Amazon Allows Stranded India Visa Workers Remote Access

Amazon has authorized temporary remote work for employees stranded in India due to significant visa processing delays. The policy allows affected workers to perform their duties from India until March 2, 2026. This move represents a rare exception to the company's strict five-day in-office workweek mandate.

The authorization comes with severe restrictions. Employees are prohibited from coding, making strategic decisions, or interacting with customers. These limitations stem from compliance with local laws regarding foreign workers. The visa delays are caused by new Trump administration policies requiring consular officers to review applicants' social media posts. As a result, embassies have rescheduled appointments by several months, leaving many workers stranded outside the United States.

The Trump administration has implemented rapid changes to the H-1B visa program. A key change mandates that consular officers review the social media posts of visa applicants before issuing visas. This additional screening step has significantly delayed processing times.

Many US embassies and consulates have rescheduled visa appointments by several months. Some have pushed appointments as far out as 2027. This has left numerous employees stranded in their home countries, unable to return to the US. Consequently, major American companies are scrambling to adapt to these disruptions.

Google, Apple, and Microsoft have issued travel advisories in recent weeks. They are warning US employees with visas to avoid international travel to prevent extended stays outside the country. The situation poses a specific challenge for Amazon, which is one of the largest users of the H-1B program.

Amazon is allowing employees stranded in India to work remotely until early March. The authorization applies to any employee who was in India as of December 13, 2025, and is awaiting a rescheduled visa appointment. The policy was detailed in an internal memo posted to Amazon's HR portal on December 17.

Normally, Amazon requires employees to work in the office five days a week. The company does allow a temporary remote work exemption of up to 20 business days for employees traveling abroad for visa renewals. The new policy extends this flexibility significantly due to the unprecedented delays.

However, the memo outlines a long list of constraints. Employees working remotely from India are barred from the following activities:

• Coding, troubleshooting, or testing
• Working from or visiting Amazon buildings
• Negotiating or signing contracts
• Making strategic business decisions
• Interacting with customers

The memo explicitly states that "All reviews, final decision making, and sign offs should be undertaken outside India." It further notes that "in compliance with local laws, there are no exceptions to these restrictions."

The restrictions have raised questions about the feasibility of work for technical staff. One Amazon software engineer noted that "Seventy to eighty percent of my job is coding, testing, deploying, and documenting." With coding explicitly forbidden, the ability for technical employees to remain productive is limited.

Amazon is among the most active users of the H-1B program. During the 2024 government fiscal year, Amazon filed 14,783 certified H-1B applications. This total includes 23 applications for Whole Foods. The scale of Amazon's reliance on the program highlights the potential impact of these delays on its workforce.

The memo does not provide guidance for employees whose visa appointments are rescheduled beyond March 2, 2026. It also offers no solutions for those stranded in countries other than India. The company is monitoring the situation closely but has not yet provided updates regarding these specific scenarios.

Amazon has taken steps to support employees affected by US visa processing delays by authorizing remote work from India. This policy acknowledges the difficulties caused by the Trump administration's enhanced vetting procedures for the H-1B visa program. While the remote work option provides a temporary bridge for stranded employees, the strict limitations on coding and decision-making significantly curtail their ability to perform full duties. The situation underscores the broader challenges facing the technology sector as it navigates changing immigration policies and their impact on the global talent pool.