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Following the Donald Trump administration’s new $100,000 H-1B visa fee announcement, many employees working abroad are being encouraged to return to the United States by their employers. Memos from companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have leaked and are circulating on social media.
These memos instructed the employees working under H-1B visa currently travelling to immediately make it back to the US before 12 am (GMT) on September 21. The memos also added apologies for the limited warning provided and guarantees to provide more guidance as the situation evolves.
The memos advised employees with H-1B visas and H-4 dependents currently in the country to stay put and not travel abroad until further notice. After these changes have been set in motion, companies are worried that any employees who are enrolled in the programme would not be allowed to return to the nation without paying a $100,000 charge.
Karoline Leavitt, the White House Press Secretary, took to X to try to reassure anxious employees and businesses that they could continue travelling normally and would not be charged the $100,000 upon entrance.
To be clear:
1.) This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition.
2.) Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter.
H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the…
– Karoline Leavitt (@pressSec) September 20, 2025
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Here is what the memos say :
Amazon
Amazonians,
We’ve reviewed the Presidential Proclamation on H-1B visas that was released today and are actively working to gain greater clarity. Here’s what you need to know right now: The proclamation creates a travel restriction starting September 21, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. EDT (9:01 p.m. PDT tomorrow). After this deadline, individuals cannot enter the US on H-1B status without an additional $100,000 payment associated with their petition. Recommended actions for you to take:
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If you have H-1B status and are in the US : Stay in the country for now, even if you have travel planned for the immediate future. We will continue to provide updates as more details are available.
If you have H-4 dependent status: We also recommend you remain in the US , though the proclamation doesn’t specifically mention H-4 dependents.
If you have H-1B or H-4 status and are outside the US: Try to return before tomorrow’s deadline if possible. We realize this is short notice but returning soon is advisable and you should make every effort possible to clear US customs before 12:00 a.m. EDT (9:00 p.m. PDT) on Sunday, September 21, 2025.
At this time, if you have an H-1B or H-4 status and are unable to return before the deadline, we advise that you do not attempt to enter the US until further guidance is provided.
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We are reaching out with an urgent update regarding international travel for individuals on H-1B visas.
A Proclamation is scheduled to take effect this Sunday at 12:01 AM ET. It introduces significant changes to re-entry procedures for H-1B visa holders currently outside the United States. We continue to review the Proclamation, but the initial advice we have received is that re-entry will require a mandatory payment of $100,000 per petition, which may cause substantial delays or prevent re-entry to the US.
What You Need to Know:
If you are currently outside the US :
If you are currently outside the US with a valid H-1B visa, make plans to return and enter the US before the Proclamation takes effect on Sunday, September 21 at 12:01 am ET (i.e. by this Saturday night).
If you are currently in the US :
We strongly advise against any international travel if you are in valid H-1B status or need to travel to activate your H-1B visa. You should remain in the US
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Departing the US may result in complications or denial of re-entry under the new policy.
If you are unable to return prior to the deadline in H-1B status: please reach out to go/immigration-help.
We understand this may create challenges, and we are here to support you. We are actively monitoring the situation and will keep you updated as we learn more.
Microsoft
IMPORTANT ADVISORY: New travel restriction for H-1B visa holders
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Hi all–We have now reviewed the actual text of today’s Presidential Proclamation on H-1B visas, which you can find here: Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers – The White House.
Here’s what you need to know:
First, the proclamation is structured as a travel restriction. Beginning at 12:01 am eastern time on September 21, 2025 (so, 9:01 pm Pacific time tomorrow), individuals will not be able to enter/return to the US in H-1B status unless their petition has an additional $100,000 payment associated with it.
What you need to do:
I will be updating this post later this evening with a form for people to fill out if they are currently outside the US with an H-1B visa. We want to be able to follow up with each individual and provide support and guidance as they try to return within the next 28 hours.
The proclamation does not impact any other visa statuses.
There is other content about the pause in processing H-1B petitions for individuals who are outside the US. At this time, we do not interpret this to immediately impact extensions of H-1B status or changes of status to H-1B as long as you are currently in the US. We’ll share more about that later.
