H-1B visa holders stranded in India: No one seems concerned, say experts

Thousands of H-1B visa holders remain stranded in India as interview slots dry up and delays push appointments into 2027

Thousands of H-1B visa holders are currently stranded in India, with immigration attorneys saying there is no immediate resolution to ongoing delays in visa stamping.

 

In a post on X, immigration attorney Emily Neumann said the situation remains unresolved, with little indication of intervention despite the growing backlog.

 

“I don't see anyone urging the Department of State to improve the situation. Typically, we would hear from members of Congress, urging the Department of State, ‘hey we need to open up more visa appointments as this is hurting business, this is hurting people's ability to travel’ and I am not hearing anything about that right now.

   

There does not seem to be any kind of concern, which tells me that they are not planning to improve anything. Because no one seems to be overly worried about it,” Neumann said.

 

She added that companies should reach out to their Congressmen and Senators to flag the impact on business operations and employees.

 

“Until someone complains about it, there does not seem to be any motivation for the department to do anything,” Neumann said, adding that only the State Department and Secretary Marco Rubio can address the issue.

 

Severe shortage of interview slots

 

Immigration advocate Palak Gupta of Jotwani Associates told Business Standard that there is a severe disruption in the availability of H-1B visa interview slots in India.

 

“While the 2026 slots have not received any response yet, 2027 applications are already in queue,” she said.

 

Gupta on slots availability:

 

2026 slots: There is a near-total lack of regular H-1B interview slots for the remainder of 2026. US consulates in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata have largely rolled over their appointment calendars to next year

2027 queue: New appointments being released or rescheduled are predominantly falling into the first and second quarters of 2027

The “rescheduling wave”: Many applicants who originally held slots for early 2026 have reported their appointments being automatically moved to late 2026 or 2027 due to new processing protocols

 

Why delays are increasing

 

Gupta listed several factors contributing to the backlog:

 

Mandatory social media vetting: Effective December 15, 2025, a directive requires consular officers to review public social media profiles of H-1B and H-4 applicants, increasing interview time and reducing daily capacity

Increased scrutiny: New selection rules for the FY2027 cap, which began registration in March 2026, have led to more complex adjudications

End of third-country stamping: Options for Indians to get visas stamped in countries such as Thailand or the UAE have become more limited, pushing more applicants into the domestic queue

 

Concerns over policy approach

 

Immigration attorney Rahul Reddy said in a blog post that the Donald Trump administration cannot impose direct legal restrictions on H-1B visas but may be affecting mobility through administrative measures.

 

He said the administration has learned from past policies and now understands that more control can be exercised when visa holders are outside the United States rather than within it, advising workers to avoid travel outside the country.

 

What solutions are being suggested

 

Gupta said there is a need to increase the number of available appointments and expand capacity at key consulates, particularly in Hyderabad and Chennai, which handle a large share of H-1B processing.

 

She also called for a centralised processing system in cities such as Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai, similar to the model used in Delhi.

 

When will slots open

 

At present, there are no available interview dates across four US consulates in India, with the earliest appointments extending to around March 2027.

 

“Nobody really knows when the H-1B slots will open up, simply for the reason that the notice is hard, is rarely given, if at all, and when they open up, they'll open up without notice. And those who are online at that time, and those who are online at that time? Well, it's difficult to say, because normally, it's not difficult to stay online for 24 hours. So those who are online at that time will be lucky enough to book a slot,” Ajay Sharma, immigration expert and founder of Abhinav Immigration Services, told Business Standard.

 

“My own personal expectation is that it could happen, may happen, considering the overall backlog and the pressure, could happen somewhere around five or before the middle of April, that's my expectation,” he added.

 

How the situation unfolded

 

The current situation follows a mass rescheduling of interview dates in December 2025 after the introduction of social media vetting for H-1B and H-4 applicants.

 

Many Indian visa holders who travelled to India in November and December had scheduled appointments for visa stamping during that period. However, delays and rescheduling have left several unable to return to the United States.

 

While some companies have allowed employees to work remotely from India, many workers remain in uncertainty as the backlog continues.