Multiple U.S. consular posts, including Mission India, Ireland, and Vietnam, have begun unilaterally rescheduling certain H-1B and H-4 visa appointments originally set for December 2025. U.S. consular posts have attributed these changes to operational constraints tied to the Department of State's (DOS) new online presence review requirements for H-1B principals and H-4 dependents. Consular posts have reported that, as they implement the online presence review for H‑1B/H‑4 cases, they must reduce daily interview capacity to complete the new vetting.
DOS's underlying policy change extends its existing social media/online vetting—previously applied to F, M, and J categories—to all H‑1B principals and H‑4 dependents effective December 15, 2025. DOS has emphasized that each visa adjudication is a national security decision and directs applicants to make social media accounts public to facilitate screening. DOS guidance indicates that consular officers may review LinkedIn profiles and resumes and scrutinize certain activities reflected in applicants' online histories.
Applicants with interviews on or after December 15 are being instructed not to appear on their original dates and to attend their newly assigned appointments instead. Thus, applicants whose interviews fall on or after December 15, 2025, should closely monitor their appointment portals and email for rescheduling notices. Where a new date is issued, the original appointment will not be honored, and applicants should not appear on the initial date. Consular communications indicate that Visa Application Center (VAC) biometrics appointments remain valid and unaffected; however, interview rescheduling may be limited to one online change, and fee receipts older than one year cannot be used to reschedule.
Employers should be prepared for delayed returns, consider remote work arrangements, and plan for project impacts.
Continue to check back with us for updates on the status of this important foreign policy issue. For more information, please contact Maria del Carmen Ramos or Haley Kole.