It appears there will finally be some progress on the US Department of State’s intention, announced back in February of this year, to bring back domestic renewal of visa stamps – albeit limited.

Years ago, the Department of State maintained a facility for nonimmigrant seeking a renewal visa stamp – the stamp generally obtained at a US consulate abroad to allow admission to the US – to send off their passport and US Citizenship and Immigration Services Approval Notice to a designated address to obtain a renewal stamp while still present in the US.  The reduced the time individuals would need to plan on spending abroad once traveling, and reduced the risk of being stranded for long periods abroad in the event of a problem or delay.  The Department of State, for no apparent reason, eliminated the program in 2004.

With the February announcement of a pilot program, the hope had been that nonimmigrants seeking extension stamps would again be able to take advantage of such a program by the end of 2023.  The recent announcement limits the pilot program to H-1B visa renewals, and then only to the first 20,000 applicants.