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The new policy by the US State Department for checking social media has caused major delays for H-1B visa seekers in India, with many appointments pushed to next year. On Tuesday evening, the US Embassy in India informed visa applicants. "If you got an email saying your appointment has been changed, Mission India is ready to help you on your new date," it stated. The Embassy also cautioned that anyone who shows up for their interview on the old appointment date, after being told about the change, will not be allowed entry. "Showing up on your old appointment date means you won’t be allowed in the Embassy or Consulate," the Embassy stated. Interviews that were meant for mid to late December are now being moved to March of next year, according to Bloomberg. Yet, the exact number of appointments that have been rescheduled remains unclear.
A lawyer from a prominent business immigration firm, Steven Brown, remarked, "Mission India is confirming what we've been hearing. They've canceled several appointments in the upcoming weeks and moved them to March to accommodate the social media checks." The US government has increased the checking processes for H-1B visa applicants and their H-4 family members, asking them to set all their social media profiles to "public". Starting December 15, officials will examine their online activity to find visa applicants who might be ineligible or could be a risk to national security or public safety. Students and exchange visitors have already faced this kind of scrutiny. "Every visa decision is related to national security," the State Department mentioned.
The social media checks are just the most recent examination of the H-1B program, which is the main way for skilled foreign workers to immigrate and has faced more scrutiny from the Trump administration. In September, US President Donald Trump introduced a one-time fee of $100,000 for new H-1B work visas, a decision that could greatly affect Indian workers looking for temporary jobs in the US. Later, the US temporarily suspended Green Card, citizenship, and other immigration applications for individuals from 19 "concerned countries" following an incident involving the shooting of National Guard soldiers by an Afghan national.
