Newsinc24 Team 
The US Embassy in India on Monday said starting December 15, the United States has "expanded" online presence reviews to all H-1B and H-4 applicants as part of standard visa screening, and this vetting is being conducted globally for "all applicants of all nationalities" for these two visa categories. The brief statement by the embassy in a post on social media comes amid pre-scheduled interviews of thousands of H-1B visa applicants slated for later this month in India being abruptly postponed by several months.
WORLDWIDE ALERT FOR H-1B AND H-4 VISA APPLICANTS
— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) December 22, 2025
Beginning December 15, the Department of State expanded online presence reviews to ALL H-1B and H-4 applicants as part of standard visa screening. This vetting is being conducted globally for ALL applicants of ALL nationalities… pic.twitter.com/qMrMrOvqy0
According to the rules, the US administration, in addition to social media, will also check old phone numbers, unused email addresses of all those who travel to the US, even from countries which are on visa waiver. Additional questioning and inspections have also become increasingly common, particularly for Indian students on F-1 visas, especially first-time travellers and those enrolling in STEM programmes. Indian professionals holding H-1B and L-1 visas, along with frequent visitors travelling on B-1 and B-2 visas, are also encountering heightened scrutiny.
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