H-1B workers stranded as US delays visa interviews amid social media vetting

Several H-1B visa holders who travelled to India this month for routine visa renewals have been left stranded after their US consular appointments were pushed to next year, following the US State Department’s rollout of expanded social media vetting, according to media reports.

The affected workers had visa interview appointments scheduled between December 15 and December 26, but these have now been rescheduled to March 2026, delaying their return to the United States.

According to a report by The Washington Post, law firms said hundreds of their H-1B clients are currently stuck in India due to the sudden postponements, compounding disruptions caused by recent fee hikes and processing backlogs.

One Detroit-based professional, cited in the report, had flown to India in December to attend a wedding and had consular appointments scheduled for December 17 and 23. Both interviews were deferred, leaving him unable to return to the US for now.

The uncertainty has prompted major technology companies, including Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc, to caution employees against travelling overseas. Internal advisories warned that visa re-entry processing at US embassies and consulates could face delays of up to 12 months.

The disruption follows a new State Department directive, which came into effect on December 15, mandating social media screening for all H-1B visa applicants and their H-4 dependents. Under the policy, applicants must set the privacy settings on their social media accounts to “public”, allowing officials to review their online activity as part of national security and public safety assessments.

Applicants for student and exchange visas — under the F, M and J categories — have been subject to similar scrutiny for several years.

The latest move adds to mounting pressure on the US employment-based immigration system. In September, President Donald Trump announced a one-time fee hike for new H-1B visas, a step widely viewed as a deterrent for employers and applicants, particularly from India’s technology sector.

Separately, the administration has paused green card, citizenship and other immigration applications from 19 countries designated as “countries of concern”, reinforcing a broader security-first approach to immigration, following a shooting incident involving an Afghan national and members of the National Guard.