Amid hardening of US visa norms, Microsoft has warned its employees to return to the United States before the expiration of their visa.
Microsoft has joined American tech giants in warning their foreign employees that they should return to the United States before the expiration of their visa.
The situation is “rapidly developing” and they should “return before your current visa expire”, said Jack Chen, Microsoft’s Associate General Counsel for Immigration, in a memo to foreign employees.
The warning has come at a time when the Donald Trump administration has started vetting social media of visa applicants. The vetting has delayed appointments and extending timelines for the processing of applications. Currently, US embassies and consulates have postponed routine visa appointments, which has resulted in some foreign employees overseas unable to return to the United States for extended durations.
In a memo reported by Business Insider, Chen said rescheduling notifications are concentrated in Chennai and Hyderabad and some dates go as far as June 2026.
“Some employees have already traveled for appointments and received rescheduling notices without warning; others are getting notices before departure. To set expectations, it is highly unlikely emergency appointments will be granted, given the circumstances,” said Chen.
Microsoft has joined the likes of Google, Apple, and ServiceNow to send out such messages.
In the memo, Microsoft said it has created a survey where employees can share their details in case they have an appointment scheduled with a US consulate. Such a survey “allows you to update your responses — for example, if you haven’t been rescheduled when you originally complete this survey, but subsequently receive a rescheduling notification”.
But even the memo acknowledged the uncertainty that prevailed.
“For employees currently stuck abroad — we know this is an anxious moment. We will provide clear and orderly guidance to you directly as soon as we can,” the memo read.
The problem is particularly dire for H1-B visa-holders, which is the main type of visa used by tech giants for their foreign employees.
If an H1-B visa-holders’ visa stamp expires and they travel abroad, they must obtain a new stamp at a consulate before re-entering the United States, but such a routine trip could become a career disruption lasting up to a year as appointments are now being rescheduled months into the future, according to Business Insider.
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