Thousands of pre-scheduled H-1B visa interviews in India, originally set for later in December 2025 and beyond, have been suddenly postponed by several months. This disruption stems from the implementation of new, stricter background checks, including mandatory reviews of applicants' social media profiles and online presence.
Applicants with visa appointments scheduled on or after December 15 have been the most impacted. Many have received notifications rescheduling their interviews to dates ranging from March 2026 to as late as October 2026, depending on the consulate and original slot. The US Embassy in India has explicitly advised affected applicants not to appear at consular offices on their original interview dates.
"If you have received an email advising that your visa appointment has been rescheduled, Mission India looks forward to assisting you on your new appointment date. Arriving on your previously scheduled appointment date will result in your being denied admittance to the Embassy or Consulate," the embassy stated in an X post earlier this month.
This widespread rescheduling affects all H-1B visa applicants with appointments from December 15, 2025, onwards, as reported by news agencies and confirmed through multiple consular notifications. The delays are directly tied to operational constraints created by the expanded vetting process, which requires consular officers to conduct thorough reviews of applicants' public social media accounts and other online activity starting December 15.
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Many affected applicants had already travelled to India specifically for their interviews and are now stranded, unable to return to their US jobs without a valid H-1B visa stamp. Without the new stamp, they cannot re-enter the United States to resume work.
According to reports, interviews for applicants in several other visa categories are also facing postponements under the new social media scrutiny guidelines. The precise number of impacted individuals remains unclear at this time.
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Immigration Attorney Criticizes Sudden Cancellations
Houston-based immigration attorney Emily Neumann has voiced strong criticism of the abrupt rescheduling of H-1B visa appointments in India.
"Visa stamping feels like a maze of pitfalls right now. Now, appointments are getting cancelled without warning and pushed out by months. There is no predictability in this process, and it is creating real challenges for businesses and employees who need to travel," she said in a post on X.
The Donald Trump administration has been tightening the H-1B visa programme under its broader policy of scrutinising immigration. There has been wider scrutiny now of social media posts and profiles of visa applicants.
Under the H-1B visa programme, companies recruit foreign workers with specialised skills to work in the US, initially for three years, which can be renewed for an additional three years. Indians made up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In September, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation raising the fee for H-1B visas to a staggering $100,000.
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