Visa Confusion: A Return Journey Driven by New US Policies

Fri Sep 26 2025 11:22:44 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Amid rising uncertainty over visa regulations, H-1B visa holder Rohan Mehta invested $8,000 to return to the US before a significant fee increase was imposed by President Trump. The executive order, which later clarified the impact on current visa holders, ignited a panic among many overseas workers.

After a sudden executive order by President Trump imposing a hefty fee on new H-1B visa applications, visa holders like Rohan Mehta felt compelled to return to the US immediately, resulting in exorbitant travel costs. The rapid shift in policies—and the subsequent clarification by the White House—brought confusion and anxiety within the immigrant community, particularly among skilled workers from India.

Rohan Mehta - not his real name - spent over $8,000 (£5,900) on flights in his scramble to get back to the US ahead of a deadline that would dramatically increase visa fees for some.

He had been in Nagpur, India for the anniversary of his father's death before he cut his trip short.

On Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order adding a $100,000 (£74,000) fee for applicants to the visa programme for skilled foreign workers which US-based companies would have to pay.

Companies and immigration lawyers had already advised those on the H-1B visa who were outside the US to return before the order came into force Sunday.

A day later, the White House clarified it would be a one-time fee and would not apply to current visa holders, but it was too late for some.

Workers from India receive by far the most skilled visas in the programme, at more than 70% of the 85,000 issued each year.

Despite the clarification posted on X by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, concern and confusion had already spread.

The BBC spoke to many H-1B visa holders from India who had been working in the US for decades.

Rohan Mehta, a software professional, has lived in the US with his family for 11 years but had travelled to Nagpur at the beginning of the month to see relatives commemorating his father's death.

On 20 September, Mehta feared he would not be able to return to his home if he did not get back before the deadline, prompting him to spend over $8,000 in eight hours booking and rebooking return flights to the US.

I booked multiple options because most were cutting it very close, he said just after he had boarded a Virgin Atlantic flight from Mumbai to John F. Kennedy International Airport. Even if there was a slight delay, I'd have missed the deadline.

Mehta described the last few days as traumatic, adding he was glad his wife and daughter had not come to India with him on this trip. I'm regretting the choices I've made in life... I feel like I'm not wanted. My daughter has spent her entire life in the US. I'm not sure how I'll uproot my life from there and start all over in India.

The H-1B is a work visa programme for individuals seeking to work in the US in specialised fields and roles. Employers must sponsor professionals for entry into the country.

Another visa holder who was on holiday in Europe expressed similar confusion regarding the new policies, noting that immigration lawyers were still navigating the implications.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified some specifics of the order, emphasizing that the new fee would only apply to newly issued visas and not to those already held by current visa holders.