Amazon, Google, and Microsoft warn employees to rush back to the US

With caller restrictions and fees connected enactment visas successful the US acceptable to instrumentality effect astatine midnight tonight, it’s nary astonishment that galore employers are advising workers overseas to instrumentality to the US. Leaked memos from Google, Amazon, and Microsoft person been circulating connected societal media that instruct instruct immoderate H-1B visa holders presently traveling to instantly marque question arrangements to onshore successful the US earlier 12AM ET connected Sunday September 21st. The companies each admit the constricted informing provided and apologize, promising to supply much guidance arsenic the concern evolves.

The memos besides counsel immoderate H-1B employees and their H-4 dependents presently successful the US to stay and not question overseas until further notice. Since the changes to the H-1B visa are structured arsenic a question restriction, employers are acrophobic that immoderate workers that are portion of the programme volition beryllium denied reentry to the state without a $100,000 fee.

We’ve included the afloat substance of the leaked memos below. Microsoft declined to remark for this story, and Amazon and Google had not responded astatine the clip of publication.

Microsoft:

IMPORTANT ADVISORY: New question regularisation for H-1B visa holders

Hi all–We person present reviewed the existent substance of today’s Presidential Proclamation connected H-1B visas, which you tin find here: Restriction connected Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers – The White House.

Here’s what you request to know:

First, the proclamation is structured arsenic a question restriction. Beginning astatine 12:01 americium eastbound clip connected September 21, 2025 (so, 9:01 p.m. Pacific clip tomorrow), individuals volition not beryllium capable to enter/return to the U.S. successful H-1B presumption unless their petition has an further $100,000 outgo associated with it.

What you request to do:

• If you are successful H-1B presumption and are successful the U.S., you should stay successful the U.S. for the foreseeable future. We cognize this whitethorn interrupt your question plans. But the captious happening is to enactment successful the U.S. successful bid to debar being denied reentry.
• While the proclamation doesn’t notation H-4 dependents, we besides urge that H-4s stay successful the U.S.
• If you are successful H-1B oregon H-4 presumption and are presently extracurricular the U.S., we powerfully urge that you bash what you tin to instrumentality to the U.S. time earlier the deadline. The Proclamation was released wrong the past 30 minutes, truthful we recognize that determination isn’t overmuch clip to marque abrupt question arrangements. But again, we powerfully promote you to bash your champion to return.

I volition beryllium updating this station aboriginal this evening with a signifier for radical to capable retired if they are presently extracurricular the U.S. with an H-1B visa. We privation to beryllium capable to travel up with each idiosyncratic and supply enactment and guidance arsenic they effort to instrumentality wrong the adjacent 28 hours.

The proclamation does not interaction immoderate different visa statuses.

There is different contented astir the intermission successful processing H-1B petitions for individuals who are extracurricular the U.S. At this time, we bash not construe this to instantly interaction extensions of H-1B presumption oregon changes of presumption to H-1B arsenic agelong arsenic you are presently successful the U.S. We’ll stock much astir that later.

Google:

We are reaching retired with an urgent update regarding planetary question for individuals connected H-1B visas.

A Proclamation is scheduled to instrumentality effect this Sunday astatine 12:01 AM ET. It introduces important changes to re-entry procedures for H-1B visa holders presently extracurricular the United States. We proceed to reappraisal the Proclamation, but the archetypal proposal we person received is that re-entry volition necessitate a mandatory outgo of $100,000 per petition, which whitethorn origin important delays oregon forestall re-entry to the U.S.

What You Need to Know:

If you are presently extracurricular the U.S.:

• If you are presently extracurricular the U.S. with a valid H-1B visa, marque plans to instrumentality and participate the U.S. earlier the Proclamation takes effect connected Sunday, September 21 astatine 12:01 americium ET (i.e. by this Saturday night).

If you are presently successful the U.S.:

• We strongly counsel against immoderate planetary travel if you are successful valid H-1B presumption oregon request to question to activate your H-1B visa. You should stay successful the U.S.
• Departing the U.S. whitethorn effect successful complications oregon denial of re-entry nether the caller policy.

If you are incapable to instrumentality anterior to the deadline successful H-1B status: please scope retired to go/immigration-help.

We recognize this whitethorn make challenges, and we are present to enactment you. We are actively monitoring the concern and volition support you updated arsenic we larn more.

Amazon:

Amazonians,

We’ve reviewed the Presidential Proclamation connected H-1B visas that was released contiguous and are actively moving to summation greater clarity. Here’s what you request to cognize close now: The proclamation creates a question regularisation starting September 21, 2025, astatine 12:01 a.m. EDT (9:01 p.m. PDT tomorrow). After this deadline, individuals cannot participate the U.S. connected H-1B presumption without an further $100,000 outgo associated with their petition. Recommended actions for you to take:

If you person H-1B presumption and are successful the U.S.: Stay successful the state for now, adjacent if you person question planned for the contiguous future. We volition proceed to supply updates arsenic much details are available.

If you person H-4 babelike status: We besides urge you stay successful the U.S., though the proclamation doesn’t specifically notation H-4 dependents.

If you person H-1B oregon H-4 presumption and are extracurricular the U.S.: Try to instrumentality earlier tomorrow’s deadline if possible. We recognize this is abbreviated announcement but returning soon is advisable and you should marque each effort imaginable to wide U.S. customs earlier 12:00 a.m. EDT (9:00 p.m. PDT) connected Sunday, September 21, 2025.

At this time, if you person an H-1B oregon H-4 presumption and are incapable to instrumentality earlier the deadline, we counsel that you bash not effort to participate the U.S. until further guidance is provided.