Immigration attorneys in the United States are urgently advising H-1B visa holders not to travel to India, warning that the sudden and widespread postponement of visa interviews could leave workers stranded abroad for months — potentially costing them their jobs and separating them from their families. The US State Department has rescheduled December visa-stamping appointments in India to dates as late as March, April and even May 2026, triggering panic among hundreds of workers who had already travelled home expecting quick renewals.
According to multiple immigration experts, the risk is extremely high: H-1B visa holders who leave the US without a valid visa stamp cannot return until they complete an in-person consular interview, and the new delays effectively make re-entry impossible for several months. Many American employers, meanwhile, cannot legally permit remote work from outside the United States due to export-control regulations, payroll compliance issues, taxation rules and internal company policies. This means that if an H-1B employee leaves the country now, their job may not be waiting for them when they attempt to return.
Rahul Reddy, a well-known US immigration attorney, issued the strongest warning, saying: “Do not travel internationally for visa stamping unless you already have a valid visa in your passport.” He added that employers cannot keep a role vacant for half a year, and workers who travel now risk returning not to their jobs but “to unemployment.” His words reflect the growing alarm among workers and companies alike as the consequences of the postponements become clearer.
Another attorney, Rebecca Chen, echoed the warning. She said even those whose appointments have not yet been rescheduled should avoid travelling because the situation remains unpredictable. For H-1B holders already in India, however, there is no alternative but to wait — they cannot re-enter the US without a visa stamp, and all stamping appointments are now pushed into mid-2026.
Legal experts emphasise that visa stamping has nothing to do with maintaining legal status inside the US. A worker already in the country remains in a valid H-1B status as long as their petition and employment remain valid. But once they leave the US, re-entry is impossible without an appointment, which is now delayed for months.
The chaos comes just a week after the US government introduced a new rule requiring H-1B and H-4 visa applicants to make all their social media profiles public for enhanced security screening. The new digital-vetting process has strained processing capacity, with consular posts struggling to implement the requirement. Interviews scheduled between mid and late December have now been shifted as far ahead as next summer, according to attorneys who spoke to Bloomberg.
The impact is particularly severe for Indian nationals, who make up the largest share of H-1B holders. Many had travelled to India specifically for visa stamping appointments, and now find themselves stranded — unable to return to the US, unable to work, and unsure how long they will remain separated from spouses, children and employers.
With no clarity yet from the State Department and continuing uncertainty around interview availability, immigration lawyers say the safest option for H-1B workers is simple: stay in the United States and avoid all non-essential travel until the situation stabilises.
