Can H-1B workers return to the US? Amazon flags growing uncertainty

Amazon has joined a growing list of US technology companies advising employees on work visas to reconsider international travel, as prolonged delays in H-1B visa processing disrupt return plans following expanded digital vetting requirements.

In an internal advisory, Amazon asked employees with visa interviews scheduled between late December and January to remain in the United States, warning that cancelled appointments could leave them stranded abroad for extended periods and unable to resume work.

The company flagged a “high risk of sudden cancellations” and advised travel outside the US only after receiving confirmation of a rescheduled interview date.

Amazon also reportedly urged employees currently outside the US who already hold a valid visa stamp to return before their visa expires.

What is causing the delays?

The caution comes amid widespread postponements of pre-scheduled H-1B visa interviews in India. The interviews, initially slated for the second half of December, have been pushed back by several months, apparently to enable scrutiny of applicants’ social media posts and online profiles.

Applicants with appointments after December 15 have been particularly impacted, with some interviews rescheduled as late as October 2026.

Many of those affected had already travelled to India for interviews and are now unable to return to the US pending new dates, as they do not hold a valid H-1B visa stamp.

The "predicted waiting period" for availing a visa interview appointment as of November 20 at the US Embassy here for business or tourist visas stood at 10 months, according to data shared by the government in Parliament on Thursday.

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh shared a tabulated category-wise and embassy or consulate-wise data on waiting period for US visas, across different categories of visas.

As of November 20, the predicted waiting period for availing an interview appointment at the US Embassy in India for B1/B2 (business or tourist visas) category stands at "10 months", while for F, M and J visas the corresponding figure for the US Embassy is "0.5 months".

The F category visa is for students, while the M category visa is for vocational or non-academic, J for exchange visitor, H for speciality occupations, L for intracompany transfer, P category visa for athletes or artists or entertainers, O for extraordinary ability and Q for cultural exchange.

What has the US Embassy advised?

The US Embassy in India recently urged applicants not to arrive at consular offices based on their earlier interview dates.

“If you have received an email advising that your visa appointment has been rescheduled, Mission India looks forward to assisting you on your new appointment date. Arriving on your previously scheduled appointment date will result in your being denied admittance to the Embassy or Consulate,” it said in a post on X earlier this month.

Interviews for several other visa categories are also being postponed under the new norms for reviewing social media profiles, according to a PTI report. The exact number of applicants impacted is not immediately known.

As part of the revised process, applicants are required to keep all social media accounts used over the past five years publicly accessible, allowing officers to review online activity and other publicly available information.

The additional scrutiny has resulted in longer processing times, more frequent secondary security checks and, in some cases, visa refusals.

Several consulates have reportedly reallocated staff to handle the surge in reviews, further slowing routine visa services.

Earlier, Google and Apple had also warned certain employees on visas against travelling outside the US, according to a Business Insider report.