It is mandatory for Indians to have a visa to stay in America. There has always been a lot of confusion among Indians regarding H1B visa. When the visa expires, they have to apply for visa renewal.
In such a situation, a lot of their precious time is wasted in this entire process. Now an important update related to H1B visa has come. According to a new pilot project, the H-1B visa renewal process is going to be easier. Indians living in the USA and people from other countries can now apply for renewal of their visas without leaving the US.
You will be able to apply from the website
The special renewal drive has been started on a five-week trial basis, in which only 20,000 applicants will be able to apply in the initial phase. Although the US State Department website has been made live to apply for the pilot drive, applications will be accepted on this website only after February 5.
Rules related to application
Earlier this month, the State Department also shared some rules related to this process. During visa renewal, 20,000 applicants must be currently in the US and must not leave the country during this period. The total number of applicants will be divided equally between those seeking H-1B visas at the Indian and Canadian Consulates.
Changes in renewal process
A large number of Indian professionals are currently living in the US on H-1B visas. The duration of the visa is six years and after its expiry an applicant has to stay out of the US for one year before renewal. The new pilot project is bringing necessary changes to the H-1B visa renewal process after almost two decades. According to USIC, out of the total 4.41 lakh H-1B visas issued in 2022, about 72.6 percent i.e. 3.2 lakh were given to Indians.
