Visa Vetting Nightmare: Indians Scramble as Trump Slams Brakes on H-1B Renewals

The Trump administration's crackdown on foreign worker visas has sparked panic among thousands of Indian H-1B holders, who now face massive delays in renewals due to mandatory social media vetting.

Big Tech's endless appetite for cheap imported labor finally hits a wall — and American workers might actually get a fighting chance.

Thousands of Indian nationals holding H-1B visas scramble to maintain their status in the United States as the Trump administration's expanded social media vetting policy triggers widespread cancellations and rescheduling of visa renewal appointments.

The State Department implemented stricter online presence reviews for all H-1B and H-4 dependent visa applicants starting Dec. 15, 2025, requiring consular officers to examine applicants' public social media profiles.

Consulates, particularly in India, respond by canceling appointments en masse and pushing new dates into 2026 and beyond.

Indian H-1B workers organize on platforms like Reddit, WhatsApp and Telegram, sharing strategies to secure earlier slots or switch visa categories.

"For now I am working to go back to U.S., but this definitely has woken me up and made me realize I need to have a plan B which I didn't up until this point," an anonymous Indian national told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

"We can't work more than 30 days outside the U.S., and moreover, my employer won't allow me to work from India," said Mahendra, an H-1B employee from Bihar, India, who spoke to the publicstion on condition of using only his first name.

His appointment, originally set for Jan. 29, 2026, moves to March 2027.

"I know personally 23 folks who are on H-1Bs and impacted by this and lots of [it due to] social media," Mahendra added.

Another Indian national in the U.S. cancels travel plans home.

"I'm in the U.S. right now. I was meant to fly out but cancelled my flight, still figuring whether to go," the anonymous worker told the DCNF. "My company does not let me work from India so I'm mostly not going under the assumption that my appointment is likely to get cancelled."

The policy expands earlier vetting applied to student visas and follows other Trump measures, including a $100,000 fee for new H-1B applications imposed in September 2025.

"While in the past the emphasis may have been on processing cases quickly and reducing wait times, our embassies and consulates around the world, including in India, are now prioritizing thoroughly vetting each visa case above all else," a State Department spokesperson explained. "They do not issue a visa unless the applicant can credibly demonstrate they meet all requirements under U.S. law – including that they intend to engage only in activities consistent with the terms of their visa."

"We will not allow foreigners who pose a risk to Americans or U.S. national interests to abuse our immigration system," the spokesperson added.

Tech firms dominate H-1B usage, with Indians receiving 72 percent of visas in fiscal 2023.

Experts estimate 730,000 H-1B workers currently reside in the U.S., plus over 500,000 dependents.

The globalist cheap-labor racket collapses under its own weight.

Trump drains the visa swamp, and suddenly thousands of indentured foreign coders wake up stranded while American tech talent breathes free again.