New Delhi, Dec. 21 -- The holiday season has turned into a period of deep uncertainty for hundreds of Indian H-1B visa holders who find themselves stranded in India after US consular offices abruptly canceled their renewal appointments.

These workers, many of who have built lives in the United States over decades, traveled back to India this month to renew their American work permits, only to be met with emails citing "operational constraints" and a need for more rigorous national security vetting.

According to The Washington post, the sudden shift in US policy has led to the cancellation of visa appointments for hundreds, possibly thousands, of high-skilled workers between 15 and 26 December. Immigration lawyers said the abrupt cancell...