India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Friday that it has “flagged concerns” with the United States regarding the sudden rescheduling of thousands of pre-booked H-1B visa interviews in consulates across India. Emails sent last week informed applicants that appointments had been pushed back by as much as five months so officers could conduct “enhanced review” of social-media histories.
The deferments disproportionately hit first-time applicants graduating from Indian universities’ spring intake who typically aim for an April-May start date in the US. Staffing firms fear project delays and potential liquidated-damage clauses as onboarding timelines slip.
![New Delhi presses Washington after thousands of H-1B interviews postponed]()
Amid the upheaval, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) offers a quick way for applicants and HR teams to track newly released appointment slots, get document checklists tailored to the latest U.S. consular requirements, and explore fallback visa or work-permit options so projects stay on schedule despite interview delays.
During the weekly MEA briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Indian diplomats are “actively engaged” with US counterparts to restore earlier slots and streamline the vetting process. While the US Mission cites “operational reasons,” travel-industry insiders suggest consular sections are diverting resources to process a backlog of family-reunification cases before fiscal-year close.
Mobility managers should expect lengthier lead times: industry data already show the average wait for an H-1B interview in Mumbai jumped from 22 days in October to 104 days post-rescheduling. Companies are advised to file amendment petitions requesting consular notification flexibility and to explore alternative global-talent-mobility hubs (Canada, Mexico) for short-term project work.
The deferments disproportionately hit first-time applicants graduating from Indian universities’ spring intake who typically aim for an April-May start date in the US. Staffing firms fear project delays and potential liquidated-damage clauses as onboarding timelines slip.
Amid the upheaval, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) offers a quick way for applicants and HR teams to track newly released appointment slots, get document checklists tailored to the latest U.S. consular requirements, and explore fallback visa or work-permit options so projects stay on schedule despite interview delays.
During the weekly MEA briefing, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Indian diplomats are “actively engaged” with US counterparts to restore earlier slots and streamline the vetting process. While the US Mission cites “operational reasons,” travel-industry insiders suggest consular sections are diverting resources to process a backlog of family-reunification cases before fiscal-year close.
Mobility managers should expect lengthier lead times: industry data already show the average wait for an H-1B interview in Mumbai jumped from 22 days in October to 104 days post-rescheduling. Companies are advised to file amendment petitions requesting consular notification flexibility and to explore alternative global-talent-mobility hubs (Canada, Mexico) for short-term project work.
