The new social media vetting rule introduced by the US State Department has caused major disruption for H-1B visa applicants in India, as many of them said their confirmed visa appointments were suddenly cancelled.

The interviews that have been affected are those booked for 15 December or later, and applicants are now being told to fix new dates for their visa interviews.

Reports have said that the cancellations are linked to the new rule, which requires consular officers to review the online activity of applicants, including their social media accounts.

This extra step has cut down the number of appointments available and has created a lot of trouble for applicants who had already planned their travel and visa timelines months ahead.

US business immigration attorney James Hollis shared his concern on LinkedIn and criticised the timing and impact of the change, especially since it comes during the holiday season when many Indian nationals travel home to complete their visa work.

He wrote, "I’m shaking my head about the reports coming out about H-1B visa appointment cancellations in India. The reports are that there have been a significant number of appointments cancelled, and applicants have been directed to reschedule the visa interview aspect of the appointment, with ASC appointments initially remaining the same. The affected appointments are on or after 15 December 2025, and applicants who are impacted are receiving emails from the post indicating that they should reschedule."

He added, "The reasoning for the cancellations is that the new social media vetting policy requires implementation time and review time for the posts, and the posts have had to reduce their available appointments to accommodate the change."