Video: Chaos in Emirates Flight at SFO Airport as H-1B Panic Spreads.
California, USA, (September 20, 2025)
An Emirates flight at San Francisco was thrown into chaos, apparently triggered by customer panic over President Trump’s surprise announcement of a staggering $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applications.
A video circulating online, and obtained by Peoples Chronicles shows what looks like passengers stepping off the jet as phone calls from nervous employers allegedly begged them to stay in the United States. It is reported that the cabin went from calm to chaos; people were whispering, checking Twitter, and then rushing to the overhead bins.
No one seems to agree on the headcount; some say “several,” others insist it was “dozens.” So far, neither Emirates nor SFO officials have confirmed the numbers or the flight details.
Ground crew sources, speaking off the record, estimated a three-hour delay while baggage handlers hunted for checked luggage belonging to the departing passengers. Airport security was called to keep order, though no arrests were reported.
The policy change has generated widespread alarm and confusion among H-1B visa holders, companies, and travellers. According to a report by Hindustan Times, many tech firms, like Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and JP Morgan, sent alarming notices urging employees to stay put in the US, and asked those out of the country to return before September 21, 12:01 am EDT.
With many reports and confusion around the $100,000 H-1B Fee, U.S. officials have since clarified that the hefty charge applies only to new H-1B petitions, not to current visa holders or renewals.
Immigration lawyers chimed in on social media, calling the mass disembarkation a “classic case of policy panic.”
