Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee: Couple's Roman holiday cut short, boyfriend rushes to US

The woman, identified as Rish, was born to Indian parents in Chicago. Her video is now viral. (Image credit: (@lifeofrgr/Instagram)

An Indian-origin American woman holidaying in Rome has gone viral after she shared how her boyfriend had to abruptly leave their vacation and fly back to the United States following their President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement of a $100,000 (Rs 88 lakh) fee for new H-1B visa applications.

The woman, who identifies only as Rish and as @lifeofrgr on Instagram, was born and raised by Indian parents in Chicago. Taking to social media, she shared a video describing the moment her boyfriend walked out of their Italian pasta-making class to catch the next available flight to the US.

“Crazy turn of events,” she said in the now-viral video. “My boyfriend had to get up out of our Italian pasta making class in Rome. Leave. I kid you not, leave. Not the class. Leave Rome. Because of the whole H1B $100,000 visa situation that's going to affect Saturday at midnight. And it's literally Saturday, midday in Rome right now.”

Rish added that he booked the next flight to anywhere near the US he could find. “It’ll be fine. Italian vacations can happen again, like, not stressed. But it does make me wonder about, number one, people that can't just drop off their hat, buy a ticket back. Or number two, too far away in a different country to make it back in time. Who just like had their entire world flipped upside down overnight.”

Trump’s order sparks confusion and panic among Indian workers

The US President signed an executive order on September 21 overhauling the H-1B visa programme, citing rising unemployment among US computer science graduates, layoffs linked to H-1B hiring, and national security risks. The order mandates a one-time $100,000 fee for employers filing H-1B petitions for workers outside the US, with exemptions only for cases deemed in the national interest.

The announcement triggered confusion and panic among foreign workers and their families, many of whom scrambled to return to the US before the rule took effect at midnight.

Indians, who account for over 70 per cent of H-1B visa holders, were especially alarmed. Immigration attorneys reported a surge in calls from clients trying to understand the implications and make urgent travel arrangements.

White House clarifies: ‘not an annual fee’

Later in the day, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt issued a clarification on X. “This is not an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition," she wrote. The clarification, however, did little to calm nerves, as many visa holders remained unsure whether their pending applications or travel plans would be affected.