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Did US Consulates in India Have Run Out of H-1B Interview Dates Till 2027?

Did US Consulates in India Have Run Out of H-1B Interview Dates Till 2027?

According to the reports of several news outlets, the US consulates across India have rescheduled several stamping interview dates further down into 2027. Undoubtedly, this update has caused major stir and disruptions among the Indian professionals. Visa offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata no longer have regular interview slots available. Here, our Eb-1a experts have directly focused on this news in elaborate detail.

The history of the visa appointment delay and what to expect

The delays solidified in December of 2025, with the consulates rescheduling most of the appointments set for the month to March 2026. However, the officials did not stop at March: they have further delayed the interview into October 2026. Now updates are coming in that officials have put the dates in abeyance further into 2027.

Hence, if your interview date has been moved into the year 2027, you are not alone. It is a broader trend of most US consulates in India, and they have no slots available. According to NDTV sources, the appointment slots may not be available until April-May of 2027.

Why do the visa appointments keep getting postponed?

The unusual delay of the visa appointments is not a coincidence or accident. It started taking shape due to a bunch of policy changes. The first of these changes is the mandatory social media screening for all employment visa which was introduced on 15 December 2025. Secondly, another precipitating factor to occasion such a delay would be none other than the State Department’s decision to abolish the “third-country” stamping for all the Indian applicants. Hence, the entire crowd of Indian applicants has no other recourse but the five Indian posts.

The consequence: thousands are trapped in India

Theoretically speaking, an H-1B worker who leaves the United States cannot re-enter without a valid stamp. As a rippling consequence, thousands of applicants have been trapped in India indefinitely. In these waves of chaos and confusion, some employers have transitioned into remote work mode. Many other employees have relocated urgent work to Canada or Mexico, where Indian staff can at least stay temporarily on the intra-company permits.

In this context, immigration attorney Emily Neumann has reportedly remarked: “If a mechanical-engineering PhD from IIT can get a German Blue Card in two weeks but has to wait 18 months for a US visa interview, the market will decide.” Her cynical remark points to the current drudgeries involved in the U.S. immigration pathways and how they could impact the bigger talent acquisition market.

What can the applicants do if they are stranded in India?

You may want to assess your options if you are staying stuck in India. There is one legal backdoor to expedite the appointment, since it is legally possible to expedite appointments based on medical emergencies. However, we are already witnessing many situations of staffing shortages at the consulates. Hence, hope for fast processing is meagre, if not impossible.

However, the EB-1A experts and immigration authorities are asking the Indian professionals in the U.S. not to travel indiscriminately, since if they leave the U.S. once, they might not be able to get back without reissuing the H-1B or incurring the H-1B fee.

For more news and latest insights, stay tuned to our blog section. If you are looking for personalized suggestions for your EB-1A green card profile, get in touch with us. We provide well-rounded green card mentorship for all extraordinary applicants.

We wish you a safe and stress-free immigration journey.

Sources & Further Readings

  1. American Bazaar.“No Regular Appointment Till 2027: H-1B Workers Face Long Wait.” American Bazaar, January 23, 2026.
  2. NDTV. “Why US Consulates in India Have Run Out of H-1B Interview Dates Till 2027.” NDTV, January 2026.
  3. VisaHQ. “U.S. Consulates Push H-1B Visa Interview Dates in India to 2027, Stranding Professionals."VisaHQ News, January 25, 2026.
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