US visa chaos: H-1B holders on renewal trips to India stuck after interview delays derail return plans

 

Indian professionals holding H-1B visas are facing fresh uncertainty after travelling to India this month to renew their US work permits, only to find their consular interview dates abruptly pushed back, according to a report by The Washington Post citing immigration lawyers.

The affected visa applicants had originally secured appointments between December 15 and December 26, a period that coincided with the US holiday season. However, those interviews were cancelled or rescheduled without warning, leaving many stranded in India and unable to return to their jobs in the United States.

Emails reviewed by The Washington Post show that the US State Department informed applicants that the delays followed the rollout of a new social media screening policy under the Trump administration, aimed “to ensure that no applicants… pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety.”

Expanded social media checks

The expanded vetting framework now applies to all H-1B speciality occupation visa holders as well as their dependents on H-4 visas. The US Embassy in India confirmed on December 10 that applicants in these categories would now be subject to enhanced reviews of their online presence.

In an official statement, a US Embassy spokesperson said the State Department had already been conducting digital footprint checks for student and exchange visitor visas, including F, M, and J categories, and that, as of December 15, the same scrutiny would be extended to H-1B and H-4 cases.

Immigration lawyers say the impact has been severe. Emily Neumann, a partner at Houston-based firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, said she alone had “at least 100 clients stranded in India.” Veena Vijay Ananth, an immigration lawyer based in India, and Atlanta-based attorney Charles Kuck said they were each handling roughly a dozen similar cases.

“This is the biggest mess we have seen. I'm not sure there is a plan,” Ananth said.

Defending the delays, a spokesperson for the US State Department said: “While in the past the emphasis may have been on processing cases quickly and reducing wait times, our embassies and consulates around the world, including in India, are now prioritising thoroughly vetting each visa case above all else.”

Catalogue of changes in 2025

The disruptions come at a time when Indians form the backbone of the H-1B workforce. An April 2025 report by US Citizenship and Immigration Services showed that Indian nationals account for 71 per cent of all H-1B visa holders.

Further tightening the visa regime, the State Department announced in July that H-1B holders and their H-4 dependents would no longer be allowed to renew their visas in third countries from September 2 onward. Weeks later, on September 19, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation imposing a USD 100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, The Washington Post reported.

The human cost of the delays is mounting. One Indian resident of the Detroit suburbs told the newspaper that he had travelled to India in early December for a family wedding, with interviews scheduled for December 17 and 23. Both appointments have since lapsed, leaving him stuck outside the US.

Neumann warned that the uncertainty could soon test employers’ patience. “How long are companies going to be willing to wait for these people?” she asked.

Under the September 19 proclamation, existing visa holders and petitions filed before that date are not affected. However, every new H-1B petition submitted after the deadline, including those entering the 2026 lottery, must be accompanied by the USD 100,000 fee. The requirement applies only to fresh filings made on or after September 21.