Companies Advised to Prepare Backup Plans for Employee Visa Issues

Companies with employees on temporary visas are being urged to create backup plans in case workers encounter delays or restrictions when returning to the United States. Hiba Mona Anver, partner at the Erickson Immigration Group, spoke at Fortune’s Workforce Innovation Summit on Wednesday.

She said firms should prepare for possible interruptions in visa status that could leave employees stranded overseas. Anver noted past cases where policy changes left workers in India separated from their families for months. She said companies need more than a single plan to handle such situations.

2025 the Trump administration added new requirements for H-1B visa applicants and their dependents. Applicants must now set social media accounts to public for official review. The added screenings have lengthened processing times and created uncertainty for travel and work schedules. Anver said firms must address both stricter procedures and the possibility that rules could shift again.

Bier, director of Immigration

Studies at the Cato Institute, said retaining current visa holders is now as important as hiring new staff. He noted that high-skilled foreign workers are twice as likely to leave their jobs as other employees. U.S. companies spent nearly $900 billion on turnover costs in 2023, according to an analysis by Alma.

Bier said losing specialized talent can be difficult to replace quickly. U.S. civilian workforce, with about 1 percent holding temporary visas. 7 trillion in economic activity in 2023.