The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi and all six U.S. consulates across India have suspended routine visa and passport services from 24 to 26 December 2025, following President Trump’s executive order closing federal agencies on the days immediately before and after Christmas.
The three-day shutdown, combined with the weekend of 27-28 December, creates a five-day gap in appointments. Thousands of applicants—particularly H-1B and F-1 hopefuls seeking January start dates—must reschedule through the embassy’s online system. Emergency services for U.S. citizens remain available.
For those scrambling to rebook, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) offers real-time appointment monitoring, document review, and courier submission services, helping applicants sidestep some of the backlog stress and avoid common DS-160 errors.
![Christmas Embassy Closure Halts US Visa Processing in India for Five Days]()
Consular personnel warn that backlogs will ripple into early 2026, as December is already peak demand season for business and family travel to the United States. Applicants with time-sensitive needs (expiring petition approvals, drop-dead travel dates) are urged to use the “request expedited appointment” function and prepare additional documentation to justify urgency.
Companies relocating staff from India should anticipate delayed start dates and consider interim remote work from India to maintain project timelines. Immigration counsel also recommend monitoring the embassy’s Twitter and WhatsApp channels, which historically announce same-day extra slots when officers return.
While holiday closures are customary, mobility managers note that simultaneous federal closures and tightened H-1B wage rules could compound staffing gaps in the first quarter of 2026.
The three-day shutdown, combined with the weekend of 27-28 December, creates a five-day gap in appointments. Thousands of applicants—particularly H-1B and F-1 hopefuls seeking January start dates—must reschedule through the embassy’s online system. Emergency services for U.S. citizens remain available.
For those scrambling to rebook, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) offers real-time appointment monitoring, document review, and courier submission services, helping applicants sidestep some of the backlog stress and avoid common DS-160 errors.
Consular personnel warn that backlogs will ripple into early 2026, as December is already peak demand season for business and family travel to the United States. Applicants with time-sensitive needs (expiring petition approvals, drop-dead travel dates) are urged to use the “request expedited appointment” function and prepare additional documentation to justify urgency.
Companies relocating staff from India should anticipate delayed start dates and consider interim remote work from India to maintain project timelines. Immigration counsel also recommend monitoring the embassy’s Twitter and WhatsApp channels, which historically announce same-day extra slots when officers return.
While holiday closures are customary, mobility managers note that simultaneous federal closures and tightened H-1B wage rules could compound staffing gaps in the first quarter of 2026.
