Microsoft Corp, Google parent Alphabet Inc, Amazon.com Inc and other technology companies on Saturday warned employees holding the visa to return to the United States and avoid overseas travel after President Donald Trump imposed a $100,000 application fee for the widely used H-1B visa program.The warnings, delivered via messages to affected employees, reflect the chaos caused by Trump's sudden announcement on Friday of new rules that take effect Sunday.
A White House official said Saturday that the fee only applies to new visa applications, not visa renewals or existing visa holders, and will be implemented in the upcoming lottery process.
Even so, business and immigration lawyers are urging existing visa holders to remain cautious amid uncertainty over how the policy changes will be implemented.
The H-1B visa program is widely used by the technology industry, which brings in skilled talent from overseas, and is also used by financial firms and consulting firms.
Accounting firm Ernst & Young, for example, sent a similar message advising visa holders to return to the United States on Saturday. "Regardless of visa type, our consistent advice is to limit international travel as much as possible," the email said, noting that more policy changes and travel restrictions may come in the future. Several companies declined to comment on their visa-related proposals or did not respond to requests for comment.
Immigration attorney Rahel Milstein, founder of Milstein Law Firm, said she had been on the phone with visa holders at technology companies, nonprofits and other businesses all night and expected "complete chaos" to follow.
"We have clients who just got their visa stamped at the consulate in India, and they won't be able to get their passports back until Monday," she said. "Does that mean they can't come back to the United States?"
Milstein said he expects an immediate court challenge to the new policy, and that a court injunction is likely to be issued quickly.
The Trump administration said the policy change is part of a broader plan to support legitimate applications while combating abuse. But businesses privately worry that the $100,000 fee will make it difficult for them to sustainably meet their hiring needs.
Asked in an interview with reporters on Friday whether tech executives would be concerned about the move, Trump brushed it off.
"I think they're going to be very happy. Everybody is going to be happy. And we're going to be able to keep people who are going to create tremendous value for America," Trump said. "In many cases, these companies are going to pay a lot of money for it, and they're very happy with it."