With US President Donald Trump’s shock move to slap a $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas, there has been a notable rise in last-minute flight bookings from India to the US as H-1B visa holders in India scramble to reach the US before the order takes effect at 12:01 am eastern time (9:31 IST) on September 21. Else, the employer will have to pay $100,000 for the employee’s re-entry into the US.The sudden last-minute demand has evidently also led to a surge in airfares to the US, complained a number of people on social media platforms.Following the sudden announcement by the Trump administration, American software majors such as Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon asked their H-1B employees abroad to rush back to the US within a day, while asking those already in the country to stay put for the foreseeable future. This abrupt directive has led to chaos and uncertainty for numerous foreign skilled professionals working in the US.“There has been a notable increase in last-minute bookings to the US since this morning. This increase in bookings for same-day or next-day travel is atypical for a long-haul segment,” a spokesperson for travel booking major MakeMyTrip said.According to industry sources, the number of last-minute bookings for direct as well as connecting flights to the US have seen an unusual spike. However, the situations is not too dire as the peak NRI travel season to India is not quite started yet, they said. The main season for Indian professionals in the US to visit India is the October-December festival season, stretching into the remainder of the winter, they said.Travel industry insiders said that the uncertainty brought about the new visa fees is bound to lead to a significant number of cancellations of flight bookings made by H-1B visa holders to visit India over the coming weeks. This is evident from reports from the US, where a number of H-1B visa holders and their families got off aircraft about to leave the country after they learnt of the new visa rule.Air India is the only Indian airline operating direct flights between the two countries. A couple of American carriers also operate direct flights to India. Given the short deadline, the demand is primarily for direct flights, although there appears to be an uptick for connecting flights via major hubs like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Singapore, and Hong Kong as well.Story continues below this adAir India’s US flights, particularly its Delhi-New York and Mumbai-New York services, over the weekend saw a sizeable uptick in bookings for immediate travel, an industry insider said. Its flights to other points in the US saw slightly higher-than-usual last-minute bookings.“While there is a clear rise in demand, it is not exactly a crisis situation at a broader level as the travel season is yet to take off. The situation would have been a lot more chaotic had this happened around Diwali or year-ends holdays, when a lot of NRIs tend to visit India,” said an aviation sector executive, adding that airlines are now bracing for a large number of cancellations of travel bookings to India from the US.In a communication to H-1B visa holders, Microsoft said, “If you are in H-1B status and are in the US, you should remain in the US for the foreseeable future. We know this may interrupt your travel plans. But the critical thing is to stay in the US in order to avoid being denied re-entry.”“If you are in H-1B or H-4 status and are currently outside the US, we strongly recommend that you do what you can to return to the US tomorrow before the deadline. The Proclamation was released within the last 30 minutes, so we realize that there isn’t much time to make sudden travel arrangements. But again, we strongly encourage you to do your best to return,” Microsoft said.Story continues below this adAmazon has instructed its employees holding H-1B and H-4 visas to avoid international travel for the foreseeable future. The company has urged Indian and other foreign employees currently outside the US to return by midnight EDT (eastern daylight time) on September 21.Meta has instructed its employees, particularly those on H-1B and H-4 visas, to remain in the US for at least two weeks while “practical applications” are assessed. Employees currently outside the country have been directed to return within 24 hours.Similarly, JP Morgan has mandated in an internal email that all staff return to the U.S. by 12:01 AM ET on September 21. The company has also advised all H-1B visa holders to stay in the US and avoid international travel until further notice.