Initial media reporting once again mimics headless chicken.
They did neither.
Isnt that Silicon Valley's mantra.
I did read it, the media reporting was accurate at the time, the proclamation as is doesn’t say anything about new applications, it just says that h1b holders won’t be let in unless they can prove the 100k$ fee was paid by their company starting September 21st.
The lawyers at my employer, much more qualified than me regarding law matters, reached the same conclusion as I did as a layman on the subject.
As if that ever stopped this administration from doing something.
In any case this new order was not ambiguous. It plainly said the restriction was on "entry", not the issuance of new visas. Nobody reading the text of the order claimed otherwise. The Trump administration just changed their position, in informal guidance rather than a formal executive order but with similar practical and legal effect.
Anyone who returned early was effectively hedging, paying the airline change fee and some inconvenience to avoid a potential $100k fee or worse, with downsides including job loss--potentially leading to forced repatriation--if your employer doesn't pay, and indefinite detention under harsh conditions. That hedge currently seems likely to expire worthless; but with such an imbalanced payoff, are you really saying you wouldn't have paid it yourself?
Even expert interpretation considered it WOULD happen.