SAN FRANCISCO — Chaos erupted aboard an India-bound Emirates flight from San Francisco after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a steep $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications, prompting several Indian passengers to deboard moments before takeoff and delaying the flight by three hours.
Video shared on social media showed passengers standing in the aisles, frantically scrolling through their phones, and discussing whether to continue their journey. In a cabin announcement, the captain acknowledged the “unprecedented” situation, telling passengers they could leave the plane if they wished.
“It was complete chaos,” one passenger wrote on Instagram, describing how panic gripped Indian travelers worried about being denied re-entry to the United States after the new order.
The announcement has sent shockwaves through the global tech industry. Internal emails from Meta and Microsoft, accessed by NDTV, advised H-1B and H4 visa holders currently outside the U.S. to return within 24 hours and urged those in the U.S. not to leave for at least two weeks until the implications of the order are fully understood.
In a clarification Saturday, the White House said the $100,000 charge would be a one-time fee applied only to new H-1B applications, not renewals or existing visa holders. “This is NOT an annual fee,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized.