🧠 Background: What’s Happening with H‑1B Visa Appointments

Recently, the U.S. Department of State expanded its “online presence review” — a mandatory screening of applicants’ social media and public wallet PLATFORM' target='_blank' title='digital-Latest Updates, Photos, Videos are a click away, CLICK NOW'>digital footprints — to apply to all H‑1B and H‑4 visa seekers. This new policy took effect mid‑December 2025.

Because consular officers now need more time for this enhanced vetting, many U.S. consulates dramatically reduced the number of interviews they can hold each day. As a result, H‑1B visa appointments that had been scheduled in india — especially at the chennai consulate — were abruptly cancelled or rescheduled for months later (often to March‑June 2026 or even beyond).

These mass cancellations have left hundreds or thousands of indians and their families stranded in India because they cannot get their visas stamped and return to the U.S. in time.

❓ Why Were chennai Appointments Hit Hard?

🔍 Expanded Screening + Capacity Crunch

  • The newly implemented social media and online presence review greatly increases pre‑interview vetting work.
  • Interview slots at consulates like Chennai, hyderabad and Mumbai in india were already in high demand.
  • With limited staffing and added review requirements, consulates couldn’t keep previously scheduled appointments — leading to hundreds of cancellations.

Local indian applicants have reported that appointments originally scheduled for december 2025 were shifted to April, May or even later months in 2026, even after applicants completed parts of the process like biometrics.

✈️ Why Some Applicants Got Appointments in the uae Instead

Unlike india, UAE consular posts still had available appointment slots sooner, due to either lower demand or different scheduling backlogs. A few applicants who were resident in the UAE chose a workaround:

They contacted the visa helpdesk to cancel their chennai (India) appointment.

They then booked a new appointment at the U.S. consulate in Dubai.

After rebooking and paying the required fees, they secured an interview much sooner — sometimes within days instead of months.

One posted account from Reddit describes this experience: after pushing to get their indian appointment cancelled, they paid the new fee and got a Dubai interview date quickly (example: from 12/18 in chennai → 1/13 in Dubai). After the interview, the visa was initially given a “221(g)” administrative processing slip, but later updated to “Approved” the same day.

This shows a potential advantage for applicants living abroad with legal residency (like in the UAE) — so long as they meet the consulate’s requirements and can prove residency there.

📌 Important Context & Tips

🧳 Chennai and india Delays

  • India is currently one of the busiest H‑1B visa processing regions, and the rush of appointments combined with new vetting rules has caused a backlog that pushes interviews into late 2026 in some cases.
  • U.S. consulates insist you must appear only on your new rescheduled date — arriving at the original date can lead to being turned away.

📍 Third‑Country Appointments

  • Policy changes in 2025 also tightened where you can book visa appointments — generally requiring applicants to schedule interviews only in their country of nationality or legal residence, not in third countries.
  • Exceptions can happen, but legal residency — like uae residence — is usually required to successfully transfer and rebook a slot.

🕒 Processing Delays

  • The online presence review may increase interview times and background investigations, meaning even after the appointment, administrative processing (e.g., additional documents or extended checks) can delay final visa issuance.

🧠 Summary

✔️ The U.S. expanded mandatory social media/online presence screening for H‑1B and H‑4 visa applicants.
✔️ This overwhelmed U.S. consulates in india, especially chennai, causing mass cancellation/rescheduling of interviews — some pushed to mid‑2026 or later.
✔️ Some applicants with UAE residency were able to cancel indian appointments and secure earlier interviews in Dubai — and even get visas approved sooner.
✔️ The situation reflects broader visa processing disruptions affecting many indian H‑1B workers and families.

 

Disclaimer:

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency, organization, employer, or company. All information provided is for general informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, reliability, or suitability of the information contained herein. Readers are advised to verify facts and seek professional advice where necessary. Any reliance placed on such information is strictly at the reader’s own risk.

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SIBY JEYYA

15/01/2026 06:12 AM