Indian H-1B visa holders who have traveled from the United States to India are in a difficult situation. They cannot return to the US until their H-1B visa is stamped at the Consular office in India.
The reason they are unable to get it stamped is that on December 9, the U.S. Embassy in India announced the cancellation and rescheduling of visa appointments.
Swayamjeet Das, Co – Founder, Kovon, says, “Over the last few weeks, we’ve been hearing growing concern from H-1B professionals and employers alike, especially around visa stamping in India. A recurring issue is the lack of predictability. People with confirmed interview slots are seeing sudden cancellations or rescheduling, sometimes after they’ve already made travel plans or landed in India.”
The bigger concern is the next appointment slot that the visa holders get. Although there is no official confirmation on this, the U.S. Embassy in India, in its initial communication, mentioned that rescheduled appointments will be sent to visa holders. That means the slots may not be open for all, but appointments will be rescheduled at a later date.
New Appointment Dates
“In one recent conversation, a CXO of a mid-sized edtech firm mentioned that based on inputs from their immigration partners, the next meaningful availability they’re seeing for U.S. visa appointments is slipping as far as September next year. While this may not be the case for every applicant or every consulate, it does highlight how stretched the system is right now and how far out some timelines are moving,” says Das.
What this means, the H-1B visa holder stranded in India may have to wait several months before returning to their US jobs with American firms.
“That said, it’s important to note that this doesn’t mean the system is frozen. Emergency slots, drop-offs, and case-by-case movement are still happening, and we’ve seen appointments open up sporadically,” adds Das.
Social Media Review
The US Department of State had announced that beginning December 15, all H-1B and H-4 visa applicants must complete an ‘online presence review’ to meet application standards. As part of the ‘online presence review’, starting December 15, all H-1B applicants are required to change the privacy settings on all their social media platforms to “public”.
The new vetting rule requires all applicants for H-1B and their dependents (H-4), as well as F, M, and J nonimmigrant visa holders, to adjust the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to “public”.
H-1B visas are valid for three years with the possibility of a three-year extension. Applicants must return to their home country for consular stamping. The new limits mostly apply to H-1B workers who require a visa stamp, as well as H-4 dependents who require consular appointments.
The Indian Embassy is expected to have started the online review of social accounts and subsequently rescheduled the appointments. As the process looks time-consuming, the new dates for visa appointments seem to have pushed back to the second half of 2026.
