After President Trump signed an Executive Order imposing a $100,000 fee per H1B visa, Microsoft has issued an urgent advisory for its employees on H1B and H4 visas. Microsoft has asked them to return immediately to the United States before the September 21 deadline.
The advisory said, “First, the proclamation is structured as a travel restriction. Beginning at 12:01 am eastern time on September 21, 2025 (so, 9:01 pm Pacific time tomorrow), individuals will not be able to enter/return to the U.S. in H-1B status unless their petition has an additional $100,000 payment associated with it.”
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The advisory asked its employees who are in the United States to remain in the country for the ‘foreseeable future’. It said, “If you are in H-1B status and are in the U.S., you should remain in the U.S. for the foreseeable future. We know this may interrupt your travel plans. But the critical thing is to stay in the U.S. in order to avoid being denied reentry. While the proclamation doesn’t reference H-4 dependents, we also recommend that H-4s remain in the U.S.”
The advisory said further, “There is other content about the pause in processing H-1B petitions for individuals who are outside the U.S. At this time, we do not interpret this to immediately impact extensions of H-1B status or changes of status to H-1B as long as you are currently in the U.S.”
The company also ensured support and guidance for each employee to help them return within the next 28 hours. The situation remains fluid as companies evaluate the H-1B visa regulations after Donald Trump dropped a bombshell on September 19 imposing a $100,000 annual fee over H-1B visa applications.
