“They grilled me in the interview and asked me questions not even related to our marriage but about my previous visa and time in the US,” she says.

Advice on the Australian government’s Smartraveller website advises that a valid visa does not guarantee entry to the US. Source: Getty / Alexander Spatari

“I was terrified I wouldn’t be approved and every time I travel in and out of the country, there is fear of being deported.“

Some foreign nationals in Kate’s social circle have already left the US due to political concerns but she also acknowledges the ability to leave is a privilege.

While she says it might sound “extreme”, Kate and her friends have all made contingency plans in case of any sudden changes to the political climate or their safety.

Last month, US President Donald Trump’s administration added a US$100,000 ($151,000) fee to the high-skilled worker visa known as the H-1B. Source: Getty / Alex Wong

“My friends and I talk about ‘to go’ bags. We have a safe spot at one of our gyms that we will meet at if cellular service goes down; we have cars ready to go,” she says.

“The unexpected could happen at any time and with this government making irrational decisions at the drop of a hat, it wouldn’t surprise me if we need to move quick and get out of the country.”

‘Changes within days’

Josh Pugh, who runs the America Josh community for expats in the US, tells SBS News that while the first Trump administration held the same beliefs about limiting immigration, a sense of unease has grown in his community during Trump’s second term about what the government is capable of doing — and how quickly.

While most Australians who apply to work in the US typically apply for an E-3 visa, which was introduced as part of a free trade agreement between the two countries in 2005, Pugh says the changes to the H-1B have heightened concerns about the E-3.

“In most issues, the community is resilient to change and will work through issues as they come, but we’re seeing preparedness increasing and more plans being made for what to do if there are more changes to visa statuses or actions that personally impact them,” he says.

Visas no longer a guarantee for entry

For those on H-1B visas, there has also been continued uncertainty around the freedom to travel outside US borders and return.

She lives in the US on an O-1B visa, which requires “sustained acclaim in arts” but she’s worried about potential rapid changes or expenses that could be applied to that visa that could upend her life.

“Also, it’s ridiculous and even if I could pay it, I wouldn’t.”

‘Saving money in case we need to flee’

She says that while recent changes to visas have caused a significant amount of anxiety – particularly while she was renewing her E3 in April this year – there are broader political changes that have caused her to consider leaving the country.

“As a queer immigrant, it is hard to feel like the country wants you to stay,” she says.

“A lot of them are politically motivated and attend protests,” she says.

Those who have already left

She was working for a humanitarian organisation in Washington DC and had been based in the US since 2021 but decided to leave after Trump was re-elected.

“I didn’t want access to my life to be down to the whims of a border officer every time I had to travel for work — which includes to places like Iraq and Sudan, which would not be looked at kindly,” she says.