Major tech firms, including Apple, Google, and Microsoft have warned their staff to not leave the United States if they need a visa stamp to return to the country, according to Business Insider report.
Tech giants have long taken advantage of the H-1B program – which allows up to 85,000 “specialty workers” to move to the U.S. with their families – to staff their companies.
Tech firms have long taken advantage of foreign work visas, in particular the H-1B visas that allow them to employ foreign graduate workers in specialty occupations. In 2020, President Donald Trump’s executive work order suspended the issuing of new H-1B visas.
Employees currently in the US are required to have a valid visa stamp on their passport to be allowed to re-enter the country. Apple, Google, and Microsoft lawyers are telling the companies that there are delays in getting such a stamp for as long as one year.
Apple’s law firm, Fragomen, has reportedly warned visa holders employed by the company against traveling outside of the US.
“Given the recent updates and the possibility of unpredictable, extended delays when returning to the U.S., we strongly recommend that employees without a valid H-1B visa stamp avoid international travel for now,” the firm told visa holders. “If travel cannot be postponed, employees should connect with Apple Immigration and Fragomen in advance to discuss the risks.”
Microsoft and Google employees have received similar warnings from their legal counsel.
On December 15, 2025, a revision to the H-1B re-entry process requires overseas embassies and consulates to conduct what the Trump administration refers to as “online presence reviews for applicants.”
Now, anyone that currently holds an H1-B visa that is attempting to re-enter the United States must have their visa re-stamped, and their social media must be reviewed before the stamp can be applied. The same thing also applies to the visa holder’s spouse or children if they are also re-entering the US on an associated H-4 visa.
A spokesperson for the State Department said “While in the past the emphasis may have been on processing cases quickly and reducing wait times, our embassies and consulates around the world, including in India, are now prioritizing thoroughly vetting each visa case above all else.”
The re-stamping requirement is just the latest move in the President’s ongoing efforts to limit immigration, an effort that tech firms like Apple have protested since back in 2017. In September 2025, the Trump administration imposed a $100,000 fee for filing for a new H-1B visa, effective immediately.