-1B petition package. The request can be made up to 6 months before the expiration date of the H-1B status. The employer is responsible for filing Form I-129 on behalf of the employee and submitting it along with all required documents.
H-1B Renewal Fees and Charges
- Another I-129 application fee: $460
- The amended fee for Public Law 114-113 (if applicable): $4,000
- The ACWIA Fee: Between $750 – $1,500
- Fraud prevention and detection fee: $500
- Premium Processing: $2,500