Ahead of the H-1B visa renewals for its Indian employees, Microsoft has issued an urgent advisory to its visa-holding employees, particularly those on H-1B and H-4 status. The software giant has issued a warning to reconsider international travel amidst a massive wave of visa appointment cancellations and rescheduling sweeps across US consulates in India.
Microsoft joins companies like Google and Apple in sounding the alarm after thousands of Indian IT professionals found themselves stranded when their long-awaited physical visa interviews were abruptly pushed back by several months. Some of them have been postponed to as far out as mid-2026.
Microsoft internal memo reveals rescheduling chaos
In an internal memo accessed by Business Insider, Microsoft’s associate general counsel for immigration, Jack Chen, laid out the severity of the situation.
“As shared yesterday, some U.S. consulates are rescheduling existing H-1B/H-4 visa appointments and pushing dates out by several months,” the memo stated.
Chen highlighted that the disruptions are not uniform across the country but are heavily concentrated in two specific hubs. “Rescheduling notifications are concentrated in Chennai and Hyderabad, with some unverified reports from other consulates. New dates are as far out as June 2026,” the advisory read.
Warnings for employees outside US
For employees already in India or elsewhere outside the US, Microsoft’s stance is one of caution and immediate action. The company specifically addressed those who might still have a few weeks of validity left on their previous stamps.
“Your H-1B visa appointment was rescheduled BUT you still have some validity left on your current visa stamp: If your visa is for the proper work-authorised category, return before your current visa expires,” the memo urged.
Microsoft also dampened hopes for those seeking a fast-track solution to the backlog, noting that it is “highly unlikely” that emergency appointments will be granted to individuals whose standard appointments were caught in this rescheduling wave.
For staff currently in the US but planning to travel for the holidays or personal reasons, Microsoft’s counsel has advised them to stay put. “You have upcoming travel + will need a new visa to return + your H-1B visa appointment was rescheduled months later: You should strongly consider changing your travel plans,” the company cautioned. “You cannot return until your new visa stamp is issued, and it’s highly unlikely that the appointment can be moved earlier.”
Even for those whose appointments have not yet been cancelled, the company warned of a “risk” that dates could be moved while the employee is already abroad, resulting in them being “stuck” for an indefinite period.
The crisis is reportedly linked to the US State Department’s new, more rigorous vetting procedures, including a social media review policy that has significantly increased the time required for consular officers to process each application. This bottleneck has reduced the daily capacity of consulates, leading to the mass displacement of existing appointments.
Microsoft has asked all affected staff to report their situation through internal channels and noted that remote work capabilities for those stuck abroad may be strictly limited due to tax and compliance regulations.
