The attorneys at Garfinkel Immigration Law Firm have become aware that U.S. embassies and consulates in India are delaying H-1B visa appointments scheduled on or after Dec. 15 until at least early spring.
The Department of State (DOS) cited the enhanced “online presence review” announced late last week, as well as “operational constraints,” for rescheduling these appointments, as they are reducing “the number of applicants each day.”
Foreign nationals traveling without valid visa stamps should expect prolonged delays scheduling visa appointments at their applicable U.S. embassy or consulate. It is anticipated that embassies and consulates in other countries around the world could experience similar cancellations and re-bookings. The impacts also could expand to appointments for other visa classifications and may not exclusively affect H-1B visa applicants.
These delays follow an announcement from the DOS that effective Dec. 15, 2025, all H 1B visa applicants, as well as their H 4 dependents, will be subject to an “online presence review” as part of the application process. This expands a process implemented earlier this year that previously applied to student and exchange visitor visa categories (F, M, J visas).
As part of the new enhanced review, applicants, and their dependents, will be required to set all of their social media profiles to “public.”
The attorneys at Garfinkel Immigration Law Firm continue to monitor the situation closely and will continue to alert clients as circumstances evolve and more information becomes available.