'Come back home...Do not live in fear. Make the bold move': Vembu amid Trump's $100,000 H-1B visa fee

Responding to US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a $100,000 application fee on H-1B visas, Zoho founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu urged affected Indians to consider returning home, saying the move could ultimately strengthen them.

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“I am sad to say this, but for Indians on an H-1B visa in America, this may be that time. Come back home. It may take five years to rebuild your lives but it will make you stronger,” Vembu wrote on X on Sunday morning, drawing parallels to how Sindhi families rebuilt their lives in India after partition.

I have heard so many accounts from Sindhi friends about how their families had to leave everything and come to India during partition. They rebuilt their lives and Sindhis have done well in India.

I am sad to say this, but for Indians on an H1-B visa in America, this may be that…

— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) September 21, 2025

Trump signed the executive order last week, stating the move would curb overuse of the visa program and encourage companies to hire American workers. The proclamation became effective at 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 21, 2025, for an initial 12-month period subject to extension.

It is worth noting that the administration failed to provide clear information on the measures, with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick repeatedly claimed that the $100,000 fee would apply every year.

Listen from 0 :08 and again from 0 :39, the US Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, explicitly states that H-1B fees would be $100,000 "per year."

This leaves little room for confusion: the original policy was clearly "per year" and, as reported earlier, was most likely… pic.twitter.com/s6xycjtR5C

— THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) September 21, 2025

His remarks sent shockwaves across industries, especially those heavily reliant on H-1B workers. Technology giants, including Microsoft, Amazon, JPMorgan, and Goldman Sachs, warned employees with H-1B visas to remain in the United States, avoid international travel, and return before Sunday if they were already abroad.

In FY 2024, Indians accounted for 71% of all approved H-1B petitions in the United States, according to USCIS report.

Following this, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified that the fee is not an annual levy but a one-time payment tied only to new petitions.

“This fee applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders,” she wrote in a post on X.

To be clear:

1.) This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition.

2.) Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter.

H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the…

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) September 20, 2025