Apple, Google and others tell some foreign employees to avoid traveling out of the country
Major tech companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft and ServiceNow have warned their employees on visas to avoid leaving the country amid uncertainty over changing immigration policy and procedures.
Following an attack on National Guard members in Washington, the Trump administration expanded travel bans earlier this month, and strengthened screening and data collection for visa applicants. The new policy now includes control of social media history of certain visa applicants and their dependents.
Shortly after this announcement, U.S. consulates began rescheduling appointments to later dates, some as late as summer 2026, preventing employees who needed appointments from returning.
“Please note that some U.S. embassies and consulates are experiencing significant delays in visa stamping appointments, currently reported up to 12 months,” said an email sent by Berry Appleman & Leiden LLC, the immigration firm that represents Google. The advisory also recommended “avoiding international travel at this time.”
Business Insider has already reported on travel advice.
The Microsoft memo says much of the rescheduling is taking place in India, in cities like Chennai and Hyderabad, and that the new stamp dates are as far out as June 2026.
The company advised employees with valid work permits who were traveling outside the United States to have their visas stamped to return before their current visa expires. Those still in the United States planning their next trip to get their visa stamped should “seriously consider” changing their travel plans.
Apple’s immigration team also recommended employees without a valid H1-B visa avoid international travel at this time.
ServiceNow, an enterprise software company, also issued an advisory recommending those with a valid visa to return to the United States.
Microsoft declined to comment on its rating. Apple, Google and ServiceNow did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Companies have warned that delays due to enhanced screening affect 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, capped at 85,000 new visas per year, is a way for U.S. tech giants to find skilled workers, such as software engineers.
Large technology companies such as Amazon, Google, and Meta have consistently topped the charts in terms of the number of H-1B approvals, with Indian nationals being the largest beneficiaries of the program, accounting for 71% of approved H-1 B petitions.
H-1B visas are awarded through a lottery system, including reviews which was exploited by corporations to replace American workers with cheap foreign labor.
In September, the Trump administration announced a $100,000 fee for hiring new H-1B employees. But after harsh pushback, it clarified that it only applies to employers seeking 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 has not only animated the right, but also divided it. Proponents of the tech right, like Elon Musk and David Sacks, strongly favor increasing skilled immigration, while MAGA’s core base vehemently opposes it.
Supporters of the program often point out that the immigration of skilled workers has made the United States a technological leader, and nearly half of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or their children, creating jobs for native-born Americans.
