Indian H-1B visa holders continue to face long delays as interview slots remain unavailable, with some appointments now being pushed into 2027. Hundreds of H-1B holders were stuck in India in December 2025 after travelling for visa interviews, only to be informed that their appointments were postponed to 2026 due to expanded social media screening by US consulates. Those with interviews scheduled for January and February 2026 have also been moved, with new dates now set for April–May 2027, in some cases.
As immigration attorney Rajiv S. Khanna puts it, the situation has turned brutal, particularly in H-1B cases. For the vast majority of H-1B holders stuck abroad, no realistic alternatives exist. “The compounding effect of these simultaneous policy changes, sudden implementation without adequate notice, systematic denial of emergency relief, and elimination of workarounds has created an unprecedented crisis in the H-1B program,” Khanna told The Financial Express.
H-1B Visa Interview Delays Extend Into 2027
Several H-1B and H-4 applicants have taken to social media to share screenshots of emails from the US Visa Helpdesk, showing the repeated delays in their appointments. One applicant posted an email that read: “Your appointment on 2/5/2026 at 10:30 AM has been cancelled. Please log in to your account for details.”
Finally, a follow-up email gave a new date almost a year later: “Due to scheduling changes, your US Visa appointment has been rescheduled to a new date and time: 5/24/2027 at 10:45 AM. You do not need to contact the Call Centre or Consulate, simply attend your appointment on the new date. We regret any inconvenience this has caused. Sincerely, US Visa Helpdesk.”
Many applicants expressed frustration online, several shared the same ordeal. Some pointed out that the repeated cancellations and rescheduling to dates more than a year away make it nearly impossible to plan work projects or family travel.
Sudden rule change triggered the visa mess, says expert
Speaking to The Financial Express, Immigration attorney Rajiv S Khanna, Managing Attorney, Immigration.Com, said, the current H-1B visa delays did not happen overnight. They began after a sudden policy change that many applicants say was rolled out without warning or preparation. “On December 3, 2025, the State Department announced mandatory social media vetting for all H-1B and H-4 applicants, effective December 15. This abrupt policy shift gave applicants zero notice. Consulates in India and other high-volume posts immediately began canceling appointments, rescheduling a most a year later,” he said.
Khanna added, “emergency appointment requests are being systematically denied, even when US employers document urgent business needs. Reports indicate that consular posts have reduced daily interview capacity by up to 40 percent to accommodate the new vetting procedures, creating a massive backlog.”
Alongside delays, the US State Department has begun prudentially revoking visas, affecting H-1B holders and their H-4 dependents. Experts have observed cases where an H-4 spouse’s visa was cancelled due to an old DUI record of the H-1B spouse. Prudential revocation allows authorities to cancel a visa if new information suggests the holder may be ineligible.
Social Media Screening and Backlogs
The delays began on 15 December 2025 when the US introduced mandatory social media screening for employment-based visas, adding roughly 30 minutes per case and halving daily appointment capacity.
In a New Year’s Eve post on X (formerly Twitter), the US Embassy in India warned applicants that “violating US immigration law has consequences,” even as tens of thousands remain stranded due to interview backlogs stretching to March 2026.
Remote work is legal, but not realistic for many
Speaking of H-1B visa crisis, Khanna told The Financial Express, Nothing in US immigration law prevents H-1B holders from working remotely from India for their US employers. However, as a practical matter, many employers cannot or will not permit this arrangement due to business, security, or operational constraints.”
However, he added, “If an H-1B holder stranded abroad attempts to change to an employer willing to accommodate remote work from India, they trigger the $100,000 entry fee imposed by Presidential Proclamation on September 21, 2025. This fee applies to any new H-1B petition filed for a beneficiary located outside the United States. The result: workers are trapped between staying with an employer who may not permit remote work and facing a prohibitive six-figure penalty to switch jobs. The impact on people’s lives has been devastating.”