Hundreds of Indian professionals who traveled home this month to renew their US work visas found themselves unexpectedly stranded, after US consulates canceled and rescheduled H-1B interview appointments amid extended vetting procedures.
The cancellations, which began in mid-December as new social media and online presence reviews went into effect, have left workers with appointments pushed back months – in some cases until 2027 – disrupting jobs, families and plans to return to the United States.
“The January H-1B India visa appointments are being pushed to September,” said immigration attorney Rajiv Khanna. “There is not much that can be done because this administration has created a systemic problem that seems intentional. What was the extreme emergency that the social media verification policy had to change and people’s lives were turned upside down overnight? This has become a universal problem for H-1B employees applying in India.”
The State Department has linked much of the delay to a new policy requiring expanded screening of applicants’ social media, a change that has reduced the number of interviews conducted each day and forced consulates to defer scheduled slots.
“Also note, the Trump administration had previously announced a policy that you can only apply for a visa from your country of nationality or residence,” Khanna said. “This edict, along with the current delay fiasco, has built a ‘wall’ for employers and employees who are already in the stamping process.”
Affected H-1B workers face a range of challenges: separation from families in the United States, potential lost wages, and uncertainty about job security. Immigration experts have urged workers to communicate with employers about telecommuting or extended leave options to avoid losing positions tied to their visas.
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The delay also comes amid broader immigration policy changes under the Trump administration, including higher verification requirements and a fee freeze for new H-1B applications. Critics argue that the cumulative effect of these measures is creating undue hardship for skilled workers and the companies that depend on them.
Tech industry leaders are taking notice. Google and Apple have reportedly warned some visa-holding employees against international travel because return processing times could stretch up to a year, reflecting the heavy backlog at US embassies around the world.
With tens of thousands of US jobs in sectors like technology and engineering dependent on H-1B talent, employers and workers alike are watching the situation closely as visa processing delays continue into next year.
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