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Mahesh

27/06/23 13:12 PM IST

H1-B visa renewal

In News
  • The United States has announced it will introduce ‘in-country’ renewable H-1B visas.
  • The development comes amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first state visit to the United States.
H-1B visa
  • H-1B Visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations – such as technology, finance, engineering, and architecture – which require theoretical or technical expertise.
  • Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
  • The visa is usually issued for three years, it can be extended up to six years.
Renewal process
  • Until 2004, certain categories of non-immigrant visas, particularly the H-1B, could be renewed or stamped inside the US.
  • But since then, for the renewal of these visas, in particular, those with H-1B visas, the foreign tech workers have to go out of the country, mostly to their own country to get the H-1B extension stamped on their passport.
  • For all the H-1B visa holders, when their visa is renewed, they need to get their passports stamped with renewal dates.
  • As of now, H-1B visa restamping is not allowed within the US.
About new programme
  • Under the pilot programme being planned by the US, some Indian and other foreign workers on H-1B visas will be able to renew those visas within the country, without having to travel abroad.
  • The programme may be expanded later.
  • This will thus help thousands of Indian professionals staying in the US continue their jobs without the hassle of travelling overseas for the renewal of their work visas.
  • Indian citizens are by far the most active users of the US H-1B program and made up 73 per cent of the nearly 442,000 H-1B workers in fiscal year 2022.
  • Each year, the US government makes 65,000 H-1B visas available to companies seeking skilled foreign workers, along with an additional 20,000 visas for workers with advanced degrees.
Source- Firstpost

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