Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Hundreds of Indian H-1B visa holders remain stranded in India due to prolonged delays in stamping U.S. visas, even as the issue draws heated political commentary in the United States.
Nalin Haley, son of former U.S. Ambassador to the UN and Republican leader Nikki Haley, weighed in on the controversy, calling for a complete ban on the H-1B visa program. In an article on X, he wrote: “Delaying visas is good but not good enough. We need a complete ban on H-1B visas.”
Haley also mocked criticism of visa delays, saying they asserted that “Indians cannot be ‘stranded’ in India.” He further alleged that the Indian government had raised the issue with Washington mainly because “they want the money they are sending”.
The remarks come as hundreds of Indian professionals face uncertainty after traveling to India to get their visas stamped and having their appointments postponed for months. Many had returned after the US administration made it mandatory for H-1B holders to get their visas stamped in their home countries before returning to the US.
According to reports, several candidates who had secured an appointment for January were informed that their slots had been pushed back to 2026, from March-April. Without a new visa, these workers cannot return to the United States, preventing them from returning to their jobs. There is also confusion over whether employers will allow them to work remotely from India during this extended wait.
In some cases, Indian nationals with previously valid H-1B visas said they returned home for the holidays and discovered their visas had been revoked. Authorities reportedly informed them that their return to the United States would not be allowed without obtaining a new stamp, potentially requiring them to stay in India for at least six months.
The delays have further worsened since December 15, when H-1B and H-4 (dependent) applicants were subject to social media screening as part of enhanced screening measures.
Meanwhile, calls for a complete overhaul of the H-1B system have grown louder among MAGA-aligned activists. The administration proposed replacing the existing random lottery system with a salary-based selection model, under which higher-paid applicants would be given priority.
In the past, Haley has linked her opposition to the H-1B program to her concerns that young Americans would be priced out of jobs and housing. Speaking earlier on Fox News, he said young graduates are struggling to find jobs and are competing with “foreign workers willing to work for half their salary and benefit from AI”, arguing that the American dream is becoming increasingly out of reach for younger generations.
