H-1B Holders Stranded Abroad As US Consulates Cancel Interviews Over Vetting Backlog, Check Guidelines For Indians

Thousands of H-1B visa holders and applicants are facing increasing uncertainty with the Trump administration getting ready to implement mandatory social media screening, resulting in cancellation and rescheduling of visa interviews en masse at consulates worldwide.

Under the new rule by the Trump administration, which took effect on December 15, all applicants for the H-1B visa, as well as H-4 dependents accompanying them, are required to have their online profiles set to "public" for mandatory screening. Consulates seem to be limiting their daily interview capacity to handle the new vetting, resulting in major delays.

Appointment Backlog Strands Workers

Immigration law firms reported that in-country consulates have begun to cancel interviews originally scheduled in mid-to-late Decembe