Journalism of Courage
Many Indian and Chinese workers on H-1B visas cut short trips and rushed back to the United States over the weekend after President Donald Trump announced new visa fees, Reuters reported.
Several large technology firms and banks sent urgent messages to staff advising them to return before a Sunday deadline and to avoid overseas travel.
A White House official later said the order applied only to new applicants and not to existing visa holders or renewals, easing some concerns. But the announcement on Friday still caused confusion and last-minute changes of plan.
At San Francisco airport, an Indian engineer told Reuters that he and his wife had been forced to make a difficult decision. “It is a situation where we had to choose between family and staying here,” he said. His wife, also on an H-1B visa, travelled to India to care for her sick mother. “It’s quite tragic. We have built a life here,” he added.
Some passengers deplaned from an Emirates flight to Dubai after news of the order spread. A video of the incident circulated online, though Reuters could not verify it.
On the Chinese social media platform Rednote, visa holders shared similar experiences. One user wrote, “My feelings are a mix of disappointment, sadness, and frustration.” She said she cancelled a planned trip to France after her company’s lawyers advised her to remain in the US.
Another user described rushing back from Tokyo as a “real-life ‘Fast & Furious’ return to the US.”
Firms including Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Goldman Sachs sent advisories to employees. According to a source, Amazon later told staff that those already holding visas would not be affected.
By Sunday, some of the panic had eased. IBM Vice Chairman Gary Cohn told CBS’s Face the Nation: “I think 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.” He also said he believed the change was “a good idea” for the economy.
Netflix Chairman Reed Hastings also welcomed the move in a social media post, saying it would bring more certainty to those who obtained visas.
Trump’s proclamation said some employers had “abused the H-1B statute and its regulations to artificially suppress wages, resulting in a disadvantageous labour market for American citizens.”
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said firms would need to pay $100,000 (Rs 88 lakhs) per year for H-1B visas. But White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt later clarified that it was a one-time fee for each petition, not an annual charge.
At San Francisco airport, a Nvidia engineer returning from Japan told Reuters: “It feels surreal. Everything is changing in an instant.”
