State Department Projects Stateside H-1B Visa Renewal Start-Date

Bloomberg News today reported that the State Department will launch the long-awaited stateside visa renewal program starting in January 2024. The initial program may be limited to 20,000 applicants. A Federal Register notice is expected in December. TechServe’s Government Affairs team has followed developments for several months and will provide details when more information is available.

Bloomberg Law, “H-1B Worker Domestic Visa Renewal Pilot to Start in January,” November 28, 2023

National Journal, “Department of State Takes Steps to Implement Stateside Visa Processing,” October 25, 2023

The State Department issued a press release today recapping the agency’s success processing visas, including a record 590,000 nonimmigrant visas to high-tech workers and executives in fields including emerging technology and health care.

The press release also highlighted the December 2022 interview waiver expansion to certain high-security individuals for visa renewals; these visa holders are not required to appear in person at an embassy or consulate. The current waiver extends through December 31, 2023, and is expected to be extended further. Students with F-1 visas and specialty occupation H-1B visa holders are covered by this program.  We will continue to monitor developments.