The US government’s pilot program to resume the renewal of H-1B nonimmigrant visas has officially released the eligibility and application conditions. The full process is expected to start in January 2024 for a sample of 20,000 individuals. According to the qualifying rules, the first program is exclusively open to Canadians and Indians.
The Department of State will accept applications for the H-1B pilot program from January 29 to April 1, 2024. The purpose of this pilot program is to evaluate the Department’s technological and operational capability to resume domestic visa renewals. Until midnight on April 15, 2024, the department is accepting written comments and supporting documentation. During the three-month application period, qualified applicants must submit their applications online.
H-1B Pilot Program: 2000 Indian applications every week
About 4,000 application slots will be made available each week by the Department for the renewal of H-1B visas. About two thousand of these are reserved for applicants whose H-1B visas were obtained through Mission India, and two thousand more are for those whose visas were obtained through Mission Canada.
H-1B Pilot Program Requirements
In order to renew an H-1B visa under the pilot program, applicants must meet the following requirements: Only H-1B visa renewals are handled by the experimental software; no other visa categories are processed at this time.The H-1B visa that needs to be renewed must have been awarded by Mission Canada or Mission India between February 1, 2021, and September 30, 2021, or between January 1, 2020, and April 1, 2023. The applicants should not be required to pay a reciprocity fee, sometimes known as a nonimmigrant visa issuance fee. To be qualified for a waiver of the in-person interview, it is required. Applicants must have previously given the Department ten fingerprints in order to be eligible for a visa. The prior visa cannot have a “clearance received” remark on it.
A waiver is required in order for candidates to be granted a visa; they cannot be denied one. The applicant’s H-1B petition has to be approved and remain valid. The applicant must have most recently been admitted to the country with H-1B status. During this period, the applicant must continue to stay in the US with the H-1B visa. The deadline for requesting clearance to have H-1B status shouldn’t have passed. After a brief trip abroad, the applicant plans to return to the United States with H-1B status.
