Tech firms warn US H-1B visa holders to avoid travel

Alarm over Donald Trump’s move to slap a $100,000 (€85,121) application fee on the widely used programme

US president Donald Trump hiked the annual cost of  H1-B visa application to $100,000, which will significantly impact tech firms. Picture: AP Photo/Alex Brandon

The tech sector and other companies in the US rushed to warn employees with H-1B visas against foreign travel as they responded to the chaos created by president Donald Trump’s move to slap a $100,000 (€85,121) application fee on the widely used programme.

Microsoft, Google’s parent company Alphabet, Amazon, and other tech companies sent messages to affected employees telling them to return to the US on Saturday and cancel any plans to depart the country after the White House said Friday that the new rules would go into effect yesterday.