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New Delhi: In the wake of the US State Department's new social media vetting policy, several existing H-1B appointments were postponed or rescheduled, prompting authorities to issue an advisory for Indian applicants.
In the advisory for the H-1B visa applicants, the US Embassy in India said that arriving on previously scheduled appointment dates will result in denial of entry.
“Attention visa applicants – If you have received an email advising that your visa appointment has been rescheduled, Mission India looks forward to assisting you on your new appointment date," the embassy said in a post on X.
“Arriving on your previously scheduled appointment date will result in your being denied admittance to the Embassy or Consulate," it wrote.
H1-B interviews rescheduled for March
According to a Bloomberg report, interviews scheduled for mid to late December have been postponed to March next year. However, it is known how many interviews have been rescheduled.
"Mission India confirms what we have been hearing. They have cancelled a number of appointments in the coming weeks and rescheduled them for March to allow for the social media vetting," an attorney from a top business immigration law firm said.
This comes amid the Trump administration's move to revoke multiple visas this year as part of its broader crackdown on illegal immigration. According to the State Department, 85,000 visas have been revoked since January.
'Private to public'
The US government has directed H-1B visa applicants to keep the privacy settings on all their social media profiles set to "public" as it expanded screening and vetting measures for them and their H-4 dependents. The State Department will begin scanning social media of H-1B visa applicants and their H-4 dependents from December 15. The department will do an intensive review of their posts, interactions and overall digital activity.
The US Department has said that “every visa adjudication is a national security decision” and stressed that a US visa is “a privilege, not a right”.
The social media vetting is among a slew of tough measures taken by the Trump administration lately against the H-1B visa program. In September, US President Donald Trump imposed a one-time USD 100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applicants - a move that could significantly impact Indian workers who account for 70 per cent of all beneficiaries.
