An Indian-origin AI engineer opens up about his decision to leave the US amid the H-1B visa queue. Sunjana Ramana said her decision was not a result of lack of ambition, talent or effort, but rather a system that ultimately left her with no other option.
Sunjana Ramana, an Indian AI engineer, moved to the UK after failing to get an H-1B visa despite her remarkable achievements. (Reuters)H-1B issue: Sunjana Ramana opens up about her journey to the USIn his post on LinkedIn, the data and AI engineer revealed his decision to leave America after unsuccessful attempts to obtain an H-1B work visa. He highlights the precarious situation faced by countless skilled immigrants as they navigate the US immigration system.
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“Four and a half years ago, I came to the United States with $80,000 in student loans and a stubborn belief in the American Dream,” Ramana noted.
What ensued, he commented, was a subtle pursuit of success: earning an Ivy League education, securing a six-figure job in the tech sector, and paying off his student loan debt.
During his journey, he gave presentations on global platforms like TEDx and successfully launched his first SaaS product.
H-1B plight: Sunjana Ramana talks challenges for immigrantsHowever, none of these achievements are enough to overcome what he refers to as the “random draw” of the H-1B visa lottery. “After three H-1B attempts, the answer was still no,” he said. “It’s hard to explain how much it hurts to do everything right… and still lose.”
Calling his situation “a reality for immigrants,” he said: “You can do everything right and still have no control over the outcome.”
What’s next for Sunjana Ramana?However, instead of returning to India, Ramana decided to start a new journey in the UK. His next chapter will begin in London. Expressing his gratitude for the opportunities he has encountered in America, he highlighted that persistent visa complications forced him to decide to leave.
“They say, if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere,” she said in her post. “America, thank you for opportunity and growth. It’s not goodbye forever.”
The H-1B program, which allows U.S. companies to hire foreign experts in specific fields, has an annual cap and uses a lottery system for allocations when applications exceed established limits. Critics have consistently claimed that this approach favors luck over merit.
