New Delhi: Amid ongoing setbacks from H-1B visa appointment delays, Amazon is allowing its employees stranded in India to work remotely until March 2, according to an internal memo obtained by Business Insider.
Under normal circumstances, Amazon permits 20 days of remote work for employees travelling abroad for visa renewals, exempting them from the standard requirement to work in the office five days a week. However, the H-1B visa renewal delays, which began during the US holiday season in December, prompted the company, the largest user of the H-1B program, to provide temporary relief to affected employees.
The memo, however, comes with strict conditions. It emphasises that “there are no exceptions to these restrictions,” and employees must adhere to the company’s operating guidance while working remotely from India.
One of the key restrictions bars employees from coding, including testing or troubleshooting. They are also prohibited from working in or visiting any Amazon building and instructed not to sign or negotiate any contracts. The memo further states: “Do not undertake any strategic business decisions, business planning, product management/development, and/or business development type activities. All reviews, final decision making, and sign-offs should be undertaken outside India.”
The memo does not provide guidance or support for employees whose appointments are rescheduled beyond March 2, or for those stranded in other countries. Reports indicate that some US embassy and consulate appointments have been pushed as far as 2027.
This situation has left employees, particularly those whose roles primarily involve coding, in limbo, uncertain about what work they can perform while stuck in India.
Thousands of Indian H-1B holders were stranded after US consulates abruptly cancelled or postponed their visa renewal appointments. The disruption followed the rollout of the expanded social media vetting policy by the Trump administration. At the time, the US embassy described the policy as “an effort to address abuse of the H-1B program while still permitting companies to hire the best of the best temporary foreign workers.”
The visa delays have affected major US companies including Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, which remain among the largest users of the H-1B program.