Thousands of H-1B and H-4 visa applicants are facing sudden delays after US consulates began mass-rescheduling visa interviews scheduled from December 15, 2025 onward.
The disruption is due to a new mandate of Department of State policy that certain visa category applicants should undergo online and social-media vetting.
As part of this process, applicants are being asked to set their social-media profiles to public so officials can review them before interviews are conducted.
The additional screening requirement has overwhelmed consular scheduling systems, especially during December, which is typically one of the busiest months for H-1B visa stamping.
Many applicants who had interviews scheduled in December have received emails informing them that their appointments have been moved by several months, in some cases to March 2026.
One affected applicant shared his experience on Reddit, telling us how his December interview was suddenly pushed back. “Had my H-1B interview scheduled for December and got an email saying its moved to march 2026. MARCH. that’s literally 3 months away,” he wrote.
According to the post, the rescheduling is directly linked to the new vetting process. “Apparently its because of the new social media vetting policy,” the user added.
Stuck in India, unpaid and uncertain
For many workers, the delays are not just inconvenient, they are financially and professionally devastating. Reddit user said he is currently stuck in India, unable to return to the US
“I am literally stuck in india now. my i-94 expired, I am on unpaid leave, been living off savings for weeks and now i gotta stretch it till march somehow,” he wrote.
He added that attempts to find alternatives, such as working temporarily from his company’s India office, have been slow and uncertain. “Asked my manager if I can work from India office but hrs taking forever to respond,” he said.
Employers and HR teams offer limited answers
Applicants say they are receiving little clarity from employers or immigration teams. “Immigration team at my company is clueless, hr is giving generic responses like ‘we understand your frustration’ which helps exactly zero percent,” the Reddit post noted.
With no clear timeline or guidance, many affected workers are left navigating the situation on their own.
New rescheduling rules add financial pressure
Adding to the stress, a separate rule change will take effect from January 1, 2026. Under the new policy, applicants will be allowed to reschedule their visa appointment only once for free. Any further changes will require paying the visa fee again.
“Starting Jan 1 you can only reschedule ONCE for free. if I miss March or need to change again I have to pay the entire visa fee again which is like 16k rupees,” the user wrote.
With months-long delays now common, applicants are turning to online forums to seek advice. Some are exploring emergency appointment requests, while others are trying to arrange temporary work-from-India setups with their employers.
“Anyone else in the same boat? what are you guys doing? trying to get emergency appointments? or figuring out wfh from india somehow?” the user asked.
‘Your own country is not that bad’
Netizens were divided over his post. A user noted, “So sorry brother. But your own country is not that bad, right? No?.”
Another added, “Visa is a privilege not right. You have the option to not go to America. Trump is doing nothing wrong by not giving visa to people who doesn’t like America. They will go to America in universities they will exercise their freedom of speech and join protests, riots and preach the government how to be a great country in-spite of being grateful to be allowed to live their American dream .”
“Bro earning top dollars and worrying about living in India for few months and spending additional 16K,” stated a netizen. “Stuck in India?? Lol, you are Indian and in your home, you are fine,” added a user.
“There are approximately 750000 H-1B living in USA. With dependents and all let’s say x3 makes the count to 2.25 million. US population is 340 million. And the whole country is now trying to fck around this 0.5% US population who is mostly working silently in peace, paying social security and whatever Why? Does this mean at any given point, US and policymakers are only interested in securing these 750000 jobs yearly to Americans?.”
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