‘Fast and Furious’: Confusion and Frustration as Trump’s Order Sends H-1B Workers Racing Back to the U.S.

Panic, anger, and confusion spread among H-1B visa holders in India and China after President Donald Trump imposed new visa fees in line with his broader immigration agenda, forcing many to abandon travel plans and rush back to the United States.

Tech companies and banks sent urgent memos advising employees not to leave the country and, for those already abroad, to return before the midnight Sunday deadline—12:01 a.m. Eastern time (4:01 a.m. GMT).

On Saturday, a White House official clarified that the order applied only to new applicants, not current visa holders or those seeking renewals, easing some of the confusion. Still, Trump’s Friday announcement had already set off alarms across Silicon Valley.

Cutting Trips Short
Fearing they would be barred from reentry, many Indian nationals said they cut short holidays and rushed back through San Francisco International Airport.

“It came down to choosing between family and staying here,” said an engineer at a major tech firm, whose wife was on an Emirates flight to Dubai when the news broke. Several Indian passengers on that same flight demanded to disembark after receiving word from their employers, delaying takeoff by more than three hours. At least five passengers were ultimately allowed off, the engineer said.

A video appearing to show passengers leaving the aircraft circulated widely on social media, though Reuters was unable to independently verify it.

The engineer’s wife, herself an H-1B holder, had been traveling to India to care for her ailing mother. “It’s heartbreaking,” she said. “We’ve built our lives here.”

On RedNote, a popular Chinese social media platform, H-1B workers described hastily turning back to the U.S.—in some cases only hours after landing in China or elsewhere. Several compared the chaos to the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when sudden travel restrictions forced them to race back before borders closed.

“My feelings are a mix of despair, sadness, and helplessness,” wrote one woman under the handle “Emily’s Life in New York,” who persuaded a United Airlines captain to return to the gate in Paris so she could disembark and cancel her trip after receiving a warning letter from her company’s lawyers.

Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, and Goldman Sachs were among the firms that issued urgent travel advisories to staff.

A Sudden Shift on H-1B
Since taking office in January, Trump has rolled out sweeping immigration measures, including curbs on certain types of legal migration. Restructuring the H-1B program marks his administration’s most high-profile move yet to overhaul temporary work visas, which critics describe as a protectionist effort.

The move represents a sharp turn from Trump’s earlier stance, when he had defended the program and sided with Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a public debate over its value.

Administration officials argue the visa allows companies to suppress wages, and that stricter rules will free up jobs for American workers. Supporters counter that H-1B brings in highly skilled professionals essential to filling talent gaps and keeping U.S. firms competitive.

Social media lit up with frustration and debate over the order, with some saying it undermines the U.S.’s appeal as a workplace destination. One anonymous RedNote user, cutting short a trip in Tokyo, likened their dash back to America to a “real-life ‘Fast and Furious’ moment.”

Trump’s order accused some employers of “widespread abuse” of H-1B law, artificially depressing wages and hurting the U.S. labor market. It also allowed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to waive the new fees at her discretion.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Friday that companies would be required to pay $100,000 per H-1B worker annually. But on Saturday, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt clarified on X that the fee was not annual but a one-time charge per petition.

At San Francisco airport, an Nvidia engineer who has lived in the U.S. for a decade described scrambling to rebook flights with his wife and infant after cutting short a vacation in Japan.

“It feels surreal,” he said. “Everything changes in an instant.”