On December 8, 2025, applicants with H-1B and H-4 visa interview appointments scheduled at U.S. consular posts in a number of countries began receiving notifications that their appointments were being rescheduled. While the initial notifications came from U.S. consular posts in India, similar notifications by posts in other countries seem to indicate that the practice is expanding worldwide. The affected appointments were originally scheduled to take place on or after December 15, 2025, and they were pushed back several months. Notifications sent by the U.S. consular posts attribute these changes to “operational constraints” related to the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) rollout of its expanded screening and vetting for H-1B applicants and their dependents. 

Applicants should be aware that biometrics appointments may not be rescheduled unilaterally along with interview appointments, which may result in a significant gap between the two appointments. Applicants unable to attend the new interview appointments date may submit one online request to reschedule; however, applicants with visa application fee receipts older than one year are not permitted to reschedule. 

 The DOS’s unilateral rescheduling of appointments may disrupt many international travel plans and may result in significant delays returning to the United States for those already out of the country. Affected employers and employees may need to consider arrangements that take these possible delays into consideration. 

 Individuals who do intend to travel internationally to attend a visa appointment should closely monitor their visa appointment profiles/portal for any updated appointment information. Foster LLP will continue to monitor updates from DOS and provide additional guidance and updates once they become available via our firm’s website at www.fosterglobal.com.