Major technology companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft and ServiceNow have warned workers receiving visas not to leave the country amid uncertainty over changes to immigration policies and procedures.
Following the attack on National Guard members in Washington, the Trump administration expanded travel bans earlier this month and stepped up screening and data collection for visa applicants. New policy now includes verification history of social networks certain visa applicants and their dependents.
Shortly after this announcement, U.S. consulates began rescheduling appointments to future dates, some as early as the summer of 2026, leaving employees who needed appointments unable to return.
“Please be aware that some U.S. embassies and consulates are experiencing significant delays in issuing visa stamps, currently up to 12 months,” said an email sent by Berry Appleman & Leiden LLC, the immigration firm representing Google. The advisory also recommended that international travel should be “avoided at this time.”
Business Insider Recommendations for tourists were previously reported.
Microsoft's note notes that most of the rescheduling is happening in India, in cities like Chennai and Hyderabad, and that the new stamp release dates have already arrived in June 2026.
The company advised employees with valid work authorization who traveled outside the U.S. for stamping to return before their current visa expired. Those still in the US planning upcoming visa travel should “seriously consider” changing their travel plans.
Apple's immigration team also advised employees who do not have a valid H1-B visa to avoid international travel for now.
ServiceNow, a business software company, also issued an advisory advising those with valid visa stamps to return to the US.
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 affect H-1B, H-4, F, J and M visas.
H-1B is a highly skilled immigrant visa program that allows employers to sponsor work visas for people with specialized skills. The program, with a capacity of 85,000 new visas per year, is a channel for US tech giants to find skilled labor such as software engineers.
Big tech companies like Amazon, Google and Meta consistently top the charts for H-1B approvals, with Indian citizens being the largest beneficiaries of the program, accounting for 71% of H-1B petitions approved.
H-1B visas are issued through a lottery system. critics Let's say companies used it to replace American workers with cheap foreign labor.
In September, the Trump administration announced a $100,000 fee for new H-1B workers. But after strong opposition, it clarified that it only applies to employers wishing to use the H-1B visa to hire foreign nationals not already in the United States.
The H-1B program is an issue that has not only galvanized the right, but also divided it. Right-wing tech advocates like Elon Musk and David Sachs strongly advocate for increased skilled immigration, while the MAGA base is adamantly against it.
Proponents of the program often emphasize that the immigration of skilled workers has made the United States a technology leader. nearly half of the Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children, creating jobs for Native Americans.
