H-1B Visa Chaos: Microsoft Urges H-1B, H-4 Employees to Return to US Before Trump's $100K Visa Fee Deadline

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a hefty $100,000 annual fee on each H-1B visa. Microsoft has issued an urgent advisory to its employees holding H-1B and H-4 visas, asking them to return to the United States immediately before September 21, 2025.

Reuters, in its recent report, quotes an email from Microsoft where the company directed employees currently outside the US to fly back before the deadline and asked those already in the country to remain there "for the foreseeable future". The company strongly said that both H-1B and H-4 visa holders should not take the risk of travelling after the rule kicks in.

Trump's Executive Order: $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas & Project Firewall

On September 19, Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring companies to pay $100,000 per year per H-1B visa. This fee is in addition to existing filing costs and renewal charges, which already run into several thousand dollars.

Trump in a statement stated, "We need great workers, and this ensures that's what we're going to get. I think companies are going to be very happy."

The executive order also introduces a controversial gold card visa, costing at least $1 million per year, to attract ultra-elite immigrants.

Project Firewall was also announced alongside President Donald Trump's executive order imposing a $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas starting September 21st. The project focuses on protecting the rights, wages, and job opportunities of highly skilled American workers by making sure that employers prioritise qualified American candidates before hiring foreign workers under H-1B visas.

What Is the H-1B Visa Program?

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant US work permit that allows foreign professionals in IT, engineering, and STEM fields to live and work in the US for up to six years. Each year, 65,000 visas are issued under the regular quota and 20,000 under the advanced degree quota, capped at 85,000 in total.

With the new $100,000 visa fee, sponsoring companies, especially small and mid-sized firms, may find it too expensive to hire foreign workers. This could lead to fewer sponsorships, pressure to train local US graduates, and reduced opportunities for Indian tech talent.

Impact on Indians on work visas

The impact of this decision is expected to be felt most strongly in India, which accounted for nearly 71% of all H-1B visas approved last year, as per the TOI report.

Big tech companies like Google, Apple, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta have historically relied on Indian IT professionals to fill critical roles.

Industry Reactions & Legal Pushback

This announcement has shaken a lot of industry experts who believe that this sharp rise in visa fees could severely affect the competitiveness of the US tech sector. For Indians the American Dream is now shattered.
The new regime may face legal challenges but is expected to change the Indian IT talent migration and US immigration policy significantly in the near term. This will also push companies to offshore jobs rather than bring workers to the US.