H-1B visa interview slots for Indian professionals full by 2027
Digital Desk, New Delhi. The year 2026 has started with great difficulties for Indian professionals wishing to work in America. Due to changes in the visa policies of the Trump administration, there are no new slots available for H-1B visa interviews in all the major consulates of India.
Slots for regular interviews are no longer available at the visa offices located in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. The situation is that the appointments for January-February 2026 have also been directly postponed till April-May 2027.
According to immigration experts, there is no hope of any improvement in the situation at present. The waiting period for the next available appointment for an interview required for a petition-based (H, L, O, P, Q) visa is showing as 'Not Available' at many places on the Department's website, including Kolkata and Delhi.
Why is there a delay?
All this is happening due to the changes in the rules of H1-B visa by the Trump administration. On December 29, 2025, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services published new rules for fiscal year 2027. The annual cap of 85,000 visas remains unchanged, with 20,000 visas reserved for applicants holding US postgraduate degrees.
Apart from this, America has started mandatory checking of social media for visa applicants. This additional scrutiny has increased the processing time for each applicant and reduced the number of interviews conducted daily by embassies.
With a few exceptions, the US no longer allows the issuance of visas in third countries. This means that the entire demand for Indians has to be met by embassies based in India, which has increased delays. Immigration attorney Emily Newman said she has not received any information about new visa interview slots opening for India in the last 50 days.
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