By: Express Web DeskNew Delhi | September 20, 2025 06:00 PM IST 3 min readMicrosoft on Saturday asked its visa-holding staff to immediately come back to the US, following Trump’s decision to impose a $100,000 annual surcharge on the H-1B program. (File Photo)Tech giant Microsoft and financial powerhouse JP Morgan have issued urgent advisories to employees on H-1B and H-4 visas, urging them to return to the United States before President Donald Trump’s new visa fee rules take effect on 21 September.According to an internal email reviewed by Reuters, Microsoft on Saturday asked its visa-holding staff to immediately come back to the US, following Trump’s decision to impose a $100,000 annual surcharge on the H-1B program. Employees already in the country were told to remain there. “H-1B visa holders should stay in the US for the foreseeable future… strongly recommend H-1B and H-4 visa holders return to the US tomorrow before the deadline,” the email read.JP Morgan issued similar guidance to its global workforce, warning staff to avoid international travel. “H-1B visa holders who are currently in the US should remain in the US and avoid international travel until the government issues clear travel guidance,” read an email sent to JPMorgan employees by Ogletree Deakins, the law firm handling the bank’s visa applications.Amazon has also circulated a comparable advisory, cautioning its H-1B and H-4 staff against travel abroad. In a company note reviewed by Reuters, the e-commerce giant recommended that Indian and other foreign workers outside the US return before midnight EDT on 21 September, when Trump’s proclamation takes effect.Trump on Friday signed a measure restricting the entry of H-1B visa holders and raising the annual application fee to $100,000. Beginning at 12:01 am EDT on 21 September (9:31 am IST), H-1B workers cannot enter the US unless their sponsoring employers pay the new fee. The Departments of State and Homeland Security have been directed to reject petitions that do not comply with the order, which will remain in effect for at least 12 months.India is the largest beneficiary of the H-1B program, accounting for 71% of approved visas last year, with China at 11.7 per cent. In the first half of 2025 alone, Amazon.com and its cloud unit AWS received approval for more than 12,000 H-1B visas, while Microsoft and Meta Platforms secured over 5,000 each.The new policy has already rattled markets. Shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions, which relies heavily on H-1B workers, fell nearly 5 per cent, while US-listed shares of Indian tech majors Infosys and Wipro slipped between 2 per cent and 5 per cent.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd