Hundreds of Indians on H-1B visas — along with their H-4 dependent spouses and children — have been left stranded in India after the abrupt cancellation of US visa interview appointments. In many cases, families have been split, with some members stuck in India while others wait anxiously in the US. Social media and WhatsApp groups are flooded with posts expressing frustration, fear and desperation. Jobs are at risk, school schedules upended, and children separated from their parents.
As reported on December 10, US consulates cancelled appointment slots scheduled for mid- to late-December 2025, pushing many interviews to March next year and some even as far out as June 2026. The chaos stems from a new US Department of State policy requiring mandatory social-media screening for all H-1B and H-4 applicants effective December 15. The enhanced vetting has drastically reduced the number of interviews consulates can process daily, triggering widespread cancellations.
The US Embassy in India posted on X: “If you have received an email advising that your visa appointment has been rescheduled, Mission India looks forward to assisting you on your new appointment date. Arriving on your previously scheduled appointment date will result in your being denied.”
The responses reflect the severity of the crisis. One affected applicant wrote: “Please consider those who traveled to India before the appointment changes. We are stuck here, facing serious challenges related to employment and our US-citizen kids’ education. We humbly request earlier consular appointments.” Another said: “I booked my H-1B slot in September after weeks of trying. My Dec 18 appointment was suddenly moved to Mar 30, 2026. We must return to the US in early January, and my US-citizen kids need to go back to school. Requesting urgent help.”
Rajiv S. Khanna, managing attorney at Immigration.com, calls the situation “brutal chaos.” He notes that applicants may reschedule online if they cannot attend their new date, but they can do so only once — and fee receipts older than a year are considered expired.
Immigration attorney Ellen Freeman warns that many H-1B workers may now lose their jobs. “We have to plead with employers to let them work from India or take prolonged leave for up to five months. In this economic environment, with pressure on deliverables, many employers cannot wait.” She highlights the real-life consequences: “People left behind apartment leases, utility bills, car payments in the US. These prolonged delays will devastate families, communities and the economy. There are human stories behind each cancellation.”
Rahul Reddy, founding partner at Reddy, Neumann, Brown, urges those needing visa stamping to avoid holiday travel altogether. In his blog, he warns that travelers face the risk of being stuck abroad for four to six months. “Employers cannot keep an H-1B role vacant for half a year. Many cannot legally permit remote work from outside the US due to export-control, payroll and tax rules. For many workers, this means returning not to their jobs but to unemployment. H-4 spouses and children will suffer the same delays, resulting in long separations and immense stress.”
Calling the policy shift “poorly planned” and “poorly implemented,” he adds: “You cannot claim to support legal immigration while blindsiding H-1B families with six-month delays. Labeling this as ‘operational necessity’ doesn’t change the reality: this process reflects a lack of preparation, transparency and foresight. Enhanced vetting is acceptable, but rolling it out in a way that virtually halts consular processing is reckless. Routine visa renewals should not become half-year exiles.”
