Tech giants Meta and Microsoft have urgently advised their H-1B visa holders to remain in the United States and, for those abroad, to return within 24 hours following President Donald Trump’s sweeping new immigration measures. The directives came in internal company emails after Trump announced a dramatic hike in H-1B visa fees to $100,000 annually and imposed fresh restrictions on legal immigration.
Meta urged its H-1B and H4 visa employees to stay in the country for at least two weeks “until practical applications are understood,” while Microsoft told its staff to “do their best to return” if currently outside the U.S. Both companies cautioned employees that leaving the country in the near future could risk denial of re-entry under the new rules.
The H-1B program, widely used by tech firms to hire foreign talent in specialty fields such as software engineering and IT management, has become a flashpoint in Trump’s second-term immigration crackdown. The annual fee hike from $215 to $100,000 represents a staggering cost increase for employers, with potential ripple effects across the global tech industry.
In addition to the fee increase, the Trump administration rolled out a new “Gold Card” visa program, offering expedited residency for individuals willing to pay $1 million or corporations paying $2 million. The new framework is intended to replace employment-based pathways to citizenship, including those traditionally used by professors, scientists, and artists.
India — which accounted for 71 per cent of H-1B approvals last year — is expected to feel the brunt of these changes, with many tech workers potentially stranded or facing uncertainty about their immigration status.