Confusion and fear gripped H-1B visa holders over the weekend as a sudden US policy change forced some to choose between family commitments abroad and their careers in the United States. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a USD 100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications, part of a broader immigration crackdown, sent shockwaves through the tech and finance sectors, prompting workers from India and China to abandon travel plans and rush back to the US.At San Francisco airport, an engineer whose wife was scheduled to fly to Dubai described the impossible decision he faced. “It is a situation where we had to choose between family and staying here,” he said. After learning of the new rule, several Indian passengers demanded to deplane, causing the Emirates flight to be delayed by more than three hours. Ultimately, his wife, also an H-1B holder, returned to India to care for her sick mother. “It’s quite tragic. We have built a life here,” he told Reuters.Others recounted similar upheaval online. On the Chinese social media app Rednote, a woman using the handle “Emily’s Life in NY” described boarding a United Airlines flight from New York to Paris, only to be forced back to the gate after her company’s lawyers instructed employees abroad to return. “My feelings are a mix of disappointment, sadness, and frustration,” she said, explaining that she had to cancel plans with friends, including visitors from China.Major US firms scrambled to calm employees. Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Goldman Sachs issued urgent advisories, clarifying that the new USD 100,000 fee applies only to new H-1B visa petitions and does not affect existing holders or renewals. Amazon reassured staff that no action was required for current H-1B holders, while IBM Vice Chairman Gary Cohn said on CBS’s “Face the Nation”: “It caused a panic over the weekend because people weren’t sure what was going on with the existing H-1B visas. It’s been cleaned up over the weekend, so at this point, there’s not a panic in the system.”The move has drawn concern from diaspora organisations. Indiaspora noted that H-1B holders “have historically become the architects of innovation, founding companies that generate hundreds of thousands of American jobs and contribute billions in tax revenue to federal, state, and local governments.” The organisation highlighted that skilled professionals on H-1B visas drive entrepreneurship, technological advancement and critical research, warning that a reduction could disrupt startups, higher education programmes, and scientific innovation.The Indian government has urged its missions and posts in the US to extend support to citizens returning from abroad, stressing the humanitarian implications. Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “This measure is likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families. Government hopes that these disruptions can be addressed suitably by the US authorities.”US authorities clarified that the USD 100,000 fee is a one-time charge applicable only to new visa petitions. USCIS Director Joseph B Edlow emphasised: “This proclamation only applies prospectively to petitions that have not yet been filed. The proclamation does not apply to aliens who: are the beneficiaries of petitions that were filed prior to the effective date… or are in possession of validly issued H-1B non-immigrant visas.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated that existing H-1B holders travelling abroad do not face the fee.
