Visa stamp delays: Google issues travel alert

US tech giant Google has warned some employees not to travel abroad after learning that US visa re‑entry processing at American embassies and consulates is facing “significant” delays that can stretch up to 12 months.

The report from Business Insider said that Google’s external counsel, BAL Immigration Law, cautioned employees needing visa stamping to return to the US, saying overseas travel could leave them stranded due to visa stamping appointment delays up to 12 months.

BAL Immigration Law's email urged affected staff to avoid international trips because of unusually long appointment backlogs at diplomatic missions and warned travellers they could “risk an extended stay outside the US”.

The delays are being reported across several countries as US missions implement enhanced social‑media screening requirements that apply to H‑1B workers, their dependents, and to students and exchange visitors on F, J, and M visas.

The US Department of State acknowledged the delays, the report said, adding that it is conducting “online presence reviews for applicants” and that applicants can request expedited processing on a case-by-case basis.

The White House in November had clarified its position on the visa policy, telling that the $1 lakh application fee is a “significant first step to stop abuses of the system.”

The administration’s H-1B visa policy has faced broad opposition from lawmakers and legal challenges with two major lawsuits filed in courts, including the one by the US Chamber of Commerce, the country’s biggest business organisation.

India-born workers received over 70 per cent of the total approved H1-B visas in 2024, primarily due to a huge backlog in approvals and a high number of skilled immigrants from India.

Elon Musk had recently defended the H-1B visa programme, saying that the US economy has benefited immensely from Indian immigrants.

Musk said that America needs high-skill workers from India now more than ever, while also calling out the misuse of the visa system by some outsourcing firms.