How ridiculous can your visa ordeals get? A Reddit user has cited that they read a since-deleted post claiming that two visa holders had their US work visas cancelled simply for spending over two months in India. The alleged incident reportedly took place at the Abu Dhabi preclearance facility, where U.S. immigration officers screen travellers before they even board a plane to the United States.
The Redditor claimed the travellers’ visas were cancelled on the spot, allegedly because they had spent more than 60 days outside the U.S.
“Just read a post on threads that a couple of H1-B visa holders had their visas cancelled during at the Abu Dhabi pre clearance because they stayed in India for over 2 months. Is that even true?” the post read.
ALSO READ| One honest answer cost him his US visa, claims Indian, Reddit weighs in
“I’ve stayed for months (worked remote) and returned back with no issues — afaik there is no limit of how long you can stay out of the country as long as your visa/797A remains valid and in status.”
Another Reddit post claims the rejection was ‘due to some other problem’
However, Immigration lawyers and experienced visa holders pointed out that as long as a person’s H-1B visa and I-797 approval notice are valid, and they are still on payroll and in good standing, staying abroad, even for a few months, is typically not an issue.
Some speculated that the visa cancellations may have been due to documentation issues, such as missing employer letters or pay stubs. Others suggested U.S. officers may have questioned whether the individuals were still actively employed, especially if they were working remotely from India for an extended period.
However, another post for the same subreddit claimed, “I am the immigranation office who rejected visa in Abu Dhabi. It was due to some other problem and not due to length of stay.”
ALSO READ| Amazon hire unable to start job due to this H-1B visa hurdle, Reddit weighs in
Meanwhile, some legal experts argue that extended remote work from abroad might not count toward the H-1B’s six-year stay limit, which could raise flags during inspection. For this reason, larger companies sometimes take H-1B workers off the U.S. payroll during long stints abroad.