Indian H-1B Holders Stranded After Work Permit Renewal Trip
The United States has expanded its review of social media and online presence to cover all H-1B speciality occupation workers and their H-4 dependents
New Delhi: Indian H-1B visa holders who travelled back this month to renew their American work permits are stranded after their appointments were abruptly rescheduled by US consular offices, the Washington Post reported, citing three immigration lawyers.
The Indian high-skilled workers had appointments cancelled between December 15 and 26, the lawyers said, a period coinciding with the US holiday season. In emails reviewed by The Washington Post, the State Department informed visa holders that their interviews were being delayed following the implementation of the Trump administration’s new social media vetting policy, aimed “to ensure that no applicants… pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety.”
The United States has expanded its review of social media and online presence to cover all H-1B speciality occupation workers and their H-4 dependents, the US Embassy in India said on December 10.
In a statement, a US Embassy spokesperson explained that the Department of State already conducts online presence checks for student and exchange visitor visa categories such as F, M, and J. Starting December 15, this review was extended to include H-1B and H-4 applicants.
Emily Neumann, a partner at the Houston-based immigration firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, said she had at least 100 clients stranded in India. Veena Vijay Ananth, an immigration attorney in India, and Charles Kuck, who practices immigration law in Atlanta, said they each had around a dozen similar cases.
“This is the biggest mess we have seen. I’m not sure there is a plan,” Ananth said.
A spokesperson for the State Department said, “While in the past the emphasis may have been on processing cases quickly and reducing wait times, our embassies and consulates around the world, including in India, are now prioritising thoroughly vetting each visa case above all else.”
According to an April 2025 report from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), India accounts for 71 per cent of H-1B visa holders.
In July, the State Department announced that H-1B holders and their dependents on H-4 visas would no longer be able to renew their documents in a third country as of September 2. On September 19, President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing a USD 100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, the Washington Post reported.
The report also cited an Indian man living in the Detroit suburbs who said he flew back to India in early December for a wedding and had consular appointments scheduled for December 17 and 23, which have since expired.
Neumann questioned the impact on employers, asking, “How long are companies going to be willing to wait for these people?”
The USD 100,000 fee applies to all new H-1B visa petitions filed after September 21, including those submitted for entry into the 2026 lottery. According to the US State Department, current visa holders and petitions submitted before that date remain unaffected.
