Why the H-1B Visa Process is Stalling for Indians

Thousands of Indian IT professionals and skilled workers are facing a massive disruption to their career plans as a surging H-1B visa backlog has effectively wiped out availability for early 2026.

Applicants in India who were initially targeting interview slots for January are now finding the earliest available appointments pushed back to September 2026.

This bottleneck comes as the U.S. State Department and Department of Homeland Security implement more rigorous vetting procedures, slowing the adjudication process significantly.

The September Surge in H-1B Visa: A Perfect Storm of Demand

The crisis is the result of a “perfect storm” of high demand and administrative shifts.

Following the conclusion of the most recent H-1B lottery cycles, a record number of successful petitioners moved to the visa stamping phase.

However, U.S. consulates in Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Kolkata are struggling to keep pace.

While the U.S. mission in India processed a record 1.4 million visas in the previous fiscal year, the specialized nature of H-1B “work” visas requires more intensive manual review than standard tourist visas.

The sudden leap from January to September availability has left many Indian tech workers in a state of “immigration limbo,” unable to join their U.S. employers on schedule.

Increased Vetting: The New Administrative Hurdles

A primary driver of the delay is the U.S. government’s enhanced focus on “visa integrity.” Federal agencies have ramped up vetting to combat fraud, particularly targeting “multi-filing” schemes where individuals submit multiple applications through different shell companies to rig the lottery system.

New protocols now include:

• Deep-Dive Employer Verification: Consular officers are conducting more thorough checks on the legitimacy of the petitioning U.S. companies.
• Specialized Security Reviews: Technical workers in sensitive fields (such as AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing) are increasingly subject to “Administrative Processing,” which can add weeks or months to the timeline.
• On-the-Ground Audits: Increased collaboration between U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and consular offices to verify the physical work locations of the applicants.

H-1B Visa Process: Impact on the Tech Sector and Corporate India

The nine-month delay is sending shockwaves through the Indian IT services sector.

Major firms, including TCS, Infosys, and HCLTech, often rely on the January–March window to mobilize staff for new project cycles in the U.S.

With slots pushed to September, many projects face potential delays or may be forced to utilize expensive local hires in the U.S. instead of offshore talent.

For individual workers, the delay means a prolonged separation from families or the loss of job offers.

“I had my bags packed for a January start in San Jose,” said one software engineer from Bengaluru.

“Now, my consultant tells me the first available slot is in the third quarter of 2026. I don’t know if my employer can wait that long.”

U.S. Embassy Response and Potential Relief

In response to the growing outcry, U.S. officials have stated that they are exploring options to increase capacity, including hiring more consular staff and expanding the “interview waiver” (dropbox) program for renewals.

They have also encouraged applicants to check the portal frequently for cancellations, though these “pop-up” slots disappear within seconds.

For now, experts advise H-1B hopefuls to remain patient and ensure their documentation is flawless to avoid further delays during the heightened vetting process.

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