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Numerous individuals holding H-1B visas, who returned to India earlier this month to update their work permits, find themselves stuck as their scheduled appointments have been suddenly delayed until next year due to a new social media screening rule from the US State Department. These workers had interviews arranged for between December 15 and December 26, which is also during the holiday season in the US. Appointments planned for mid to late December have reportedly been moved to March of next year. Several prominent law firms have mentioned that they have a lot of clients who are now stranded in India. "This is the worst situation we've experienced. I'm unsure if there is any plan," said immigration lawyer Veena Vijay Ananth to news agency ANI.
A man residing in the suburbs of Detroit returned to India this month for a wedding and was supposed to have consular appointments on December 17 and December 23. However, those appointments are now no longer valid, according to the Washington Post. Experts worry about how long the companies they work for will be patient waiting for them to come back.
The State Department allegedly sent an email to the Indian workers stating that their interviews were postponed because of the new social media screening policy, which is designed to "make sure that applicants do not pose a risk to US national security or public safety." On December 9, the US Embassy in India had issued a notice warning that any visa applicant who arrives for an interview on a previously scheduled date after being informed of a reschedule will not be allowed entry. "If you have received a message indicating that your visa appointment has been changed, Mission India is ready to help you on your new appointment date. Arriving on your original appointment date will lead to you being denied entry to the Embassy or Consulate," the notice stated. A report from US Citizenship and Immigration Services in April indicated that India holds 71 percent of H-1B visa holders.
US technology leaders Google and Apple have alerted some of their staff about avoiding international travel. This advisory comes after discovering that the process for getting US visas at American embassies and consulates is experiencing major delays, which could last up to a year, according to Business Insider, referencing internal communications. BAL Immigration Law, Google's outside legal counsel, advised affected employees through an email to refrain from traveling abroad due to the unusually long wait times for appointments at these facilities. They cautioned that travelers might face the possibility of staying outside the US for an extended period.
The administration under Donald Trump has started to implement stricter checks for H-1B and H-4 visa applicants, including reviewing their social media accounts. This occurred shortly after the State Department directed all visa holders to make their privacy settings public. Previously, students and exchange visitors had been subject to such checks, which have now been expanded to include workers as well. According to the State Department, "Every visa decision is a matter of national security."
The recent social media reviews are part of ongoing examinations of the H-1B program, which is the main route for skilled workers from other countries and has faced mounting scrutiny from the Trump administration. In September, President Trump introduced a one-time fee of $100,000 for new H-1B work visa applications, a move that may have a considerable effect on Indian workers looking for temporary jobs in the US. Later on, the US also suspended Green Card applications, US citizenship requests, and other immigration processes for individuals from 19 "countries of concern" following an incident involving the shooting of National Guard members by an Afghan individual.
