Indian professionals holding H-1B visas have expressed deep concern and confusion following a sudden policy change by US President Donald Trump that introduces a $100,000 fee for skilled foreign worker visa applications. Many, like Rohan Mehta — not his real name — scrambled to return to the US before the order took effect.
Mehta, a software professional, has lived in the US with his family for 11 years. He had travelled to Nagpur, India, to commemorate the anniversary of his father's death but cut his visit short, spending over $8,000 (£5,900) on multiple flight bookings to ensure his return before the deadline.
Last-minute travel to avoid new visa feesOn a Friday, President Trump signed an executive order imposing a $100,000 (£74,000) fee for applicants under the
H-1B visa programme. The order affected companies sponsoring skilled foreign workers and was set to come into force on the following Sunday.
As reported by the BBC, immigration lawyers and companies had advised those on H-1B visas who were outside the US to return before the order became effective. Mehta said he feared he would not be allowed back into the country if he missed the deadline. Speaking to the BBC just after boarding a Virgin Atlantic flight from Mumbai to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, he said, "Even if there was a slight delay, I'd have missed the deadline."
Mehta described the experience as “traumatic” and told the BBC he was relieved that his wife and daughter had not accompanied him on the trip. “I'm regretting the choices I've made in life,” he said, as quoted by the BBC. “I gave the prime of my youth to working for this country [the US] and now I feel like I'm not wanted.”
White House issues clarification after panicA day after the executive order was signed, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted a clarification on X. As quoted by the BBC, she wrote that the $100,000 fee would be a one-time charge, not an annual one, and would not apply to current H-1B visa holders. She added that H-1B holders currently outside the country would not be required to pay the fee to re-enter and that it applied only to new visa applications, not renewals.
However, by the time the clarification was issued, many visa holders had already spent significant amounts of money to return to the US. Mehta, who booked and rebooked flights in a span of eight hours, said to the BBC, “I booked multiple options because most were cutting it very close.”
Indian workers most impacted by H-1B changesAccording to US government data, more than 70% of the 85,000 H-1B visas issued each year go to Indian nationals. Many of them, including Mehta, have lived and worked in the US for decades.
As reported by the BBC, several H-1B holders refused to speak on record due to fear of employer repercussions. Others expressed uncertainty over how the policy would affect their long-term plans.
Another visa holder, who had been holidaying in Europe, told the BBC, “We are yet to see how employers are thinking and how this will play out.” They added that immigration lawyers had advised them to return to the US while the situation was still being clarified.
Top tech firms among largest visa sponsorsAccording to the BBC, the biggest beneficiaries of the H-1B programme in the last fiscal year included Amazon, Tata, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google. The new fee, more than 60 times the current charge, is expected to impact both visa applicants and sponsoring companies significantly.
While the White House maintains that the new fee will only apply to new applications, the sudden announcement and unclear rollout created immediate panic among Indian professionals working under the H-1B visa programme.
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