Highlights:
- New visa rules have delayed H-1B interviews by months
- Many workers are stuck abroad after short trips for visa stamping
- CEO urges professionals to pursue green cards for stability
- Social media users criticize advice as unrealistic and “desperate”
- Delays are linked to expanded social media vetting by US authorities
A public debate has erupted online after a technology executive shared advice for H-1B visa holders facing long delays under new US visa rules, with critics calling his comments out of touch and unrealistic.
Vijay Thirumalai, a San Francisco, based entrepreneur, addressed the growing number of professionals who have found themselves stranded outside the United States after traveling for routine visa stamping appointments. Many expected short trips but are now facing months-long waits due to changes in consular processing.
Recent US State Department regulations, which took effect on December 15, expanded social media screening for H-1B and H-4 applicants. As a result, interview appointments in several locations have reportedly been pushed back by at least six months, with some extending into 2026. Options for third-country visa processing have also narrowed.
As frustration mounted online, Thirumalai pushed back against what he described as a mockery of those affected.
“People who mock the concept of being stranded, have no idea what is going thru. They have their homes, their jobs, kids school and their entire lives back in US, what was supposed to be a 2 week trip is now stretching to 3-4 months and maybe more, god knows, how long. It is brutal,” he wrote in a December 23 post on X, referencing a Washington Post report on the issue.
According to Thirumalai, his company receives multiple calls each day from engineers whose lives have been disrupted. Cancelled visa appointments have interfered with employment, housing arrangements, and children’s schooling, leaving families in limbo.
He argued that the current situation shows the risks of remaining dependent on temporary work visas and urged professionals to seek permanent residency.
“I have only 1 advise, do all you can to get out of H1B quagmire asap,” Thirumalai said.
He recommended that workers invest several more years to secure green cards, citing long-term stability, mobility, and protection against political shifts and job disruption driven by artificial intelligence. He also dismissed the idea that workers should permanently relocate abroad, pointing to economic factors such as currency exchange rates and personal ties.
However, the comments sparked strong reactions online, with many users saying his advice overlooked the reality of long green card backlogs.
Thirumalai’s post, which crossed more than 434,000 views, drew criticism from users who called the suggestion “very desperate” and argued that green cards typically take far longer than four or five years for most applicants.
“4-5 years to get a green card ? Which world? Indians need to wait at least 20 years if they file in eb2/eb3. Wake up, smell the coffee and build your future elsewhere,” one user wrote.
Another commented, “No way you will get GC in 4-5 years unless you get it through EB-1.”
Others expressed sympathy for stranded workers while questioning whether the current system discourages future migration altogether.
As visa delays continue, the debate reflects growing anxiety around immigration uncertainty, workforce mobility, and the real-life impact of policy changes on families and careers.
