Apple, Google tell workers on visas to avoid leaving the U.S. : NPR

Apple and Google are warning some U.S. employees with visas not to travel outside the country to avoid the risk of being stranded on their return journey as the Trump administration tightens vetting of visa applicants, according to recent internal memos from the tech companies reviewed by NPR.

U.S. consulates and embassies are reporting long, sometimes months-long delays in visa appointments after new rules The Department of Homeland Security requires travelers to have their social media history verified for up to five years, a move criticized by free speech advocates as an invasion of privacy.

For Apple and Google, which together employ more than 300,000 workers and rely heavily on highly skilled foreign workers, increased scrutiny and reports of long delays were enough for the companies to advise some of their employees to remain in the U.S. if they could avoid overseas travel.

“We recommend avoiding international travel at this time as you risk being left outside the United States for an extended period of time,” law firm Berry Appleman & Leiden, which works with Google, wrote to employees.

Law firm Fragomen, which works with Apple, wrote a similar message: “Given recent news and the potential for unpredictable long delays in returning to the United States, we strongly advise employees without a valid H-1B visa to avoid international travel for the time being,” the note said. “If travel cannot be postponed, employees should contact Apple Immigration and Fragomen in advance to discuss the risks.”

Apple and Google declined to comment on the recommendations, which were first reported from Business Insider.

It's the latest sign of how the Trump administration's aggressive immigration policies are affecting the foreign-born workforce in the United States.

Earlier this year, the White House announced that companies would be subject to $100,000 fee for all new H-1B visas.a type of visa popular among technology companies looking to hire highly skilled workers from abroad.

H-1B visas typically last for three years and applicants have to return to their home country's embassy or consulate for renewal, but reports suggest such routine travel could leave people stranded for months due to the Trump administration's new policy.

On Friday, Washington Post reported that hundreds of visa holders who came to India to renew their H-1Bs had their State Department appointments postponed, saying officials needed more time to ensure that no applicant “posed a threat to U.S. national security or public security.”

At Google, the Alphabet Workers Union is campaigning for additional protections for workers on H-1B visas. These workers would be especially vulnerable in the event of Google layoffs because the loss of employer sponsorship could jeopardize their legal status, said Google software engineer Parul Koul, who heads the union.

The need to support H-1B holders at Google, she said, “has only become more urgent with all the scrutiny and increased scrutiny from the Trump administration regarding the H1B program, as well as how the administration deals with all other types of immigrant workers.”