The US Embassy in India has issued a reminder clarifying how long foreign nationals are permitted to stay in the United States. In a post on X, the embassy
emphasised that the duration of a visitor's stay is not determined by the visa's expiry date. Instead, it is decided by a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer at the port of entry. “Reminder! The length of time an international visitor is allowed to stay in the United States is determined by the Customs and Border Protection officer upon arrival, not the visa expiration date,” the embassy said. Visitors have been advised to check their authorised period of stay by reviewing the “Admit Until Date” on their I-94 record, which is available on the official CBP website. Also Read: Visa Chaos in India: US Defers Hundreds Of H-1B Appointments To 2026 - What's Happening?
US tightens visa scrutiny
Earlier this year, US immigration authorities made it clear that your social media posts may lead to the revocation or denial of your visa. The Donald Trump administration also directed US embassy officials to reject visa applicants who have worked in roles related to fact-checking, content moderation, compliance, or online safety.
According to a State Department memo obtained by Reuters, consular officials have been instructed to deny visas to anyone seen being "responsible for, or complicit in, censorship or attempted censorship of protected expression in the United States."
Also Read: US Work Visas Explained: A Quick Guide to H, L, O and C Visas And How They Differ | WATCH
It also instructs consular officers to examine the resumes and LinkedIn profiles not just of applicants but also of accompanying family members to determine whether they have worked in roles involving misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance, online safety, and related fields.
The internal cable sent to all US missions on December 2 outlines stricter rules for screening H-1B applicants in particular.
In September, the H-1B program came under strain after President Donald Trump imposed a one-time $100,000 fee on new H-1B work visas, a move that could sharply raise costs for employers and hit Indian workers seeking temporary jobs in the US.
