After having officially announced domestic visa renewal for H1B workers in the USA starting in January 2024, the Biden administration is all set for a transition from traditional visa stamps to paperless visas. Soon, US visa stamps and stickers on passports across the world will become a thing of the past! The shift to making American visas paperless is a futuristic move towards modernizing and streamlining the visa process for millions of US visa holders.
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Eliminating the need to stamp immigrant or non-immigrant visas on passport pages at US embassies and consulates is one of the goals that the State Department is looking to achieve. The news about paperless US visas has raised questions, such as whether the US visa application process will be changed. Julie Stufft, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Visa Services, made it clear during a media briefing that the visa process would remain the same.
US visas becoming paperless, does not mean elimination of in-person visa interviews at US missions worldwide for those who are not eligible for visa interview waivers. However, the United States’ paperless visa initiative is expected to simplify the visa renewal process, as it is likely to eliminate the need to mail physical documents to US Missions for verification. Thus, the renewal process will become more efficient and convenient.
Furthermore, risks associated with lost or damaged passports having US visa stamps will be significantly minimized as you won’t be required to show your passport as proof of your visa status. Julie Stufft elaborated on other benefits of paperless visa while speaking to media at the National Press Building in Washington DC.
What is a paperless visa? Is paperless visa same as or similar to e-visa?
A paperless visa is an electronic visa and unlike Indian e-visa. Paperless visas are safely stored in a protected government database. Indian e-visa is a completely online process, right from application to document submission to visa delivery. In the e-visa process, an electronic copy of the visa is sent to the applicant’s registered email ID. On the other hand, the US paperless visa is just what it means – a paperless proof of your visa status, a digital visa authorization (DVA). There’s no change to the application process for first-time US visa applicants, be it the forms to be filled or interviews to be attended.
Will paperless US visas be available for Indian nationals?
“I hope as soon as possible,” said Julie Stufft, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Visa Services. She did not give any other statement about it. Whether the paperless visa initiative would extend to Indians in some or all visa categories is still not clear. We are yet to know what eligibility criteria Indians would be required to fulfil for paperless US visas in the future. Needless to say, Indians make over 10% of total US visa applicants.
When will the United States roll out paperless visas?
The US plans to phase out traditional visas gradually over a period of 18 months or more. The paperless US visa initiative being a long-term project will see transition from the traditional system to a modern system in a phased manner. Buoyed by the success of the pilot trial of paperless visas at the US diplomatic mission in Dublin, the US government looks forward to launching electronic visas.