US warns of delays in H-1B, H-4 visa processing after new rules

New US visa rules effective December 15 have slowed H-1B and H-4 processing due to expanded social media vetting. The delays have stranded many Indians, put jobs at risk, and prompted tech companies to warn employees against travelling abroad.

Hyderabad: The US government has indicated that H-1B and H-4 non-immigrant work visa processing may take longer than usual due to new rules that have come into force on December 15.

While the US Embassies and consulates across the world continue to accept and process H-1B and H-4 non-immigrant visa applications, the US Embassy in India urged the applicant to apply as early as they can. “Anticipate additional processing time for these visa classifications,” it said in an advisory to applicants on Monday.

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Commencing December 15, the US Department of State has extended the online presence review of all H-1B and H-4 applicants as part of standard visa screening.

The H-1B and their H-4 dependents have to mandatorily make their social media accounts public, disclose their usernames or IDs used on major platforms, including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, even if the accounts are inactive in the past five years.

This is being done to ensure thorough background checks on the applicants. “This vetting is being conducted globally for all applicants of all nationalities for H1-B and H-4 visas. It is an effort to address abuse of the H-1B programme while still permitting companies to hire the best of the best temporary foreign workers,” said the US Embassy in India.

This rule has already placed jobs of hundreds of Indians at risk, as the H-1B and H-4 visa appointments scheduled on or after December 15 have been rescheduled to as late as October 2026. Indians who returned for their visa appointment are stranded as their visa dates have been postponed.

Several of them have already lost their jobs and many are pitching for remote working from abroad. However, the companies are not inclined to permit as it violates Labour Condition Application and other visa rules.

Meanwhile, major technology companies, including Google, Microsoft, Apple and ServiceNow, cautioned their H-1B and H-4 visa-holding employees against travelling abroad, citing prolonged delays at the US Embassies that could leave them stranded outside the US for a long time.