Stamping of H-1B visas inside US

Washington: A presidential commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has unanimously approved a recommendation for the provision of stamping of H-1B visas inside the US, a move if accepted by President Joe Biden will come as a big relief to thousands of foreign professionals, particularly from India.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

As per the current mandatory practice, one needs to apply for a visa stamp at a US Consulate or Embassy abroad before one's H-1B status can be activated. The move came from the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders during its meeting at the White House on Wednesday.

Notably, a large number of them either new or waiting for the renewal of H-1B visas are facing uncertainty due to long visa application appointments in countries like India where the current wait period is more than a year. A recommendation was moved by Indian American Ajay Jain Bhutoria, a member of the commission. "As part of our immigration process, H-1B visa holders are given the opportunity to work in the United States live here and contribute to the growth of our economy, innovation and economic development," Bhutoria told members of the commission during the meeting, which was telecast live by the White House.

H-1B visa holders, he told members of the commission, face problems and many a time even forced family separation during the renewal or when they travel overseas. "There are situations where a lot of people, whose parents have been in ICU or in critical condition or their death of a parent, but they could not travel back to the home country with the fear that if there is often delay in the visa appointments in the home countries," he said.

"In India right now the waiting period is 844 days to get a visa appointment which is like two years or more. There's a similar situation in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other countries. China is much better right now. So, they cannot get an appointment and they cannot get stamping done and they get stuck," said Bhutoria.

Based out of Silicon Valley, Bhutoria is a successful entrepreneur and has been a supporter of President Biden from day one of his campaign.