India on Friday flagged its concerns to the US over the cancellation of pre-scheduled H-1B visa interviews for large numbers of Indian applicants and said both sides were engaged on the issue. The interviews of thousands of H-1B visa applicants slated from the middle of this month in India were abruptly postponed by several months to scrutinise their social media posts and online profiles.
Some applicants whose visa appointments were scheduled last week received emails from US immigration authorities informing them that their interviews were being pushed back as late as May next year. The Indian government had received several representations from Indian nationals facing problems with the rescheduling of their visa appointments, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his weekly media briefing. Visa-related issues pertained to the sovereign domain of any country, he said, adding: “we have flagged these issues and our concerns to the US side, both here in New Delhi and in Washington DC.” Jaiswal said several Indians had been stranded for extended periods in India, causing a lot of “hardships” to them and their families. “The Government of India has received multiple representations from Indian nationals facing delays and difficulties in scheduling or rescheduling US visa appointments. While visa matters fall under the sovereign domain of the issuing country, India has raised these concerns with the US authorities in New Delhi and Washington DC. These delays have caused extended hardships for affected individuals and their families, including disruptions to education. The government remains actively engaged with the US side to address the issue and minimise the impact on Indian nationals,” Jaiswal said.
Mass cancellation push applicants to more trouble
The mass cancellation of scheduled interviews for H-1B visa applicants, in view of enhanced vetting measures, resulted in significant delays in their return to the US. The rescheduling applied to all applicants who were previously given appointments from December 15 onwards. Most of them were already in India and were unable to return to the US pending their new interview dates since they did not have a valid H-1B visa to travel back for their jobs.Hundreds, possibly thousands, of high-skilled workers had appointments cancelled between December 15 and 26, a period many H-1B holders target since it coincides with the US holiday season.
