Hundreds, and possibly thousands, of Indian technology professionals working on H-1B visas have found themselves stranded in India after their US visa interview appointments were postponed by several months. In a rare move, Amazon has offered temporary relief to affected employees by allowing them to work remotely from India, despite its otherwise strict policy requiring employees to work from the office five days a week. According to a report by Business Insider, this exception applies to Amazon employees who were already in India as of December 13 and are awaiting rescheduled H-1B or H-4 visa appointments.
The temporary arrangement permits eligible employees to continue working remotely until March 2, 2026. This decision comes as a response to widespread visa delays that have left many foreign workers unable to return to the United States after travelling abroad for visa renewals. Amazon’s move is being seen as an unusual but necessary step to accommodate employees caught in the backlog caused by prolonged processing times.
However, the relief comes with strict limitations. As reported by Business Insider, employees allowed to work remotely from India are barred from performing core technical tasks such as coding, testing, troubleshooting, or writing documentation. They are also prohibited from making strategic decisions, managing products, negotiating or signing contracts, interacting with customers, or supervising staff in India. Any final reviews, approvals, or sign-offs must be completed outside the country. Amazon stated that these restrictions are required to comply with Indian regulations and that no exceptions would be made.
Additionally, affected employees are not permitted to enter or work from Amazon offices or facilities in India. They must operate strictly from their homes or other non-Amazon locations. The company has maintained that these limitations are necessary to remain compliant with local laws and employment regulations.
Amazon is among the largest corporate users of the H-1B visa program. During the 2024 US fiscal year alone, the company filed nearly 14,800 certified H-1B applications, highlighting its heavy dependence on foreign skilled professionals. Other major technology firms such as Google, Microsoft, and Apple have also issued travel advisories to their employees, cautioning them against leaving the US due to the growing uncertainty surrounding visa processing.
The situation has caused significant frustration among affected workers. One Amazon software engineer told Business Insider that the majority of his job involves coding, testing, deployment, and documentation—tasks that are currently off-limits under the temporary remote work policy. The company has not yet clarified what will happen to employees whose visa appointments extend beyond March or to those stranded in countries other than India.
Commenting on the development, a US-based investor and ed-tech entrepreneur told the Times of India that Amazon had effectively found a workaround to keep employees on its payroll during the visa crisis. However, he noted that the arrangement limits workers’ ability to contribute meaningfully, as they are prevented from performing most of their core responsibilities.
The broader crisis stems from recent changes to the US H-1B visa process under the Trump administration. New restrictions, including the suspension of third-country visa renewals and stricter background checks such as mandatory social media reviews, have significantly slowed down processing. As a result, US embassies and consulates have pushed appointment dates far into the future, in some cases delaying interviews originally scheduled for late 2025 to well into 2026.
These delays have left hundreds, and potentially thousands, of skilled professionals stranded outside the United States after travelling for visa stamping. With no clear timeline for resolution, companies like Amazon are being forced to adopt temporary measures to maintain continuity, while employees remain caught in prolonged uncertainty over their work and immigration status.
