On Dec. 21, 2023, the State Department announced a much-anticipated pilot program to resume domestic visa renewal for certain international professionals holding H-1B visas. The pilot program is set to run from Jan. 29, 2024, to April 1, 2024, and will be limited to H-1B visa holders whose visas were issued by the U.S. State Department offices in India and Canada. Currently, if an individual needs to renew their visa, they must travel outside of the United States and schedule a visa appointment at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad.

The State Department previously had a stateside visa renewal program in place; however, this program was discontinued in 2004 after the Sept. 11 attacks when the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 was published. The act required that visas issued after Oct. 26, 2004, include certain biometric identifiers, and at that time, the State Department did not possess the capabilities to collect fingerprints within the United States. After that act, all applicants who were applying for nondiplomatic visas were required to apply for new visas outside the United States where their fingerprints could be taken at a U.S. embassy or consulate.