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What is the story about?
The US Embassy in India has issued an advisory to visa applicants, cautioning that anyone who arrives on a previously scheduled visa interview date, after receiving a rescheduling notice, will be denied entry to the consulate.
The warning comes at a time when thousands of applicants are facing sudden interview cancellations triggered by the United States' new social media vetting rules for H-1B and H-4 visa holders.
In post on X, the embassy said: “ATTENTION VISA APPLICANTS – 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."
Also read | H-1B visa applicants asked to reschedule appointments as social media vetting policy begins from December 15
The advisory follows widespread disruption across India, with interview appointments scheduled on or after December 15 being cancelled and applicants being instructed to book new dates. These cancellations are tied to the implementation of the US State Department's expanded online-presence review, which requires consular officers to examine applicants' social-media activity before interviews.
Under the new policy, all H-1B workers and their H-4 dependents must switch their social-media accounts to public settings and disclose usernames used across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, even if the accounts have been inactive over the past five years.
Additional screening requirement has significantly reduced appointment availability, forcing consulates to cut daily interview numbers and reshuffle calendars.
Also read | Trump administration orders stricter H-1B vetting, targets applicants tied to online censorship
For Indians, who make up a majority of H-1B visa recipients, the timing of the cancellations has been disruptive, coinciding with the holiday season when workers return home to complete visa stamping. Business immigration attorney James Hollis criticised the shift, writing on LinkedIn: "I'm shaking my head about the reports coming out about H-1B visa appointment cancellations in India… The reasoning for the cancellations is that the new social media vetting policy requires implementation time and review time for the posts.”
Nonetheless, the US State Department has defended the overhaul, emphasising that "every visa adjudication is a national security decision” and "a privilege, not a right".
The warning comes at a time when thousands of applicants are facing sudden interview cancellations triggered by the United States' new social media vetting rules for H-1B and H-4 visa holders.
In post on X, the embassy said: “ATTENTION VISA APPLICANTS – 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."
ATTENTION
VISA APPLICANTS - 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…
— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) December 9, 2025
Also read | H-1B visa applicants asked to reschedule appointments as social media vetting policy begins from December 15
The advisory follows widespread disruption across India, with interview appointments scheduled on or after December 15 being cancelled and applicants being instructed to book new dates. These cancellations are tied to the implementation of the US State Department's expanded online-presence review, which requires consular officers to examine applicants' social-media activity before interviews.
Under the new policy, all H-1B workers and their H-4 dependents must switch their social-media accounts to public settings and disclose usernames used across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, even if the accounts have been inactive over the past five years.
Additional screening requirement has significantly reduced appointment availability, forcing consulates to cut daily interview numbers and reshuffle calendars.
Also read | Trump administration orders stricter H-1B vetting, targets applicants tied to online censorship
For Indians, who make up a majority of H-1B visa recipients, the timing of the cancellations has been disruptive, coinciding with the holiday season when workers return home to complete visa stamping. Business immigration attorney James Hollis criticised the shift, writing on LinkedIn: "I'm shaking my head about the reports coming out about H-1B visa appointment cancellations in India… The reasoning for the cancellations is that the new social media vetting policy requires implementation time and review time for the posts.”
Nonetheless, the US State Department has defended the overhaul, emphasising that "every visa adjudication is a national security decision” and "a privilege, not a right".
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