The US government introduced new social media screening rules in mid-December — sparking widespread chaos as visa applicants faced massive delays. Mass cancellations have been reported from various centres in India as dates were pushed back till June 2026. The situation has also left many H-1B visa holders ‘stranded’ in India after they flew back to renew their documents.
According to a Washington Post report, hundreds (possibly thousands) of highly skilled workers had their appointments cancelled over the past two weeks. Lawyers told the publication that these H-1B visa holders had travelled back to India in December to renew their work permits. They became ‘stranded’ in the country as US consular offices abruptly cancelled their appointments and rescheduled for months later. Emails viewed by the Washington Post also included updates shared by the State Department — explaining that interviews had been delayed following the implementation of a new social media vetting policy.
The H-1B visa program — widely used by the US technology sector to hire skilled workers from India and China — has been under the spotlight after the Trump administration imposed a $100,000 fee for new applications this year. Additional curbs have also forced applicants to open up their social media profiles and face multiple changes to the selection process.
Google warns employees against travel
The developments have also prompted Google to issue a warning for visa-bound employees to avoid international travel. According to an internal memo viewed by Business Insider, staffers have been warned against leaving the country because visa processing times have increased drastically. The email was shared by outside counsel BAL Immigration Law and warned staff who require a visa stamp for re-entry that they would “risk an extended stay outside the US”. The message also noted that some US embassies and consulates were currently experiencing delays up to 12 months.
‘Make social media profiles public or…’
The US government expanded screening and vetting measures for H-1B visa applicants and their H-4 dependents earlier this month — directing them to set all social media profiles to ‘public’.
“To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for H-1B and their dependents (H-4), F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to ‘public’…Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the State Department said in a December 15 order.