Indian H-1B visa holders who returned to India this month to renew their work permits in the United States are facing severe difficulties, as visa interviews at U.S. consulates across India have been cancelled. As a result, many are now stranded in India and unable to return to the U.S.
All visa interviews that had been pre-scheduled between December 15 and December 26 have reportedly been cancelled. Sources indicate that these interviews have been postponed to March next year.
According to the U.S. State Department, the delays are due to the implementation of the Trump administration’s expanded social media and online presence screening policy, aimed at ensuring that visa applicants do not pose a threat to U.S. national or public security.
Previously, these online presence checks were applied only to student and exchange visitor visa categories. However, on December 10, the U.S. Embassy in India announced that the screening process had been expanded to include all H-1B specialty occupation workers and their H-4 dependents.
On Monday, the embassy stated that from December 15 onward, the State Department has expanded online presence reviews as part of routine visa processing for all H-1B and H-4 applicants.
The embassy further clarified that this screening is being conducted globally for applicants of all nationalities, while still allowing U.S. companies to hire skilled temporary foreign workers.
Emily Neuman, a partner at Houston-based immigration law firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, said that at least 100 clients are currently stranded in India. Meanwhile, Indian attorney Veena Vijay Anand and Atlanta-based attorney Charles Cook stated that they are each handling around a dozen such cases.
According to an April 2025 report by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), 71 percent of all H-1B visa holders are Indians, making Indian professionals particularly affected by these delays.
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