New Delhi, Jan 3 US tech giant Amazon has permitted certain US‑based employees stuck in India because of visa delays to work remotely until March 2, 2026, but the company has imposed tight restrictions on the tasks they may perform.
The temporary relaxation, an exception to Amazon’s five‑day office work rule, applies only to staff awaiting rescheduled visa appointments.
Under an internal memo, employees who were in India as of December 13 may continue remote work until March 2, 2026, yet they are barred from coding, testing or troubleshooting software, visiting Amazon offices, negotiating or signing contracts, or managing teams, customers or partners, a report from Business Insider said.
“All reviews, final decision making, and sign offs should be undertaken outside India," the memo said adding, “in compliance with local laws, there are no exceptions to these restrictions."
The memo stresses that “all reviews, final decision making, and sign offs should be undertaken outside India” and adds that “in compliance with local laws, there are no exceptions to these restrictions.”
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.
Google had in December 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.
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.
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