'Biggest mess we've seen': Immigration lawyers on Indians stranded due to H-1B visa renewal delay

IMmigration lawyers feature criticised the US authorities after native american H-1B visa holders, who travelled plump for this month to renew their American act permits, got stranded, calling it the “biggest message” they have seen.This comes amid several appointments for H-1B visa renewal being abruptly rescheduled by US consular offices. According to the lawyers cited in a Washington Post report, the Indian high-skilled workers had appointments cancelled between December 15 and 26, a period coinciding with the US holiday season.The Washington Post report cited Emily Neumann, a partner at the Houston-based immigration firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, Veena Vijay Ananth, an immigration attorney in India, and Charles Kuck, who practices immigration law in Atlanta. While Neumann said she had at least 100 clients stranded in India, the other two said they each had a dozen such cases."This is the biggest mess we have seen. I'm not sure there is a plan," Veena Vijay Ananth told the Washington Post.Neumann asked, "How long are companies going to be willing to wait for these people?”According to a report from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) dated April 2025, India accounts for 71 per cent of H-1B visa holders.What does the US State Department say?The US State Department told visa holders their interviews were being delayed after the implementation of the Donald Trump administration's new social media vetting policy, "to ensure that no applicants... Pose a threat to US national security or public safety," the report added."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,” a State Department spokesperson said.The US Embassy in India also released a statement on December 10, saying that 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.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 will also include H-1B and H-4 applicants.The State Department announced in July that H-1B holders and their dependents on H-4 visas would no longer be able to renew their documents in a third country, effective September 2. On September 19, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B applications.The new fee requirement applies only to individuals or companies filing new H-1B petitions or entering the H-1B lottery after September 21.