Massive chaos unfolded after US President Donald Trump on Friday announced the sudden rise in fee for H-1B visas to $100,000 (Rs 88 lakh) and said that the new rules will come into effect from September 21, 2025 - giving people a really tight window to act.
Airports saw chaotic scenes as the news spread with several people getting off from planes in the US as soon as they got to know of the Trump administration's decision. Several Indians were on their way home for the festive season when the announcement was made.
The situation stayed grim for those stranded in India too - with flights seeing a massive jump in prices. Indians, who amount to 70 per cent of all the H-1B recipients expect that the move is going to come as a hard-hitting blow for them.
According to the new rule by Trump, one should ideally enter US before 12:01 am EDT (9:31 pm IST) on September 21. After that deadline, no H-1B worker will be allowed to enter US unless the sponsoring employee pays the $100,000 fee.
Top tech firms like Amazon, Microsoft and JP Morgan have advised their employees holding H-1B visas not to leave the US. Those who are currently abroad have been asked to return to the United States immediately, owing to the new rules by the Trump government.
"H-1B visa holders who are out of the US on business or vacation will get stranded unless they get in before midnight September 21. H-1Bs still in India may have already missed the deadline as there is no way a direct flight from India will get in time," said Cyrus Mehta, a US immigration attorney.
Media reports said that one-way flight fare from New Delhi to John F Kennedy International Airport in New York jumped to Rs 70,000-80,000 from around Rs 37,000 - all within two hours of Trump announcing the new rule related to the US immigration policy.
One user tweeted, "Flights from New Delhi to NYC are currently $4,500. They are all rushing back to the states because they are worried about the new H-1B visa."
Even in the US, the panic amongst the H-1B holders was quite apparent, with many of them getting off the plane after learning about the visa rules.
Masud Rana, another social media user, posted, "It was complete chaos for Emirates passengers at San Francisco airport. President Trump signed an order affecting both new and existing H-1B visa holders, creating panic among many – particularly Indian passengers – who even chose to leave the aircraft.
Watch: https://www.threads.com/@mashraana/post/DOzuF7PEXCY?xmt=AQF00wayzIa84wERrsFfMk6Q_2ISrWd8PwC79jtjHyCzwg
"Extremely sad situation... An international flight packed with Indians from Bay Area had completed boarding and was due to leave SFO Airport. When the news about H-1 B visa new rules just broke out, Indians aboard panicked and pleaded to get off the plane," a chartered accountant, Kaustav Majumdar tweeted.
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