Visa delays: Apple and Google warn US employees against travel

Law firms advising Apple and Google on employment law matters sent emails to employees of both companies last week. In them, they warn staff against leaving the USA at the moment if their visas need to be checked before returning. This could take up to a year, the lawyers write. Therefore, it is better to forgo international travel altogether.

This is reported by Business Insider, which states it had access to both letters. The lawyers cite the fact that social media activities of visa holders are now also being checked before returning to the USA as the reason for the visa processing delays. As a result, embassies and consulates outside the United States are currently overloaded.

This particularly affects holders of the H1-B work visa, which is only issued to highly qualified specialists. The visa is tied to an employer in the USA, is initially issued for three years, but can be extended. Only recently, a one-time payment of 100,000 US dollars was demanded for the issuance of this visa.

H1-B and other visas affected

According to Business Insider, the new regulations for social media checks also apply to other visas such as H-4, F, J, and M. These are issued to students, among others. With none of these visas do you get an outlook on permanent residency in the USA; they are always tied to temporary stays for training or work. H1-B in particular is highly sought after, as the USA has so far issued 65,000 new ones annually, with an additional 20,000 for foreign graduates of US universities.

The high-tech industry often recruits new personnel through the latter mechanism immediately after graduation. The same applies to US authorities and positions at universities themselves; there are exceptions to the fixed quotas for these. Just this week, it became known that US authorities are desperately seeking skilled personnel again after the DOGE cuts. For this purpose, the new program "US Tech Force" was launched, through which the US tech industry is to temporarily transfer its employees to authorities.

The new entry regulations come shortly after the US government instructed the State Department authorities to examine H1-B applicants more closely. If they have been involved in "censorship" or moderation of US online platforms, they should no longer receive the visa. Even those who only want to visit the USA for holiday or business trips via the ESTA mechanism will soon have to disclose their social media activities, as well as numerous personal data and contacts, partly retroactively for ten years. However, this is currently only a proposal that the border protection agency CBP is putting up for discussion. The decision process is expected to be completed by spring 2026.

(nie)