The US Embassy in India on Saturday issued a warning to travellers about the serious consequences of staying in the United States beyond the allowed time on their visa.
On Saturday, the embassy posted on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “If you remain in the United States beyond your authorised period of stay, you could be deported and could face a permanent ban on travelling to the United States in the future.”
The allowed duration of stay is normally indicated on the I-94 form, a document presented to visitors when entering the US. It indicates the duration for which an individual is permitted in the country. The embassy indicated that even a brief overstay can have severe legal repercussions, which could shatter long-term aspirations of studying, working, or joining family members in the US.
People who are facing delays and are unable to depart on schedule, the embassy recommended that they call the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) as soon as possible to seek legal ways to extend their stay without penalty.
COURT BLOCKS TRUMP-ERA DEPORTATION RULE
A federal appeals court has recently halted the Trump-era rule that permitted the US to deport migrants to other nations besides their home without warning or the opportunity to request protection against persecution or torture, CNN reported.
Earlier, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also reminded all foreign nationals who have spent over 30 days in the US that they are required to register under the Alien Registration Act by April 11. Foreign nationals who are here for longer than a month are bound to register with the federal government under this law. Not registering is a criminal offence and can lead to being fined, imprisoned, or both.
H-1B VISA REGISTRATIONS DROP
Meanwhile, recent USCIS data shows that there has been a 27% reduction in H-1B work visa registrations for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. USCIS had 343,981 eligible registrations, a considerable drop from 470,342 registrations for FY 2025.
This fall is believed to be linked to a sharp rise in application fees. With new regulations by the Biden Administration, the filing fee for an H-1B registration rose from $10 to $215.