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- By Shivangi Sharma
- Tue, 16 Dec 2025 11:43 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The United States has issued a major update for H-1B and H-4 visa applicants, tightening screening requirements and triggering widespread disruption for Indian professionals and their families. From December 15, all applicants under the H-1B speciality occupation visa programme and their H-4 dependents are required to undergo expanded social media screening as part of the visa vetting process, the US State Department has announced.
Ahead of the new requirement coming into force, the US Embassy in India announced on December 9 that several visa appointments would be cancelled and rescheduled. Since then, all visa appointments have effectively been suspended, leaving many Indian H-1B visa holders stranded in India as they are unable to secure visa stamping at US consulates. The disruption has particularly affected professionals who travelled to India for short visits and now face uncertainty over when they can return to the United States.
Embassy officials said the cancellations were necessary to implement the new screening mandate smoothly. However, the sudden halt has caused anxiety among thousands of workers employed in sectors such as technology, healthcare and engineering, where H-1B visas are most common.
Social Media Screening Now Mandatory
According to a US State Department press release, the expanded screening will require applicants to make their social media profiles publicly accessible. “As of December 15, the Department will expand the requirement that an online presence review be conducted for all H-1B applicants and their dependents, in addition to the students and exchange visitors already subject to this review,” the department said.
Applicants for H-1B, H-4, and non-immigrant student and exchange visitor visas, F, M and J, have been instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all their social media accounts to “public” to facilitate vetting.
A spokesperson for the US Embassy in India confirmed that while online presence reviews were already conducted for F, M and J visa categories, the same process will now apply to H-1B workers and their families. “Beginning December 15, this assessment will also include applicants for H-1B and H-4 visas,” the spokesperson said.
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Trump Administration Tightens Visa Vetting
The move aligns with the Donald Trump administration’s broader push to tighten immigration and visa controls. Officials said the updated screening framework is intended to strengthen national security and ensure the integrity of the US visa system.
“The Department of State conducts thorough vetting of all visa applicants,” a department representative said. “Every visa adjudication is a national security decision. The United States must be vigilant during the visa issuance process to ensure applicants do not intend to harm Americans or US national interests.”
The State Department also emphasised that applicants must credibly establish their eligibility and intent to comply with visa conditions. “A US visa is a privilege, not a right,” it added.