Tech firms, including Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), have reportedly warned their staffers with H-1B visas to avoid overseas travel and return to the U.S. by Saturday, before the Trump administration’s new $100,000 application fee for the visa program takes effect.
According to Bloomberg News, the companies sent warnings to affected employees through messages before the changes were set to take effect on Sunday.
President Donald Trump on Friday slapped a $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas, dealing a blow to companies—mainly those in the tech and financial sectors—that rely on the widely used visa program to bring in highly skilled foreign talent.
The decision has unnerved the companies, even as a White House official stated Saturday that the changes would only apply to new visas in the upcoming lottery cycle and renewals or current visa holders won’t be affected.
Rakhel Milstein, an immigration lawyer, said that there would be “complete chaos” after she had to deal with calls from visa holders at tech firms, nonprofit organizations, and other entities throughout the night.
“We have clients who have just gotten their visa stamps at the consulates in India, and now they’re going to get their passports back on Monday,” said Milstein, the founder of Milstein Law Group. “Does this mean they can’t come back?” she added.