Rohan Mehta says he spent over $8,000 booking flights back to the US after Trump’s visa order sparked panic.
An Indian H-1B visa holder says he spent more than $8,000 on flights to return to the United States after President Donald Trump announced a dramatic visa fee hike.
Rohan Mehta – not his real name – had travelled to Nagpur, India, for his father’s death anniversary but cut his trip short after the order was signed. The executive order imposed a $100,000 fee on new applicants to the skilled worker programme.
“I booked multiple options because most were cutting it very close,” Mehta told the BBC. “Even if there was a slight delay, I’d have missed the deadline.”
Though the White House later clarified the fee applied only to new visas, the confusion forced many Indians to rush back. Mehta described the ordeal as “traumatic,” adding: “I gave the prime of my youth to working for this country and now I feel like I’m not wanted.”