USD 100,000 H-1B fee impact: Alphabet Inc, the parent company of IT giant Google, has advised some employees holding US work visas to avoid travelling
abroad, citing prolonged visa appointment delays at American embassies and consulates, according to a report. The advisory highlights growing uncertainty for foreign workers as visa processing timelines stretch significantly, potentially leaving employees stranded outside the United States for extended periods, Reuters reported. The warning was issued through an internal email circulated by Google’s external immigration counsel, BAL Immigration Law. The message cautioned employees who require visa stamping to re-enter the US to reconsider international travel plans due to worsening delays, the news agency said. The memo noted that several US embassies are facing visa appointment backlogs running as long as 12 months, raising the risk of employees being unable to return to their jobs on time. Reuters reported that the email warned international travel could “risk an extended stay outside the U.S.” Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters said.
Heightened scrutiny of H-1B visas under Trump administration
The advisory comes at a time when the administration of President Donald Trump has tightened scrutiny of employment-based visas. Earlier this month, the administration announced enhanced vetting of H-1B visa applicants, including checks of social media activity.
The H-1B programme, which is widely used by the U.S. technology sector to hire skilled professionals from countries such as India and China, has faced renewed policy pressure.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration also imposed a $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications, sharply increasing costs for employers.
Tech sector faces renewed immigration uncertainty
This is not the first time Google has issued such guidance. In September, Alphabet had strongly urged employees, particularly H-1B visa holders, to avoid international travel and remain in the U.S.
Reuters has previously reported that technology companies remain heavily reliant on foreign skilled workers, making visa uncertainty a key operational risk.
TCS, Infosys, Cognizant in focus as H-1B costs rise
The proposed fee is expected to have a significant impact on the global IT services and staffing industry, particularly firms that rely heavily on deploying skilled workers from overseas. The US President plan to impose a $100,000 fee on new H-1B workers hired from outside the US would be the most restrictive step taken so far by his administration on the employment of foreign professionals, Bloomberg reported earlier this month.
The move is likely to disproportionately affect multinational IT services companies that act as intermediaries for US clients, including India’s largest IT exporters such as Tata Consultancy Services Ltd, Infosys Ltd and Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp, Bloomberg said.
According to Bloomberg’s analysis, nearly 90 per cent of new H-1B hires at TCS, Infosys and Cognizant between May 2020 and May 2024 were approved at US consulates, meaning they would have been subject to the proposed fee had it been in place. Infosys would have been the hardest hit, with more than 93 per cent of its new H-1B hires -- over 10,400 workers during the four-year period -- affected, translating into more than $1 billion in additional visa costs.
TCS would have faced fees for around 6,500 workers, or 82 per cent of its newly approved H-1B employees, while Cognizant would have incurred charges for more than 5,600 workers, accounting for 89 per cent of its new H-1B hires, Bloomberg reported.
