Rohan Mehta was in Nagpur for a solemn family occasion when panic struck.
The software professional, who has lived in the US for more than a decade, suddenly found himself scrambling for flights, fearing he might be shut out of the country he has long called home.
In an interview with the BBC, Mehta (his pseudonym) revealed that he spent $8,000 (£5,900) in a matter of hours, frantically booking and rebooking tickets to ensure he crossed US borders before a new visa order by President Donald Trump came into force.
“I booked multiple options because most were cutting it very close,” he said, speaking just after boarding a Virgin Atlantic flight from Mumbai to New York’s JFK airport. “Even if there was a slight delay, I’d have missed the deadline.”
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Lawyers and employers immediately advised those outside the US to rush back before the order took effect Sunday. By the time the White House clarified a day later that the fee was a one-time charge, not applicable to current visa holders, many like Mehta had already made desperate, costly journeys.
The BBC reported that immigration attorneys themselves struggled to interpret the sudden rule, advising caution to avoid the risk of being stranded. “We are yet to see how employers are thinking and how this will play out,” one visa holder holidaying in Europe told the outlet.
“The last few days were traumatic,” he said, adding he was relieved his wife and daughter had stayed behind in the US. “I’m regretting the choices I’ve made in life. I gave the prime of my youth to working for this country [the US] and now 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 visa, prized among India’s tech workforce, enables US employers to sponsor highly skilled professionals in specialised roles. Companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google rank among its biggest users.
But for families like Mehta’s, the BBC notes, the future suddenly looks far more uncertain.
Even with clarifications from the White House — including an assurance from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt that current visa holders could “leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would” — the panic has already taken its toll.
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The software professional, who has lived in the US for more than a decade, suddenly found himself scrambling for flights, fearing he might be shut out of the country he has long called home.
In an interview with the BBC, Mehta (his pseudonym) revealed that he spent $8,000 (£5,900) in a matter of hours, frantically booking and rebooking tickets to ensure he crossed US borders before a new visa order by President Donald Trump came into force.
“I booked multiple options because most were cutting it very close,” he said, speaking just after boarding a Virgin Atlantic flight from Mumbai to New York’s JFK airport. “Even if there was a slight delay, I’d have missed the deadline.”
(Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)
The Trump order and the rush home
On Friday, Trump signed an executive order imposing a $100,000 (£74,000) fee on applicants to the H-1B visa programme — a move that sent shockwaves through Indian tech workers, who account for more than 70% of the 85,000 skilled-worker visas issued annually.Lawyers and employers immediately advised those outside the US to rush back before the order took effect Sunday. By the time the White House clarified a day later that the fee was a one-time charge, not applicable to current visa holders, many like Mehta had already made desperate, costly journeys.
The BBC reported that immigration attorneys themselves struggled to interpret the sudden rule, advising caution to avoid the risk of being stranded. “We are yet to see how employers are thinking and how this will play out,” one visa holder holidaying in Europe told the outlet.
‘Traumatic’ days, uncertain future
For Mehta, the ordeal has left scars deeper than the financial blow. He had returned to Nagpur earlier this month to mark the anniversary of his father’s death, but said his short visit turned into a nightmare once the order was signed on September 20.“The last few days were traumatic,” he said, adding he was relieved his wife and daughter had stayed behind in the US. “I’m regretting the choices I’ve made in life. I gave the prime of my youth to working for this country [the US] and now 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 visa, prized among India’s tech workforce, enables US employers to sponsor highly skilled professionals in specialised roles. Companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google rank among its biggest users.
But for families like Mehta’s, the BBC notes, the future suddenly looks far more uncertain.
Even with clarifications from the White House — including an assurance from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt that current visa holders could “leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would” — the panic has already taken its toll.
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