The US Department of State has confirmed it will roll out the highly anticipated pilot program for stateside visa renewal expected in early 2024. This will allow certain foreign nationals to renew their visa stamps while in the US who historically had to travel abroad to apply at a consulate or embassy to do this. The hope is that the program will place less burden on these foreign nationals in the US and hopefully reduce consular delays.
Only eligible foreign nationals who are (1) H-1B Principals and (2) a national of a country that is not subject to US Department of State imposed reciprocity fees will be eligible to participate in the pilot program. H-4 dependents will not be eligible for this program.
While the exact eligibility criteria for this program will be announced later this year, it has been confirmed that eligibility will be similar to the interview waiver program rolled out during the pandemic. The interview waiver program set forth the following requirements:
- Must either have been previously issued any type of US visa or be a citizen or national of a Visa Waiver
- Not have been denied ESTA;
- Have never been refused a visa unless such refusal was overcome or waived; and
- Have no apparent ineligibility or potential ineligibility.
This initial launch will be a limited pilot – it will only be available to 20,000 applicants on a voluntary basis.
However, the US Department of State has indicated it intends to expand this program after resolving operational issues in the in the initial launch. If you have any questions about the program and your potential eligibility, please reach out to a member of our team.
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