In December 2025, Apple and Google told employees with visas not to leave the U.S. because new immigration criteria could prevent them from returning. The Trump administration added requirements for H-1B applicants and dependents, including adjusting social media privacy settings to “public” for official review. These added screenings prolonged processing and approval timelines for visa appointments, creating uncertainty for travel and work plans. Hiba Mona Anver warned companies to plan for interruptions that could prevent employees from remaining in the U.S. and continuing work. She cited cases where policy changes left employees stuck overseas and separated from families for months. Foreign-born workers make up nearly 20% of the U.S. civilian workforce and contribute to major economic activity through labor and consumer spending.
"In December 2025, Apple and Google had a clear message for employees on visas: Don't leave the U.S., lest you risk not returning. That month, as part of a wider crackdown in immigration, the Trump administration added new criteria for foreign workers seeking visas, including requiring H-1B applicants and dependents to adjust their social media privacy settings to "public" for official review. The extra screenings prolonged the processing and approval of visa appointments, heaping uncertainty onto employees' travel and work plans."
"Speaking at Fortune's Workforce Innovation Summit on Wednesday, Hiba Mona Anver, partner at the Erickson Immigration Group, warned companies need to have a plan for employees vulnerable to hiccups in the visa approval process, lest those workers become stranded overseas. "The issue now is whether or not there is the possibility that this individual will run into some sort of interruption in their ability to remain in the United States and continue working for the company that is sponsoring them," Anver told Fortune senior writer Phil Wahba."
""There have been instances where changes in policy have resulted in employees getting stuck in India and separated from their families for months, many of which have still not been able to make their way back to the United States, and this happened barely six months ago." Foreign-born workers make up nearly 20% of the U.S. civilian workforce, with about 1% of U.S. workers requiring temporary visas. These contributions in the labor market, as well as in consumer spending, generated about $1.7 trillion in economic activity in 2023."
#immigration-policy #h-1b-visas #workforce-planning #social-media-privacy-screening #us-labor-market
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