These are the US visa rule changes in 2023

The year 2023 has seen some significant shifts in visa policies in the United States. These policies have affected multiple categories like student visas, EB-5, and the H-1B. These alterations in the visa policies are valid across all the embassies in India. What does the new regulation say? Let's understand.

The H1B Visa

The US has kickstarted its domestic renewal of a few categories of work visas in the year 2023 as a pilot program.

The United States Department officials had declared earlier in the year a limited H-1B domestic visa renewal rollout, thereby permitting over 20,000 participants to actually get their visas renewed, which were earlier restricted. As per this program, the applicants need to send their visa by mail to the State Department and also, are not allowed to travel outside the United States.

While the H1B employees can easily renew their visas without the need to leave the country, their spouses cannot do the same.

Are there any restrictions on the registrations of H-1B?

Yes. In the year 2023, the government of the United States brought forward some robust measures in order to address the practice of overrepresentation in the visa registrations of H-1B. However, the new rules have changed the scenario, as they have made a one-time registration per employee compulsory. Therefore, employers need to now submit the passport information for every registration.

The Digital Visa application

It was in the year 2023 only when the United States government brought forward an online visa application system. The core benefits of this system are that it easily streamlines the complete process and reduces paperwork. The platform boosts the efficiency of applicants.

EB-5 Visa Applicants

In the month of October, the USCIS brought forward a revised EB-5 visa policy. The revised version is aligned with the 2022 Act of EB-5 Reform and Integrity. The update says that in case an EB-5 investor generates 10 jobs, they can actually be repaid post two years, while still being eligible for a green card in the United States.

Additionally, the USCIS has enhanced the processing speed to a significant effect for the EB-5 visa applications.

Finally, the student visa policy

The United States has declared an increase in the fees of visa processing for M, F, and J visas. Moreover, in evaluating the visa applications of students, the consular officers are provided with more discretion.

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