Washington/New Delhi: Chaos prevails in India and the US after US president Donald Trump’s sudden move to raise the fee for H-1B visas to $100,000 (Rs 88 lakh). With the implementation deadline set for Sunday morning, several Indian techies, returning home on vacation, were spotted disembarking from aircraft in the US as soon as the announcement was made.
Many Indians, who work in the US with H-1B visas choose this festive season to visit home. Those who have already reached India made attempts to return to the US but came up against a massive jump in the price of direct flight tickets to that country. Airlines are clearly cashing in on the situation.
Nearly 70% of those who hold H-1B visas are Indians.
The administration has made it clear – enter the US before 12.01 am EDT (9.31 am IST) on September 21, failing which no H-1B worker will be allowed in unless the sponsoring employer pays the $100,000 visa fee.
H-1B visa holders on vacation or business trips to India have already missed the deadline.
“H-1B visa holders who are out of the US 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,” Cyrus Mehta, a US immigration attorney has been quoted by India Today as saying.
According to the media house, a one-way flight fare from New Delhi to John F Kennedy International Airport in New York jumped to Rs 70,000-80,000 from around Rs 37,000 within two hours of Trump’s announcement.
Chaotic scenes were visible at US airports as well H-1B visa holders choosing to disembark from aircraft.
Masud Rana, a social media user, claimed that his Emirates flight was held up for over three hours due to this chaos.
“It was complete chaos for Emirates passengers at San Francisco airport. President Trump signed an order affecting both new and existing H-1B visa holders, creating panic among many – particularly Indian passengers – who even chose to leave the aircraft,” Rana posted.
Kaustav Majumdar, a chartered accountant, said a similar situation happened on an international flight that was packed with Indians returning home for Durga Puja.
“Extremely sad situation… An international flight packed with Indians from Bay Area had completed boarding and was due to leave SFO Airport. When the news about H-1 B visa new rules just broke out, Indians aboard panicked and pleaded to get off the plane,” he posted on X.
Another user narrated the scene at Dubai on a flight to Mumbai. He said at least 10-15 passengers deboarded in 20 minutes after they learnt of the September 21 deadline for H-1B holders, worried about re-entry to the US.
