There is good news for foreign workers, including Indian employees, who are waiting for the renewal of temporary work visas and the H-1B visas. In order to allow eligible individuals, including Indian nationals, to renew their petition-based temporary work visas domestically without having to leave the country, the United States intends to implement a pilot program.
Thereafter, the Department of State will implement this for an expanded pool of H1B and L visa holders in 2024, with the aim of broadening the program to include other eligible categories. This means, that as early as January 2024, many H-1B specialty occupation employees will be able to renew their visas in the US.
Earlier in June, the announcement of the plan was made by the White House during the state visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. White House had announced that the U.S. Department of State will launch a pilot this year to adjudicate domestic renewals of certain petition-based temporary work visas, including for Indian nationals, who will no longer be required to leave the country for renewal in eligible categories.
The H-1B visa is for persons with specific talents who are sponsored by a U.S. business and are allowed to change jobs in America. H-1B allows employees for a three-year initial stay, which can be extended to six years, with no necessity for foreign corporate affiliation. After applying for renewal, the 240-day rule allows foreign workers to work for a maximum of 240 days, it does not ensure reentry, thus it is best to remain in the United States.
The L-1 visa is intended for intracompany transfers within multinational corporations and requires at least one year of employment with the foreign company. Unlike H-1B visa holders, L-1 visa holders can only work for their sponsoring firm.
Student Visas
According to the White House statement, the United States last year issued 125,000 visas to Indian students, a record. Indian students are on pace to become the largest foreign student community in the United States, with a 20 percent increase last year alone. According to the U.S. Mission in India, a record number of over 90,000 student visas were issued this Summer in June, July, and August.
India and the United States have launched a new Joint Task Force of the Association of American Universities and leading Indian educational institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Technology.
The United States is enabling up to 100 additional U.S. undergraduate students to study or intern in India via the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program.
New funding for Department of State Study Abroad Engagement Grants will extend new study abroad engagement grant funding to bolster Indian academic institutions’ capacity to develop study abroad programming with U.S. colleges and universities.
New US Consulates
The United States intends to open new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. India looks forward to opening its consulate in Seattle later this year, and to announcing two new consulates in the United States.