SEATTLE — Microsoft urged traveling H-1B visa employees on Friday to return to the U.S. immediately in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order to increase visa fees to $100,000, according to internal emails.

Trump signed the executive order on Friday, claiming it will curb abuses that displace U.S. workers. The changes are set to go into effect Sunday. Microsoft and other tech companies have historically used the H-1B visa program to hire foreign workers into their U.S. offices.

“The large-scale replacement of American workers through systemic abuse of the program has undermined both our economic and national security,” the White House wrote in the proclamation.

Jack Chen, associate general counsel for U.S. immigration at Microsoft, emailed workers late Friday, urging traveling H-1B employees to return to the states by Saturday and avoid future travel abroad to prevent reentry issues.

“We strongly recommend you do what you can to return to the U.S. (on Saturday) before the deadline,” Chen wrote in an email obtained by The Seattle Times. “(We recognize) that there isn’t much time to make sudden travel arrangements. But again, we strongly encourage you to do your best to return.”

A spokesperson for Microsoft did not immediately provide answers to emailed questions.

Amazon.com Inc., Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc., and other tech companies joined Microsoft in urging employees overseas to return to the U.S. by Saturday, according to Bloomberg.

Currently, H-1B visa application costs include $215 for “general filing” and a $780 fee for the employer sponsor to file a petition for the worker, among other fees.

The H-1B program, established by Congress and signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1990, was created to address concerns about a potential labor shortage of skilled workers.

Under the program, companies can sponsor workers in specialty occupations like scientists, engineers and medical technicians to live and work in the U.S.

Since 2005, Congress has capped H-1B visas at 65,000 for bachelor’s degree holders and 20,000 more for master’s degree holders.

Washington state received about 9,000 approved H-1B visa applications for the fiscal year 2025. Microsoft employed the most, with about 5,200 applications. Amazon had the most applications across the U.S., with over 10,000.

The proclamation is the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown and follows a summer of raids and border detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Previous efforts mainly targeted refugees, asylum-seekers, undocumented migrants and other vulnerable low-income immigrant communities.

Trump believes the H-1B program discourages Americans from pursuing STEM careers, which, in turn, is a national security threat.

“Further, abuses of the H-1B program present a national security threat by discouraging Americans from pursuing careers in science and technology, risking American leadership in these fields,” he wrote.

The implementation of the $100,000 fee remains uncertain, and some groups, such as universities and nonprofits, may be exempt. The president’s action may also face legal challenges, as many previous orders have through lawsuits from states and organizations.

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(Material from Seattle Times archives is included in this report.)

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