The technology sector and other companies have ran to alert employees with H-1B visas against trips abroad, in response to the chaos generated by President Donald Trump’s decision to impose one on the widely used program.
Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and other technology companies sent messages to affected employees, advising them to return to the US on Saturday (20) and cancel any plans to leave the country after the White House announced on Friday that the new rules would take effect on Sunday.
An employee of the White House clarified on Saturday that – no renewals or current holders – and will be applied in the next lottery cycle.
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Later, on Saturday afternoon, a White House account in X posted a message saying that Trump’s announcement does not apply to current visa holders. He added: “Proclamation does not impact the ability of any current travel visa to/from the US.”
Even so, uncertainties on how change will be applied and supervised caused confusion and concern throughout corporate America, leading immigration companies and lawyers to advise current visa holders to be cautious.
Microsoft told its employees that it understands, “These developments are creating uncertainty for many of you.” He added, “Although we don’t have all the answers now, we ask them to prioritize the above recommendations.”
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Several visa holders said the changes are disruptive and disturbing. Lawrence, 34, was about to move from UK to Bay Area on Monday to start her new engineering job. When the executive order was signed, he had already packed, sold his car, placed his house to rent and said goodbye to all his loved ones in the UK.
Lawrence, who declined to reveal his last name and the company’s name for fear of retaliation, was advised by the company’s immigration lawyers to stay in the UK until they have more information.
A Google employee, who ordered anonymity, described the cancellation of a trip to Tokyo to visit the family because of the White House announcement.
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Amazon also warned the H-4 dependent visas holders, which are for spouses and dependents on H-1B visas, to stay in the US.
The H-1B visa program is widely used by the technology industry, which uses the program to bring qualified workers from abroad. Financial and consulting companies also use the program.
Companies with the largest number of H-1B visas are Amazon, Tata, Microsoft, Meta and Apple, according to the US government. JPMorgan Chase and Walmart occupy the 8th and 9th positions, respectively, according to government data.
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Every year, employers have petitions until March for a lottery in April, with 65,000 visas available, plus 20,000 for master’s degree in the US. In 2025, more than 470,000 registrations were submitted, and approved workers can start on October 1st.
Ernst & Young guided its visa holders to return to the US on Saturday. “Our continuous guidance is to limit international travel where possible, regardless of the type of visa,” said the email, noting that additional changes and restrictions are possible. Companies did not comment or did not respond to requests for commentary on their visa councils.
Walmart issued a similar guidance on a memo to employees, adding that it continued to “interpret recent changes in H-1B visa policy” and sharing guidelines “by excessive caution.” The company wrote that “until the situation and intention of the executive order are clear,” recommended that employees with visas would not leave the US.
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Rakhel Milstein, immigration lawyer and founder of Milstein Law Group, said he expects “full chaos” after spending visa -holders at technology companies, non -profit groups and other companies.
“We have customers who have just received their visa stamps consulates in India, and now they will receive their passports back on Monday,” she said. “Does that mean they can’t go back?”
Milstein hopes that the new policy will be immediately contested in court and that a rapid injunction is likely.
Current H-1B visa holders said they were deeply restless with the changes in the program.
Erika L., who is from an Asian country and works in finance in the metropolitan region of New York, asked anonymity to comment on the announcement.
“I feel that, right now, I’m kind of lost and I don’t know how this policy will apply to people who have already seen him,” he said. “If it doesn’t work out, I was telling my friends that that’s okay, maybe I move to Europe, to Asia to work. I’ve lived here for almost 10 years, so I find it very difficult to ask me to leave the country suddenly, because I’m not mentally prepared to leave everything I have known for 10 years.”
The Trump administration presented changes as part of a broader plan to strengthen legitimate applications while eliminating abuse. But companies are quietly concerned that the $ 100,000 rate will be unsustainable for their hiring needs.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Trump ruled out a question about whether technology companies would be concerned about the measure.
“I think they will be very happy. Everyone will be happy. And we will be able to keep people in our country that will be very productive,” said Trump. “And in many cases these companies will pay a lot of money for it and are very happy with it.”
© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.
