Authorities in the United States are planning to resume domestic visa renewals, for several categories, among them for H-1B and L visa categories as well.
The new changes have been announced by a State Department spokesperson, VisaGuide.World reports.
In addition, a report provided by Nikkei Asia noted that the US department would start a pilot program later this year before scaling up to visa holders.
“The US Department of State is committed to safeguarding national security while facilitating legitimate travel to the US. Timely visa processing for both immigrant and nonimmigrant travelers is essential to the US economy and to the administration’s goal of family reunification,” the statement reads.
The H-1B visa permits employers in the United States to hire highly qualified workers for a specialty. It is also known as a Person in Specialty Occupation Visa.
At the same time, the L1-A and L-2B visas are eligible for temporary intracompany transferees who are engaged in managerial positions or have specialized knowledge.
Domestic renewals were suspended in 2004 following Congress’ decision to pass the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act in 2002, which obliged the US State Department to collect biometric information on applicants.
According to the Institute of Progress, a Washington-based think tank, the US department had determined it was easier to collect biometric information at the United States embassies as well as consulates.
However, the report noted that domestic capacity for a biometric collection marked an increase, calling for domestic re-issuance not just for petition-based visas such as H and L visas but also for other visas including the visas dedicated to students, called the F1 visas and exchange visitor visas or J visas.
The plan was also welcomed by the Director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Sharvari Dalal-Dheini. She said that it gives a lot of certainty to international workers as well as their employers in order to get a visa in the country before they travel abroad.
Last month, employers from the United States stressed that they are facing significant difficulties when planning to employ international workers due to the low annual limit for approving H-1B visas.
Such an announcement was made by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), called “H-1B Petitions and Denial Rates in FY 2022.”
The report noted that the main problem with Person in Specialty Occupation Visa is the low limit of these visas sanctioned in a month.
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