Published: October 16, 2023 4:05 PM IST 
Washington DC: Attention all Indian immigrants in the United States! The US government has announced a new policy that will benefit thousands of you: EADs (Employment Authorization Documents) will now be valid for five years. This means that you will no longer have to renew your work permits as often, saving you time, money, and stress.
The new policy is a major victory for Indian immigrants, who make up one of the largest immigrant groups in the United States. For many Indian immigrants, the EAD is essential for their ability to live and work in the US. With the new five-year validity period, Indian immigrants will have more stability and security in their lives.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has extended the maximum validity period of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) to five years for certain non-immigrants, including those who are seeking asylum, withholding of removal, adjustment of status under INA 245, and suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal.
This means that these non-immigrants will no longer have to renew their EADs as often, saving them time and money. The USCIS also aims to reduce the number of new EAD renewal applications it receives, which will help to lower processing times and backlogs.
Only a few months back, President Joe Biden administration announced that it will make it easier for Indians to live and work in the United States, according to Reuters. The State Department could soon announce that a small number of Indians and other foreign workers on H-1B visas will be able to renew those visas in the U.S., without having to travel abroad.
Indian citizens are by far the most active users of the U.S. H-1B program and made up 73% of the nearly 442,000 H-1B workers in fiscal year 2022.
“We all recognize that mobility of our people is a huge asset to us. And so our goal is to approach that in a sort of multifaceted way. The State Department already has been working very hard to find creative ways to make changes to things,” Reuters quoted an official as saying.
The pilot program for domestic visa stamping for H-1B visa holders does not apply to laid-off H-1B workers. Laid-off H-1B workers have 60 days to leave the US or find a new job or apply to transfer to another visa.
This is because the pilot program is only for H-1B visa holders who are currently employed in the US. Laid-off H-1B workers are no longer employed, so they do not qualify for the program.
The pilot program is a welcome development for H-1B visa holders, but it is important to note that it does not address the challenges faced by laid-off H-1B workers. Laid-off H-1B workers may have difficulty finding new jobs or transferring to other visas, and they may face deportation if they are unable to do so within 60 days.
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