India, Oct. 21 -- In what could be a big relief for existing US visa holders, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) clarified in a fresh guideline Monday that existing visa holders will not have to pay the newly announced $100,000 fee for a "change of status" to H-1B visa.

The new USCIS guideline said existing visa holders, which include international students on F-1 visas and for and professionals on L-1 visas, will not have to pay $100,000 when they apply for a change of status to H-1B. Existing H-1B visa holders are also exempted from this fee while renewing their H-1B status, the USCIS said.

This story is being updated.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Hindustan Times....