For work-visa holders and their families stamping in New Delhi — how demand moves through the year, what changed about interviews, and how to be ready when dates open.
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Join the Telegram channel Report for this pageNew approvals after the spring lottery create a long stamping tail — first-time H-1B holders competing with renewals for the same calendar.
Professionals time stamping with India trips home. Demand spikes hard and early bookers take the workable dates.
Reschedules and employer-plan changes reopen single dates unpredictably — often the only route to an earlier slot.
From 1 October 2025, interview-waiver ("dropbox") eligibility narrowed sharply, pushing most H-1B and H-4 applicants — including many renewals who previously skipped the interview — into the in-person queue. That is the single biggest reason H-1B waits feel longer than they did a few years ago. Always check your current eligibility on the official portal; do not rely on how your last stamping worked.
Your reschedules are limited. Coordinate with your employer's immigration team before spending one — a date change can ripple into travel, joining dates and client commitments.
OFC comes first. Biometrics must fall before the interview date; when you grab a new interview date, re-check that your OFC still lines up.
Check like a human. Constant refreshing and third-party "checker" extensions trigger the portal's Access Limitation blocks — read our Access Limitation guide before installing anything that touches the portal.
Dependents are typically scheduled under the same profile and attend on the same day — set the appointment up as a family from the start rather than booking separately and hoping to merge later. Follow the current portal flow for adding dependents.
Far fewer applicants are, since the October 2025 narrowing. The portal shows your eligibility when you schedule — trust that screen over any blog or agent, and budget for an in-person interview unless it clearly says otherwise.
No — anyone logging in as you risks the appointment, the fee and the account; bot-booked appointments have been cancelled in bulk. Free confirmed alerts plus a prepared applicant beat a paid stranger with a password.