Does the PERM suspension affect H-1B interviews in India?

Are H-1B interviews still happening in India?

The PERM announcement did not say that H-1B interviews in India have stopped. It concerned Department of Labor processing of employer green card filings, and the State Department schedules visa interviews. WaitDelta cannot confirm consular operating status on a given day, so check your booking account and the U.S. Mission India website.

None of the reports reviewed mentions consular appointments. That is a statement about the reports. A broader statement about interviews in India needs current consular operating information, which comes from the U.S. Mission India website and your own booking account, not from a news report about a Labor Department action.

Outlets disagree on whether H-1B petition processing for the eight named companies is also affected. Is H-1B suspended? What the October 8 PERM action changed sets out that disagreement and the maintained list of companies.

I have an H-1B interview booked. What changes?

No report describes the announcement cancelling or rescheduling a consular appointment. That is not a statement about your own booking. Keep the appointment, watch your booking account and email for changes, and ask your employer's immigration team whether any notice applies to your case.

• Booking account. The date, post and status of the appointment. If a post moves a date, only the newly issued appointment is honored, according to a December 2025 Morgan Lewis alert; the booking guide has the detail.
• Email from the consulate. Messages about rescheduling or additional documents.
• Petition record. The approval notice (Form I-797) you will carry. Check that its validity dates and employer details match your records.
• Employer communication. Whether your employer says a PERM or H-1B filing of yours is affected.

If a notice from your employer or a consulate conflicts with this page, follow the notice. WaitDelta describes the announcement; it does not know your case.

I need to book an H-1B interview. Should I wait?

The announcement does not describe any change to the booking process, which is the one in WaitDelta's booking guide. A published wait estimate cannot show which dates are open, and WaitDelta is withholding its H-1B estimates while it verifies them. Your booking account shows the dates available to you.

For the steps, and the rules on waivers, rescheduling and expedited requests, read H-1B stamping in India: Booking and interview rules. The guide also explains what a published estimate can and cannot show.

What should you consider before travelling to India for H-1B stamping?

The announcement does not address travel, and WaitDelta cannot assess any individual's travel risk. An expired visa stamp can be replaced only through a consular interview, and neither a booked date nor an interview guarantees issuance or a return date. Ask your employer's immigration counsel before booking travel that depends on a stamping date.

• Is my employer one of the eight named companies, and does any notice apply to my case?
• Is my petition or extension affected, and by what?
• What happens to my status if the visa is refused or placed in administrative processing?
• Which documents should I carry, and who supplies them?

The booking guide explains how the visa stamp and your status differ.

What do your booking account, petition record and employer communication each show?

Your booking account shows the appointment dates offered to you, your petition record shows what USCIS approved, and your employer's communication shows employer-specific information. None of them stands in for another, and a news report about a Labor Department action is not a substitute for any of the three.

The booking guide adds a fourth record, the State Department's published estimate, and explains what it can and cannot show.

Do employees of the eight named companies face different interview rules?

No report describes an employer-specific rule for consular interviews. The reported differences concern PERM: eight companies are named, TCS and Microsoft have commented, and a separate Cognizant PERM suspension was reported on September 8. Nothing reviewed links any of them to interview scheduling.

The employer table on Is H-1B suspended? What the October 8 PERM action changed is the one maintained list of the companies and their reported statements. WaitDelta publishes no separate page for each company.

What has changed for H-1B interviews in India since September 2025?

Four documented changes since September 2025 bear on H-1B stamping: the end of third-country processing on September 6, 2025, the narrowed interview-waiver list effective October 1, 2025, the online presence review from December 15, 2025, and the $100,000 entry payment extended to September 21, 2027. None is part of the PERM action.

• September 6, 2025. Applicants are expected to interview in their country of nationality or residence (booking guide).
• October 1, 2025. The interview-waiver list does not include ordinary H-1B renewals (booking guide).
• December 15, 2025. The online presence review began for H-1B and H-4 applicants, and many Indian posts rescheduled interviews (booking guide).
• September 18, 2026. Proclamation 11069 extends the $100,000 payment restriction to September 21, 2027 (booking guide).

WaitDelta's monitoring can show that a published estimate changed between two readings. It cannot attribute a change to any one of these measures. How WaitDelta measures visa interview wait estimates explains the limits.

How will this page be updated?

WaitDelta updates this page when an official document for the October 8 action is published, when the State Department or U.S. Mission India announces a change to H-1B interview operations, or when the H-1B figures it is verifying are restored. Each material change is dated in the log below.

WaitDelta is an independent publication and is not affiliated with the U.S. government. This page describes government actions and how the processes involved work. It is not legal advice. For your own case, consult a licensed immigration attorney.

Changes to this page

• October 9, 2026. First published. Facts checked against the sources listed below on this date.

Sources