Why I gave up on getting an H-1B visa

Insider

Last year, President Trump set in motion a change that would throw the H-1B visa application process into disarray. His proposed $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions changed the immigration landscape for employers, employees, and visa hopefuls alike.  Since last September, Business Insider has been interviewing people who have borne the brunt of the chaos, including those who have applied for visas and are debating whether to stay in the US. Some people have tapped out of the system altogether.   Indian national Shreya Mishra Reddy graduated from Duke University in 2021 with a master's in engineering management. She had set her sights on working and living in the US. But after learning that potential employers would have to pay a $100,000 fee to hire her, she pivoted.

Transcript

00:00You know, I was thinking that H-1B would pan out for me. It didn't.

00:03And it's something that I definitely regret.

00:07I decided to pursue H-1B for a couple of reasons.

00:10When I came to the U.S., I was actually on a sabbatical from my previous company

00:13because I wasn't sure if I would be able to land a job in the U.S.

00:17So I thought that it's best to have a plan B.

00:19So even when you're done with your education, you know,

00:22you can move back to India without thinking too much about it.

00:25President Trump now imposing a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas.

00:29A $100,000 fee to skilled worker visas.

00:32The applicants and their companies who are looking to sponsor them

00:35will have to pay that hefty $100,000 fee.

00:39A year since all of that, like the fee and everything was imposed,

00:43I was neither able to apply for jobs in U.S.

00:46nor was I able to take up anything in India.

00:48I didn't know whether to renew my lease in Austin

00:50or whether we wanted to put down a lease in Toronto

00:54and where we wanted to live because I didn't know where I would be.

00:57It's definitely cost me a lot in my career

00:59and it's kind of put a crimp in my career plans.

01:03Because I couldn't take up the offers that I had coming my way in 2024,

01:09now I'm still waiting for something to materialize.

01:12The opportunity cost has been huge.

01:14Since I've moved back, I feel like there's a huge sigh of relief that I've had.

01:19Even though there are a lot of opportunities that I gave up in the U.S.,

01:22it feels like I have a much more peaceful life here now that I'm with my husband

01:26and I have a dog as well.

01:28So, you know, it's a nice life.

01:29I feel like it's a better life already than, you know,

01:32being in the U.S. and being in that constant state of worry,

01:35not knowing what's going to happen to your job or to your visa status,

01:39when you would have to leave the country,

01:41not knowing whether you'd be able to come back to India in case an emergency happens.

01:44My stay in the U.S. has taught me that it has progressively gotten harder

01:49to land a great job in the U.S. that you can call stable.

Category

Transcript

Recommended