The US Embassy in India said that starting December 15, the State Department began assessing the online presence of all H-1B and H-4 visa applicants as part of routine visa screening.
The embassy also noted that U.S. consulates and embassies continue to accept and process applications for H-1B and H-4 nonimmigrant visas and advises applicants to submit their applications as soon as possible and expect longer processing times for these visa categories. This comes amid thousands of Indians left stranded due to delays in visa renewals.
This global screening process applies to applicants of all nationalities and aims to prevent abuse of the H-1B program while allowing companies to hire highly skilled temporary foreign workers, he added.
Immigration lawyers said the visa appointment for Indian high-skilled workers was canceled between December 15 and 26, a time frame that overlaps with the US holiday season. Emails reviewed by The Washington Post showed that the State Department informed applicants that their interviews were postponed following the Trump administration’s expanded social media screening policy, which aims to “ensure that no applicants… pose a threat to US national security or public safety,” ANI reported.
What did the US Embassy in India say earlier?
The US Embassy in India had earlier asked visa applicants not to visit consular offices based on a pre-scheduled interview date.
It said, “If you have received an email notifying you that your visa appointment has been rescheduled, Mission India looks forward to assisting you with a new appointment date,” adding, “Arrival at a previously scheduled appointment date will result in denial of entry to the embassy or consulate.”
Many visa applicants shared anonymous posts on social media describing their ordeal. According to ANI, one applicant said, “My H-1B consular appointment in Chennai, originally on December 18, was canceled right after I completed the biometric process on Tuesday and was automatically rescheduled to April 30, 2026.”
Meanwhile, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) April 2025 report showed that Indians make up 71% of visa holders. In July, the State Department said that effective September 2, H-1B visa holders and their H-4 family members would no longer be able to extend their visas in a third country. Later, on September 19, Trump signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, according to a Washington Post report.
