'Biggest mess': Thousands of Indian H-1B visa holders stuck in India after interviews cancelled

Thousands of Indian H-1B visa holders who traveled to India in December for routine visa renewals have found themselves stranded after US consulates unexpectedly canceled their interviews. In some cases, interviews have been rescheduled as far out as October 2026. Immigration lawyers have called it a "huge mess," saying that they have never seen such confusion before, with some unsure whether there was any clear plan behind the changes.

According to reports from the Washington Post, many of these workers, primarily from the tech industry, had planned their travel around the US holiday season, a typical time for visa renewals. Now, they are stuck in India with expired visas, unable to return to the US for their jobs or reunite with their families. The State Department informed applicants that the delays were a result of expanded social media screening implemented under the Trump administration. The policy is designed to better vet visa applicants to ensure national security and public safety.

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Immigration lawyers handling these cases say that dozens of clients have been affected. Some firms report having over 100 workers stranded. These individuals are mostly experienced professionals in their 30s and 40s, with many of them working in high-demand fields like technology. The disruptions have caused major personal and professional setbacks. Some workers who traveled with their children face difficult choices, including whether to keep them out of school or send them back to the US alone. Others are separated from spouses or are facing unpaid leave while their savings diminish. Veena Vijay Ananth, an experienced immigration lawyer based in India, described the situation as "the biggest mess" she had encountered, adding that there seemed to be no clear plan in place to resolve it.

The US State Department responded, saying that visa interviews are now being prioritised to ensure thorough vetting of applicants. This shift in priorities has led to a significant increase in processing times for H-1B visas. India is the largest source of H-1B workers, with the country accounting for 71% of visa holders, according to a 2025 USCIS report. Companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta are among the biggest sponsors of these workers.

The visa delays are part of broader changes to the H-1B program implemented during Trump's second term. In July, the US government ended remote visa renewals for H-1B and H4 visa holders, requiring applicants to return to their home countries. Later, an executive order was signed imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications. Social media screening was rolled out in December as part of the vetting process.

As a result of these changes, many applicants are now facing delays of several months. Most visa holders had their interviews rescheduled between March and June, with some appointments pushed back to October, and in rare cases, even to 2027. While the US State Department claims the delays are due to operational constraints linked to security concerns, some immigration lawyers suggest that the real motivation may be a growing political opposition to the H-1B program, particularly regarding Indian nationals.