(Original title: Americans organized a group to grab tickets, and the Indian media were angry)

According to the Hindustan Times reported on the 21st, many American netizens are flocking to major air ticket booking websites to maliciously book tickets, so as to prevent Indian employees working in the United States from buying air tickets to return to the United States.

After U.S. Working Visa Application Fee Rises to $100,000, a large number of Indian employees buy flight tickets back to the U.S. (data map)

According to the report, since the U.S. government announced that H-1B visa applicants would pay $100,000 a year or not to enter the U.S., a large number of Indian employees working with the visa in the U.S. have been rushing back to the U.S. to retain their visas and avoid payment of application fees. Then, some U.S. netizens are calling on other netizens to book flights from India to the U.S. According to the platform rules, even if the reservant did not pay for the ticket, the seat will be reserved for the reservant for 15 minutes. These U.S. netizens believe that as long as there are enough users to book tickets at the same time, the seats are kept locked, causing Indian employees to be unable to buy tickets back to the U.S. and lose their visas and jobs.

The initiative was initiated by a group of users of the U.S. ¡°4Chan¡± forum, who complained that the U.S. H-1B visa allowed a large number of foreigners to enter the U.S. and robbed jobs that should belong to Americans.

An American netizen who should act said that he has long dominated 100 seats with various tools, and participants gave screenshots showing that with the active participation of U.S. netizens, India's return to the U.S. ticket prices are also rising.

Today India on Monday that the move by U.S. netizens was aimed at ¡°the Indians with the highest percentage of H-1B visa holders¡± and denounced the move as disrupting the travel of Indians.

Notably, even if White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified on X that "those who already hold an H-1B visa and are currently abroad will not be charged the $100,000 re-entry fee." But companies such as Amazon.com, Microsoft and JPMorgan have instructed their employees on H-1B visas to stay in the U.S. or return immediately.

According to the Indian Express, 72% of the 400,000 H-1B visas issued by the U.S. between October 2022 and September 2023, were issued to Indian citizens.

Extended reading

H-1B visa fees rise to $100,000 in India

On September 19th, local time, US President Trump signed an announcement to significantly increase the fees paid by enterprises for H-1B visa applicants to $100,000.

The sudden announcement of the new policy immediately caused chaos. U.S. companies such as Amazon, Microsoft and others urged overseas employees to return to the U.S. urgently.The White House said on 20th that the new fee only applies to new applicants, and applicants who already hold H-1B visas or renew the visa will not be affected.

Some analysts pointed out that the change of H-1B visa rules may deal a heavy blow to the American technology industry, which relies heavily on foreign skilled workers.

More than 70 percent of H-1B visa holders are from India, the Indian government warned on Monday that the U.S. move would have ¡°humanitarian consequences¡± and hoped the Trump administration would handle the issue properly.

"Don't let outsiders rob our jobs"

Since taking office again in January this year, Trump has launched a widespread campaign against immigration, including restricting certain forms of legal immigration.Reuters said his revision of the H-1B visa program is the government¡¯s most remarkable move so far to adjust employment visas.

¡°We need workers, we need good workers, and that almost guarantees that this goal can be achieved,¡± Trump told reporters at the White House.

According to the Guardian, under the previous system, H-1B visa applicants only pay a small fee to participate in the lottery, and if they are drawn, they may pay up to thousands of dollars, depending on the specific amount. H-1B visas are valid for three to six years, and almost all visa fees are borne by the employer. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) says that the application fee for H-1B visas after the reform can reach more than 60 times the current fee.

"If you want to train someone, train the fresh graduates of the top universities in our country," U.S. Commerce Secretary Lutnick said on the 19th. "Train Americans and stop bringing outsiders to take our jobs." He also claimed that the new fees are "annual" and apply to initial applications and renewals.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an announcement on Monday to raise the cost of companies paying for H-1B visa applicants to $100,000.

The U.S. isly issuing 65,000 H-1B visas annually to employers for the introduction of temporary foreign workers in specific fields, as well as 20,000 visas for applicants with higher degrees.

In the first half of 2025 alone, more than 10,000 H-1B visas were approved by Amazon, and more than 5,000 H-1B visas were approved by Microsoft and Facebook parent company Meta, respectively.

California has the largest number of H-1B visa holders geographically.

Loutnik said on Monday that ¡°all major U.S. companies¡± had been told about the new H-1B visa, ¡°we¡¯ve talked to them.¡±

However, from the response of major U.S. companies, they also seem to be somewhat out of time.The Financial Times said that Trump did not specify on 19th whether the new policy applies to existing H-1B visa holders.

Many major U.S. tech, banking and consulting firms, including Microsoft and JPMorgan, declined to comment, and Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Internal emails seen by Reuters showed that Microsoft, JPMorgan, and Amazon recommended H-1B visa holders stay in the U.S. and H-1B visa workers abroad to return to the U.S. before midnight.

