From Microsoft to Facebook, tech majors ask H-1B visa holders to return to the US within a day

In a communication to H-1B visa holders, Microsoft said, “If you are in H-1B status and are in the US, you should remain in the US for the foreseeable future. We know this may interrupt your travel plans. But the critical thing is to stay in the US in order to avoid being denied re-entry.”

“If you are in H-1B or H-4 status and are currently outside the US, we strongly recommend that you do what you can to return to the US tomorrow before the deadline. The Proclamation was released within the last 30 minutes, so we realize that there isn’t much time to make sudden travel arrangements. But again, we strongly encourage you to do your best to return,” Microsoft said.

Amazon has instructed its employees holding H-1B and H-4 visas to avoid international travel for the foreseeable future. The company has urged Indian and other foreign employees currently outside the US to return by midnight EDT (eastern daylight time) on September 21.

Meta (Facebook) has instructed its employees, particularly those on H-1B and H-4 visas, to remain in the US for at least two weeks while “practical applications” are assessed. Employees currently outside the country have been directed to return within 24 hours.

Similarly, JP Morgan has mandated in an internal email that all staff return to the U.S. by 12:01 AM ET on September 21. The company has also advised all H-1B visa holders to stay in the US and avoid international travel until further notice.

“We have now reviewed the actual text of today’s Presidential Proclamation on H-1B visas. First, the proclamation is structured as a travel restriction. Beginning at 12:01 am eastern time on September 21, 2025 (9:01 pm Pacific time tomorrow), individuals will not be able to enter/return to the US in H-1B status unless their petition has an additional $100,000 payment associated with it,” Microsoft said.

“While the proclamation doesn’t reference H-4 dependents, we also recommend that H-4s remain in the US,” it said.
Microsoft said it will be updating this post later with a form for people to fill out if they are currently outside the US with an H-1B visa. “We want to be able to follow up with each individual and provide support and guidance as they try to return within the next 28 hours. The proclamation does not impact any other visa statuses,” it said.

“There is other content about the pause in processing H-1B petitions for individuals who are outside the US. At this time, we do not interpret this to immediately impact extensions of H-1B status or changes of status to H-1B as long as you are currently in the U.S. We’ll share more about that later,” Microsoft said.

“While we don’t have all of the answers right now, we ask that you prioritize the recommendations above,” it said.