‘Return to US within 24 hrs. Don't leave’

Washington: Major companies such as Meta and Microsoft went into a huddle on Saturday morning and urged all their H1B visa holders to not leave the US, at least for 14 days, after President Donald Trump launched a fresh crackdown on immigrants and imposed limitations on legal immigration. According to sources, the companies, through emails, also urged their employees, who are currently residing outside the US, to return to the country within 24 hours to avoid denial of re-entry. The emails asked the foreignemployees to follow the directives for a "foreseeable future". Meta advised its H1B visa and H4 status holders to stay in the US for at least two weeks, "till practical applications" are understood, and asked those currently residing outside to consider returning within 24 hours.

Microsoft, on the other hand, "strongly" asked its employees in the US to stay put to avoid denial of re-entry. It also asked the workers outside the country to "do best to return". The H1B visa program is reserved in the US for people who are employed in specialty occupations, frequently in the technology field. They can include software engineers, tech program managers and other IT professionals. They are valid for three years and can be renewed for another three years.