Mission India: H-1B/H-4 Interviews Rescheduled Under Presence Review

U.S. consulates in Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai and New Delhi have begun shifting large numbers of H‑1B and H‑4 visa interview dates, catching workers and families off guard just days before many were due to appear. Applicants with interviews set on or after December 15, 2025 started receiving notices from December 8 that their appointments had been moved, often to March 2026 and, in some cases, to June 2026. The rescheduling follows the Department of State’s new online presence review, which adds extra screening time per case. Law firms say the change applies to both first-time visas and renewals nationwide.

What Mission India and the consulates are saying

Mission India, the collective name used for the United States 🇺🇸 diplomatic posts, has acknowledged the emails on its website and told applicants it “looks forward to assisting you on your new appointment date.” The notices direct people to check their Consular Electronic Application Center, or CEAC, where the new interview appears under “Visa Application Home” and “Appointment Confirmation.”

• Several applicants reported that the old confirmation pages remained visible for hours, adding confusion.
• Consular staff have not said how long the slower pace will last.
• As of the latest reports, there has been no Department of State announcement explaining the rollout.

Why interviews are being rescheduled

People are being rescheduled because the online presence review requires officers to spend more time checking an applicant’s digital footprint, including social media and other online activity, before and after the interview.

• The change applies to H‑1B principals and H‑4 dependents, whether applying for a first visa or renewing an existing one.
• The broader check reduces the number of interviews officers can handle each day, which pushes back the calendar for everyone waiting.
• Similar rescheduling has been reported in Ireland and Vietnam.
• Many in India said the timing upended travel and classes.

Important operational details and risks

• The rescheduling is unilateral: applicants do not choose the new date.
• The system treats the reassigned interview as the only valid appointment; advisers warn not to show up on the original day even if flights or hotels are booked.
• Entry to the consular section is tied to the active barcode on the appointment letter.
• Biometrics appointments at Visa Application Centers (VACs) have generally stayed in place unless a separate notice arrives.
  • This split schedule can leave people with fingerprints taken weeks or months before their interview, raising worries about expiring documents.

MRV fee receipt and reschedule limits

A key complication is the one-year clock on the MRV fee receipt (the payment record required to book a visa interview).

• Applicants can usually make only one online reschedule themselves, and only if the MRV receipt is less than one year old.
• If the receipt has passed a year, it becomes invalid and the applicant may need to pay again and restart scheduling.
• Missing the newly assigned date, or canceling it without a replacement, can risk forfeiting the fee and losing your place in line.
• Expedite requests remain unclear; employers say interview slots can vanish minutes after they appear online.

Privacy trade-offs and practical advice

The new screening has produced advice that feels unusual for a work visa:

• Several advisers are telling applicants to set their social media accounts to public at least one week before the new interview date and keep them public until the visa is approved, so officers can view profiles without delays.
• According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the aim is to reduce last‑minute surprises during the review, but it can make people uneasy about privacy.
• Consular officers already ask for social media identifiers on many visa forms, and applicants worry that casual posts may be misread without context in tight timelines.

Key takeaway: Applicants should assume consular officers will review online activity and plan accordingly, balancing privacy concerns with the need to avoid delays.

Employer and project impacts

For technology firms and consulting companies that depend on cross‑border travel, the delays can hit project deadlines and operations.

• Immigration counsel are advising employers to:
  • Plan for employees to work remotely from India longer than expected.
  • Keep clear records showing where the worker is sitting and what work is being done.
• These details matter for:
  • Payroll withholding
  • Client billing
  • Data access rules
  • Long‑term plans for permanent residence if assignments shift
• Companies fear staffing gaps in the United States 🇺🇸 if teams cannot return after holidays as planned.

Family, schooling, and travel consequences

Applicants are being urged to treat travel plans as tentative until the visa stamp is in the passport.

• Even with an approved USCIS petition, a visa interview is a separate step and delays can ripple through families.
• A spouse on H‑4 who needs a stamp to re‑enter with children can cause entire family schedules to shift.
• Examples of disruption:
  • Parents who lined up school admissions in the U.S. for January starts are now seeking deferrals.
  • Others face lease renewals and job start dates that no longer match their paperwork calendar.

Timing sensitivity and recommended actions

The timing is especially sensitive because many H‑1B workers use December travel to visit relatives and then return to jobs requiring physical presence for client work or security access.

• With interview capacity squeezed, employees may have to delay return or avoid leaving at all, even for family emergencies, to protect their status.
• Advisers recommend:
  1. Download the updated appointment letter immediately when it appears.
  2. Keep screenshots of portal changes and email notices.
  3. Watch email closely in case the date moves again.
  4. Treat consular call centers as unlikely to override system-wide blocks without headquarters approval.

Current guidance and outlook

So far, the Department of State has not published detailed public guidance on how the online presence review will be applied to these employment visas. Mission India’s brief note confirms only that rescheduling emails are real and that staff expect to see applicants on revised dates.

• In the absence of a broader announcement, employers and workers are bracing for delays into mid‑2026 if the slower interview pace spreads beyond India.
• For now, the best indicator remains the portal itself, where new dates can appear suddenly and change again without warning.

Quick reference timeline (reported)

If you have a specific case, keep documentation of all portal changes and consider consulting immigration counsel to evaluate MRV timing, reschedule options, and potential impacts on employment and family plans.