H-1B stamping slots opening at random for Indians after 100 days? What to know
Some H-1B slots reportedly opened up in India after 100 days.
Several H-1B Redditors Friday reported that some interview slots for H-1B and H-4 visa holders opened randomly for April and May 2026. This came as a relief for thousands of H-1Bs stuck in India, as there were no fresh interview slots available in any of the four consulates in India for the entire year of 2026. However, these slots opened randomly and did not indicate at any easing of the situation. “H1B and H4 visa slots are starting to open up. From what I’m seeing, there are plenty of consular appointment slots available right now, but VAC (biometrics) slots are being released very slowly, often one at a time. If you’re trying to book, it’s worth checking frequently throughout the day since new VAC slots seem to appear sporadically. Please stay on the page and keep alternatively switching between locations. It’s mostly opening in Chennai and Hyderabad. I got mine today!” a Redditor posted.
H-1B stalemate in India: No slots opened in last 100 days
Since December 15, 2025, the H-1B stamping situation in India turned worse after hundreds of interviews scheduled in December were rescheduled to March-April 2026, sending all interviews haywire. As December dates were postponed to March-April, a huge backlog was created as the State Department said interviews of H-1B and H-4s will require more time because of the social media vetting.H-1Bs who traveled to India to get a visa stamping got stranded in India as they couldn’t re-enter the US without a new stamping. Some companies like Amazon allowed their stranded workers to work from India but many companies could not figure out how to handle the unprecedented situation. Immigration attorneys in the US said there was no estimate of how many H-1B and their dependent H-4 visa holders got stuck in India because of the stamping delay. They said Senators, Congressmen should have raised the issue with the State Department as businesses in America are being hurt, but they did not see any concern among people who matter.
Are slots opening? What to know
- There has been no official announcement from the embassy about slots being available, like there was no notice on slots being unavailable until 2027.
- Many social media users said slots opened for only those who had already completed their biometrics.
- The random opening of a few slots in Apil and May in 2026 do not indicate at the crisis easing.
