Indian H-1B visa holders who traveled to India this month to renew their US work permits are now stranded after American consulates abruptly canceled their appointments and rescheduled them months later, according to immigration lawyers.
The disruptions follow the rollout of the Trump administration’s expanded social media vetting policy, leaving hundreds—possibly thousands—of high-skilled workers stuck abroad with expired visas and uncertain timelines for returning to their jobs in the United States.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of high-skilled workers had appointments cancelled between December 15 and 26, a period many H-1B holders target since it coincides with the US holiday season. In emails viewed by The Washington Post, the State Department said interviews were being delayed after the implementation of the Trump administration’s new social media vetting policy “to ensure that no applicants … pose a threat to US national security or public safety.”
The H-1B immigration programme, which allowed hundreds of thousands of foreign workers with specialised skills to live and work in the United States for up to six years, had become controversial during President Trump’s second term. Some far-right backers urged its elimination, arguing it took jobs from US citizens. Tech executives in Silicon Valley, however, defended H-1B workers as vital to the industry.
The sudden cancellations upended lives, the lawyers said, leaving workers on expired visas fearful of losing their jobs.
How long Indians have to wait?
It is still not sure, exactly, how long will it take for Indian to clear the H-1B visas.The mass cancellation of scheduled interviews for H-1B visa applicants is expected to cause significant delays in their return to the US, according to a PTI report.
The move, prompted by enhanced vetting measures, affects all interviews previously scheduled from December 15 onwards. PTI reported that the rescheduling applies to every applicant whose interview was set from December 15 onwards. The cancellations, introduced by US authorities as part of tighter scrutiny, will push back interview dates and delay visa approvals, extending applicants’ timelines for re-entry.
'I'm literally stuck in India now'
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 practises immigration law in Atlanta, said they each had more than a dozen similar cases. “This is the biggest mess we have seen,” Ananth said. “I’m not sure there is a plan.”
Asked for comment, the White House and the US Embassy in India referred The Post to the State Department. A spokesperson said that “while in the past the emphasis may have been on processing cases quickly and reducing wait times, our embassies and consulates around the world, including in India, are now prioritising thoroughly vetting each visa case above all else.”
An Indian engineer living in the Detroit suburbs, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he had appointments set for Dec. 17 and 23 but received an email on December 8 cancelling them and rescheduling for July 2 – more than six months away. “I was like ‘OK, What do I do?’” he recalled. He secured an expedited appointment after his company submitted documentation showing key projects were ramping up next year, but he remained apprehensive. “I’m hoping they honour it and don’t just bump it out further,” he said. Lawyers said such exemptions were rare.
Unable to predict when employees would return, US tech executives were scrambling to find accommodations and work-arounds, said a person familiar with the issue. “They don’t know how to deal with this,” the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “How long are companies going to be willing to wait for these people?” Neumann asked.
People stranded in India had turned to online platforms for advice. On Blind, an anonymous workplace community, one user posted that they were “one of those unlucky souls” whose December appointment was delayed for three months. “I'm literally stuck in India now,” the user wrote. “I'm on unpaid leave, been living off savings for weeks and now I gotta stretch it till march somehow.”
On a Facebook group devoted to H-1B issues, a person identifying as a physician posted that their appointment had been pushed to March and asked if it was worth appealing to US senators. “I have dozens of patients scheduled already,” they wrote. “Is there anyone in the same situation as me?”
Kuck said the delays might be justified operationally but were driven by partisan politics. “Social media is the excuse,” he said. “But the reason is the extraordinary rise in attacks on the H-1B programme, and Indian nationals in particular.”