US Clarifies Indians on H-1B Visas Need Not Rush Back Amid $100k Fee

Indians on H-1B visas do not need to rush back to the United States or pay $100,000 to re-enter the country, a US official clarified on Saturday, amid widespread panic following President Donald Trump's recent H-1B visa announcement. The official told Hindustan Times that the new fee applies only to new visa petitions and not to renewals, offering relief to many Indian tech professionals abroad.

The clarification comes after the Trump administration introduced a $100,000 annual fee on US companies for each H-1B visa holder, a move that disproportionately affects Indians, who constitute 70% of all H-1B visa holders. The fee hike, announced in the proclamation titled "Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers", aims to curb the alleged misuse of the H-1B program to replace American workers with lower-paid, lower-skilled labor.

Following the announcement, several US tech giants, including Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and JP Morgan, issued internal notices urging employees on H-1B and H-4 visas to return to the US before September 21, 12:01 am EDT. Microsoft, for instance, "strongly recommended" that workers return before the deadline.

Panic also spread at airports, with reports of Indians disembarking from planes in the US minutes before takeoff. Viral videos showed chaotic scenes at San Francisco International Airport, where passengers aboard an Emirates flight to India pleaded to get off after learning of the new rules. One social media post described the incident: "An international flight packed with Indians from the Bay Area had completed boarding when the news about H-1B visa new rules broke out. Indians aboard panicked, pleaded to get off the plane."

Previously, the H-1B visa fee ranged from $215 to over $5,000, depending on company size and job category. Alongside Indians, Chinese citizens form the next largest group of H-1B holders, accounting for only 11-12%. The recent clarification provides much-needed reassurance to thousands of Indian professionals navigating uncertainty under the new regulations.