Stateside Visa Renewal Pilot Moves Closer to Implementation

Details of the State Department’s long-awaited stateside visa renewal pilot are undergoing federal review, the next step toward executing the program. The pilot is expected to permit certain nonimmigrants with an expired or expiring visa to apply for renewal of their visas without the need to travel to a U.S. consulate abroad. The pilot is currently expected to start later this year.

The issue

The State Department has sent a draft notice of its forthcoming stateside visa renewal pilot to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the next step in the program’s implementation.

Though details of the pilot will remain confidential until released by the State Department, the initial phase is expected to allow eligible H-1B nonimmigrants to renew their expired or expiring visa without the need to travel to a U.S. consulate abroad. The State Department is expected to expand the program to other nonimmigrant visa categories in subsequent phases.

The opening date of the pilot is not yet known but is expected to occur later this year, after OMB clears the program.

What’s next for the forthcoming program

Once OMB clearance is received, the State Department will publish a notice in the Federal Register that explains who is eligible for stateside visa renewal, how to apply, and when the agency will begin to accept applications.