Indian tech workers rush back to US after Trump’s sudden H-1B visa fee announcement

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Indian professionals working in the US on H-1B visas were thrown into panic over the weekend after President Donald Trump signed an executive order introducing a $100,000 fee for new skilled worker visa applications. The sudden move triggered a wave of last-minute travel, with many Indians abroad rushing back to the US to avoid being caught in the policy change.

As per a BBC report, Rohan Mehta (name changed), a software engineer who has lived in the US for 11 years, was one of them. Mehta had travelled to Nagpur for a family ceremony but was forced to cut his visit short. Fearing he might not be allowed to return if he missed the deadline, he spent more than $8,000 on multiple flight bookings to reach New York before the order came into effect. “Even if there was a slight delay, I’d have missed the deadline,” he told the BBC, describing the experience as “traumatic.”

The executive order was signed on Friday and was set to take effect on Sunday, leaving very little time for visa holders outside the US to react. Immigration lawyers and employers quickly advised them to return immediately, fearing they could be locked out of the country or forced to pay the massive new fee.

A day later, the White House attempted to calm the storm. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified on X that the $100,000 fee would be a one-time charge, not an annual payment, and would not apply to current H-1B holders or renewals. Those already abroad would not need to pay the fee to re-enter. But by then, many had already faced the stress, expense, and disruption of hasty travel plans.

The impact is particularly severe for Indians, who make up more than 70% of H-1B visa holders each year. For many, the order highlighted the uncertainty and fragility of their lives in the US despite years of contribution. Mehta summed it up bluntly: “I gave the prime of my youth to working for this country, and now I feel like I’m not wanted.”

With tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta among the largest sponsors of H-1B visas, the new rules could also hit US companies that rely heavily on Indian talent. For now, while current workers are safe, the rollout has left a lasting sense of insecurity among thousands of skilled professionals who call America home.