This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Shreya Mishra Reddy, 34, an Indian national currently staying in Toronto on a tourist visa. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I moved to the US from India to do my master’s in engineering management at Duke University in 2021.
I graduated in 2022 and got a job at Visa the following year. But despite trying, I didn’t get an H-1B visa, so I had to leave the country in January 2026, when my student work authorization expired.
My plan was to move back to India and keep applying for US-based jobs. But, in September 2025, news hit that companies could face an extra $100,000 fee to hire H-1B employees from outside the US.
An H-1B no longer seemed like a realistic option because I expected the fee would apply to me.
The fee was challenged in court and isn’t currently being enforced, but I’m still not pursuing opportunities in the US because of the uncertainty around the fee and finding H-1B-sponsored jobs.
I didn’t know how difficult being an international student could be
Social media painted a rosy picture of moving to the US, so my family and I didn’t know about the hardships international students face while looking for a job in a country where you have no support and know nothing about the market.
My family in India encouraged me to find a job in the US, but I found the process really difficult. My job at Visa felt like a miracle, and I think the only reason I got it was because I had prior work experience in India.
It felt hard as a recent graduate with limited experience, and many of my classmates had to move back to India because they couldn’t find jobs. It’s a sad reality, given that people take out loans and spend a lot to go to a US university.
Things worked out well for me, as I worked at a top company where I learned so much. But students, and their parents, who often play a big role in sending their kids abroad, need to be aware of the harsh realities of studying in the US, especially now, with AI making it hard for fresh grads to get jobs and layoffs becoming so common.
In 2025, I started an online community for international students in the US, which now has more than 9,000 members. Because of the proposed fee and uncertainty surrounding the lottery system, I’m seeing more interest in talent visas for “extraordinary” individuals, such as the O-1. I don’t know if this will work out for them, especially if more people apply. I haven’t considered applying for one of these visas because I feel like it’s going to get harder.
I’m deciding where I’ll base myself next
At the moment, I’m in Toronto, where my husband lives, on a tourist visa. I’m debating whether to base myself here or return to India.
I’ve been taking a career break to work on personal projects, including writing a fiction book and starting my own handloom brand. I’m also exploring corporate jobs in fintech, but I’ll have to see what offers I get and what the potential for growth looks like before deciding which country to live in.
People who move to the US for a few years often see returning to India as a failure, but I’m not scared to do this. During my job search, I’ve seen great growth opportunities in cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. The startup industry is really booming.
I still highly regard US-based education. I learned so much from doing my master’s at Duke. In March, I applied to a master’s program in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, a field I’ve always been interested in. I was accepted, but I decided not to move forward because of factors like uncertainty around student visas and the job market.
I feel optimistic about my future outside the US
I couldn’t stay in the US longer, but I feel optimistic about my future outside the country. Moving from India to the US required strength and resilience, and I think those qualities will serve me well. The experience I gained in the US transformed me personally and professionally, and added so much to my résumé.
I’m still figuring out my next steps, but I’m sure I’m going to do something amazing with my life.
Not getting a job in the US is not the end of the world.
Business Insider confirmed that she was employed by Visa. Visa declined to respond to a request for comment.
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