Why are H-1B visa interviews in India being abruptly postponed?

Thousands of pre-scheduled H-1B visa interviews in India, originally set for later this month, have been abruptly postponed by several months, reportedly due to stricter background checks and enhanced social media vetting.

Applicants with interview dates after December 15 have been the worst affected, with some appointments pushed as far as October 2026. The US Embassy in India has advised applicants not to visit consulates on their original interview dates if they have received rescheduling emails.

“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 admittance,” the embassy said in a post on X.

According to PTI, the rescheduling applies to all applicants whose interviews were scheduled from December 15 onwards. The mass postponements are expected to cause significant delays for applicants’ return to the United States.

Many affected applicants were already in India for visa stamping and are now unable to return to the US as they do not hold valid H-1B visas. PTI also reported that interviews for several other visa categories have been delayed due to the expanded scrutiny of applicants’ social media activity. The total number of impacted applicants remains unclear.

Houston-based immigration attorney Emily Neumann criticised the sudden cancellations, saying the visa stamping process has become unpredictable and disruptive for both employers and workers.

The Donald Trump administration has tightened the H-1B visa programme as part of a broader immigration crackdown, including expanded social media screening. Indians account for about 71 per cent of approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to USCIS.

In September, President Trump signed a proclamation raising the H-1B visa fee to $100,000.