What’s Happening

This week practitioners and news outlets are reporting increased instances of applicants for H-1B and H-4 visa stamps receiving notices that their December 2025 consular interviews are being cancelled and rescheduled to dates as late as March 2026. 

The shift is tied to a new requirement that all H-1B and H-4 visa applicants undergo an online presence review, which takes effect on December 15th and includes examination of social media and other publicly accessible digital information. Because consular staff must now spend additional time on these reviews, several consulates have begun reducing the number of interviews they can accommodate each day.

Although the visa interviews themselves are being pushed into next year, practitioners report that biometric appointments at Visa Application Centers are still being held. Many applicants are completing fingerprinting and photos as scheduled, only to learn afterward that their interview will be postponed.