Overview
- Since December 15, the State Department has applied online‑presence screening to all H‑1B and H‑4 applicants, shifting consular focus to deeper checks.
- Hundreds, possibly thousands, saw mid‑December appointments canceled or moved to dates from March to June 2026, with some pushed into 2027, leaving many stranded in India.
- Applicants report scarce expedited slots and frequent denials, and immigration attorney Emily Neumann says she has at least 100 clients stuck after postponements.
- Employers are issuing stopgap arrangements, including Amazon’s memo allowing remote work from India until March 2 with strict limits, while some staff are shifted to India payroll or warned of unpaid leave or termination.
- Workers face family separations, ongoing U.S. living costs, tax and compliance risks from extended stays abroad, and added uncertainty from other recent H‑1B measures such as the end of remote renewals, a contested $100,000 fee, and a move toward a wage‑weighted selection rule.