US Expands H-1B and H-4 Visa Screening, Thousands of Indian Applicants Face Delays.
The United States has announced an expansion of online presence reviews to all H-1B and H-4 visa applicants, as part of its standard visa screening. The US Embassy in India stated that this vetting is now being conducted globally for all applicants of all nationalities in these two visa categories. Applicants have been advised to apply as early as possible and anticipate additional processing time.
The move comes amid reports that thousands of pre-scheduled interviews for H-1B visa applicants in India, set for later this month, have been postponed by several months. Some interviews originally scheduled for December 15 have been rescheduled to March, while others from December 19 have been pushed to late May.
The Embassy said the step is aimed at preventing abuse of the H-1B programme while still allowing US companies to hire highly skilled foreign workers. H-1B visas are extensively used by American technology companies, and Indian professionals make up one of the largest groups of visa holders.
The delays have caused hardships for many Indian professionals who had returned to India to renew work permits. Without a valid H-1B visa, they cannot return to the US for their jobs.
In recent months, the US Embassy has emphasized that a visa is a privilege, not a right, and warned applicants that screening continues even after a visa is issued. Social media accounts have also been under scrutiny, with applicants previously asked to switch profiles to public for verification purposes.
In the Rajya Sabha on December 18, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said that the US Administration treats every visa adjudication as a national security decision. The expanded screening affects not only H-1B and H-4 visas but also F, M, and J non-immigrant visa categories, further impacting appointment schedules.
With these measures, Indian professionals seeking to return to the US are bracing for significant delays in resuming work, underscoring the growing scrutiny on skilled foreign workers.
Comments are closed.