Indian H-1B Workers Stranded After Visa Interviews Delayed, Sparking Panic Over Job Losses

Last Updated:December 21, 2025, 07:24 IST

Recent changes to the H-1B visa vetting process have left many Indian workers stranded in India after their visa appointments were suddenly cancelled or delayed by several months.

Several H-1B workers were affected by abrupted cancellations or delay in visa appointments. (Photo Credit: Representative Image)

Indian H-1B visa holders who travelled back to India to renew their work permits in America are reportedly stranded in the country after their appointments were abruptly cancelled by US consular offices and rescheduled for months later, according to immigration lawyers.

These long wait times are largely attributed to the rollout of rigorous new vetting protocols by the US Department of State earlier this month. Under new directives from the Donald Trump administration, consular offices are now required to conduct “online presence reviews", which involve a deep-dive screening of an applicant’s social media accounts.

Thousands of Indian professionals who travelled to India for H-1B and H-4 visas between December and February have had their consular interview appointments abruptly postponed by several months. In some cases, the rescheduled dates extend to mid-2026 or even 2027, leaving them stuck in India and facing serious uncertainty about their employment, as per reports.

Immigration lawyers told The Washington Post that the sudden cancellations have upended lives, leaving workers on expired visas fearful of losing their jobs. Emily Neumann, a partner at the Houston-based immigration firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, said she had at least 100 clients stranded in India.

Veena Vijay Ananth, an immigration attorney in India, and Charles Kuck, who practices immigration law in Atlanta, said they each had more than a dozen similar cases. These lawyers said many of those affected by the sudden H-1B visa rules are tech workers in their 30s or 40s, who have been living in the United States for years.

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