Indian professionals seeking to renew or obtain H-1B visas are facing unprecedented delays at U.S. consulates, with interview slots now scarce through the end of 2026 and into 2027. The backlog has created serious uncertainty for thousands of tech workers, specialists and their families, complicating travel and career plans. Why Interviews Are Being Pushed So Far Out The delays began in December 2025, when U.S. consulates in India — including in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata — postponed H-1B visa appointments originally scheduled for late 2025 into March 2026. Subsequent rescheduling moved those dates to October 2026, and many have now been deferred into 2027, with no new slots showing up for the remainder of the current year. According to industry observers and visa support services, two major policy shifts have contributed to the backlog: Mandatory social media vetting for all employment-based visa applicants introduced in December 2025 added significant review time to the process. The end of “third-country visa stamping” for Indian nationals funnelled all demand back to U.S. posts in India, narrowing available appointment capacity. These changes have compounded demand pressures, leaving consular offices with no regular H-1B stamping appointments available across major cities for what could… Read MoreBusiness Archives – Trak.in – Indian Business of Tech, Mobile & Startups
