Flyers on board an Emirates plane at San Francisco Airport were seen darting off the plane after receiving news that Donald Trump had increased the price of the US H-1B visa to $100,000 (£74,000)
Panicked passengers were seen fleeing a packed plane after being told Donald Trump had hiked up foreign visas to an eye-watering £74,000.
Several passengers tried to bail on their Emirates flight at San Francisco airport moments before it was set to take off for Dubai.
The travellers feared if they left the US and returned after the deadline on September 21, they would be subject to the fee.
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It came after the Administration gave mixed messages about how the fee would work. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick initially said it would an annual fee, but the White House later clarified it would be a one-off.
The visas affected are the H-1B – which is a temporary category for highly educated foreign professionals. The new restrictions do not affect those who already hold the visa, meaning the flyers were panicking unnecessarily.
Masud Rana, who filmed the incident, said the chaos lead to a three-hour delay. Usually, passengers are not allowed to disembark once they have boarded a plane. However, the pilot made an exception considering the “unprecedented” situation.
The captain is heard speaking over the loudspeaker, saying: “Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the captain speaking.
“Due to the current circumstances, obviously, that are unprecedented for us here at Emirates, we are aware that a number of passengers do not wish to travel with us, and that’s perfectly fine.
“All we ask is that if you wish to offload yourself, you do so.”
On his social media post, Rana described the situation as “complete chaos”.
“President Trump signed an order affecting both new and existing H1B visa holders, creating panic among many – particularly Indian passengers – who even chose to leave the aircraft,” he wrote.
The announcement and confused details sparked travel mayhem across the US, with many foreign workers scrambling to get back to America in time.
The H-1B visa attracts highly-skilled foreign workers to fill jobs in the US that American citizens are unable to fill. Around 60 per cent of the visas have been awarded to people working in computer-related industries, the Pew Research Center states.
“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,” Leavitt wrote on X. “H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would; whatever ability they have to do that is not impacted by yesterday’s proclamation.”