Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District of Illinois)
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) joined Congressmen Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) and Rich McCormick (R-GA) in calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to provide eligible H-1B and other low-risk category visa holders with the option to renew their visas from within the United States. Under current practice, H-1B visa holders are required to return to their home countries in order to renew their visas, a time-consuming process that forces visa holders to travel internationally.
Allowing visa holders to renew their paperwork in the U.S. would alleviate the burden on U.S. embassies and consulates, which often face backlogs, and ensure that skilled workers, critical to industries like technology and health care, can continue to contribute to the U.S. economy without disruption, ultimately benefiting American businesses and communities. The bipartisan letter comes on the heels of a highly successful domestic renewal pilot program in 2024 run by the State Department that allowed 20,000 H-1B visa holders to renew their forms in the U.S.
“The 2024 pilot program for domestic visa renewals was a commonsense success, and now it’s time to build on that momentum,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi said. “Expanding and formalizing this program will reduce red tape, strengthen our economy, and help ensure that the United States continues to attract and retain the best and brightest talent from around the world.
“The current process to renew H-1B visas is cumbersome and needs to be modernized,” Congressman Subramanyam said. “This bipartisan proposal, based on a successful bipartisan 2024 pilot program, will help streamline the H1-B process and avoid unnecessary processing delays.”
“Building upon the 2024 pilot program for domestic visa renewals will demonstrate that we can modernize our immigration system while maintaining security and efficiency,” Congressman McCormick said. “As a fiscal conservative, I believe expanding and formalizing this initiative is crucial. It will alleviate the strain on American businesses, bolster our high-skilled workforce, and cut through the red tape holding back our economic edge. I’m proud to stand with my colleagues in pushing the administration to take this vital step toward a streamlined, future-focused visa process.”
“Reinstating the domestic visa renewals pilot program, expanding it beyond the H-1B visa category, and clarifying the eligibility rules is an important step in the effort to modernize the immigration system,” Benjamin Johnson, Executive Director for American Immigration Lawyers Association, said. “It provides an opportunity for the Department of State to alleviate the visa backlog, increase efficiency, stimulate economic growth, and strengthen America’s ability to retain talented individuals.”
“The United States is currently relying on an immigration system designed for a different country at a different time. Expanding the domestic visa renewal pilot will allow us to maintain our leadership in the global race for talent, reduce excessive wait times, alleviate processing backlogs, and provide certainty for immigrants working in the U.S. and their employers,” Todd Schulte, President of FWD.us, said. “It is in our country’s best interest to have a more efficient legal immigration system that improves its ability to attract and retain top talent from around the world and maximizes their contributions in critical industries. We thank Representatives Krishnamoorthi, Subramanyam, and McCormick for their leadership and the 17 members who signed this letter.”
“Domestic visa reissuance has been suspended since 2004,” Jeremy Neufeld, Director of High-Skilled Immigration Policy at Institute for Progress, said. “A successful pilot program last year showed that it’s time to bring it back. IFP thanks lawmakers for their leadership in working to make visa processing more efficient and less disruptive.”
“Consular officers stationed across the globe are tasked with vetting new travelers seeking entry into the United States,” Sam Peak, Policy Manager for the Economic Innovation Group, said. “However, much of their caseload consists of reviewing visa renewals for professionals who have already been approved and have resided in the country for many years. This reform helps ensure that the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs can provide more efficient and thorough vetting of higher-risk visa applicants. EIG applauds this bipartisan group for championing this effort.
In the letter to Secretary Rubio, the lawmakers strongly urged the administration to build upon the successful 2024 pilot program for domestic visa renewals and quickly take the necessary steps to formalize and expand the initiative with clear eligibility rules. The pilot program allowed certain eligible H-1B visa holders to renew their visas within the United States, an important first step in modernizing our visa processing system. The lawmakers urged Secretary Rubio to ensure that the program not only continues but is expanded to include additional E, H, I, L, O, and P visas to ease unnecessary burdens on workers and businesses alike.
Up until 2004, the United States allowed E, H, I, L, O, and P visas holders to renew their visas domestically. This practice was discontinued by the State Department in response to the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002. While this change was not legislatively required by Congress, the 2002 law mandated stricter biometric screening for visa applicants. At the time, the State Department had more capacity to collect this information in embassies and consulates abroad than domestically. The 2024 pilot program was limited to those individuals who had already had their biometrics captured overseas and whose biometrics can be reused. Expanding the pilot program and making it permanent would align with the findings of the Secure Borders and Open Doors Advisory Committee, convened by President George W. Bush, that recommended reinstating domestic renewals for low-risk visa categories in 2008.
The letter can be read and downloaded here.