Saturday, March 29, 2025
Following President Donald Trump’s latest immigration crackdown, tech giants Meta and Microsoft have advised their H1B visa holders to return to the United States within 24 hours. Both companies have also instructed their employees not to leave the U.S. for at least 14 days in order to avoid re-entry issues.
According to internal emails accessed by NDTV Profit, employees currently outside the U.S. have been urged to come back immediately to prevent denial of re-entry. The emails further advised workers to follow these guidelines “for the foreseeable future.”
Meta instructed its H1B visa and H4 status holders to remain in the U.S. for at least two weeks “until procedural applications are reviewed.” For those currently abroad, Meta recommended making immediate arrangements to return within 24 hours.
Microsoft issued a “strong appeal” to its U.S.-based employees to remain in the country to avoid being barred from re-entry. The company also urged employees working abroad to “make every possible effort” to return as soon as possible.
The U.S. H1B visa program is reserved for individuals in specialty occupations, particularly in the technology sector. This includes software engineers, programmers, managers, and IT professionals. The visas are typically valid for three years and can be extended for another three years.
On Friday, President Trump dramatically increased the annual fee for H1B visas for foreign workers to $100,000. The move is expected to heavily impact Indian professionals working in U.S. tech and corporate sectors.
While signing the proclamation at the White House, Trump said, “The goal is to keep American citizens employed.” The administration emphasized that the new measures are designed to protect U.S. workers while still allowing companies to bring in “truly exceptional talent.”
If these measures withstand legal scrutiny, costs for skilled worker visas will rise sharply—from the current $215 to between $10,000 and $20,000 annually. Investor visa fees, common in many European countries, will also increase to $20,000 per year.
In addition, the administration announced a new Gold Card Visa program. This includes the Trump Gold Card and Trump Platinum Card for individuals, as well as the Trump Corporate Gold Card for businesses. These cards would provide exclusive privileges and replace employment-based visas that currently offer pathways to U.S. citizenship for professors, scientists, artists, and athletes.
