Vinay Hiremath, another H-1B holder, is in a different situation. The HPE employee came on a personal trip to India, but his wife, also an H-1B holder, stayed back in the US. Earlier, his employer advised him to return immediately, but he could not find any tickets. Hiremath is now working from India until the company receives clarity on immigration laws. “I have been asked to stay in a safe country till they tell me what to do. In any case, HPE allows me to work from a location other than the US for two months. Hopefully, by then, the Trump administration will clear the air on all our questions,” he said. Meanwhile, Google has sent out an advisory based on the White House clarification, telling employees abroad that they need not return immediately. “H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would; whatever ability they have to do that is not impacted by yesterday’s proclamation. This (proclamation), applies only to new visas, not renewals and not current visa holders,” the email read. TOI has seen the communication. Nadadur S Kumar, who founded The Law Offices of Nadadur S Kumar, said that under this administration, social media accounts of individuals are closely examined. “Under the previous govts, their conduct was looked at. Are they violating rules or being a miscreant was the major criteria to revoke the H-1B, but now what sort of an opinion they voice on social media is leading to issues with their visa,” Kumar said.
