E-Paper
Why are H-1B visa renewal appointments in India being cancelled abruptly?
The US embassy in India has urged visa applicants not to come to the consular offices based on their previously scheduled interview date.
The pre-scheduled interviews of thousands of H-1B visa applicants, originally slated for later in December in India, have been abruptly postponed by several months, reportedly due to new, stricter background and social media vetting rules.
The applicants, who had their visa appointments after December 15, have been particularly affected, with some interviews being rescheduled to as late as October 2026.
The US embassy in India has urged visa applicants not to come to the consular offices based on their previously scheduled interview date.
"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 said in an X post earlier this month.
The mass cancellation of scheduled interviews for H-1B visa applicants, in view of the enhanced vetting measures, is set to result in significant delays in their return to the US. The rescheduling of interviews applies to all applicants previously scheduled from December 15 onwards, according to a PTI report.
Most of the affected applicants were already in India for the interview and are now unable to return to the US pending their new rescheduled interview dates, since they don't have a valid H1B visa to travel back for their jobs.
PTI reported that interviews for several other categories of visa applicants are also being postponed in view of the new norms for scrutinising social media profiles of applications. The exact number of applicants impacted by the delays in the visa interviews is not immediately known.
A lawyer's take on H1B visa interview rescheduling
Houston-based immigration attorney Emily Neumann criticised the cancellation of the H1B 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-1 B 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-1 B visas to a staggering $100,000.
