Amazon has introduced a new temporary remote work policy for employees stuck in India because of H-1B visa delays. However, the company's memo clarifies these employees cannot do most of their main work. Hany Girgis, a US investor and Ed-Tech chairman, commented on X that Amazon "found a workaround for H-1B visa delays" but this does not let employees actually work. The memo lists strict rules: no coding, testing, troubleshooting, strategic decisions, customer interaction, contract negotiation, or entry to Amazon buildings are allowed. All final approvals must happen outside India. Simply put, employees can stay on the payroll but can’t do their core jobs remotely, since the work must legally happen in the US. The memo appeared on Amazon's internal HR portal on December 17 and applies to affected Indian employees as of December 13, 2025. The policy lasts until March 2, 2026. Normally, Amazon demands five days a week at the office, but this is a special, temporary change. These restrictions come amid worsening H-1B visa delays caused by tighter screenings, including social media and digital footprint checks introduced during the Trump era. Many consulate appointments have been postponed for months, trapping workers outside the US. Major companies like Google, Apple, and Microsoft have issued travel warnings to avoid stranded employees. For technical staff, these rules are tough since their work revolves around coding and testing, which the memo forbids from India. For the 2024 fiscal year, Amazon had nearly 14,800 certified H-1B visa applications, including 23 for Whole Foods. Girgis questioned why the US insists "the work must stay here" but not "the hiring," pointing to calls from MAGA leaders to ban H-1B visas altogether over concerns they take American jobs. This debate continues as the government weighs visa policies affecting thousands of tech workers stuck in limbo.