Immigration attorneys and companies are cautioning H-1B visa holders against travelling outside the U.S. amid President Donald Trump’s new plan to impose a $1,00,000 fee on the work visas, with many asking employees to return immediately to America or risk getting stranded.
In a significant development that will have an impact on Indian professionals working on H-1B visas in the U.S., Mr. Trump signed a proclamation on Friday that restricts the entry into the United States of non-immigrants working in a “speciality occupation” unless their H-1B petitions are accompanied or supplemented by a payment of $1,00,000. This proclamation will come into effect from 12:01 a.m. September 21, 2025.
Immigration attorneys and companies are sounding the alarm for H-1B visa holders or their family members currently outside the U.S. for work or vacation, asking them to return to the U.S. before the proclamation kicks in on September 21, essentially telling those outside the country to return within the next 24 hours or risk being stranded and denied entry into the U.S.
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“H-1B visa holders who are out of the U.S. on business or vacation will get stranded unless they get in before midnight September 21. H-1Bs still in India may have already missed the deadline as there is no way a direct flight from India will get in time,” eminent New York-based immigration attorney Cyrus Mehta said in a post on X.
