In a move that would relieve thousands of foreign professionals, the presidential commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has unanimously approved a recommendation for H1-B stamping within the USA.
The recommendation was approved during a meeting of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders at the White House to discuss ways on advancing opportunity, justice, and equity for these communities.
The next step is for the proposal to be accepted by US President Joe Biden.
Read: H1B Visa Process Of Selection To Be Amended
What Is H1B Stamping?
Merely getting approved for a H1-B visa is not enough to travel to the USA. Once an H1-B visa has been granted, the applicant must apply for H1-B visa stamping. This is a process wherein the H1-B visa is endorsed on the passport.
Currently, this process must be completed outside the USA. An appointment with the consulate or embassy is required for the same. The trouble is that in some countries like India, applicants must wait a considerable time before they can get this appointment. In India, the waiting period for a visa appointment can be as long as 844 days.
While they are waiting, applicants risk potentially losing their job offers. Many applicants also find themselves in situations where they are separated from their families who cannot drive or move around independently within the USA.
This can be quite frustrating and harm their mental health given that the applicant has the legal right to work in the USA but is unable to do so because of bureaucratic red tape.
H1B Stamping – What Will Change?
If the proposal is accepted, H1-B visa holders will not need to travel out of the country when they are converting one type of visa to this visa or renewing their H1-B visa. Instead, they can get their visa endorsed within the USA with minimal disruptions.