• Panic ensues among H-1B visa holders as they rush back to the US after Trump's new visa fees announcement.
• Many tech companies sent urgent notifications advising employees to return before a deadline.
• Social media reflects feelings of confusion and frustration similar to experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown.
• The visa fee change emphasizes Trump's reversal on immigration policies related to skilled foreign workers.
• Critics argue this move diminishes the US's appeal as a prime destination for foreign talent.

Panic, confusion, and anger intensified as workers on H-1B visas, particularly from India and China, altered their travel plans to rush back to the US following President Donald Trump’s announcement of new visa fees as part of his wider immigration crackdown. Tech companies and banks quickly alerted their employees, advising them to return by a deadline of 12:01 am US Eastern Time on September 21, cautioning them not to leave the country, according to Reuters and Channel News Asia.

In the face of this proclamation, a White House official later clarified that the order applied only to new applicants and not to current visa holders or those seeking renewals. However, this clarification came too late to quell the alarm stirred in Silicon Valley, where many H-1B workers felt compelled to curtail vacations immediately to avoid being stranded abroad, as reported by South China Morning Post and TRT Global.

One engineer shared that he had to choose between family commitments and his job in the US, noting a painful choice as his wife prepared to fly from San Francisco to Dubai. According to him, the incident led to a delay of over three hours as they and other Indian passengers requested to deplane after learning about the new visa issues, illustrating the degree of uncertainty that the situation generated, as mentioned in Reuters and Channel News Asia.

Many individuals turned to social media, particularly the Chinese app Rednote, to express their distress and urgent race to return to the US, with some likening their experience to the urgency felt during the COVID-19 restrictions. One user, identifying herself as "Emily’s Life in NY," described her inability to board a flight from New York to Paris after receiving her company’s travel advisory to return promptly, citing feelings of resentment and disenfranchisement, according to South China Morning Post and TRT Global.

The broader implications of Trump’s decision are significant; critics suggest it reflects a protectionist agenda aimed at reducing the influx of foreign tech talent. This represents a notable turn from his previous support for the H-1B program aimed at facilitating foreign professionals into the US tech sector. Administration officials have mentioned that the H-1B visa system has allowed companies to suppress wages, while supporters argue that such programs are necessary to overcome skill shortages in the tech industry, as highlighted by Reuters, Channel News Asia, and South China Morning Post.

Details surrounding the visa fees have varied, with reports suggesting a possible $100,000 charge per year for H-1B visas that could potentially deter skilled workers from applying to work in the US. However, a White House spokesperson later clarified that this was actually a one-time fee incurred with each petition instead of an annual cost, revealing the complexity and confusion over this new policy, according to Reuters and Channel News Asia.

A long-term Nvidia employee expressed disbelief at the rapid evolution of circumstances he was facing, stating feelings of surrealness as he attempted to adjust his travel plans after news of this significant policy shift, further emphasizing the turmoil felt by many in similar situations, as noted by Reuters, Channel News Asia, and TRT Global.