Overview
- In a post on X, the U.S. Embassy in India stated that anyone who breaks U.S. law will face significant criminal penalties and reiterated the administration’s focus on ending illegal immigration.
- Thousands of H‑1B and H‑4 applicants in India report interviews deferred by months due to enhanced checks of social media and online activity, leaving many unable to return to U.S. jobs and families.
- India has raised concerns over the cancellations of pre‑scheduled H‑1B appointments, and both sides are in talks to address the disruptions tied to expanded vetting procedures.
- After a federal judge declined on December 23 to block the proposed $100,000 H‑1B fee, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce filed an appeal, with related lawsuits continuing in multiple courts.
- The warning lands against a year of intensified enforcement that included a February flight deporting 104 Indian nationals, and reports note no comparable embassy alerts were posted for Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar, or China.