By Arun Nair

Copyright timesnownews

Widespread panic, confusion and concern gripped Indians holding H-1B visas in the US Saturday after US President Donald Trump imposed a staggering USD 1,00,000 fee on the work visas, with many cancelling plans to travel at the last minute while waiting to board flights to India. Several others already in India are scrambling to return amid lack of clarity, according to reports. US President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation that will raise the fee for H1-B visa applications to a steep USD 100,000 annually. The H-1B visa fee ranges from about USD 2,000 to USD 5,000, depending on employer size and other costs. The order comes weeks before Indian professionals and their families travel to India for Diwali and other year-end holidays. Reacting to the development, the Indian government said that the change in the policy by the US administration is likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families adding the full implications of this order are being studied. Individuals on H-1B visas as well as those in the US showcased an underlying emotion of “a crazy sense of panic” and “worry” amid the uncertainty this proclamation has triggered. News agency PTI reported instances where people cancelled their travel plans for their own wedding, as they were waiting in line to board their flights to India across US airports on Friday, the moment news came through of Trump’s proclamation ‘Restriction on entry of certain non-immigrant workers’ to raise the H-1B visa fee to USD 1,00,000 annually. “This is a travel ban! Even if a person has a valid H-1B visa stamped on their passport, if they are travelling, or are on vacation, you cannot enter the US unless they have proof of the USD 1,00,000 payment. No one knows what the process is, what the fine print is. There’s absolute panic,” one of the individuals said, according to PTI. “People who are standing in boarding lines at airports, people who are leaving for their own wedding tomorrow, things like that. They are cancelling because they don’t know what to do,” another person said. There is also confusion around the fact that if people have an H-1B stamped and are currently living in the US, “what does that mean for me?” A video posted by an X user, not independently verified by Times Now, purportedly showed dozens of Indian passengers pleading to be let off the aircraft after news of the H-1B visa fee began circulating. These memos urged their employees not to travel outside the US or to return immediately before the September 21 deadline when Trump’s proclamation comes into effect. “The number one thing that all of the employers are just saying is that if you are inside the country right now, do not leave,” another person said. “Those already outside the US are figuring out how to come back like today. Most people are scrambling to return to the US,” another individual told PTI. Many pointed to the timing of the proclamation, coming just weeks before Indian professionals and their families travel to India for Diwali and other year-end holidays. “People had plans to travel to India for Diwali. They’re all in a flux and not sure what to do. Families book tickets for Diwali, for the December holiday season well in advance. This is the time when most people travel. “This is the time when people actually want to leave and be with family during the holiday season. Now this has happened. Does that mean that I cannot travel this year? That’s another sense of ‘oh my god’,” they said. The persons PTI spoke to also pointed to the larger sentiment that this proclamation has unearthed. People have been under stress for this whole year with so many changes, not knowing what will happen, now the H-1B related proclamation has added another layer of uncertainty, and nobody seems to understand where this is headed, the report said. ALSO READ: What Is Project Firewall And How It Is Linked To Trump’s $100K H-1B Visa Fee There are so many questions about who is next? “Will students on F1 visas or those on L1 work visas be next,” the people asked. “What happens to my spouse who’s on a H4 visa, can they travel? None of these things are super clear. Another thing that has caused panic for a lot of people is that when such news comes out, nobody talks about the specifics. Nobody’s able to help,” they added. Indian Government Engaging with US Administration, IT Industry to Find Way Forward on This The Indian government is holding talks with the IT industry, the US administration, and association Nasscom to find a way forward on H-1B issue, according to reports. As per sources, the application fee increase hits American companies even harder as they are major users of these visas. A look at the USCIS website shows that for FY25 (data as on June 30, 2025), Amazon topped the list of H-1B visa approvals at 10,044. In that list of top-ten beneficiaries, TCS (5,505) is at the second spot followed by Microsoft Corp (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Cognizant (2,493), JP Morgan Chase (2,440), Walmart (2,390) and Deloitte Consulting (2,353). The top 20 list includes Infosys (2,004), LTIMindtree (1,807), and HCL America (1,728). With inputs from PTI For all the latest news and india news, visit Times Now to get live updates and breaking news around the world.