‘H-1B slave’…’sick mother or US’: Indian, other workers scramble after Trump crackdown

As news of US President Donald Trump’s sudden visa fee hike order swept across the globe, panic gripped airports, and WhatsApp groups were lit up with urgent messages.

Across continents, several working professionals, especially Indian and Chinese nationals in the US on H-1B visas, abandoned their holidays, family visits, and international conferences to rush back to the United States.

Trump’s H-1B visa fee hike directive, which is said to be part of his administration’s broader crackdown on legal immigration, caught thousands of skilled foreign workers off guard.

Also Read | American companies laid off over 40,000 US tech workers, replaced them with H-1B visa holders: White House

By the time the White House official clarified that the new fees would apply only to new applicants, the damage had already been done.

How did foreign professionals react?

Soon after the news broke, several tech companies and banks sent urgent memos to employees, advising them to return before the September 21 deadline of 12:01 am US Eastern Time Sunday (4:01 am GMT), and telling them not to leave the country.

Catch live updates on the H-1B visa fee hike order here.

Several Indian nationals at the San Francisco airport said they cut short their vacations, fearing they would not be allowed back once the new rule took effect.

‘Had to choose between US, and family’: H-1B visa holders

“It is a situation where we had to choose between family and staying here,” an engineer at a large tech company whose wife had been on an Emirates flight from San Francisco to Dubai told Reuters.

Also Read | FAANG employee says he’s quitting H-1B race, leaving US: ‘Endless cycle of anxiety’

The said flight was delayed by more than three hours after several Indian passengers demanded to deplane. At least five passengers were eventually allowed off, said the engineer.

A video of the incident was circulating on social media, showing a few people leaving the plane. HT, however, could not independently verify the veracity of the video.

The engineer’s wife, also a H-1B visa holder, chose to head to India to care for her sick mother. “It’s quite tragic. We have built a life here,” he told Reuters.

On the popular Chinese social media app Rednote, people on H-1B visas shared their experiences of having to rush back to the US – in some cases just hours after landing in China or another country.

Some compared the panic they felt to their experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, when they urgently flew back to the US before a travel ban took effect.

“My feelings are a mix of disappointment, sadness, and frustration,” said one woman in a post with a user handle “Emily’s Life in NY.”

Feeling what she described to Reuters as “insignificant” and “shaken,” she cancelled the planned trip to France, abandoning plans with friends, including some who were flying in from China.

‘H-1B slaves’

An anonymous user on Rednote said their life was like that of a “H-1B slave.”

The person cut short a holiday in Tokyo to rush back to the United States, describing it as “a real-life ‘Fast & Furious’ return to the US,” a reference to the hit Hollywood series about street racing.

Also Read | H-1B visa fee hike: Rules changed halfway through game

A Nvidia engineer, who has lived in the US for 10 years, told Reuters at the San Francisco airport that he had been vacationing in Japan with his wife and infant when he rushed to reschedule his return flight after hearing the news.

“It feels surreal,” he said. “Everything is changing in an instant.”

Trump’s H-1B visa fee order

US President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation that imposes a $100,000 per year fee on H‑1B visa petitions for highly-skilled foreign workers and rolled out a $1 million “gold card” visa as a pathway to US citizenship for wealthy individuals.

Also Read | Amazon sends caution note to H-1B visa staff after Trump’s $100,000 order: ‘If you have…’

Trump’s H-1B proclamation read: “Some employers, using practices now widely adopted by entire sectors, have abused the H-1B statute and its regulations to artificially suppress wages, resulting in a disadvantageous labour market for American citizens.”