For thousands of Indian professionals, a routine trip home has turned into a nightmare. Engineers, tech workers and specialists who travelled to India for H-1B visa renewal interviews are now stranded indefinitely after US consulates abruptly cancelled appointments scheduled after mid-December. With no warning and little clarity, interviews have been pushed back by months in some cases to late 2026 leaving families separated, jobs at risk and futures uncertain.
Many of those affected had already resigned from temporary housing in the US, booked return flights and reassured employers they would be back within weeks. Instead, they now find themselves stuck in limbo, unable to return to work because their visas have expired and their interviews no longer exist. For them, the issue is not policy, it is rent due back home, children enrolled in US schools, and employers running out of patience.
The sudden disruption is being linked to stricter background checks and expanded scrutiny of applicants&rsquo; social media activity under tighter immigration enforcement. While the US government has not issued a detailed public explanation, applicants were instructed not to show up at consulates on their original dates. Immigration lawyers say the lack of predictability is hurting businesses just as much as workers, especially in tech firms dependent on specialised talent.
For ordinary applicants, the message feels harsh: a system they followed by the book has shifted without notice. &ldquo;Visa stamping feels like a maze right now,&rdquo; one immigration attorney noted, warning that uncertainty has become the new normal. As delays stretch into years, many are left asking a simple question, how long can lives remain paused for paperwork?
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Sudden US visa interview cancellations leave Indian professionals stranded and jobless

H-1B Dreams Put on Hold in India

Sudden US visa interview cancellations leave Indian professionals stranded and jobless

December 21, 2025 | 17:16 IST