H1B Approval Cause Panic: Indians’ Jobs at Risk

H1B visa delays continue to haunt thousands of Indians. Multiple applicants have recently reported that their visa status is stuck at “Approved,” but their passports remain missing.

One applicant claims they had a Dropbox appointment in Hyderabad on February 25th. Following this, their status changed to “Approved” on February 27th, but they still have no update.

Adding to their worries, the H1B worker has a return flight in just 2 days. Giving further details, they wrote in a social media post, “I tried checking with US embassy Chennai, they cannot say anything on processing time.”

Another applicant had their first H1B stamping interview on March 10th. The visa was approved instantly, but their passport hasn’t been issued even after a week.

The applicant is not sure what is causing this delay as they claim their paperwork was “clean” with just “one employer from the day of graduation.” The delays are adding to the anxiety as it could have an adverse effect on their employment.

With a flight booked for this week, the Indian H1B would have to take a cut from their salary for leave. They claim this could also affect their performance review in the company.

With jobs on the line, delays like these are not just frustrating but now they are costing people their careers. Despite multiple reports of similar delays, there’s no clarity from the US embassy.

Many believe these cases are stuck in security checks or administrative processing, but for how long? The system needs to improve especially considering the number of Indian applications every year.