New Delhi/IBNS, Dec. 22 -- Hundreds of Indian professionals holdingH-1B visashave found themselves stranded in India after travelling home to renew their US work permits, following abrupt interview postponements linked to Washington's tightenedsocial media vetting rules.

The affected workers had visa interview appointments scheduled between December 15 and 26, a period coinciding with the US holiday season.

However, these appointments have now reportedly been pushed to March next year, leaving many unable to return to their jobs in the United States.

Immigration law firms say the scale of disruption is unprecedented.

Several firms have acknowledged that hundreds of their clients are currently stuck in India with no clarity on when the...