Apple, Google and others tell some foreign employees to avoid traveling out of the country
Major technology companies, including Apple, Google, Microsoft and ServiceNow, have warned employees about visas due to uncertainty about changing immigration policies and procedures.
Following the attack on National Guard members in Washington, the Trump administration expanded travel bans At the beginning of this month, review and data collection for visa applicants was accelerated. New policy now includes screening social media history Certain visa applicants and their dependents.
Shortly after the announcement, U.S. consulates began rescheduling appointments for later dates, some as late as summer 2026, leaving employees who needed appointments unable to return.
“Please be aware that some U.S. Embassies and Consulates are currently experiencing significant visa stamp appointment delays of up to 12 months being reported,” an email sent by Berry Appleman & Leiden LLC, the immigration firm representing Google, said. The advisory also recommended “avoiding international travel at this time.”
Business Content It was previously reported on travel advisories.
Most of the rescheduling is happening in India, in cities like Chennai and Hyderabad, with new watermark dates as far out as June 2026, Microsoft’s note said.
The company advised employees with valid work permits traveling outside the United States for stamping to return before their current visas expire. Those currently in the US and planning upcoming trips for a visa stamp should “seriously consider” changing their travel plans.
Apple’s immigration team also recommended that employees without a valid H1-B visa stamp avoid international travel for now.
ServiceNow, a business software company, similarly issued an advisory recommending that those with valid visa stamps return to the United States.
Microsoft declined to comment on its memo. Apple, Google and ServiceNow did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The companies warned that delays due to enhanced screening were for H-1B, H-4, F, J and M visas.
H-1B is a high-skilled immigration visa program that allows employers to sponsor work visas for individuals with specialized skills. The program, which is capped at 85,000 new visas a year, is a channel for American tech giants to find skilled workers such as software engineers.
Major tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta consistently top the charts in terms of number of H-1B approvals; Indian citizens are the biggest beneficiaries of the program, accounting for 71% of approved H-1B petitions.
H-1B visas are issued through a lottery system. critics We say American workers are being exploited by corporations to replace them with cheap foreign labor.
In September, the Trump administration announced a $100,000 fee for hiring new H-1B workers. But after fierce backlash, it clarified that it only applies to employers who want to use the H-1B visa to hire foreign nationals who are not already in the United States.
The H-1B program is an issue that not only energizes but tears apart the right. While those on the tech right like Elon Musk and David Sacks are in favor of strengthening skilled immigration, MAGA’s core base is staunchly opposed.
Proponents of the program often emphasize that skilled worker immigration has made the United States a technological leader and Nearly half of Fortune 500 companies They were founded by immigrants or their children and created job opportunities for native Americans.
