Trump’s New H-1B Visa Fee Sparks Chaos on Emirates Flight from San Francisco

An Emirates flight from San Francisco to Dubai descended into chaos after news broke mid-boarding that President Donald Trump had signed a proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications. Flight EK226, scheduled to depart San Francisco International Airport (SFO) at 5:05 p.m., was delayed for hours as passengers — many of them foreign tech workers — demanded to disembark before takeoff.

Video from inside the double-deck Airbus A380 captured the captain addressing passengers over the loudspeaker: “Due to the current circumstances, obviously they are unprecedented for us here at Emirates, we are aware that a number of passengers do not wish to travel with us and that is perfectly fine. All we ask is that if you wish to offload yourself, you do so.”

Masud Rana, a passenger on the flight, described the scene on Instagram as “complete chaos for Emirates passengers at San Francisco Airport this Friday morning… As a result, I was stuck in the same spot for over three hours, waiting for the flight to depart.”

The H-1B visa program, which lets U.S. employers hire foreign nationals with specialized skills, underpins much of the Bay Area’s tech workforce. According to the Silicon Valley Index, about 66% of the region’s tech workers are foreign-born. While the fee applies only to new applications, the sudden announcement created confusion and panic aboard EK226.

Reuters reported that on Friday, Sept. 18, major tech companies and banks sent urgent memos advising employees not to leave the U.S. and urging those abroad to return before 12:01 a.m. Sunday. Trump’s proclamation is the latest move in his overhaul of immigration and work-visa policies, tightening eligibility, limiting the lottery system, and increasing scrutiny. Friday’s order dramatically raises the cost barrier for companies seeking to hire workers from overseas.

By the time passengers who chose to remain were reseated and luggage for those who left was offloaded, EK226’s departure had been delayed by more than three hours. Flight-tracking data from FlightAware showed the jet finally left the gate at 8:20 p.m.

The White House has not specified when the new H-1B fees will take effect, but the abrupt rollout rattled Silicon Valley employers. Amazon, whose founder Jeff Bezos attended Trump’s inauguration, received more than 10,000 H-1B visas in 2024 — the most of any U.S. company. Meta, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, ranked fourth with more than 5,000 visas during the same period.

Emirates declined to comment on the incident. The Daily Beast has also reached out to the White House for comment.

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, kbing.com, reuters.com