A Federal Register notice about a State Department pilot program to revive domestic visa renewal for a limited number of nonimmigrant visa holders has cleared review at the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Key Points:

  • Details of the pilot program are still not publicly available, but OMB review is the last step before publication.
  • In a briefing last month, the State Department indicated the pilot would initially be open to about 20,000 H-1B visa holders but could be expanded later next year.
  • Domestic visa renewal has not been broadly available since 2004. The State Department announced plans for a domestic visa renewal pilot in February.

BAL Analysis: While the pilot would be a significant step toward bringing back a domestic visa renewal program, it will initially apply to a limited number of H-1B visa holders before potentially being expanded. Eligibility criteria, scope and duration of the pilot will not be known until the notice is published in the Federal Register. BAL will continue following the matter and will provide more information once it becomes available.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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