A growing number of H-1B professionals who traveled home for the holidays have found themselves stuck overseas as U.S. consulates reschedule visa interviews into March 2026 or later. Immigration attorneys interviewed on December 17 report that consular officers are devoting extra time to the Trump administration’s expanded social-media vetting protocols, adding at least six months to an already stretched appointment calendar.
The delays are hitting India especially hard because it supplies more than 70 percent of all new H-1B talent. One mechanical-engineering consultant told the Times of India that his December 22 appointment in Hyderabad was abruptly moved to March 14, jeopardizing a five-year project with a Detroit automotive supplier. Employers face a grim choice: hold positions open, absorb project delays or spend up to US$100,000 on a new petition for a replacement worker—a cost many firms say is prohibitive.
Under current State Department guidance, applicants asked to complete DS-5535 “supplemental questions” must list usernames for all social-media platforms used during the previous five years. Officers may then forward cases for Washington-based security clearance, a process insiders say can exceed 180 days when applicants have extensive digital footprints.
![Social-Media Vetting Backlog Leaves H-1B Workers Stranded Abroad for Months]()
Amid these uncertainties, VisaHQ’s team of visa specialists can help travelers monitor interview availability, prepare complete documentation and even secure earlier slots when they open up. For detailed guidance on U.S. H-1B renewals and other visa services, visit https://www.visahq.com/united-states/
Corporate mobility managers should advise traveling H-1B staff to schedule drop-box renewals well in advance, ensure job continuity letters are on company letterhead and prepare backup staffing for critical roles. Some firms are authorizing short-term remote work from India, but payroll, PE and export-control rules must be reviewed.
Longer-term, the episode underscores the vulnerability of the H-1B category to policy swings. Analysts predict that the $100,000 fast-track fee proposed in September’s “Restriction on Entry of Certain Non-Immigrant Workers” proclamation will channel more demand toward Canada’s new Tech Talent strategy and Mexico’s digital-nomad visa unless U.S. processing stabilizes.
The delays are hitting India especially hard because it supplies more than 70 percent of all new H-1B talent. One mechanical-engineering consultant told the Times of India that his December 22 appointment in Hyderabad was abruptly moved to March 14, jeopardizing a five-year project with a Detroit automotive supplier. Employers face a grim choice: hold positions open, absorb project delays or spend up to US$100,000 on a new petition for a replacement worker—a cost many firms say is prohibitive.
Under current State Department guidance, applicants asked to complete DS-5535 “supplemental questions” must list usernames for all social-media platforms used during the previous five years. Officers may then forward cases for Washington-based security clearance, a process insiders say can exceed 180 days when applicants have extensive digital footprints.
Amid these uncertainties, VisaHQ’s team of visa specialists can help travelers monitor interview availability, prepare complete documentation and even secure earlier slots when they open up. For detailed guidance on U.S. H-1B renewals and other visa services, visit https://www.visahq.com/united-states/
Corporate mobility managers should advise traveling H-1B staff to schedule drop-box renewals well in advance, ensure job continuity letters are on company letterhead and prepare backup staffing for critical roles. Some firms are authorizing short-term remote work from India, but payroll, PE and export-control rules must be reviewed.
Longer-term, the episode underscores the vulnerability of the H-1B category to policy swings. Analysts predict that the $100,000 fast-track fee proposed in September’s “Restriction on Entry of Certain Non-Immigrant Workers” proclamation will channel more demand toward Canada’s new Tech Talent strategy and Mexico’s digital-nomad visa unless U.S. processing stabilizes.
