A new chapter of the immigration nightmare was written this week in the United States. Navdeep Sharma, an Indian engineer working for Tata Consultancy Services, traveled to Hyderabad in January 2025 to renew his H-1B visa and has been unable to return since. What was supposed to be a routine procedure turned into an 18-month ordeal, and now a federal judge has shut the door on hope.
Sharma, who lives with his wife and two children in Georgetown, Texas, needed a new stamp in his passport after an extension approved by his employer. But upon arriving at the consulate, authorities initially denied his visa and required additional medical exams. He complied, and in July 2025 his online status changed to «Approved.» However, when he showed up at the consulate, officials denied the document again and, to make matters worse, asked for information about his social media accounts.
Since then, Sharma has been stranded in India, without work and far from his family. Desperate, he filed a lawsuit asking a judge to order the consulate to resolve his case. But Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the District of Columbia ruled on July 10 that the 18-month delay is not legally unreasonable. «There is no deadline imposed by Congress,» the judge argued, noting that in previous cases, waits of up to two years have been accepted.
The ruling also highlighted that ordering consular officials to prioritize Sharma’s case would force them to harm other applicants in similar situations. Kelly described the waiting time as «insignificant» compared to longer delays that have already been challenged unsuccessfully. And while he acknowledged the plaintiff’s economic and personal hardships, he concluded that this did not justify a court order altering the processing order.
Sharma’s lawyer had argued that the request for social media information was unusual, as that policy was not yet public. But the court rejected the point, saying there was no evidence of bad faith on the part of the defendants.
Meanwhile, the State Department warns that some denials under section 221(g) require additional administrative processing, and the duration depends on each case. Except for serious family emergencies, it recommends waiting at least 180 days from the interview before checking the status. But that is just a recommendation, not a deadline.
Sharma, who has not seen his wife and children for a year and a half, must now keep waiting. His case joins the long list of migrants trapped in a system that, for many, seems designed to discourage legal immigration. Meanwhile, in Texas, his family continues to await his return.
Para mí este es otro vivo que viene a chorear laburo y después lloran como nenes. Si no tenés los papeles en regla rajá a tu país no jodás. La justicia bien hecha que se pudra en la India esperando 18 meses. Acá primero los argentinos después el resto.
Para mí este caso es la prueba más clara de que el sistema de visas es una farsa imperialista. Mientras los empresarios se llenan los bolsillos con trabajo esclavo, el Estado yanqui deja a un laburante indio varado 18 meses, separado de su familia, por la burocracia criminal de los jueces. ¡Abajo las fronteras, abajo el capital! Navdeep, fuerza hermano, que la lucha es una sola.