Amazon has introduced a temporary remote work policy for employees trapped in India due to visa delays. According to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider, these employees are permitted to work remotely from India until early March, provided they adhere to strict limitations. Specifically, they are prohibited from coding, making strategic decisions, or engaging with customers.
This move is part of a broader response from numerous American corporations facing complications arising from changes to the H-1B visa program under the Trump administration. A new mandate requiring consular officers to examine visa applicants’ social media activity has significantly delayed the visa issuance process. Many embassies and consulates have pushed appointment dates back by several months, leaving employees stranded abroad.
In light of these challenges, tech giants including Google, Apple, and Microsoft have issued travel advisories, warning visa holders to avoid international travel to prevent extending their time outside the United States. Notably, Amazon has a policy allowing employees who travel abroad for visa renewals to work remotely for up to 20 business days, deviating from the expectation of working in-office full-time.
The new memo states that any Amazon employee in India as of December 13 and waiting on a rescheduled visa appointment can work from there until March 2. However, the memo outlines extensive restrictions on the type of work these employees can undertake. They must refrain from all coding activities, including troubleshooting and testing. Additionally, they are not allowed to work from any Amazon office or location and cannot engage in negotiating or signing contracts.
The memo explicitly states that all critical decision-making processes must occur outside India, reaffirming compliance with local laws without any exceptions. There is no guidance provided for employees whose visa appointments may be rescheduled beyond the March 2 deadline or for those stuck in other countries; some U.S. embassies have postponed appointments until as late as 2027.
For many employees, particularly those in technical roles, the imposed restrictions have raised concerns about their ability to fulfill job responsibilities. One software engineer highlighted that a significant portion of their role involves coding and testing, making the limitations particularly challenging.
In response to the delays and complexities, a State Department spokesperson indicated that social media reviews are intended to use all available tools to identify visa applicants who may pose risks to national interests. Given Amazon’s status as one of the largest users of H-1B visas, these developments impact the company significantly. During the 2024 fiscal year alone, Amazon filed nearly 15,000 certified H-1B applications.
The memo concludes with a reiteration of the current remote work limitations and encourages employees to seek guidance from managers and HR representatives regarding permissible activities while working abroad.
