Indian H-1B visa holders who returned to India this month to renew their U.S. work permits have been left stranded after U.S. consulates abruptly canceled their appointments and pushed them back several months, The Washington Post reported, citing three immigration lawyers who handle H-1B cases.
Hundreds — and potentially thousands — of highly skilled workers were terminated between Dec. 15 and 26, a window many H-1B holders choose because it coincides with the U.S. holiday season, lawyers said.
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Emails reviewed by The Washington Post show that the State Department informed applicants that their interviews had been delayed following the Trump administration’s new social media vetting policy, citing the need to ensure that no applicants pose a threat to US national security or public safety.
Emails reviewed by The Washington Post show that the State Department informed applicants that their interviews had been delayed following the Trump administration’s new social media vetting policy, citing the need to ensure that no applicants pose a threat to US national security or public safety.
The sudden cancellation has thrown lives into chaos, lawyers said, with workers stuck on expired visas and fearing they will lose their jobs. Emily Neumann, a partner at Houston-based immigration firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, said at least 100 of her clients are stuck in India.
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Veena Vijay Ananth, an immigration attorney in India, and Charles Kuck, an immigration attorney based in Atlanta, said they each handle more than a dozen similar cases.
“This is the biggest mess we’ve seen,” said Ananth, who has worked on H-1B cases for more than 20 years. “I’m not sure there’s a plan.
The Washington Post reported that a State Department spokesman said that “while in the past there may have been an emphasis on speedy processing of cases and reducing wait times, our embassies and consulates around the world, including India, now prioritize thorough screening of each visa case above all else.”
What’s at stake?
Mass cancellations of scheduled interviews for H-1B visa applicants due to enhanced screening measures have resulted in significant delays in their return to the US. The change of the date of the interviews is for all applicants who were previously booked, from December 15.
PTI reported that interviews of several other categories of visa applicants are also being postponed in view of the new norms for checking applicants’ social media profiles.
The exact number of applicants affected by delays in visa interviews is not immediately known.
The US Embassy in India has advised visa applicants not to come to consular offices based on pre-scheduled interview dates.
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“If you have received an email notifying you that your visa appointment has been rescheduled, Mission India looks forward to assisting you with your new appointment date,” she said.
“Arrival at a pre-scheduled appointment will result in you being refused entry to the embassy or consulate,” it said.
Trump’s crackdown on visas
The Trump administration has moved to further curtail the H-1B visa program as part of its broader immigration enforcement agenda with increased scrutiny of visa applicants’ social media posts and online profiles.
The H-1B program allows U.S. companies to employ foreign workers with specialized skills for an initial period of three years, renewable for an additional three years.
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In recent years, Indians made up an estimated 71 percent of approved H-1B applications, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
(With input from agencies)
