Chaos at US airports as H-1B holders disembark in panic over Trump’s fee hike

US President Donald Trump’s decision to increase the H-1B visa fee to $100,000 (Rs 88 lakh), to be effective from Sunday (September 21), has spread panic among Indian H-1B visa holders in the US, with a large number of them, especially techies, reportedly disembarking from aircraft following the H-1B visa fee hike. A large number of Indians working abroad visit home during this time for festivals such as Durga Puja and Diwali.

Several others, who are already in India, were scrambling to return to the US amid uncertainty after the president signed a proclamation on Friday (September 19) to raise the visa fees.

Also read: India voices concern over Trump’s new H-1B visa restrictions

H-1B visa holders panic, airfares soar

Trump’s move has also set airfares soaring for flights between India and the US as airlines tried to capitalise on the situation. According to media reports, the fare for a one-way flight from New Delhi to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York jumped from around Rs 37,000 to Rs 70,000-80,000 within merely two hours.

Ever since Trump’s announcement, there has been chaos at US airports as panicking H-1B visa holders who were flying out of the US chose to suspend their journey. There were even instances on Friday where people scrapped their travel plans while waiting to board their flights to India across airports in America, after the news about Trump's proclamation to hike the visa fees broke.

Also Read: Microsoft, JP Morgan ask H-1B holders to stay in US as Trump imposes hefty visa fee

People on H-1B visas, as well as those in the US tracking developments, said on condition of anonymity that the underlying emotion among holders of the key visa and their families right now is that of “a crazy sense of panic” and “worry", PTI reported. Even there are instances of people cancelling their own wedding back home due to the visa-related uncertainty.

“This is a travel ban! Even if a person has a valid H-1B visa stamped on their passport, if they are travelling, or are on vacation, you cannot enter the US unless they have proof of the USD 1,00,000 payment. No one knows what the process is, what the fine print is. There’s absolute panic,” one person was quoted by PTI as saying.

“People who are standing in boarding lines at airports, people who are leaving for their own wedding tomorrow, things like that. They are cancelling because they don't know what to do,” another said.

Also read: Amitabh Kant: Trump’s H1-B hike will choke US, turbocharge India

Those who have their H-1B visas stamped and are currently living in the US were also engulfed by the uncertain situation. Wondering what was in store for them, one individual said it seemed they could not leave the US, citing internal memos that major tech companies have already started issuing to their employees, the agency report added.

These memos have urged the employees not to leave the US or to return immediately, if they are outside, before Trump's proclamation becomes a reality on September 21.

Vacation plans ruined

People also expressed frustration over the timing of the proclamation, which comes just weeks before Indian professionals and their families visit their homes and loved ones in India for Durga Puja, Diwali and other year-end festivities.

Also read: Trump: H-1B 'abuse' hurts US economy, security and STEM workforce

“People had plans to travel to India for Diwali. They're all in a flux and not sure what to do. Families book tickets for Diwali, for the December holiday season well in advance. This is the time when most people travel," people told PTI.

“This is the time when people actually want to leave and be with family during the holiday season. Now this has happened. Does that mean that I cannot travel this year? That’s another sense of ‘oh my god’,” they said.

Chaos results in flight delays

Netizens took to social media to describe the chaos. One user, Masud Rana, said that his Emirates flight got delayed by three hours due to the issue.

"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," stated Rana in a social media post, reported India Today.

Another user, Kaustav Majumdar, a chartered accountant, witnessed a similar situation on an international flight with a large number of Indian passengers returning home on the occasion of Durga Puja.

"Extremely sad situation... An international flight packed with Indians from the Bay Area had completed boarding and was due to leave SFO Airport. When the news about the H-1 B visa new rules just broke out, Indians aboard panicked and pleaded to get off the plane," stated Majumdar in a post on X.

Also Read: TCS ranks second in H-1B visa approvals after Amazon in 2025: USCIS data

Airfares make timely US return difficult

The sharp increase in flight prices between India and the US, following Trump’s decision to hike H-1B visa fees, has made it nearly impossible for the visa holders currently in India to return to the US within the deadline.

According to a report in Business Today, the earliest arrival in the US from India is an Air India flight taking 19:55 hours between Delhi and JFK, New York, with one stop in Mumbai. The flight departing on Saturday costs around Rs 1.18 lakh for economy but will take hours beyond Sunday midnight.

While it is still to be seen whether any court intervenes and puts the order on hold, people were staring at an uncertain future. They were also apprehensive about the fate of people holding other kinds of visas, such as F1, L1 or H4 — whether they would also face similar circumstances.

"None of these things are super clear. Another thing that has caused panic for a lot of people is that when such news comes out, nobody talks about the specifics. Nobody's able to help,” people said.

(With Agency inputs)