Trump's H- 1B visa fee hike sparks meme fest on internet as it leaves Microsoft, Meta, other tech giants on edge

H-1B visa fee hike announced by US President Donald Trump has not only sparked worry among tech giants, with many of them including Microsoft asking visa-holding employees to return to the US, but has also taken over social media by storm, where users have responded to $1,00,000 fee with a flood of memes—turning anxiety into viral humour.

From classic Bollywood hits such as Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ)'s iconic scenes to Phir Hera Pheri memes – netizens are taking a dig at the rush that H-1B visa holders are in.

Tech giants including Meta, Microsoft, Amazon have advised H-1B visa holders who are currently outside the US to return before September 21, in accordance with the deadline set by Trump, after which the $100,000 (~ ₹90 lakh) annual fees will be imposed.

Memes galore

As the rush and news of the H-1B Visa hike continued to spread, the internet did what it does best – turning tense moments into humourous ones.

One of the memes took a dig at the H-1B Visa news with a popular scene from DDLJ, showing Amrish Puri welcoming back NRIs to India.

Another X user joked that all H-1B visa holders will now go for job interviews in Noida's Mangolpuri Industrial Area – a significant industrial hub in India.

H-1B visa fee hike: What we know so far

• On Friday, Donald Trump signed the proclamation ‘Restriction on entry of certain nonimmigrant workers’. Under this, restrictions will be imposed on the entry into the US of those workers whose petitions are not accompanied or supplemented with a fee of $100,000.
• Officials said New Delhi is in touch with the Indian Embassy in Washington and is holding consultations with Indian tech industry body NASSCOM.
• The new rule is effective from September 21.
• Immigration attorneys said H-1B visa holders still in India ‘may have already missed the deadline as there is no way a direct flight from India will get in time.’
• India's technology industry body, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) said the deadline is set to become a cause of concern.