United States | US Embassy India reschedules H-1B and H-4 visa appointments following “online presence review” mandate

Following the State Department’s mandate published on Dec. 3 expanding the requirement for “online presence review” to include all H-1B visa applicants and their H-4 dependents, effective Dec. 15, 2025, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India announced visa appointments had been rescheduled via email.

On Dec. 9, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India posted the following update on its official X account:

“ATTENTION VISA APPLICANTS – If you have received an email

advising that your visa appointment has been rescheduled, Mission

India looks forward to assisting you on your new appointment date.

Arriving on your previously scheduled appointment date will result

in your being denied admittance to the Embassy or Consulate.”

Newsweek reported on Dec. 9 that the U.S. Consulates in Chennai and Hyderabad have sent applicants emails that read in part, “Due to operational constraints related to processing these visas and to ensure that no applicants issued a visa pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety, the U.S. Consulate in Chennai must reduce the number of applicants each day.”

The State Department’s Dec. 15 mandate instructs all H-1B applicants and their H-4 dependents, F, M and J nonimmigrant visa applicants to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public.”

Per the U.S. Embassy India announcement, visa applicants who receive an email advising that their appointment has been rescheduled will not be allowed entry if they appear on the date of their previously scheduled appointment.

The State Department has not issued further public guidance on the matter as of the publication date of this alert.

BAL clients are advised to consult directly with their BAL support team regarding this matter. BAL will continue to monitor related developments and provide updates.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

Copyright © 2025 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.