India has raised concerns with the United States over delays and cancellations in H-1B visa appointments after receiving multiple representations from affected Indian nationals, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said on Friday.
“India has received multiple representations from Indian nationals facing delays and difficulties in scheduling or rescheduling US visa appointments. While visa matters fall under the sovereign domain of the issuing country, India has raised these concerns with the US authorities in New Delhi and Washington DC, ” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during his weekly media briefing.
He said the prolonged delays had led to “extended hardships for affected individuals and their families, including disruptions to education,” and added that the government remains “engaged with the US side to address the issue and minimise the impact on Indian nationals.”
The issue has gained urgency against the backdrop of major changes announced by the Trump administration to the H-1B visa programme.
The United States is set to replace the long-standing random lottery system with a new selection process that prioritises higher-skilled and higher-paid applicants.
The US Embassy in India on Monday advised applicants’ to expect delays in H-1B and H-4 visa issuance, citing longer processing times following an expanded review of online presence, and urged them to submit applications as early as possible.
"Beginning December 15, the Department of State expanded online presence reviews to ALL H-1B and H-4 applicants as part of standard visa screening. This vetting is being conducted globally for ALL applicants of ALL nationalities for H1-B and H-4 visas. It is an effort to address abuse of the H-1B program while still permitting companies to hire the best of the best temporary foreign workers,” the US Embassy said on X.
Earlier, the US administration announced a $ 100,000 additional fee on new H-1B visa applications.
Earlier this week, the US Department of Homeland Security said it is amending regulations governing H-1B visas to better protect American workers’ wages and job opportunities.
The new rule will come into effect on 27 February, 2026, and will apply to the FY 2027 H-1B cap registration season.
Explaining the rationale, USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser on Tuesday, said, “The existing random selection process of H-1B registrations was exploited and abused by US employers who were primarily seeking to import foreign workers at lower wages than they would pay American workers.”
He added, “The new weighted selection will better serve Congress’ intent for the H-1B program and strengthen America’s competitiveness by incentivising American employers to petition for higher-paid, higher-skilled foreign workers.”
These measures have led to the postponement of several visa interviews across India, leaving many professionals who travelled home for visa stamping stranded.
Indian nationals constitute one of the largest groups of H-1B visa holders in the United States. The annual cap remains at 65,000 visas, with an additional 20,000 reserved for applicants holding advanced US degrees.
MEA on fugitives
The MEA also reiterated India’s commitment to bringing back economic fugitives after a fresh social media video surfaced showing former Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi and fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya attending a private party abroad and making remarks directed at India.
The MEA said the government remained “fully committed" to ensuring that fugitives facing charges in India are brought back to the country. The spokesperson said India was in discussions with several governments on the return of such individuals and stressed that efforts to repatriate them were ongoing.
“We remain fully committed to bringing back people who are fugitives," the MEA said, adding, “We are in talks with several governments, and our efforts in this regard continue."
The remarks followed the circulation of a video posted on Instagram by Lalit Modi that showed him and Mallya at what appeared to be a birthday celebration. In the clip, Lalit Modi introduced himself and Vijay Mallya as “the two biggest fugitives of India," a comment that triggered widespread criticism on social media.
The video was captioned by Lalit Modi with the words: “Let’s break the internet down in India again. Happy birthday my friend #VijayMallya."
The footage appears to be from Vijay Mallya’s 70th birthday celebration, which was hosted by Lalit Modi.