US H-1B Visa 2025: Hundreds of H-1B visa holders, who had travelled back to India to renew their permits, have been left stranded as their appointments were abruptly postponed to next year by the US consular offices.
Most of the appointments – which were scheduled between December 15 and 26, coinciding with the holiday season in the US – have now been rescheduled between March and June 2026 as the Trump administration rolled out a new social media vetting policy, The Washington Post reported.
“This is the biggest mess we have seen,” immigration Veena Vijay Ananth told the Post. “I’m not sure there is a plan.”
Many among the affected are tech workers in their 30s and 40s who have lived in the US for years. Some who travelled to India with their children must now decide whether to send them home alone, while others have been separated from their families entirely.
An engineer based in Detroit, who flew back to India in early December for a wedding, said he got a series of emails on December 8 from the US State Department saying his consular appointment had been rescheduled for July 2 — more than six months away. Another applicant was given a date in 2027.
Social media vetting
Earlier in May, the Trump administration enhanced the screening of student visa applicants by vetting their social media profile more aggressively. Applicants were required to change their privacy settings on their accounts, making them visible to the public.
In December, a US Embassy notified that consulates would increase the ambit of protocol to H-1B applicants and their dependents (H-4 visa applicants). This was done “to ensure an applicant does not pose a risk to the safety and security of the United States,” the embassy spokesperson said. This meants enhanced scrutiny of the workers.
“Every visa adjudication is a national security decision,” the US State Department said. “A US visa is a privilege, not a right.”
H-1B programme under scrutiny
Indian nationals have long been the largest group of beneficiaries of the H-1B program, which allows foreign nationals to work in the US for up to six years.
Data from the US government show that Indians account for more than 70 per cent of all H-1B petitions approved each year since 2015. Between October 2022 and September 2023, 72 per cent of the nearly 4 lakh visas issued under the programme went to Indian nationals.
The visa came under scrutiny of the Trump administration as the President made the polarising topic of immigration a central theme of his presidential campaign. Ahead of the Presidential elections in 2024, a YouGov poll revealed that 14.6 per cent registered voters felt it was the most important issue. This number was only 2.1 per cent in 2012.
After coming to power, Trump’s far-right backers have called for the H-1B program to be eliminated, arguing it takes jobs away from US citizens, while tech executives pushed back, saying the applicants are vital for their industry.
In September, Trump signed a proclamation raising the fee for firms hiring overseas talent under the visa programme to $100,000 annually, significantly impacting workers seeking temporary employment in the US.