Indian Parliament Member Galla Jayadev has taken a stand in Parliament, urging the Indian government to step in and address the concerns of dependents of H-1B and H-4 visa holders in the United States. The issue has surfaced as the US Administration introduced a condition in the renewal process that excludes dependents of H-1B professionals, requiring them to return to their home country for visa renewal.

During a press briefing on November 28, 2023, Julie Stufft, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services, said that they are working on the domestic renewal of visas. “This is being run as a pilot starting next month and into the beginning of the calendar year 2024. What this means is that people who are living and working in the United States on a long-term work visa do not have to leave the United States to apply for their next visa or to renew their visa. They would be able to send it to us here in Washington, have it renewed without leaving the country, and sent back to them in their own passport,” she added.

Domestic visa renewals ended in 2004, and ever since then, immigration lawyers have urged the government to reinstate the service. “We did do it in the past; the last time we did it was about 20 years ago, and now we’re ready to restart that,” Julie Stufft said.

Dependents left in limbo

While the pilot program is well appreciated among H1-B workers, their H-4 dependents are not included in the program and will have to go to their respective countries for visa renewals. Mr. Jayadev highlighted the discrepancy in the renewal process, emphasising the disparity between H-1B employees who can renew visas within the US and their dependents who are excluded from this program. This has resulted in increased anxiety among dependents, sparking demands from business organizations to incorporate H-4 dependents in the renewal initiative.

While we appreciate the particular interest in H-4 visas for dependent family members, including other visa categories at this stage creates additional technical and operational challenges that cannot be resolved before the pilot launch date. As such, we made the decision to include only H-1B principal applicants while we test our internal systems and processes during this pilot,” said a State Department spokesperson when asked about the timeline for when H4 holders will be included in the domestic visa renewal program.

The plea made by Galla Jayadev underscores the broader impact on Indian professionals and their families, urging the Indian government to intervene on behalf of the dependents. The issue has gained attention in Parliament as it touches on the welfare and stability of Indian families residing in the United States under the H-1B and H-4 visa categories.