Immigration attorneys in the United States are urging H-1B visa holders to avoid travelling to India after US consulates abruptly postponed thousands of visa-stamping interviews scheduled for December 2025. The appointments — essential for re-entering the US — have now been pushed to March, April, and even May 2026, leaving many workers stranded and unsure of when they can return to their jobs.
The disruption follows the US State Department’s expansion of social-media screening to include H-1B and H-4 visa applicants, a process that had earlier been rolled out for student visa holders. The new vetting requirements have added to consular backlogs and operational delays.
“As of December 15, the Department of State will conduct an online presence review for all H-1B applicants and their dependents… Due to operational constraints related to processing these visas and to ensure that no applicant poses a threat to US national security or public safety, the Consulate must reduce the number of applicants each day. The Consulate will not be able to see you on your original appointment date. Please do not show up at the Consulate,” an email sent by the consulate to applicants read.
Interviews originally scheduled for mid- to late-December have been deferred to dates as far as summer 2026, raising the risk of prolonged separations from families and extended work absences.
Immigration attorney Rahul Reddy warned that travelling now could put H-1B workers at serious risk. With many US companies unable to keep positions vacant for long or legally permit remote work from abroad due to compliance constraints, a delayed return could mean job loss. “Without a valid visa stamp in the passport, an H-1B employee travelling now might come back not to their job, but to unemployment,” he said.
