A last-minute scramble over President Donald Trump’s new H-1B visa policy left many Indian professionals in shock with some spending thousands of dollars to return to the United States before the rules took effect.

One worker, identified as Rohan Mehta (not his real name), spent more than $8,000 on multiple last-minute flights to New York after fearing he might not be able to re-enter the U.S. under the revised visa terms.

On Friday, Trump signed an executive order imposing a $100,000 application fee on companies sponsoring H-1B visas, a dramatic increase from the current cost. While the administration later clarified that the new fee would not apply to current visa holders or renewals, the announcement initially created widespread panic among foreign workers abroad.

Mehta, a software professional who has lived in the U.S. for over a decade, was in Nagpur, India, attending a family ceremony when the order was signed. On September 20, he rushed to secure multiple flight bookings to ensure he could return before the rule went into effect.

“Even if there was a slight delay, I’d have missed the deadline,” Mehta said after boarding a Virgin Atlantic flight from Mumbai to New York. He described the ordeal as “traumatic,” adding that he was thankful his wife and daughter had stayed behind in the U.S.

“I gave the prime of my youth to working for this country, and now I feel like I’m not wanted,” he said. “My daughter has spent her entire life in the U.S. I don’t know how I’ll uproot my life and start all over in India.”

A day after the order, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that the new six-figure fee applies only to new visa applications and not to existing holders or renewals.

“H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would,” Leavitt wrote, stressing that current visa holders outside the U.S. would not be charged upon re-entry.

Despite the clarification, confusion spread quickly among workers and employers, with many rushing back or seeking legal advice. Immigration attorneys noted that the lack of initial details amplified fears.

India, whose nationals account for more than 70% of the 85,000 H-1B visas issued annually, has warned that the new policy could carry “humanitarian consequences.”

For many Indian families, the H-1B program is the gateway to long-term residency and career opportunities in the U.S. Tech companies, particularly Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Apple, and Meta, remain among the largest sponsors of these visas.

Another visa holder, who had been vacationing in Europe, told the BBC that uncertainty remained despite the clarification. “We are yet to see how employers are thinking and how this will play out,” the worker said.

Employers, especially in the tech sector, are now weighing the financial and logistical burden of the $100,000 fee, with experts warning that the U.S. risks pushing top talent to other countries if policies continue to tighten.