By News18,Sahas Mahapatra

Copyright news18

On Friday, US President Donald Trump signed a proclamation that left foreign workers and travellers scrambling. Under the new rule, employers must now pay a $100,000 fee for every H-1B worker entering the US. The sudden announcement has sparked concern among those planning to travel on a work visa. Amid the chaos, one familiar face appeared in an unexpected way: Prafull Billore, famously known as MBA Chai Wala.
Billore, who recently visited the US, is now being playfully blamed for Trump’s massive H-1B visa fee hike. Social media users are having a field day linking his trip to the new rule. In the past, Billore has been labelled a “panauti” (a Hindi word for someone who brings bad luck), and this latest incident has only added to the streak of playful jinx jokes surrounding him.
MBA Chai Wala’s US Visit
On September 8, Prafull shared a picture on X (formerly Twitter) that shows him at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California.
He captioned it, “Hello from Google’s headquarters, Googleplex, Mountain View, California, United States.” Cut to September 26, Trump announced that all new H-1B visa applications would now attract a $100,000 one-time fee.
See The Post Here

Hello from Google’s headquarters Googleplex, Mountain View, California, United States ?? pic.twitter.com/0vThfrfSwU
— Prafull Billore (@pbillore141) September 8, 2025

‘Panauti’ Strikes Again: Social Media Has Spoken
This timing was too perfect for the Internet to ignore. Social media users jokingly blamed Billore for the sudden spike in visa fees.
A user reshared his image with the comment, “The real reason behind Trump’s H1B visa restrictions… #panauti.”
Another wrote, “Now you know the reason H1B.”
“Bhai ka track record ek dum bana hua hai… H1B visa ki fees badh hi gayi hai and poora Silicon Valley industry H1B visa par hi establish hai (Brother’s track record is perfect… H1B visa fees have increased and the entire Silicon Valley industry relies on H1B visas),” someone joked.
“This caused the H1B visa Crisis. He is having a 100% strike rate,” a person added while an individual humourously wrote, “Hume laga Google ki lanka lagegi, H1B visa walo ki lag gayi (We thought Google would face the wrath, but H1B visa holders are hit instead).”
“Now we know who is responsible for the H1B visa saga. The real culprit.”
“There goes the American H1-B dream, “Panauti for H1B visas crisis”, and “Bro stepped in the USA and now no one can step in” were some other remarks.
How Did Prafull Billore Become ‘Panauti’?
Originally from Madhya Pradesh, Prafull Billore dropped out of an MBA program and started a tea stall in 2017 with just Rs. 8,000. His venture soon became a national chain and a social media sensation. Beyond business, he also became famous for a meme that dubbed him “panauti.”
The trend began after a viral selfie with cricketer Suryakumar Yadav. On June 21, Billore shared an in-flight selfie with India’s 360-degree batsman. The very next day, Yadav scored just six runs in a T20 match against Bangladesh. This sparked playful speculation about Billore’s “panauti” effect. Despite extensive trolling, Billore has now embraced a reverse jinx trend.