Deadline 12:01 am: When tech firms’ “Rush to US” order set off 'Covid-like' emergency, deplaning drama

Panic, confusion, and anger reigned as workers on H-1B visas from India and China were forced to abandon travel plans and rush back to the US after President Donald Trump imposed new visa fees, in line with his wide-ranging immigration crackdown.

Tech companies and banks sent urgent memos to employees, advising them to return before a deadline of 12:01 am US Eastern Time Sunday (4:01 am GMT), and telling them not to leave the country.

A White House official on Saturday clarified that the order applied only to new applicants and not holders of existing visas or those seeking renewals, addressing some of the confusion over who would be affected by the order. But Trump's proclamation a day before had already set off alarm bells in Silicon Valley.

'Rush back to US'

Fearing they would not be allowed back once the new rule took effect, several Indian nationals at San Francisco airport said they cut short vacations. “It is a situation where we had to choose between family and staying here," said an engineer at a large tech company whose wife had been on an Emirates flight from San Francisco to Dubai that was scheduled to depart at 5:05 pm local time (12:05 am GMT) on Friday.

The flight was delayed by more than three hours after several Indian passengers who received news of the order or memos from their employers demanded to deplane, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity. At least five passengers were eventually allowed off, said the engineer.

A video of the incident was circulating on social media, showing a few people leaving the plane. Reuters could not independently verify the veracity of the video.

The engineer's wife, also an H-1B visa holder, chose to head to India to care for her sick mother. "It's quite tragic. We have built a life here,” he said.

On the popular Chinese social media app Rednote, people on H-1B visas shared their experiences of having to rush back to the US - in some cases just hours after landing in China or another country.

Some likened the panic they felt to their experience during the Covid-19 pandemic, when they urgently flew back to the US before a travel ban took effect. "My feelings are a mix of disappointment, sadness, and frustration," said one woman in a post with a user handle "Emily's Life in NY."

While Trump changes to #h1bvisa fees are his prerogative, it should have been done in a more humanly & orderly way

Indians disembarking flight to USA midway is a sad sight. There is utter chaos & confusion

Many H1-B holders have homes in US , their children study there.… pic.twitter.com/K65IiPOnxR

— Rudra Varma (@VarmaWarrior) September 20, 2025

The woman said she had boarded a United Airlines flight from New York to Paris, which started taxing, but after some back-and-forth with the airline the captain agreed to return to the gate to let her off the aircraft.

Feeling what she described as "insignificant" and "shaken”, she canceled the planned trip to France, abandoning plans with friends, including some who were flying in from China, after she received a letter from her company’s lawyers asking employees abroad to return to the US.

Companies including Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Goldman Sachs were among those that sent urgent emails to their employees with travel advisories.

An anonymous user on Rednote said their life was like that of a "H-1B slave." The person cut short a holiday in Tokyo to rush back to the United States, describing it as "a real-life 'Fast & Furious' return to the U.S.," a reference to the hit Hollywood series about street racing.

An Nvidia engineer, who has lived in the US for 10 years, told Reuters at the San Francisco airport that he had been vacationing in Japan with his wife and infant when he rushed to reschedule his return flight after hearing the news.

"It feels surreal," he said. "Everything is changing in an instant.”