IMMIGRATION LAW UPDATE

December 2023

Need-to-know developments in immigration law

Welcome to the latest Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper Immigration Law Update, our overview of developments in immigration law that affect you, your business, and your employees. If you have questions about the items in this Update, or immigration-related concerns that you’d like to discuss with a lawyer, please contact Karen Moss or Brad Ortman.

Stateside H-1B Visa Renewal Pilot Program Announced

The Department of State (DOS) has announced the creation of a long-awaited pilot program for stateside renewal of H-1B visas. While this type of process existed previously, it has been suspended for twenty years. Its reintroduction will be a great relief to many thousands of H-1B visa applicants who will no longer have to travel abroad to renew their visa stamps. It is hoped that it will be expanded in the future to other visa categories.

This pilot program will run from January 29 to April 1, 2024, and will only be available to those seeking to renew H-1B visas that were issued by Mission Canada between January 1, 2020, through April 1, 2023, or by Mission India between February 1, 2021; through September 30, 2021. Interested applicants can apply here beginning January 29, 2024.

The processing time is expected to be roughly 6-8 weeks. The DOS aims to complete the processing of all applicants by May 1, 2024. The DOS will be releasing 4,000 application slots each week with 2,000 being for renewals from Mission India and 2,000 being from Mission Canada. The visa slots will open on the following dates: January 29, February 5, February 12, February 19, and February 26. Once the 4,000 slots are filled, applicants will have to wait until the next week to reapply.

Further information and specific criteria for applying, such as required documents and fees, can be found in the DOS notice.

If you have questions or would like advice regarding this pilot program, please contact Karen Moss, Brad Ortman, or Anne Grove via email or telephone at 216-621-7227.

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If you have questions or would like to learn more about this or other immigration topics, please contact Karen Moss, Brad Ortman, or Anne Grove of the Immigration Law Group at Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper via email or at (216) 621-7227.

Bradley L. Ortman and Karen Gabriel Moss
Nicola, Gudbranson & Cooper LLC

This Immigration Law Update contains general information that should not be considered legal advice or legal opinion concerning individual situations. Legal counsel should be consulted for specific advice.