Rohan Mehta - not his real name - spent over $8,000 (£5,900) on flights in his scramble to get back to the US ahead of a deadline that would dramatically increase visa fees for some. He had been in Nagpur, India for the anniversary of his father's death before he cut his trip short.
On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order adding a $100,000 (£74,000) fee for applicants to the visa programme for skilled foreign workers that US-based companies would have to pay.
Companies and immigration lawyers had already advised those on the H-1B visa who were outside the US to return before the order came into force on Sunday. A day later, the White House clarified it would be a one-time fee and would not apply to current visa holders, but it was too late for some.
Workers from India receive by far the most skilled visas in the programme, at more than 70% of the 85,000 issued each year. Despite the clarification posted on X by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, concern and confusion had already spread.
The BBC spoke to many H-1B visa holders from India, many of whom have been working in the US for decades and didn't want to be identified. Rohan Mehta, a software professional, had lived in the US with his family for 11 years but had traveled to Nagpur at the beginning of the month to see relatives commemorating his father's death.
On 20 September, he felt he would not be able to return if he didn't get back before the deadline and spent over $8,000 in eight hours booking and rebooking return flights to the US. He stated, I booked multiple options because most were cutting it very close. Even if there was a slight delay, I'd have missed the deadline.
In its clarification, the White House said the new fee would not be enforced until the next round of visa applications was approved. Rohan described the last few days as traumatic and expressed regret over his choices - I gave the prime of my youth to working for this country [the US] and now I feel like I'm not wanted. My daughter has spent her entire life in the US. I'm not sure how I'll uproot my life from there and start all over in India.
The H-1B visa programme allows employers to sponsor professionals to work in the US, and according to government statistics, the greatest beneficiary of the programme the previous fiscal year was Amazon, followed by tech giants Tata, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google.
Another visa holder on holiday in Europe mentioned the confusion still surrounding the order, as immigration lawyers work to interpret the implications. In a social media post, Leavitt reassured that the new fee applies only to new visas, not to renewals or current visa holders, trying to clarify the tense atmosphere that has emerged from the administration's latest announcement.
On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order adding a $100,000 (£74,000) fee for applicants to the visa programme for skilled foreign workers that US-based companies would have to pay.
Companies and immigration lawyers had already advised those on the H-1B visa who were outside the US to return before the order came into force on Sunday. A day later, the White House clarified it would be a one-time fee and would not apply to current visa holders, but it was too late for some.
Workers from India receive by far the most skilled visas in the programme, at more than 70% of the 85,000 issued each year. Despite the clarification posted on X by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, concern and confusion had already spread.
The BBC spoke to many H-1B visa holders from India, many of whom have been working in the US for decades and didn't want to be identified. Rohan Mehta, a software professional, had lived in the US with his family for 11 years but had traveled to Nagpur at the beginning of the month to see relatives commemorating his father's death.
On 20 September, he felt he would not be able to return if he didn't get back before the deadline and spent over $8,000 in eight hours booking and rebooking return flights to the US. He stated, I booked multiple options because most were cutting it very close. Even if there was a slight delay, I'd have missed the deadline.
In its clarification, the White House said the new fee would not be enforced until the next round of visa applications was approved. Rohan described the last few days as traumatic and expressed regret over his choices - I gave the prime of my youth to working for this country [the US] and now I feel like I'm not wanted. My daughter has spent her entire life in the US. I'm not sure how I'll uproot my life from there and start all over in India.
The H-1B visa programme allows employers to sponsor professionals to work in the US, and according to government statistics, the greatest beneficiary of the programme the previous fiscal year was Amazon, followed by tech giants Tata, Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google.
Another visa holder on holiday in Europe mentioned the confusion still surrounding the order, as immigration lawyers work to interpret the implications. In a social media post, Leavitt reassured that the new fee applies only to new visas, not to renewals or current visa holders, trying to clarify the tense atmosphere that has emerged from the administration's latest announcement.