¡°H-1B visa holders currently in the U.S. should stay in the U.S. and avoid international travel until the government issues clear travel instructions,¡± JPMorgan¡¯s visa agency Ogletree Deakins wrote in an email to employees.

In a memorandum issued to employees holding H-1B visas, Goldman Sachs said they should ¡°be cautious when travelling internationally.¡±

Fragomen, a renowned immigration law firm, recommends that clients who apply for a H-1B visa or have been granted a visa return to the United States before Sunday.

¡°We fear that this will affect employees, their families, and U.S. employers,¡± the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said, ¡°we are working with governments and member companies to understand the full impact of this measure and find the best way to respond.¡±

¡°This is a gift to other countries.¡±

In a chaos, the White House has made some additions to the details of the new policy.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on the 20th that the new fee will take effect in the next application cycle, and applicants who already hold H-1B visas or renewals will not be affected.

¡°Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently abroad will not be charged $100,000 for re-entry,¡± Levitt wrote on the X platform, ¡°H-1B visa holders can leave and re-entry the country as usual.¡±

The Financial Times said Levitt's words differed from those of Lutnik's "annual charges."

Photo by White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt (video)

The new Trump policy has sparked a lot of criticism.The change, Reuters said, could be a heavy blow to the U.S. tech industry, which is heavily dependent on foreign highly skilled employees, significantly boosting corporate costs, especially for smaller tech companies and start-ups.

The Guardian said some U.S. tech practitioners believe the move would put pressure on to lower wages and exclude Americans who could qualify for those jobs.

Analysts say high visa fees could hinder the U.S. 's position in the AI race by forcing companies to move some high-value jobs overseas.

Deedy Das, a partner of venture capital firm Menlo Ventures, posted on the X-Platform that the increase in new fees ¡°will inhibit the drive to attract the world¡¯s smartest talent to the United States,¡± and ¡°will drastically reduce its ability to innovate and grow economically if the United States no longer attracts the best talent.¡±

Garry Tan, CEO of Y Combinator, a well-known entrepreneurial incubator in Silicon Valley, posted on the X platform, pointing out that Trump's decision was a mistake and "killed start-ups", just like "giving overseas technology centers including Vancouver and Toronto, Canada. A huge gift".

Alex Tapscott, managing director of Canadian investment management firm Ninepoint Partners, said that changes in U.S. visa policy may help Canada become the top destination for global talent. "The U.S. loss may be Canada's first gain," he said.

Goldy Hyder, president of the Canadian Business Council, said Canada should "double down on its efforts" to attract the skilled workers we so desperately need.

¡°In the short term, Washington may gain unexpected profits, but in the long run, the United States may lose its innovation advantage in exchange for short-sighted protectionism,¡± said eMarketer analyst Jeremy Goldman.

¡°India workers are worst affected¡±

Reuters quoted U.S. government data as saying that Indian employees are the biggest beneficiaries of H-1B visas. Last year, 71% of those approved for H-1B visas came from India, and China, which ranked second, accounted for only 11.7%.

In addition, according to the Hindustan Times, the median salary of Indian H-1B visa holders in the United States is usually lower than that of their counterparts in other countries. In most cases, the visa fee of $100,000 may be the same as that of Indian H-1B employees. The annual salary is the same as or even higher than its annual salary. As a result, Indian employees are likely to be hit the hardest.

The National Association of Software and Services Enterprises of India (NASSCOM) said a major adjustment to the H-1B project in such a short time has brought ¡°significant uncertainty¡± to, professionals and students around the world.

The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the 20th, saying that it has noticed the new policy of US H-1B visa, and all walks of life in India are studying its full impact. The new measures could have "humanitarian consequences" by causing "disruption" to Indian families, the statement said. The Indian government hopes that the relevant departments in the United States can properly handle this problem.

The statement also said that the exchange of skilled talents ¡°has made a huge contribution¡±, ¡°so policymakers will take reciprocal benefits into account when evaluating recent initiatives, including strong civil ties between the two countries.¡±

Relations between India and the United States have seen signs of relief in recent months after months of tensions.The Indian government said on 20 September that India's Minister of Commerce and Industry, Peach Goyar, will visit the United States on September 22 for trade talks.

In a statement released on Monday, the White House said it would allow an exemption of $100,000 for individual H-1B visa applications on the basis of ¡°national interests.¡±

Trump also signed an executive decree on 19 November, saying it would open a new ¡°visa channel¡± for foreigners with extraordinary abilities and willing to support the United States: individuals pay $1 million to the U.S. Treasury, or $2 million by corporate sponsorship, that foreigners can get accelerated visa treatment through this ¡°gold card¡± program.