ORLANDO, Fla. — A late-week visa scare rippled through Orlando and well beyond, sending hundreds of foreign professionals dashing for last-minute flights to the United States—only to learn days later that the costly rush was largely unnecessary.
How a One-Paragraph Order Sparked a $100,000 Panic
The turbulence began Friday, Sept. 19, when President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers.” Buried in its language was a new $100,000 filing fee for the H-1B specialty-occupation visa—over 60 times the program’s current cost. Because H-1B holders often leave the country for assignments, weddings or long-planned holidays, immigration attorneys immediately advised anyone abroad to get back before Sunday, the moment the fee was rumored to kick in. Within hours, Orlando-based tech recruiters fielded frantic calls from consultants stranded in India, South Korea and Mexico. The counseling was simple but expensive: find whatever seat you can. By Saturday morning major booking engines showed economy fares topping $8,000 on some nonstop routes to the United States.
Real-World Impact: Cramming Into Any Available Cabin
Rohan Mehta, a software architect with 11 years of U.S. experience, booked three overlapping itineraries from Mumbai to Orlando. “I’m regretting the choices I’ve made in life,” Mehta said during a BBC News interview. “I feel like I’m not wanted,” he added—as Mehta told BBC News. All three of his tickets were nonrefundable, but he paid anyway, worried a simple delay could keep him from re-entering before the deadline. Others reported sleeping on airport floors in Seoul and Frankfurt, waiting for an open standby seat. Korean Air and Lufthansa added no extra capacity on such short notice, further driving up fares. While exact passenger counts are hard to confirm, several Orlando immigration law firms said “hundreds” of clients reached out between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning.
White House Clarification Arrives—Too Late for Many Flyers
The White House attempted damage control the following day. “The fee will apply only to new petitions,” the administration said in a statement. Existing H-1B holders would not owe an additional dime, nor would their companies face retroactive penalties. The order’s language, officials conceded, referred to the next application window—months away, not hours. Yet by the time that clarification filtered through social media and legal forums, most travelers had already swiped their credit cards. Boarding passes had been printed. Some, like Mehta, arrived in Orlando Sunday night exhausted and financially lighter, only to learn the fee would never have applied to them.
Why Tech Firms—and Travelers—Were on Edge
H-1B visas cap out at 85,000 slots each fiscal year, with Indians receiving more than 70 percent of approvals. Amazon sponsors the most petitions annually, followed by Tata Consultancy Services, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google. For companies, the leap from roughly $1,500 in filing costs to $100,000 would have forced a last-minute scramble in project budgets—fueling the urgency to get current staff stateside before the rule’s rumored start. Travel analysts note the uproar came amid an already fragile market. This summer marked the first sustained drop in Indian outbound traffic to the United States since the early 2000s. A Forbes report estimated U.S. businesses lost $340 million in visitor spending during that period. Layering a six-figure visa surcharge onto that environment, even mistakenly, compounded nerves across airlines, hotels and destinations like Orlando that rely heavily on tech-conference attendance.
Timeline of the Misunderstanding
- Late July: Two Mexican nationals with valid visas were detained in Florida, prompting Mexico’s Consul in Orlando to issue a regional travel warning.
- Sept. 19 (Friday): Executive order introduces new $100,000 H-1B filing fee.
- Sept. 20 (Saturday): Attorneys advise clients abroad to return before Sunday.
- Sept. 21 (Sunday): Travelers stream into Orlando International Airport on premium-priced tickets.
- Sept. 22 (Monday): White House clarifies fee applies only to future applications.
Tips for Travelers Holding Work Visas
1. Verify official guidance. Before purchasing emergency flights, consult your employer’s immigration counsel and check U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) bulletins. 2. Bookmark trusted sources. Government portals, not social media threads, will post the final fee schedule when the next H-1B cycle opens. 3. Keep digital copies handy. Scan visa pages, approval notices and pay stubs; U.S. Customs officers at Orlando International increasingly ask for proof of continuous employment. 4. Use flexible tickets. Airlines such as Delta and United offer change-fee waivers on premium economy or business fares—sometimes saving money if last-minute rules shift again. 5. Know your port-of-entry rights. Legal permanent residents and valid visa holders are entitled to a hearing before removal; the late-July detentions underscore the importance of having an immigration attorney’s contact readily available.
FAQ: What We Know About the $100,000 Fee
Does the fee affect current H-1B holders?
No. The White House says only future petitions will be billed at the higher rate.
When will the next application window open?
[Not specified in release]. Historically the lottery opens in spring for an Oct. 1 start date.
Can employers pass the fee onto workers?
Labor Department rules generally require the sponsoring company to pay.
Which sectors use the H-1B most?
Tech and consulting giants including Amazon, Tata, Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Google.
How many visas are issued annually?
Up to 85,000 across all nationalities.
Looking Ahead: Why Orlando Will Remain a Testing Ground
Orlando, which hosts one of the nation’s busiest consular support centers for Latin American applicants, finds itself at the crossroads of immigration policy and tourism. The city’s convention calendar relies on a steady influx of foreign software engineers, doctors and academics—all frequent H-1B holders. If the six-figure fee does take effect next year, visa demand could drop sharply, constricting international seat capacity at Orlando International Airport and reshaping hotel forecasts along International Drive. For now, airlines and travelers alike can exhale. The weekend stampede exposed the perils of fast-moving policy in an always-connected world. It also served as a costly reminder: in visa matters, reading the fine print can save more than a few thousand dollars—and possibly your whole travel budget. — as Mehta told BBC News.
