Global tech giants Google and Apple issued urgent advisories on December 27 warning visa-holding employees to avoid all non-essential international travel. The internal memos, first reported by industry portal Travel and Tour World, cite unprecedented visa-stamping delays and heightened entry restrictions under President Trump’s December 16 Presidential Proclamation 10998.
The proclamation broadened an earlier June ban, fully suspending entry for nationals of 19 countries and imposing partial suspensions—plus ‘extreme vetting’—for 20 more. Combined with new biometric and social-media checks, U.S. consulates in high-volume cities such as Chennai, Beijing and London are now quoting H-1B appointment waits of six to twelve months.
For individuals and companies trying to navigate these shifting rules, VisaHQ can help streamline the process. Its dedicated U.S. portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) tracks real-time consular updates, offers personalized document checklists, and connects users with specialists who can advise on appointment strategies or alternative filing locations, providing a measure of predictability amid the current uncertainty.
![Google and Apple Tell Foreign Staff to Halt Overseas Trips as U.S. Visa Backlogs Deepen]()
For companies that rely on globally mobile talent, the risk is clear: employees who leave the United States may be trapped abroad awaiting visa stamps. Legal teams have reminded staff that Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR) no longer protects travelers from banned countries and is increasingly unreliable for others due to secondary inspections at land borders.
Beyond tech, the warnings are rippling through consulting, banking and life-sciences, with HR departments freezing international off-sites and accelerating remote-work policies. Immigration counsel recommend: (1) retaining I-94 cards when exiting; (2) avoiding visa applications in third countries; and (3) documenting any business necessity for emergency appointment requests.
The episode underscores how swiftly executive actions can disrupt corporate mobility programs. Employers are urged to maintain real-time dashboards of consular wait times and to budget for relocation alternatives—including Canada and EU hubs—until U.S. processing stabilises.
The proclamation broadened an earlier June ban, fully suspending entry for nationals of 19 countries and imposing partial suspensions—plus ‘extreme vetting’—for 20 more. Combined with new biometric and social-media checks, U.S. consulates in high-volume cities such as Chennai, Beijing and London are now quoting H-1B appointment waits of six to twelve months.
For individuals and companies trying to navigate these shifting rules, VisaHQ can help streamline the process. Its dedicated U.S. portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/) tracks real-time consular updates, offers personalized document checklists, and connects users with specialists who can advise on appointment strategies or alternative filing locations, providing a measure of predictability amid the current uncertainty.
For companies that rely on globally mobile talent, the risk is clear: employees who leave the United States may be trapped abroad awaiting visa stamps. Legal teams have reminded staff that Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR) no longer protects travelers from banned countries and is increasingly unreliable for others due to secondary inspections at land borders.
Beyond tech, the warnings are rippling through consulting, banking and life-sciences, with HR departments freezing international off-sites and accelerating remote-work policies. Immigration counsel recommend: (1) retaining I-94 cards when exiting; (2) avoiding visa applications in third countries; and (3) documenting any business necessity for emergency appointment requests.
The episode underscores how swiftly executive actions can disrupt corporate mobility programs. Employers are urged to maintain real-time dashboards of consular wait times and to budget for relocation alternatives—including Canada and EU hubs—until U.S. processing stabilises.
