Mother in tears, wedding postponed: Trump’s H-1B move causes chaos for Indians

Donald Trump‘s shocking announcement of a $100,000 Visa cost, followed by Big Tech businesses telling their staff abroad to return within a day, led many Indian H-1B holders who were detained abroad in the United States running to the closest airport, abandoning long-planned getaways and family gatherings in the middle. After Big Tech businesses like Amazon and Microsoft emailed employees on Saturday, requesting that they return by September 21 at 9:31 am, Reddit user ‘Saramuch’ described the difficulties she and her friends with H-1B visas were facing after becoming stranded outside the United States. “And shame on you if you lack compassion. My mom was going to see me for the first time in a few months, so you didn’t have to witness her crying. After Big Tech businesses like Amazon and Microsoft emailed employees on Saturday, requesting that they return by September 21 at 9:31 am, Reddit user ‘Saramuch’ described the difficulties she and her friends with H-1B visas were facing after becoming stranded outside the United States. “And shame on you if you lack compassion. Donald Trump’s shocking announcement of a $100,000 visa cost, followed by Big Tech businesses telling their staff abroad to return within a day, led many Indian H-1B holders who were detained abroad in the United States running to the closest airport, abandoning long-planned getaways and family gatherings in the middle. After Big Tech businesses like Amazon and Microsoft emailed employees on Saturday, requesting that they return by September 21 at 9:31 am, Reddit user ‘Saramuch’ described the difficulties she and her friends with H-1B visas were facing after becoming stranded outside the United States. “And shame on you if you lack compassion. Donald Trump’s shocking announcement of a $100,000 visa cost, followed by Big Tech businesses telling their staff abroad to return within a day, led many Indian H-1B holders who were detained abroad in the United States running to the closest airport, abandoning long-planned getaways and family gatherings in the middle. After Big Tech businesses like Amazon and Microsoft emailed employees on Saturday, requesting that they return by September 21 at 9:31 am, Reddit user ‘Saramuch’ described the difficulties she and her friends with H-1B visas were facing after becoming stranded outside the United States. “And shame on you if you lack compassion. Donald Trump’s shocking announcement of a $100,000 visa cost, followed by Big Tech businesses telling their staff abroad to return within a day, led many Indian H-1B holders who were detained abroad in the United States running to the closest airport, abandoning long-planned getaways and family gatherings in the middle.

As Big Tech companies also encouraged employees with H-1B visas to stay in the United States until further notice, many were told of the changes while they were waiting to board aircraft, leading some to completely cancel their plans. Examples include people who postponed their own nuptials because they were unsure.

“This is a travel ban! If someone is traveling or on vacation, they cannot enter the US without proof of the $100,000 payment, even if they have a valid H-1B visa inscribed on their passport. No one knows what the process is, what the fine print is. There’s absolute panic,” one person told PTI.

“Those waiting in airport boarding lines, those heading out for their own wedding tomorrow, and so forth. Another person stated, “They are canceling because they are unsure of what to do.”

Families were left in the dark until the Trump administration provided clarification because there were no formal directives or explanations about Trump’s order.

“People simply don’t know if they’ll be able to return or how to obtain this $100,000 for a business. No one is aware of anything. And there won’t be any clarification on this anytime soon,” one person told PTI.

Indians, who make up the majority of H-1B visa holders, may be forced to give up their American dream due to the $100,000 application price. It’s simply an odd moment. This administration has just been in place for six-seven months, and now everything seems out of control. One person put it this way: “People are really beginning to wonder if they can continue to build their lives in the US because there’s so much uncertainty around everything now.”