Alphabet and Apple have issued internal advisories urging employees on US work and study visas—many of them Chinese nationals—not to leave the United States over the Christmas–New Year period. Visa-stamping appointments at some American consulates now stretch to 12 months, with the first available slots in Guangzhou reportedly in November 2026.
The logjam follows Washington’s decision to intensify social-media vetting for H-1B, H-4, F, J and M applicants. Immigration law firm Berry Appleman & Leiden confirms that even “drop-box” renewals are being delayed, forcing travellers to consider expensive third-country options in Singapore or Frankfurt.
![US Visa-Stamping Backlog Prompts Big Tech to Warn China-Born Staff Against Holiday Travel]()
For employers the stakes are high: if engineers visiting family for Lunar New Year cannot obtain a new visa stamp, they may be stranded abroad and lose work status. Both tech giants have drafted contingency plans, including remote-work arrangements and emergency L-1 transfers to Canada, but smaller firms could face project delays.
Mobility teams are auditing travel plans, advising renewals at least six months before departure and compiling back-up assignments in lower-risk jurisdictions. The episode highlights how geopolitical friction continues to complicate global talent flows even as China itself reopens to foreign visitors.
The logjam follows Washington’s decision to intensify social-media vetting for H-1B, H-4, F, J and M applicants. Immigration law firm Berry Appleman & Leiden confirms that even “drop-box” renewals are being delayed, forcing travellers to consider expensive third-country options in Singapore or Frankfurt.
For employers the stakes are high: if engineers visiting family for Lunar New Year cannot obtain a new visa stamp, they may be stranded abroad and lose work status. Both tech giants have drafted contingency plans, including remote-work arrangements and emergency L-1 transfers to Canada, but smaller firms could face project delays.
Mobility teams are auditing travel plans, advising renewals at least six months before departure and compiling back-up assignments in lower-risk jurisdictions. The episode highlights how geopolitical friction continues to complicate global talent flows even as China itself reopens to foreign visitors.
Source: VisaHQ Global Mobility News
