H-1B Domestic Visa Renewal Guide

The pilot was limited to certain H-1B principal visa applicants whose prior H-1B visas had been issued by Mission Canada during the specified January 1, 2020–April 1, 2023 window or by Mission India during the specified February 1, 2021–September 30, 2021 window, together with the pilot's other requirements such as an approved and unexpired H-1B petition, qualifying interview-waiver eligibility, prior ten-print fingerprints, and qualifying U.S. H-1B status. The application period ended April 1, 2024.

No. The 2024 pilot was limited to H-1B principal visa applicants and did not include H-4 dependents. This was a limitation of that pilot, not a permanent statutory rule that H-4 applicants can never receive domestic renewal if a future Department of State program provides otherwise.

The 2024 pilot required the applicant's physical passport for domestic processing, so applicants were expected to remain in the United States while the passport was being processed. Because that pilot has ended, applicants in 2026 should follow the current travel and visa procedures provided by the Department of State for ordinary H-1B visa issuance.

The 2024 pilot notice stated that the expected average processing time was approximately six to eight weeks after the passport and required documents were received. The Department aimed to complete the pilot's applications by May 1, 2024. Those historical estimates should not be presented as current 2026 processing times.

Pilot participants completed Form DS-160, paid the applicable non-refundable MRV fee, and followed the Department's portal instructions for mailing the passport and required documentation. The fee and mailing instructions were tied to the 2024 pilot and should not be reused as a 2026 domestic-renewal procedure without a new Department of State announcement.