Amazon, Microsoft and JPMorgan have warned employees on H-1B and H-4 visas to remain in the United States and avoid international travel after President Donald Trump signed a sweeping proclamation overhauling the high-skilled worker visa programme.
Internal notes and emails show the companies advising visa holders currently abroad to return to the US before 12:01 a.m. ET on September 21, when the new rules take effect, Reuters reported.
Trump's order, signed Friday in the Oval Office, requires companies to pay a $100,000 annual fee for each H-1B visa, a move the administration says is aimed at protecting American workers.
Amazon was the top recipient of H-1B visas this year with more than 10,000 awarded, followed by Tata Consultancy, Microsoft, Apple and Google.
The H-1B programme, created in 1990, allows US firms to hire highly skilled foreign workers in fields like science and technology, but has long faced criticism for undercutting wages.
