How to Renew a Work Permit
A work permit is a type of visa issued to foreign individuals to enter a country for work-related purposes. Visas only last for a certain period of time prior to expiring. Deportation, or forcing the individual to leave the country on the day the visa expires, is the consequence of not renewing a work permit.
- Inquire in regard to the type of visa you obtained. Some work permits are not eligible for a renewal or an extension. Therefore, you may not be able to stay in the country; however, if your work visa is renewable you may go through the necessary steps to take to extend it.
- Speak to your current employer. He or she needs to file an I-129, which is a petition for a non-immigrant worker to continue working in the country. Be sure to do this early because as soon as your I-94 expires you are no longer able to file an extension. Your employer must fill the form out with your current position with the company and various other pieces of information. When the form is fully completed, your employer must send it to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
- Wait for your employer to receive notification of the approval of the petition. After you obtained the okay, you may continue with the rest of the renewal process.
- Complete a new DS-156 with the required information such as your plans or reasons for staying in the US. This form is the application for a nonimmigrant visa. Acquire all of your citizenship information including your passport and original visa. You need to submit all of this documentation along with the application to the state department that governs all work permit and related issues. You can find the address on the form.
- Wait for a response. Your employer will get receipt of the approval for the extension of your work permit first.