Your H-1B visa renewal appointment could be suddenly cancelled: What’s happening and why?

A SUDDEN shift in US immigration processing has left thousands of Indian tech professionals in limbo. Pre-scheduled H-1B visa interviews, originally set for late December, have been abruptly postponed—in some cases by several months — as the Trump administration rolls out stringent new background and social media screening norms.

According to reports by Hindustan Times and news agency PTI, applicants with appointments scheduled after 15 December are the primary targets of these cancellations. The delays are not merely marginal; some interviews have been pushed back as far as October 2026.

The US Embassy in India has issued an advisory, warning applicants not to appear at consular offices on their original dates. While the exact number of impacted individuals remains unconfirmed, the scale is described as a "mass cancellation" affecting multiple visa categories beyond the H-1B.
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Earlier this month, in a social media post on X, the embassy said: "If you have received an email advising that your visa appointment has been rescheduled, Mission India looks forward to assisting you on your new appointment date. Arriving on your previously scheduled appointment date will result in your being denied admittance to the Embassy or Consulate."

The timing of the announcement has created a logistical nightmare for the Indian diaspora. Many applicants had already travelled to India specifically for their stamping interviews. Without a valid visa in their passports, these workers are now legally barred from returning to their jobs and homes in the United States.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, of high-skilled workers had appointments cancelled between 15 and 26 December, a period many H-1B holders target since it coincides with the Christmas holiday season, according to a report by the Times of India.

According to a Washington Post report citing official emails, the US State Department said interviews were being delayed after the implementation of the Trump administration’s new social media vetting policy “to ensure that no applicants … pose a threat to US national security or public safety.”

US companies face talent shortage

Prolonged absences may lead to job terminations as US-based roles remain vacant. The uncertainty comes on the heels of a September proclamation by the Donald Trump administration that raised H-1B fees to a staggering $100,000.

US companies, which rely on Indians for roughly 71% of all approved H-1B applications, now face a significant talent shortage.

The H-1B visa programme is a critical pipeline for the US tech sector, allowing companies to recruit foreign workers with specialised skills. Typically granted for an initial three years with a three-year renewal option, the programme has long been dominated by Indian professionals.

Emily Neumann, Houston-based immigration attorney, criticised the cancellation of the H-1B visa appointments in India.

In an X post, Neumann said: "Visa stamping feels like a maze of pitfalls right now. Now, appointments are getting cancelled without warning and pushed out by months. There is no predictability in this process, and it is creating real challenges for businesses and employees who need to travel."

Social media screening

According to the US State Department, as of 15 December, a review of the online presence for all H-1B applicants and their dependents will be conducted.

Students and exchange visitors were already subject to this review and now the department has expanded this requirement to vet social media profiles to include H1-B applicants and their dependents on H-4 visas.

“To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for H-1B and their dependents (H-4), F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to ‘public’,” the State Department had said.