Indian technology professionals and their employers were jolted on 22 January when the Times of India confirmed that no regular H-1B or H-4 visa-stamping appointments are available at any U.S. Consulate in India until April–May 2027 (timesofindia.indiatimes.com). The queue length means that anyone who leaves the United States today for stamping in India risks being stranded for more than a year—an unprecedented disruption for companies that rely on short home-leave trips to keep global assignments compliant.
Consular officers began deferring appointments in mid-December after Washington ordered enhanced social-media vetting of applicants. Immigration lawyers report “prudential revocations,” in which family-member visas are cancelled because of minor offences—such as an old DUI—linked to the principal H-1B holder. That has frightened many Indian workers into cancelling long-planned travel. Emily Neumann, a Houston-based attorney quoted in the report, said she has “not seen a single new slot open in 50 days.” (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
If you need help navigating alternative consular locations or securing supporting documents for third-country processing, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) offers end-to-end assistance, real-time appointment tracking and document-preparation tools that can significantly reduce uncertainty for both employees and HR teams.
![U.S. H-1B visa-stamping backlog in India pushes interview dates into 2027]()
For employers, the practical impact is immediate. HR teams are advising staff not to exit the United States unless their passport already carries an unexpired H-1B sticker. Project timelines that depend on India-based specialists travelling to U.S. client sites are being re-drawn; some firms are re-routing talent through Canada or Mexico, where in-country “drop-box” renewals remain possible. Meanwhile, global-mobility budgets must account for emergency housing, payroll localisation and dependent-schooling costs for workers stuck in India.
Strategically, the episode underscores the fragility of the U.S.–India talent corridor at a time when Washington is courting Indian semiconductor and defence investments. Business chambers on both sides are urging the State Department to add weekend staffing and third-country processing windows, but officials say enhanced screening will stay. Companies therefore need robust remote-work contingency plans and should brief travellers about carrying proof of continuous employment and spotless social-media histories.
Looking ahead, experts fear the 2026 H-1B cap season will compound the backlog unless extra adjudication resources are allocated. Mobility managers should monitor the Consulate’s X (formerly Twitter) feed for any one-off appointment releases, maintain valid I-797 approvals at least through 2027, and update travel-risk dashboards to reflect the new ‘do-not-travel’ advisory for visa renewals.
Consular officers began deferring appointments in mid-December after Washington ordered enhanced social-media vetting of applicants. Immigration lawyers report “prudential revocations,” in which family-member visas are cancelled because of minor offences—such as an old DUI—linked to the principal H-1B holder. That has frightened many Indian workers into cancelling long-planned travel. Emily Neumann, a Houston-based attorney quoted in the report, said she has “not seen a single new slot open in 50 days.” (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
If you need help navigating alternative consular locations or securing supporting documents for third-country processing, VisaHQ’s India portal (https://www.visahq.com/india/) offers end-to-end assistance, real-time appointment tracking and document-preparation tools that can significantly reduce uncertainty for both employees and HR teams.
For employers, the practical impact is immediate. HR teams are advising staff not to exit the United States unless their passport already carries an unexpired H-1B sticker. Project timelines that depend on India-based specialists travelling to U.S. client sites are being re-drawn; some firms are re-routing talent through Canada or Mexico, where in-country “drop-box” renewals remain possible. Meanwhile, global-mobility budgets must account for emergency housing, payroll localisation and dependent-schooling costs for workers stuck in India.
Strategically, the episode underscores the fragility of the U.S.–India talent corridor at a time when Washington is courting Indian semiconductor and defence investments. Business chambers on both sides are urging the State Department to add weekend staffing and third-country processing windows, but officials say enhanced screening will stay. Companies therefore need robust remote-work contingency plans and should brief travellers about carrying proof of continuous employment and spotless social-media histories.
Looking ahead, experts fear the 2026 H-1B cap season will compound the backlog unless extra adjudication resources are allocated. Mobility managers should monitor the Consulate’s X (formerly Twitter) feed for any one-off appointment releases, maintain valid I-797 approvals at least through 2027, and update travel-risk dashboards to reflect the new ‘do-not-travel’ advisory for visa renewals.
