As most of you know, last week the Trump administration introduced new screening and vetting rules for all H1B and H4 Visa applicants who will attend their H1B visa or H4 visa stamping at a US Consulate abroad starting from December 15th, 2025.
As part of that change, the US Consulates have started to cancel the H1B and H4 Visa appointments across various dates starting from December 15th, 2025. In this article, we will review the details, the actual email sent, the dates being cancelled, and how to plan and prepare for the same.
Background: Additional Vetting for H1B, H4 Visa Applicants
Below is the brief background of how it all started:
- In June 2025, the US Department of State resumed processing of F, M, and J Visa applicants and introduced additional vetting requirements for those visa applicants.
- As part of this new change, all F, M, and J visa applicants were advised to make all their Social Media Profiles, which they declare on the DS-160 application, to have their privacy settings set to “public”.
- On December 3rd, 2025, the US Department of State made an announcement that expanded the additional vetting and screening for H1B and H4 Visa applicants. Similar to the F, M, and J Visa applicants, all visa stamping applicants should make the privacy of their social media profiles “public”. Read more at the article: More vetting for H1B, H4 Visa applicants Update
As part of the change by the US Department of State, they are cancelling many H1B/ H4 Visa appointments. Let’s look at the details below on the emails, what you can do. What is official guidance.
H1B, H4 Visa Appointments Cancelled and Rescheduled
In the last 24 hours, many users reported that their H1B and H4 visa appointments were getting cancelled and automatically rescheduled to another date in 2026. Some of them even attended the Biometrics appointments and got stuck now due to the rescheduling of the visa appointments for next year.
- Earlier today, the US Embassy in India made an official announcement on their Facebook and Twitter/ X Page indicating the cancellation and rescheduling of the H1B and H4 Visa appointments.
- They clearly say that, if an applicant has received an email saying that their Visa appointment has been rescheduled, then they should not come to the U.S. consulate/ Embassy on the previous appointment date and time. If you try to go on the old appointment date and time, you not be allowed to enter the US Embassy or Consulate.
Below is the screenshot of the Official Facebook Post and Tweets by the US Embassy in India.
📌 You can join the relevant communities for the H1B reschedule issue: WhatsApp Group H1B Reschedule ( https://chat.whatsapp.com/FVl07ew908FLT3WkqCM1NV ) , Telegram Community H1B Reschedule.
Copy of US Embassy Re-schedule Emails Sent to Users
There are few variants of emails that were sent to various users. Let’s look at each fo them.
Below are the copies of the emails sent to users regarding the rescheduling of their appointments:
Short Reschedule Email by the USVisaScheduling:
Below is are screenshots of the short emails sent by the USVisaScheduling team regarding the change of their appointment: These were shared by our users in the communities. Thanks to them.
Reschedule Email by the US Consulate in Chenani
Below is another comprehensive email that was sent by the US Consulate General in Chennai.
“As of December 15, the Department of State will conduct an online presence review for all H-1B applicants and their dependents, in addition to the students and exchange visitors already subject to this review. Due to operational constraints related to processing these visas and to ensure that no applicants issued a visa pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety, the U.S. Consulate in Chennai must reduce the number of applicants each day. The Consulate will not be able to see you on your original appointment date. Please do not show up at the Consulate. We look forward to assisting you on your new appointment date.
Your biometric appointment at the Visa Application Centre has not changed.
There is no need to contact the Call Centre or Consulate — simply visit the U.S. Consulate, Chennai, on your new appointment date and time. To access your new appointment letter, you must log in to your account, go to the “Visa Application Home” page, click on “Appointment Confirmation”, and print your new appointment letter. Additionally, you can find this notification under “Messages” on the “Visa Application Home” page of your profile.
If you are unable to attend your interview on the new appointment date, you must reschedule both of your appointments online. Please keep in mind that you can only reschedule your appointment one time after your first appointment. Therefore, we recommend that you attend your interview on the new appointment date to avoid the need to reschedule. If you purchased your receipt more than one year ago, then your receipt has expired. If your receipt has expired, you are not permitted to reschedule the appointment, and if you cancel your appointment or fail to attend on the rescheduled date and time, your fee receipt will be forfeited. We appreciate your understanding and patience”.
Below is the screenshot of the actual emails that the US Consulate in Chennai sent as shared by users in our communities. Thanks to them.
What US Visa Appointment Dates are rescheduled so far?
As of now, many users have shared that their H1B, H4 Visa interview appointments and Biometrics appointments between December 15th and December 26th, 2025 were rescheduled to next year 2026.
Below are screenshots of the updates from various users in our communities. There are polls run in these groups as well and that what is so far updated.
📌 You can join the communities as well and collaborate: WhatsApp Group H1B Reschedule ( https://chat.whatsapp.com/FVl07ew908FLT3WkqCM1NV ), Telegram Community H1B Reschedule
What to expect? Reschedule? Plan for future?
There has been a lot of chaos with the sudden cancellation of the appointments and many pushed to next year, 2026. The US Consulate did say that users can reschedule the appointment if the schedule does not fit. The problem is finding the slot.
Below is some feedback from various community users on what they are seeing:
- Some users said that they cannot see the reschedule option yet as they completed Biometrics appointment today
- Some users, who had biometrics appointment done few days ago are able to see the rescheule appointment option to move only the Consular visa interview appointment.
It is not clear at the moment with so much going on. If you are still in the US, it is suggested you stay there until the confusion settles down.
If you got an email about cancellation, not much you can do other than try to reschedule if a slot opens up. The challenge is finding a slot.
What has been your experience with the appointments? Do share your feedback and experiences in the comments section below.
📌 You can join the relevant communities for the H1B reschedule issue: WhatsApp Group H1B Reschedule ( https://chat.whatsapp.com/FVl07ew908FLT3WkqCM1NV ) , Telegram Community H1B Reschedule.
