© Attorney Farhad Sethna, 2025
If anyone is thinking of travelling to India now to get their H-1B or other work visa stamped to be able to return to the United States, please don’t!
Per the US Department of State, and primarily allegedly because of capacity constraints, the US consulates in India have delayed all their H-1B visa applications for at least 3 months, from December 2025 through March 2026. People who are already in India waiting for their visa appointments are now stranded. Their appointments have been rescheduled to 2026. If they don’t have a valid visa to return to the USA, they have to sit in India and wait until their visa appointment.
The reason that the State Department is giving is that it is conducting a detailed social media and background review of all visa applicants in keeping with Trump’s desire to weed out any anti-American and any antisemitic sentiment.
Visa applicants should be careful of what they post on their social media. I have written about this in a previous blog as well.
Please continue to stay tuned on this important matter because things are certain to change as we go through the unpredictable gyrations of the Trump administration.
© Farhad Sethna, Attorney, 2025
Farhad Sethna has practiced law for over 30 years. He was awarded his JD in 1990 and his MBA in 1991, both from the University of Akron. Since 1996, he has also been an adjunct professor of Immigration Law at the University of Akron, School of Law, in Akron, Ohio, where he wrote and continues to use his own immigration textbook. Attorney Sethna is a frequent speaker at Continuing Legal Education and professional development seminars on various immigration-related topics. His practice is limited to immigration and small business. He has won awards for excellence in teaching and for pro-bono service. With offices in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Attorney Sethna represents clients in all types of immigration cases before federal agencies and the immigration courts nationwide. A private pilot, it is Farhad’s goal to fly to each of Ohio’s 88 county airports. Our number is: (330) 384-8000. Please send your general immigration questions to farhad@sethnalaw.com. We will try to answer as many questions as possible.