Alphabet subsidiary Google has advised employees on U.S. work visas—many of them Indian nationals—to avoid all international travel because re-entry visa stamping at U.S. consulates now faces delays of up to a year. An internal memo from immigration law firm BAL, circulated on 19 December, warned that even short December holidays could strand staff abroad until late 2026.
The flash-alert follows the Trump administration’s latest tightening of the H-1B programme: social-media vetting, abolition of third-country renewals and a US$100,000 filing fee for new petitions. Indian talent accounts for roughly 70 % of all H-1B holders; tech giants from Google to Infosys rely on predictable rotation between California campuses and Bangalore or Hyderabad R&D hubs.
![Google Tells Indian H-1B Staff: ‘Don’t Travel’ as U.S. Visa Stamping Wait Tops 12 Months]()
Google’s travel freeze is expected to ripple across India-based project teams. Senior engineers who normally shuttle between Mountain View and India for code sprints must now remain stateside or risk months-long absences. HR directors are hurriedly redrawing assignment calendars, while global-mobility budgets balloon to cover premium processing and remote-work set-ups.
Industry groups say consular staffing cuts and stricter vetting have pushed first-available visa-interview dates at the U.S. Embassy in Delhi to October 2026. Without relief, Indian IT majors could face delivery delays on U.S. contracts and higher attrition as workers seek Canada or Europe instead.
Action items for employers include: (1) halt all non-essential U.S. visa stamp trips; (2) map out in-country stay-extensions for H-1B staff; (3) brief travellers on automatic-revalidation rules for brief visits to Canada/Mexico, and (4) explore “near-shore” client engagement centres in Toronto or Guadalajara.
The flash-alert follows the Trump administration’s latest tightening of the H-1B programme: social-media vetting, abolition of third-country renewals and a US$100,000 filing fee for new petitions. Indian talent accounts for roughly 70 % of all H-1B holders; tech giants from Google to Infosys rely on predictable rotation between California campuses and Bangalore or Hyderabad R&D hubs.
Google’s travel freeze is expected to ripple across India-based project teams. Senior engineers who normally shuttle between Mountain View and India for code sprints must now remain stateside or risk months-long absences. HR directors are hurriedly redrawing assignment calendars, while global-mobility budgets balloon to cover premium processing and remote-work set-ups.
Industry groups say consular staffing cuts and stricter vetting have pushed first-available visa-interview dates at the U.S. Embassy in Delhi to October 2026. Without relief, Indian IT majors could face delivery delays on U.S. contracts and higher attrition as workers seek Canada or Europe instead.
Action items for employers include: (1) halt all non-essential U.S. visa stamp trips; (2) map out in-country stay-extensions for H-1B staff; (3) brief travellers on automatic-revalidation rules for brief visits to Canada/Mexico, and (4) explore “near-shore” client engagement centres in Toronto or Guadalajara.
Source: Reuters
