E-Paper
H-1B applicant stranded in India seeks urgent help amid baby woes: ‘I need to…’
Interviews for H-1B visa renewals have been postponed to March, with limited emergency slots available in January.
Several H-1B workers find themselves stranded in India due to the recent social media vetting policy implemented by the US State Department. One applicant, who has received approval for an emergency interview request, has reached out for assistance on Reddit, stating “I need to immediately travel back for my baby’s medical treatment.”
Interviews that were planned for mid to late December have been postponed to March next year. While certain cities offer emergency slots in January, other areas exhibit a lack of availability and impose rescheduling limitations.
This can be seen as a considerable disruption for both applicants seeking visa renewals and their employers, given that approximately 70-75 percent of H-1B visas are allocated to Indian nationals each year. A majority of these individuals travel in December for their renewals, coinciding with the holiday season in the United States.
Notably, the H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that permits US employers to recruit foreign talent, particularly for positions in STEM fields.
Also Read: NRI reveals how 'India cured me' after 10-year return, blasts US profit-driven healthcare
‘No slot available’
In a Reddit post, the applicant said that “no slot is available”, despite the fact that their “emergency interview request was approved”. However, HT.com cannot verify the authenticity of the claim made by the Redditor.
The H-1B candidate further said that they have raised multiple requests and cases with the support but nothing has worked out so far.
“My OFC is done but my interview got rescheduled to April 2026. I am already in India and my emergency interview request was approved as I need to immediately travel back for my baby’s medical treatment,” the post read.
“However I am unable to see any slots available when I try to schedule the emergency appointment. I have raised multiple requests and cases with the support but all they say is keep trying.”
Seeking advise from other applicants, the applicant said: “Me being back in the US is time critical for my baby’s treatment and I am not sure what to do next. Any help would be appreciated.”
Redditors react
The post has garnered attention from other social media users, with one saying: “I am in the same boat . ER approved but no slots in Chennai.”
“Can't u try any other center?. Or the portal is just restricted to chennai?” another asked.
While a third user said, “Same boat,” the fourth one wrote, “I think immigration firms like Fragomen offer consular services. I’d recommend looking them up over finding random agents who may scam you.”
Social media vetting process
The administration of Donald Trump has initiated a more rigorous screening and vetting process for H-1B visa applicants and their dependent H-4 visa holders, which includes an examination of their social media profiles. This action comes weeks after the State Department directed all visa holders to adjust their privacy settings to ‘public’.
