An Indian man tells how he struggled to get a job and an H-1B visa in the US, and now he returns to India “feeling completely defeated”.
Narrating his ordeal in the US, a 25-year-old man said he is now returning to India after five years, feeling completely defeated. His story in the US includes a lot of controversy over the job and visa, and he has now been asked to leave the country immediately.But how did it come to this?The Redditor said he came to the US in 2021 to pursue a master’s degree when he was 21 years old. He completed a six-month internship and then got a job at a startup and worked there for a year. Everything was going well. He was selected for the H-1B lottery on the first try. He said he wanted to move to a better paying job because his salary at the startup was not good but he felt loyal to the CEO because he trusted him and hired him after his internship.
But four months after receiving H-1B status, the man said he was laid off from his job.
Struggle to survive for 60 days
H-1B visa holders have 60 days to find another job or lose their status. He was unable to find a job within 60 days, so he moved to B-2 visa status to remain compliant. He said he received an appearance notice from the Immigration Service when they began his deportation proceedings. The operation lasted for three months and drained all his savings, but he won the case and was able to stay in the United States.
And then he found another job.
Government shutdown, deadline missed
When he got a new job, there was a government shutdown and he said his new employer couldn’t file the LCA in a timely manner. So he had to apply for an extension of his B2. He also filed a petition to change H-1B status, but all of his applications have been pending for more than a year. His B2 was then approved but his B-2 extension was denied.“Now I’m being told I have to leave the country immediately. I don’t know how to deal with any of this,” the man said.“I was laid off from work the day after my parents got B-2 visas to come visit me. I’ve sold my car. I’ve sold most of my possessions — things I worked years to afford. I’m getting ready to move back in with my retired parents. Instead of coming home with experience, savings, and stability, I’m coming home with student loan debt, no savings, no motivation, and no idea what comes next. The only thing keeping me going right now is my dog,” the man wrote.
