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Yes, the appointments are real — here is what opened
I know a lot of people received messages yesterday asking whether this was a rumour or fake news. It was absolutely real. Appointments for both H-1B and H-4 visas opened on 27 March 2026, after nearly five months of no availability in India.
Where and when are the available slots?
The appointments that opened are at two locations only: Chennai and Hyderabad. The slots cover a three-month window — April, May, and June 2026 — and they include both the biometric appointment and the visa interview. So if you still need to complete your biometrics, or if your biometrics are already done and you are only waiting for the interview, both types of slots appeared in the system.
Who was eligible to book?
The openings were available to anyone in the H-1B or H-4 category, regardless of where you are currently located. Whether you are in the US, in India, or anywhere else — and whether you need both biometrics and the interview or just the interview — slots showed up for all subcategories under H-1B and H-4.
A note on H-4 availability
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Book a Mock InterviewH-4 appointments did open, but the quantity was significantly lower compared to H-1B. The majority of the slots released were for H-1B applicants, so if you are on H-4, you will need to be especially diligent about monitoring.
Were there portal problems? Yes — and that is normal
The booking process was chaotic, to be honest. Every time the US consulate releases slots in bulk or suddenly, the visa portal struggles to keep up. The issues people ran into included login failures, pages not loading, pages freezing mid-process, buttons not responding, and — one that caused a lot of anxiety — completing a booking but never receiving an email confirmation. All of these are unfortunately a normal part of the process when a large release happens at once.
Missed the initial opening? Here is what to do now
There is no need to panic. Slots are still coming into the system — even the morning after the initial opening, I saw new appointments being released. The key is that these slots appear and disappear very quickly, and they do not come in large numbers at a time. That means you need to be continuously tracking and monitoring the portal. Before you do anything else, make sure you have three things in order: a valid DS-160 confirmation number, your visa portal fully set up, and your visa fees already paid. If those are not ready, you will not be able to book even if a slot appears in front of you.
How I can help you from here
I help applicants with the entire process — from tracking and booking the appointment, to completing the forms correctly, to preparing for the interview itself. I also have a step-by-step resource that walks through the full appointment booking process, and an H-1B WhatsApp community where I share the latest updates as they happen. If you want access to either of those, reach out and I will send you the details. You can also email at theprimedlife@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram at Shachi.mall.
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