Amazon has allowed its H-1B employees who are stranded in India due to delays in US visa interviews to work from home until March 2. The decision offers temporary relief to employees affected by visa appointment backlogs, at a time when several major technology firms, including Microsoft, are insisting on mandatory office attendance.
According to national media reports, Amazon informed employees through an internal communication that those waiting for visa appointment rescheduling since December 13 will be permitted to work remotely. However, the company has imposed operational restrictions, barring these employees from participating in customer interactions, coding activities, strategic decision-making, or technical problem-solving and testing. Employees have also been instructed not to visit Amazon offices in India during this period. Amazon has not yet clarified its policy for employees whose visa appointments are scheduled after March 2.
The move comes amid tighter H-1B visa norms following policy changes under the Donald Trump administration. Enhanced scrutiny, including checks of applicants’ social media profiles, has led to delays in visa renewals, with appointments reportedly pushed to June. In response, companies such as Google and Microsoft have advised their H-1B employees against traveling outside the US. In this context, Amazon’s decision is being viewed as a short-term relief for affected workers.