Indian H-1B visa workers alter travel plans amid vetting delay

INdian H-1B visa holders in the United States ar delaying plans to move around plunk for place in dictate to renew their visa authorisations amid reports of delays of up to 12 months for visa stamping appointments at embassies due to a new social media vetting policy.Immigration firms representing Apple and Google have sent memos to employees advising them not to travel home for visa appointments given major delays, according to a Business Insider report. H-1B visa holders have been advised to avoid all international travel.“I was planning on booking an H-1B visa interview appointment for December but this stuff happened. So I decided on pushing it by a couple of months,” one young tech professional currently in the US told HT.“Companies are recommending not to travel if you are already in the US including all big tech companies,” said another professional working for a tech company who landed in India only to find their visa appointment had been shifted from December to April.Also read: Why H-1B visa renewal appointments in India are being cancelled abruptlyThe advisory applies to holders of H-1B, H-4, F, J and M visas, according to Google’s memo, which said some U.S. Embassies and consulates face appointment delays of up to a year, according to the report.Social media platforms like Reddit also saw H-1B visa holders posting about cancelling their appointments in order to help create more room for those already in India.“On it. Mine’s not rescheduled yet, but just want to cancel it and hopefully someone in need gets it,” wrote one user.“Had an appointment for next week, although I had not gotten any reschedule email, I just cancelled mine so anyone stuck in India can get it. It’s not much but I’m still trying to help out there. I was in the States when it all happened, canceled my plan just in case,” another another Reddit user.The visa appointment date changes have been linked to the new social media vetting policy for H-1B and H-4 dependent visa application, which went into effect on December 15. US authorities said the new policy was required to protect the US from “national security” risks. However, the enhanced vetting has led to many receiving revised appointment dates in mid to late 2026, with some even receiving dates in 2027.Immigration lawyers warned of the possibility of H1-B visa holders losing their jobs if they are stranded in India.“Employers are also stuck in a hard place as to what kind of leave they can offer, because if that leave is not consistent with their general employment policies, then their hands are tied. They can only make so many exceptions. They can only wait for so long. And then think about all the projects that need to be done,” said immigration attorney Ellen Freeman, who works closely with Indian professionals on H-1B visas. She added that smaller companies will be harder pressed by the regulations.One tech professional said they hope for more visa appointments to be offered shortly, as was the case when US student visa appointments were paused earlier this year for a similar vetting policy. However, Freeman doesn’t believe this will happen.“I am sceptical that the same thing will happen to H-1B and H-4 workers. Number one, American colleges and universities have a huge lobby in the United States. They have a united organization that lobbies for all of them together, because all of F1 students are in the same boat. H-1B and H-4 workers are not in the same boat,” she told HT.