- Google and Apple lawyers are warning H-1B visa holders not to leave the US for the time being
- Returning to the country could result in lengthy delays and postponed appointments
- State Department says thorough vetting takes priority over speed
Google and Apple have reportedly started to warn some visa-holding employees not to travel outside of the US, because the re-entry processing could take longer than expected.
The news, initially reported by Business Insider, comes from the companies' respective law firms, BAL Immigration Law (Google) and Fragomen (Apple).
Employees who need a new H-1B visa stamp are being urged not to travel abroad due to unpredictable extended delays which could pose the risk of being stranded abroad. The H-1B visa allows US employers to hire skilled foreign professionals for up to three years, or six years with extensions.
H-1B visa workers in the US told not to leave the US for now
The delays have been linked to enhanced visa vetting, with Trump's new social media screening requirement affecting H-1B workers, students and more.
"Given the recent updates and the possibility of unpredictable, extended delays when returning to the US, we strongly recommend that employees without a valid H-1B visa stamp avoid international travel for now," Fragomen's memo to Apple employees reads.
Hundreds of Indian professionals who traveled home to renew visas in December are believed to have had appointments canceled or rescheduled, with some US embassies facing appointment delays of up to 12 months.
"While in the past the emphasis may have been on processing cases quickly and reducing wait times, our embassies and consulates around the world, including in India, are now prioritizing thoroughly vetting each visa case above all else," a spokesperson for the Department of State told Business Insider.
The news comes some months after the White House announced a $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications, with an annual cap of 85,000 (generating up to $8.5 billion for the US). In 2024, Google and Microsoft both accounted for 5,500-5,700 each, with Apple coming in with just shy of 3,900 applications, per the report.
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