Multiple recent immigration changes have made international travel much more challenging for many foreign nationals during what is normally a very busy travel time.
On December 3, 2025, the Department of State announced that it would expand screening and vetting for H-1B and H-4 dependent visa applications starting December 15, 2025. This additional screening includes review of all social media accounts. As a result, the U.S. Consulates in India have cancelled and rescheduled previously scheduled visa appointments, in some cases pushing appointments out as far as 12 to 15 months. Several other consular posts are allowing applicants to keep their appointments, but instead of quickly approving the visa applications, they are placing them in administrative processing, allowing time for the additional review and resulting in delayed visa issuance. We expect that visa appointment rescheduling and administrative processing will be expanded to consular posts in other countries. These delays have caused extreme hardships for individuals who planned to receive a new visa while visiting family over the holidays. Until the U.S. Consulates create clear policies on how they will complete this additional vetting, we strongly recommend that foreign nationals who do not have valid visas avoid unnecessary international travel at this time. All visa applicants should also follow State Department instructions to adjust the privacy settings on their social media profiles to “public” to allow for faster social media review.
The visa processing delays are compounded by the Department of State’s recent policy change requiring foreign nationals to apply for visas in their home country or country of residence. Since “third country national” visa processing is no longer an option for most visa applicants, if someone has found themselves stranded in India without a valid visa, they no longer have the option to reschedule their visa appointment in another country unless they have residence there.
Additionally, on December 16, 2025, the White House issued a Presidential Proclamation that continues and expands U.S. entry restrictions for citizens from several countries. An earlier Proclamation, issued on June 4, 2025, imposed partial and full entry limits on citizens from 19 countries. The recent version imposes a full suspension on U.S. entry on citizens from an additional seven countries, as well as on individuals using travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority. The recent Proclamation also restricts entry to the United States on B-1, B-2, F, M, J, and immigrant visas for citizens of 19 countries. For a full list of impacted countries, please see: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/12/restricting-and-limiting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states/. Like the previous Proclamation, this travel restriction does not apply to U.S. permanent residents or nonimmigrants who are in the United States on the effective date (January 1, 2026), or to those who have valid visas as of that date. Other limited exceptions apply.
For case-specific international travel advice, please contact the Michael Best immigration team.