New Delhi/Washington: A sudden proclamation from US President Donald Trump imposing a $100,000 fee on H-1B visa applications has triggered panic across the tech sector, forcing giants Amazon and Microsoft to fire off urgent notices to their employees. The fee, which comes into force September 21, 2025 at 12:00 am EDT, will last for one year and has placed thousands of foreign workers, particularly Indians, in a race against time.
Amazon, the largest employer of H-1B visa holders in the United States, sent out a stark caution. “If you have H-1B status and are in the US, stay in the country for now,” the company told employees. The advisory went further, recommending that those stuck abroad rush back to America before the September 21 deadline.
Microsoft, in a memo seen by Reuters, echoed the alarm. The company wrote, “We strongly recommend H-1B and H-4 visa holders return to the US tomorrow before the deadline.” The note carried the same urgency as Amazon’s, warning employees not to risk being stranded outside U.S. borders.
#WATCH | President Donald J Trump signs an Executive Order to raise the fee that companies pay to sponsor H-1B applicants to $100,000.
White House staff secretary Will Scharf says, “One of the most abused visa systems is the H1-B non-immigrant visa programme. This is supposed to… pic.twitter.com/25LrI4KATn
— ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2025
Financial powerhouse JPMorgan also moved quickly, with its external immigration counsel advising H-1B visa holders to stay put in America and avoid international travel until further clarity emerges.
The policy announcement has reignited debate over America’s immigration landscape. Trump, in his proclamation, claimed the H-1B programme had been “misused,” accusing IT firms of replacing US workers with “lower-paid, lower-skilled labour.” The fee, unprecedented in size, is aimed at discouraging large-scale visa filings.
The impact is expected to be immediate and severe. Indians, who make up more than 70% of H-1B visa holders, face the brunt of the move. For thousands of engineers, programmers, and their families, the advisory is not just corporate caution but a desperate call to safeguard their right to live and work in the US
