India flagged H-1B visa delays with US amid cancellations, holiday shutdown

The government of India on Friday expressed concern over delays and cancellations of H-1B and other US visa appointments and said that the disruption affected Indian citizens’ education and employment plans.

 

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the matter remained under active discussion with US officials in New Delhi and Washington, DC.

Engagement with US authorities continued

Speaking at the MEA’s weekly press briefing on Friday, Jaiswal confirmed that India had received multiple representations from affected nationals.

 

“Yes, the Government of India has received several representations from Indian nationals who were facing delays and problems with scheduling or rescheduling of their visa appointments. While we did understand that visa matters fell under the sovereign domain of the issuing country, we flagged these issues with the US authorities in New Delhi and Washington DC,” he said.

 

 

He added that India expected the issues to be addressed through continued engagement.

 

Jaiswal said the delays created prolonged uncertainty for many applicants.

 

“We hoped that these delays and disruptions would be addressed. There were several people who remained stranded for an extended period because of scheduling and rescheduling of visa appointments, and this caused considerable hardship to their families,” he said.

 

He also stated that the US side had communicated that its visa review system expanded with effect from December 15.

Policy changes under Trump administration

Visa appointments, including those for H-1B applicants, faced delays and cancellations following policy changes introduced by the administration of US President Donald Trump. These measures included expanded social media screening of applicants.

 

Immigration lawyers earlier this week said that interviews for Indian high-skilled workers were cancelled between December 15 and December 26, coinciding with the US holiday period, ANI reported.

 

The situation worsened after the US Embassy in India announced that its New Delhi office and consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bengaluru remained closed from December 24 to December 26.

 

The closure followed a Presidential Executive Order mandating the shutdown of federal executive departments and agencies on those dates.

 

Emails reviewed by The Washington Post showed that the US State Department informed applicants that interviews were postponed after the rollout of expanded screening measures.

 

The policy aimed “to ensure that no applicants posed a threat to US national security or public safety,” according to a report by ANI.