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Microsoft has issued an advisory for its employees connected H-1B/H-4 amid the ongoing visa assignment rescheduling and stamping delays. This comes amid caller societal media screening, said to code the imaginable “abuse of the H-1B program”.
Calling it a “rapidly processing situation”, the bundle elephantine has issued “preliminary guidance” for employees who are successful the US and are extracurricular the US urging them to "return earlier your existent visa expire". The advisory, sent by Jack Chen, Microsoft's subordinate wide counsel for migration says “Rescheduling notifications are concentrated successful Chennai and Hyderabad, with immoderate unverified reports from different consulates.
New dates are arsenic acold retired arsenic June 2026.”“Some employees person already traveled for appointments and received rescheduling notices without warning; others are getting notices earlier departure. To acceptable expectations, it is highly improbable exigency appointments volition beryllium granted, fixed the circumstances,” it adds.Microsoft says it has created a survey wherever employees tin stock their details successful lawsuit they person an assignment scheduled with a US consulate.
The survey, the institution says, “ allows you to update your responses—for example, if you haven't been rescheduled erstwhile you primitively implicit this survey, but subsequently person a rescheduling notification.Notably, different tech giants including Apple and Google person issued akin advisory for their employees.
Microsoft’s question advisory for H-1B/H-4 visa employees
Here’s the afloat substance of Microsoft’s question advisory to H-1B/H-4 visa employees sent by Jack Chen, Microsoft's subordinate wide counsel for immigrationUpdate #1 connected H-1B/H-4 Visa Appointment Rescheduling and Stamping DelaysHi everyone,As shared yesterday, immoderate U.S. consulates are rescheduling existing H-1B/H-4 visa appointments and pushing dates retired by respective months. Here's what we know:
- Rescheduling notifications are concentrated successful Chennai and Hyderabad, with immoderate unverified reports from different consulates. New dates are arsenic acold retired arsenic June 2026.
- The delays stem from operational constraints tied to the caller online beingness reappraisal for H-1B/H-4 visas, effectual December 15, which reduces regular processing capacity. We're besides proceeding that these consulates needed clip to instrumentality caller vetting procedures.
- We person nary confirmed reports of rescheduling for different visa types yet. While lone H-1B/H-4, F, J, and M visas are taxable to the online beingness review, we deliberation secondary impacts connected wide processing whitethorn emerge.
- We don't cognize if rescheduling is ongoing, for those whose archetypal visa appointments person not been changed.
Some employees person already traveled for appointments and received rescheduling notices without warning; others are getting notices earlier departure. To acceptable expectations, it is highly improbable exigency appointments volition beryllium granted, fixed the circumstances.This is simply a rapidly processing situation. Here is our preliminary guidance, which we'll update arsenic we larn more. Please work this adjacent conception carefully—I've tried to simplify it, but the details bash matter:For those presently extracurricular the U.S.:
- You request a caller visa stamp + your H-1B visa assignment was rescheduled months later: We volition interaction you. Please travel the instructions beneath to study your concern (even if you've already contacted AskUSI).
- Your H-1B visa assignment was rescheduled BUT you inactive person immoderate validity near connected your existent visa stamp: If your visa is for the due work-authorized category, instrumentality earlier your existent visa expires. This concern applies for radical who had scheduled visa appointments due to the fact that their visas are expiring soon, not earlier the instrumentality to the U.S. is planned.
- You person upcoming question + volition request a caller visa to instrumentality + your H-1B visa assignment was rescheduled months later: You should powerfully see changing your question plans. You cannot instrumentality until your caller visa stamp is issued, and it's highly improbable that the assignment tin beryllium moved earlier. And determination are limitations to your quality to execute enactment for your U.S. relation during that period. See Microsoft Global Mobility Payroll and Tax Compliance Policy.
- You person upcoming question + volition request a caller visa to instrumentality BUT your H-1B visa assignment has not been rescheduled: There is hazard your assignment could beryllium moved during your travel and effect successful you being stuck abroad. Factor this into your decision. We are inactive learning much astir however wide and important delays are successful different consulates.
For different visa categories (not H-1B/H-4, F, J, M): Proceed arsenic planned for now, but enactment things tin alteration quickly.To way real-time impacts, we request information from employees whose appointments person been rescheduled oregon whitethorn beryllium soon. This volition assistance america identify:
- Which consulates are affected
- When notifications of rescheduling are being sent
- Length of delays
- Whether different visa types are impacted
If you person a visa assignment scheduled with a U.S. consulate for immoderate visa category, we've created a survey wherever you tin stock these details with us. And importantly, the survey allows you to update your responses—for example, if you haven't been rescheduled erstwhile you primitively implicit this survey, but subsequently person a rescheduling notification. This signifier is besides the clearest mode for america to place employees who are presently extracurricular the U.S. and cannot instrumentality until a caller visa stamp is issued: Census of Upcoming Visa Stamping Appointments — Fill retired formWe'll stock retired insights based connected these responses and further accusation we're capable to stitchery by the extremity of the week.For employees presently stuck abroad—we cognize this is an anxious moment. We volition supply wide and orderly guidance to you straight arsenic soon arsenic we can.
