US Visa Interviews Deferred to October
Immigration experts say the lack of clear communication has worsened anxiety. “A transparent explanation from the consulates on how cancelled appointments are redistributed would help calm nerves and prevent false hopes.
Hyderabad: Hundreds of Indian applicants for US H-1B and H-4 visas are pushed into uncertainty after their visa interview appointments, which were rescheduled to much later dates. Rescheduled applicants are now requesting other applicants whose appointments are in January and February of 2026 to cancel their appointments for rescheduled applications to move back to applicable timings.
In recent weeks, US consulates informed hundreds of applicants that their interview dates, originally scheduled for December and January, had been postponed to April, May or even June. The rescheduling, according to the US government, has been attributed to additional processing time required for expanded social media screening of visa applicants.
While the measure is aimed at strengthening security checks, its impact has been severe for applicants who are currently stranded in India. Many had travelled from abroad or taken extended leave from their jobs in the United States for stamping, expecting to return shortly after their visa interviews.
The applicants say the sudden change has disrupted employment, housing arrangements and family responsibilities. Some H-4 visa holders, including spouses and children of H-1B professionals, have also been affected, leading to prolonged family separations.
The individuals, whose appointments were moved to later months, are now appealing to those who still hold January or February slots to voluntarily cancel their interviews, in hope that the cancelled slots may allow rescheduled applicants to secure earlier dates and return to the US sooner.
However, the US consulate is cancelling appointments in January and February as well, and re-allotting them slots in months as far as September and October of 2026. Several applicants told Deccan Chronicle that their appointments have been rescheduled to as far as October 16, 2025.
A spokesperson of the US Consulate General in Hyderabad said “The department of state regularly shifts appointments as needed to match resource availability. We will communicate any changes directly to affected visa applicants.”
Immigration experts say the lack of clear communication has worsened anxiety. “A transparent explanation from the consulates on how cancelled appointments are redistributed would help calm nerves and prevent false hopes,” Dinesh. M, an immigration consultant, said.