The Biden administration will make it easier for Indians to live and work in the United States, using this week’s state visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help some skilled workers enter or remain in the country. The State Department could announce as soon as Thursday that a small number of Indians and other foreign workers on H-1B visas will be able to renew those visas in the U.S., without having to travel abroad, according to three people familiar with the matter. The move is part of a pilot program that could be scaled up in the coming years.
India has long raised concerns over the difficulty its citizens, notably those working in the technology sector, face getting visas to live in the United States. Over 10 million jobs stood open in the United States at the end of April, and some H-1B visa holders were among the thousands of tech workers laid off this year. They were given a 60-day grace period to find new employers or return home.
Several companies, including Amazon and Alphabet, use the H-1B visas, allowing U.S. firms to hire highly-skilled foreign workers for three years. The government annually offers 65,000 visas to companies, some reserved for those with advanced degrees or who have worked at companies for over a decade.
A small number of Indians and other workers on L-1 visas who are transferring from another company to one in the United States will also be able to renew their visas in the United States, Reuters said. This would help cut the wait times at embassies overseas for those requiring visa interviews.
By far, the most significant percentage of the people holding or applying for H-1B visas are Indian citizens, who made up 73 percent of the nearly 4,42,000 who were granted those temporary work permits in the fiscal year 2022. A State Department spokesman declined to ask what visa classes would qualify for the pilot or when it might be launched. Still, he did say that the steps are intended to reduce the burden on consulates abroad. Bloomberg Law first reported on the plans in February.
The administration has been trying to improve visa access for Indians by knitting together the world’s two largest democracies and helping them better compete with China. But Congress has lacked the will to reform immigration policy comprehensively. The initiative comes ahead of a meeting between President Joe Biden and Modi in Washington later this week. The White House declined to comment. The visit is a chance for both sides to signal that their countries will work together on economic and security issues. The two leaders will hold a bilateral summit and participate in other events. They are expected to discuss technology, defense, and trade. A separate, high-profile initiative to clear a backlog of visa applications at U.S. embassies in India will also likely be discussed.
