Google and Apple have recommended to some employees working in the United States on temporary visas that they travel internationally only if it is absolutely necessary, according to internal guidance viewed by multiple outlets. The warning is a sign of mounting anxiety about the future of visa stamping and reentry, as immigration counsel says consular backlogs and increased vetting at embassies have led to unpredictable delays that could leave workers stranded abroad.
What The Internal Memos Indicate About Travel Guidance
The law firms that represent the companies, BAL Immigration Law for Google and Fragomen for Apple, have discouraged staff who need a visa foil in their passport to reenter the U.S. from scheduling any travel they don’t need to take. Their message is simple: if you do not already have a valid visa stamp in your passport, travel cedes higher chances of risk as appointment availability and post-interview processing are currently vacillating more than normal.
U.S. government officials have said that consular posts are “adjudicating each visa application in accordance with existing law and regulation, which includes thorough vetting of every applicant.” In reality, even eligible workers can also be subject to last-minute appointments canceled by the government, administrative processing holds and additional document requests that delay returns by weeks or more, immigration attorneys say.
Why Day-Tripping Is Riskier Now For Visa Holders
Most H-1B, L-1 and O-1 professionals have a way to work legally in the U.S. with an approval notice issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. But when they leave the country, they typically have to get a visa stamp from a U.S. consulate abroad before returning. If consular posts offer only a limited number of appointments, or if they ramp up security checks, the time frame for return becomes hazy — even for workers with regular jobs and clean records.
Those who work in the field note a few bottlenecks.
- First, the availability of appointments continues to be spotty among consulates, particularly in high-volume markets.
- Second, cases may be placed into “administrative processing” under section 221(g), with no set timeline.
- Third, broader social media and security vetting — already part of the application process for years — is increasingly under scrutiny, with advocacy groups and news organizations documenting canceled or rescheduled appointments for hundreds of professionals in recent weeks.
For perspective, USCIS statistics indicate that more than 400K H-1B petitions (including extensions) were approved in one recent fiscal year and public data about employers doing the most hiring constantly have big tech brands among top sponsors.
Indian nationals have historically received approximately 70 percent of H-1B approvals, so any disruptions at Indian consulates, where demand is particularly intense, are especially damaging.
Who Is Affected Most By Visa Stamping Disruptions
The most immediate danger is for workers whose visa stamps expired or who never received one, because they changed their status while already in the U.S. An engineer can continue to work locally with an approved I-797 and proper I-94, but if he or she boards a flight abroad without a current visa stamp, reentry is subject to appointment availability at the consulates and adjudication, factors beyond the control of an employer.
Interview waiver programs and drop-box procedures assist some applicants, but they do not guarantee that no follow-up checks or waits will occur. L-1 intra-corporate transferees and O-1 aliens of extraordinary ability encounter similar situations, especially in locations with high volume or cases involving requests for more employer documentation.
How Companies And Workers Are Reacting To Travel Risks
Tech employers are relying on pre-travel assessments by immigration counsel, at the same time advising employees to postpone optional trips and writing contingency plans for remote work if someone gets stranded overseas. Internal protocols generally require a green light prior to international travel for anyone whose visa stamp has expired, with managers scheduling project timelines around possible lags.
For employees, best practices include not only checking current status and expiration date but confirming passport validity (scholar-readers remember Brandon Mayfield) — that the employment verification letter is at hand as well as recent pay information (to help secure a new visa), and booking single-country itineraries with fewer variables. A limited program allowing some visa holders to renew visas within the United States may enable a number of workers eligible for domestic pilots to skip over consulates, but eligibility is restricted and slots are being taken up, so most still need an appointment overseas.
What To Watch Next As Consulates Face Backlogs And Delays
Immigration experts will also be monitoring how the State Department responds by adding consular staffing, expanding interview waivers or scaling domestic renewal options to alleviate pressure. Employer sponsors are also tracking how long administrative processing holds remain in place and when specific consulates restabilize appointment supply.
The core takeaway is caution. Just one surprise 221(g) request or a rescheduled slot could transform a short visit into weeks gone. That is the corporate lawyer’s dilemma behind Google or Apple’s caution: The cost of conservatism is a deferred vacation; the risk of getting the threat wrong is stranded top talent abroad and a schedule-altering product road map.
