Why Have H-1B Visa Renewal Appointments in India Been Cancelled Without Warning?

Thousands of H-1B visa interviews in India that were scheduled for later this December have been abruptly postponed by several months, reportedly because of new, more stringent background checks and social media vetting requirements. Applicants with visa appointments scheduled after December 15 have been especially affected, with some interviews pushed back as far as October 2026.The US embassy in India has advised visa applicants not to visit consular offices based on their earlier scheduled interview dates."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 to the Embassy or Consulate," the embassy said in an X post earlier this month.The large-scale cancellation of H-1B visa interviews due to stricter vetting measures is expected to cause major delays in applicants’ return to the US. According to a PTI report, the rescheduling affects all applicants whose interviews were scheduled from December 15 onwards.Most of the affected applicants had already travelled to India for their interviews and are now unable to return to the US, as they lack a valid H-1B visa and must wait for their rescheduled appointment dates.PTI reported that interviews for several other visa categories are also being postponed due to the new norms for scrutinising applicants’ social media profiles. The exact number of people affected by the interview delays is not yet known.

H-1B Interview Chaos in India: What an Immigration Lawyer Says

Houston-based immigration attorney Emily Neumann criticised the cancellation of H-1B visa appointments in India."Visa stamping feels like a maze of pitfalls right now. Now, appointments are getting cancelled without warning and pushed out by months. There is no predictability in this process, and it is creating real challenges for businesses and employees who need to travel," she said in a post on X.The Donald Trump administration has been tightening the H-1B visa programme as part of its broader push to more closely scrutinise immigration, including increased monitoring of visa applicants’ social media posts and profiles.Under the H-1B visa programme, US companies hire foreign workers with specialised skills for an initial three-year period, which can be extended for another three years. Indians have accounted for an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).In September, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation hiking the H-1B visa fee to a steep $100,000.