The US Embassy has canceled H-1B visa renewal appointments. Thousands of NRIs who came to India to renew their visas are stranded. Now, they cannot return to the US without their visas being renewed.
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Amid the US’s tightening of immigration restrictions, Indian H-1B visa holders are facing significant difficulties. NRIs who came to India to renew their work permits are now unable to return to the US. According to reports, due to the US’s social media waiting policy, H-1B visa appointments have been postponed to next year. Interviews scheduled for December will now take place in March. Consequently, a large number of NRIs who came to India are now stranded here.
Google has advised its employees to avoid international travel due to delays in visa renewals. According to a report in the Washington Post, appointments scheduled between December 15th and 26th by Indians with the US Embassy were canceled without prior notice.
Several major companies say this is a rare occurrence. This is a significant problem, and there appears to be no concrete plan for the future. A US-based employee traveled to India to attend a wedding. He was given a consular appointment on December 17th and 23rd. However, his appointment was also canceled. The question now is how long companies will wait for an employee.
The US administration has informed via email that appointments are being delayed due to the new social media waiting policy. The US says that due to security reasons, extreme caution is being exercised in visa renewals, which will cause the process to take some time. Earlier, on December 9th, the US Embassy in India issued an advisory stating that if you received a rescheduling email and still visit the embassy, you will not be granted entry.
What is the Social Media Vetting Policy?
The Donald Trump administration has implemented a social media screening policy for H-1B and H-4 visas. A person’s social media profile will be reviewed before issuing or renewing a visa. Consequently, the privacy settings of social media profiles will have to be changed and made public before applying for a visa. It should be noted that in September, the Trump administration imposed a fee of $100,000 on H-1B visas.
