The hidden sacrifices of chasing an H-1B career in America

In the five years Madhur Mehta has spent in the US, he’s earned a master’s degree, landed a program manager job at Amazon, and been selected for an H-1B visa.

But at 35, Mehta still doesn’t feel able to plan his life very far ahead. He and his fiancée explored buying a house last year, but couldn’t bring themselves to commit. They’re both from India, and she has one remaining attempt at the H-1B lottery cycle before her work authorization expires.

“It’s hard, you know, obviously you can’t plan,” Mehta told Business Insider, adding, “unless we are both very clear on what our visa status is.”

His experience captures a contradiction facing many highly skilled foreign workers in America: The visa that allows them to build a career in the US can also make it difficult to know how firmly to establish a life here.

The H-1B program has come under the spotlight over the past year, as the Trump administration has moved to clamp down on legal immigration, including with a contested $100,000 fee for certain H-1B petitions. The fee was tied up in court, adding layers of unpredictability to a system that can already make long-term planning difficult.

As part of our H-1B Fallout series, marking a year of heightened uncertainty hanging over this visa program, Business Insider spoke to more than 20 people who moved to America and either received an H-1B visa or attempted to pursue this route.

The first story in the series dug into the question of where foreign talent is going, if not to the US. In this installment, we examine the theme of costs, asking visa holders and hopefuls about the financial, career, and personal sacrifices they have made as they’ve navigated a visa pathway that comes with an expiration date and no guarantees.

A spokesperson for the White House said in a statement that the Trump administration’s agenda is designed to prioritize American workers. A USCIS spokesperson said the agency’s goal is to make sure employment-based visa programs are used to “supplement, not supplant American workers.” A State Department spokesperson said the proposed H-1B visa fees are designed to address “abuse of the program” and to protect American interests.

Shreya Mishra Reddy, now 34, came to the US from India for her master’s degree in 2021. She landed a dream role at Visa in 2023. Her student work authorization was set to expire in January 2026, but she had a plan: She would leave the US and apply for H-1B jobs from overseas.

That plan changed in September 2025, when the administration announced the $100,000 fee on certain new H‑1B petitions for workers outside the US. Reddy felt one option closing off: “I knew it was no longer a realistic option for me.”

No longer authorized to work in the US after January, she moved to Toronto, where her husband lives. Reddy regrets that she didn’t pursue alternative career options abroad: “I only planned for the best-case scenario,” she said. “It didn’t happen, and it ended up costing me a lot.”

H-1B holders can change employers and roles within an organization, but the process comes with paperwork: A new employer has to file an H-1B petition, while workers who stay with the same company may need an amended petition when their job title or work location changes.

That can make some workers cautious about pursuing a promotion, a new company, or a move to another city — choices that often come with higher pay. In July, median year-over-year pay growth was 7% for US job-switchers, compared with 4.4% for workers who stayed put, according to ADP Research.

“The employer tie affects everything,” said Nicole Gunara, a principal attorney at the immigration law firm Manifest Law. “The timeline and risk profile for changing jobs are completely different from a US citizen.”

Still, H-1B holders can change employers, and many do. David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, pointed to USCIS data showing that tens of thousands of job change petitions are made every year.

“The employer tie does not prevent switching; it adds steps and costs to switching,” Gunara said.

It also raises the stakes around layoffs: If an H-1B holder loses their job, they typically have up to 60 days to find a new employer willing to file a petition on their behalf or risk losing their status.

Luciana Pereyra had spent eight years in the US, first on a tennis scholarship and later working in marketing at Ohio State’s College of Nursing. The university eliminated her H-1B role in January.

Two weeks before her 60-day deadline ended, she thought she had found another role at Ohio State. But the university told her it couldn’t complete the visa process in time, citing concerns about timing and potential visa fees.

She returned to Peru in March.

“You’re always gonna be in that survival mode of, if you lose your job, you’re out,” she said. “I already did that for the past three years with the work visa.”

A proposed rule from the Department of Homeland Security, published in the Federal Register on September 11, would eliminate the 60-day period. If it goes into effect, it would make layoffs and job changes “even more precarious,” said Aaron Blumberg, an immigration attorney and Fragomen partner.

On September 18, Trump directed agencies to give added scrutiny to petitions from employers that have recently laid off, or plan to lay off, comparable US workers.

H-1B petition fees — like the $100,000 fee the administration proposed a year ago — are generally footed by the employer. Employees may end up paying out of pocket for expenses employers aren’t obligated to cover, like visa costs for dependents and overseas travel for visa appointments.

Soumi Chanda, who works in customer services, was selected for an H-1B visa in 2021. A few years later, Amazon hired her and took over her sponsorship. Last year, the company laid her off, and she had to leave the US on short notice. She estimates the move cost her about $18,000, including USDA and Indian customs paperwork, airfare, and the cost of doing everything on such a tight deadline.

The loss felt larger than the furniture and leases she left behind. Chanda had been a key provider for her mother and sister since her father died when she was 17. “It was always me,” she said. “My entire security, everything just fell apart.”

For Disha Lamba, leaving was a choice. She walked away from an H-1B lottery selection after five years in New York. She liked making an impact in healthcare while working at CVS Health, but the tradeoffs were no longer worth the squeeze. Part of it was logistics: She didn’t want to deal with ongoing visa management and restrictions, like needing a visa stamp to leave and re-enter the US.

The other part was family. “I can’t hug my parents over a video call,” she said. Now that she’s returned home, her family starts their days with green tea and conversation.

H-1B workers who bring families to the US can face additional pressures. Their spouses may hold dependent H-4 visas, and only certain H-4 spouses are eligible for work authorization, leaving some families reliant on a single income. Their children are also given dependent status, but typically age out when they turn 21. “That can become an enormous source of stress for some families,” said Fragomen’s Blumberg.

This state of uncertainty is not unique to the H-1B; visa holders around the world can struggle to establish permanency. But when it comes to the H-1B, many choose to persist because of the opportunities.

The H-1B program is feeding heavily into the technical, scientific, and professional services industries. It also plays a role in engineering, education, and healthcare. Top employers like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft are among the top H-1B sponsoring employers. In fiscal year 2025, approved H-1B beneficiaries had a median annual compensation of $133,000.

The program continues to be heavily oversubscribed. The US issues 85,000 new H-1B visas a year. For fiscal year 2026, the USCIS received 344,000 applications. On July 17, USCIS said it had already received enough inbounds for fiscal year 2027.

That allure of American technology, investment, and opportunity helps explain why so many people are willing to make sacrifices to stay on this path, said Kelli Duehning, an immigration attorney at BAL.

In August, the administration proposed imposing a $103,265 fee on some new H-1B petitions, part of its broader push to restrict the program. “Many of us do get really worried about chasing folks away who are going to be here to start the next company that is revolutionary or work for the university who develops the next vaccine,” Duehning said.

Mehta, the Amazon employee who put off buying a house, is still living in limbo, waiting to see what will become of his fiancée’s final shot at the H-1B lottery cycle. For now, their family-planning decisions are also on hold.

The pursuit of the American Dream has taken a toll. “I don’t think I’ve rested even for one single day in the last five years,” he said. “From the day I landed, it was a race. You don’t want to come last in that race.”