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Some European Firms Expressing Hesitation About U.S.Travel for Employees
Several European companies are reportedly becoming more cautious regarding sending thier employees to the U.S., citing concerns over evolving policies and stricter immigration enforcement.
While some sectors like engineering and accounting report no disruptions to U.S.work trips, others, particularly in sensitive fields, are raising concerns about employee safety and well-being.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Newark Liberty International Airport.
Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Thes companies are responding by implementing new travel guidelines. These include advising employees to use wiped electronic devices or to enter the U.S. through Canada. Some are also encouraging virtual attendance at U.S. events when possible.
Business travel is a major contributor to the U.S. economy. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) reported that the sector generated $421 billion in spending and $119 billion in tax revenue in 2022, the latest year with complete data. This involved approximately 429.9 million business trips, supporting 6 million jobs.
Business travel is also crucial for the aviation industry, ofen accounting for 50% to 75% of airline profits.
A survey by the GBTA in April, which included 900 global travel buyers, revealed that 29% anticipate a decrease in their companies’ business travel volume in 2025 due to U.S. policies related to travel and tariffs. The survey also indicated a decline in overall optimism within the business travel sector.
A potential decline in business travel could coincide with an expected decrease in international tourism, which is projected to cost $12.5 billion in spending due to negative perceptions of trade and immigration policies.
Growing Concerns Over Entering the U.S.
Since President Donald TrumpS inauguration in January, border control and foreign visas have become contentious. There have been reports of tourists being detained for extended periods. In January, the White house announced that all foreigners seeking entry into the U.S. would undergo thorough vetting and screening.
Tensions have also risen between the U.S. administration and the academic community. This follows actions to temporarily suspend international student visa issuances, “aggressively revoke” visas for Chinese students, and the detention of foreign students for what appear to be political reasons.
“We’re hearing some international travellers have expressed unease about visiting the U.S. due to increased visa scrutiny, social media monitoring, and incidents of detention or deportation despite valid documents,” said prashray Kala, a partner at management consultancy Everest Group.
Kala added, “Those with a visible online footprint are more cautious, especially with the ‘Catch and Revoke’ policy enhancing surveillance.”
The “Catch and Revoke” policy, announced on April 30, stipulates that any violation of U.S. law, nonetheless of its severity, will result in the loss of immigration status for visa holders.
One European fund manager who frequently travels to the U.S.for business expressed concern that immigration authorities might impede his travel due to a shift in political sentiment rather than formal policy changes.
“Business travel on an ESTA [visa] is no longer what it used to be”,the fund manager said.
“Business travel on an ESTA [visa] is no longer what it used to be”
‘These are things I think about when I travel to China’
The head of an international non-government association based in London told that they have created a new travel protocol for the U.S.
This policy expands upon standard requirements for employee location and contact details to include physical and information security measures. The NGO produces investigative reports on climate change,corporate malpractice,and corruption.
Employees who spoke about this matter requested anonymity to discuss internal workplace policies.
“On one level for us as an organization, that shouldn’t really require us to break into a sweat, we do that for lots of places that our staff travel to,” the NGO chief executive said.
“But from a personal perspective, this is very illuminating – in a not very pleasant way – because these are the sorts of things I think about when I travel to, say, China or Azerbaijan, autocratic regimes. The idea that we would have to apply that approach to travel to the U.S. is something which would never have occurred to me until just a few months ago.”
These measures include using “burner” phones or computers exclusively for the trip and preparing employees for potential aggressive questioning about their travel intentions or online activities.
Separately, an academic researcher at a Swiss university reported receiving guidance to travel to the U.S. via Canada when possible, or to attend conferences virtually to avoid visa issues.
While some colleagues continue to travel to the U.S. without incident, others have faced longer questioning at the border, and some have opted out of summer academic conferences in the U.S. Visiting programs to U.S.universities have been particularly affected, with some being suspended.
