US Embassy In India Defers H-1B Visa Interviews

NEW DELHI: The H-1B visa process for Indian professionals has hit another setback as the US Embassy and consulates in India has announced that a large number of visa interviews, including H-1B and H-4 appointments, have been deferred to later months in 2026.

“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,” the embassy posted on social media platform X, cautioning applicants that arriving on the original date “will result in your being denied admittance.”

ATTENTION VISA APPLICANTS – 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…

— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) December 9, 2025

The rescheduling comes at a time when the broader H-1B process has already tightened. Over the past year, applicants have been navigating increased scrutiny, longer processing timelines, higher documentation demands, and a newly introduced US State Department rule requiring a detailed review of applicants’ social-media activity.

For many Indian workers living abroad who have travelled to India for a vacation or a family emergency, the updated appointment windows now extend several months beyond their planned period of stay.

Many individuals who had been awaiting their visa appointments for this month took to social media, highlighting their disappointment.

Several posts flagged that many applicants had already flown to India based on confirmed appointment dates. “I am already in India and had an interview for the 23rd. My return was early Jan, how do I head back to the US now?” a user wrote, explaining that a short vacation combined with a visa extension interview had now placed their job at risk.