State Department announced that it will launch a pilot program offering domestic or "stateside" visa renewal options in the U.S. specifically for H-1B and L-1 visa holders and it could eventually be expanded. The program is expected to launch later this year.

Under the current rules foreign employees who travel abroad cannot reenter the US without a valid visa stamp. The Revalidation Division of the Department of State discontinued its domestic revalidation service for E, H, I, L, O, and P visas in 2004. However, long wait times for appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing issues and local country conditions resulted in thousands of foreign workers being stuck abroad and in a limbo for months, creating work disruptions for U.S. companies amongst other difficulties.

In a recent interview, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Consular Affair, Julie Stufft, announced that certain visa holders may renew their visa stamps within the United States, without requiring travel to a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. This domestic processing option does not require the State Department to issue new regulations, but Stufft explained that the new pilot program will require setting up a new consular division in Washington, D.C. which is "not a small endeavor."

The visa revalidation program is welcomed relief for thousands, specially national of India, as they comprise the majority of the tech professionals holding H-1B visas in the United States. We will continue to inform our readers as more updates about the visa revalidation program.