H-1B visa chaos deepens as US’ new social-media vetting triggers mass postponements

Confusion and last-minute travel upheavals swept through US visa applicants this week as a new social-media vetting policy of the US State Department triggered widespread disruptions for H1-B visa applicants in India. Numerous appointments scheduled in December have now been postponed to next year.

The US Embassy in India issued an advisory on Tuesday night on X, saying, “If you have received an email advising that your visa appointment has been rescheduled, Mission India looks forward to assisting you on your new appointment date.”

“Arriving on your previously scheduled appointment date will result in your being denied admittance to the Embassy or Consulate,” the Embassy added.

The disruption comes amid Washington’s intensified social-media vetting policy, which requires applicants to make their social accounts public and disclose all usernames used in the past five years.

The chaos deepened after the Trump administration announced, on December 3, an expanded security-screening protocol for H-1B visa applicants.

An internal State Department cable instructed consular officers to examine applicants’ resumes and LinkedIn profiles, and even those of family members, for any involvement in fields such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance, or online safety.

The chaos spilled over to Reddit, where anxious users shared stories of cancelled flights and sleepless nights.

“My flight was in 9 hours. The agent told me I should attend biometrics on the 15^th but wait to hear back about my Dec 23 interview. No way I’m taking that risk. This was my first trip in six years. Indigo issues back home were finally easing and then this came out of syllabus. I’m super frustrated,” a user wrote.

Another user posted, “Given the cancellations happening, it’s too big a risk. We cancelled our trip and will cancel our visa appointments too. Maybe the freed-up dates will help someone stuck in India.”

Others questioned whether the crisis was limited to India.

“Is this only happening to India? I’m from a South American country with biometrics on the 22^nd and interview on the 26^th. I haven’t received any email yet,” one applicant wrote.

The US Mission has not yet issued a detailed clarification on whether more rescheduling is expected.