Washington, Dec 24 (NationPress) Families of Indian H-1B visa holders are encountering prolonged uncertainty as US consulates in India have postponed appointments due to new screening mandates. This situation has raised alarms in Congress, while the Trump Administration staunchly defends its stringent vetting processes, citing national security needs as a primary concern.

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, representing Michigan, stated that the State Department's December 3 announcement to broaden mandatory online presence evaluations for all H-1B applicants and their H-4 dependents has resulted in abrupt appointment cancellations and significant delays. This has left families stranded outside the United States, despite having jobs, homes, and children already enrolled in schools.

The new regulations coincided with numerous families having previously scheduled visa appointments planned for year-end travel.

In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio dated December 17, Dingell expressed that there is “a serious issue arising throughout the country, affecting many families in my District whose visa appointments have been postponed for several months, trapping them in limbo and unable to return home.”

She highlighted a specific case where a family’s visa appointment was postponed less than 48 hours before it was due to occur, with the new date set three months later without prior consultation.

“They had already traveled to attend their appointment, and without the new visas, they cannot resume their lives in the United States,” she wrote, adding that one child, a US citizen, risks missing several months of schooling if the family cannot expedite their appointment. “They are stranded abroad with no options,” she stated in her correspondence to Rubio.

“Our children should not suffer educational setbacks due to these policy shifts,” Dingell declared, deeming the situation intolerable. She urged the State Department to offer clear timelines and measures to prevent families from being left in limbo.

Contrarily, the State Department has justified the expanded screening as vital for regaining control over immigration flows and safeguarding national security.

“We’re moving away from an era in the last administration where we had hundreds of thousands of individuals entering this country each month, legally or illegally,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott remarked in an interview with Fox News. “This type of program cannot be sustained,” he asserted, emphasizing the importance of appropriate safety and vetting protocols.

Pigott explained that at such scales, “it often becomes unfeasible to maintain the vetting standards that the American people expect,” adding, “We’re ending the era of mass migration and ensuring an America-first visa policy that prioritizes national security.”

He stressed that visa policy is inherently linked to border enforcement. “Essentially, visa security equates to border security,” Pigott noted, highlighting that while public attention typically centers on the southwestern border, visa systems must also prevent individuals from entering the country who “will break our laws, exploit our system, or violate the terms of their visa.”

Dingell, in her letter to the State Department, requested a comprehensive explanation of how it intends to address cases like those in her district, including a timeline for the new online presence review process and expected durations for reviews.

The Congresswoman sought a response within two weeks, urging a reassessment of the policy’s effects on “vulnerable individuals and families trapped abroad.”

The State Department indicated that up to 95,000 visas were revoked in 2025, including over 8,000 involving international students, emphasizing the scale of ongoing enforcement actions.