Amazon Allows Remote Work With Restrictions For Visa Stranded Employees In India

SEATTLE, WA -Amazon has granted a temporary exception until March 2, to its in-office policy for employees stranded in India due to prolonged U.S. visa processing delays.

The policy applies to employees who were in India as of December 13 and are awaiting rescheduled visa appointments.

Amazon, one of the largest users of the H-1B visa program, filed nearly 14,800 certified applications in fiscal year 2024, RTTNews said.

In this time, employees working from India have been barred from writing, testing, or troubleshooting code, engaging with customers or negotiating contracts, and making strategic decisions or signing official documents. An office memo has said that all final reviews and approvals must be completed outside India, adding that “no exceptions under local law” will be permitted.

The disruption follows Trump administration rules, including mandatory social media reviews of visa applicants by consular officers, significantly slowing processing timelines, with visa interviews in some cases pushed back by months or even to 2027.

The internal communication does not outline provisions for employees stranded in other countries, nor does it clarify next steps for those whose visa delays extend beyond the March 2 deadline.