Overview
- Effective December 15, consular applicants for H-1B visas and H-4 dependents are subject to an online presence review, with instructions to set declared social media accounts to public.
- U.S. consulates in India, including Hyderabad and Chennai, have mass-rescheduled appointments to March–June 2026 and directed applicants to appear only on new dates.
- Early interviewees reported widespread 221(g) administrative processing tied to social media review, passport retention in some cases, and CEAC statuses shifting from “Refused” placeholders to “Approved” for a subset the same day.
- Outcomes remain inconsistent across posts and no processing timeline has been provided, leading attorneys to advise against nonessential travel and to prepare for remote-work, staffing, and tax implications.
- The State Department frames the expanded screening as national-security vetting, and the requirement applies to consular visa stamping abroad, not to petitions filed with USCIS inside the United States.