Georgetown University recommended current employees who are skilled foreign workers return to the United States by 12:01 a.m. Sept. 21 after President Donald Trump announced a $100,000-per-year fee for new visas given to such workers, known as H-1Bs.
The university’s website for International Student & Scholar Services posted the update Sept. 20 warning H-1B visaholders that they may face difficulty returning to the country. While the White House said Sept. 20 that current visaholders would not be affected by the fee, the university cited widespread confusion surrounding the policy, which went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 21.
The webpage said H-1B visaholders who could not return to the United States by Sept. 21 should inform the university’s Office of Global Services (OGS), which hosts the webpage and advises international community members.
“Current H-1B employees have been advised to return to the United States before the policy takes effect on September 21,” the webpage reads. “Employees who are unable to reenter the U.S. by that date should inform their OGS contact and await further guidance about this restriction.”
Georgetown international students, faculty and staff have faced increasing difficulty and uncertainty in visa application processes as the Trump administration ramps up restrictions on immigration. After Trump banned citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States in June, the university recommended incoming international students from certain countries defer their enrollment and current international community members remain in the United States.
The White House claimed on X that “fake news” was responsible for uncertainty about the new policy, saying the new fee will not apply to any current visaholders. In a memo, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow confirmed that the fee applies “only prospectively” to unfiled petitions.
The university webpage said H-1B visaholders should not leave the United States for the foreseeable future.
“H-1B employees planning to travel abroad and reenter the U.S. after September 21 were advised to postpone their travel until more information becomes available about the scope of the restrictions,” the webpage reads. “If travel is unavoidable, employees should anticipate significant delays in their ability to return to the United States.”