An Indian woman who spent several years studying and working in the United States has decided to look beyond America after failing to secure an H-1B visa.
Shreya Mishra Reddy, 34, moved from India to the US in 2021 to pursue a master’s degree in engineering management at Duke University. She graduated in 2022 and later joined Visa in 2023.
However, despite trying to secure an H-1B visa, she was unsuccessful. When her student work authorisation expired in January 2026, she had to leave the US.
In an as-told-to essay published by Business Insider, Shreya said uncertainty around US immigration rules made her rethink her long-term plans.
Initially, she planned to return to India and continue applying for jobs in the US. But her thinking changed after reports emerged in September 2025 about a possible additional $100,000 fee for companies hiring H-1B workers from outside the country.
Although the fee was later challenged in court and is not currently being enforced, Shreya said the uncertainty itself was enough to make H-1B sponsorship look less realistic.
She said that she and her family had not fully understood how difficult life could be for international students trying to build a career in the US.
According to her, social media often presents a very positive picture of studying and working in America, while the struggles of finding a job without local support or market knowledge are rarely discussed.
She said getting a job at Visa felt like a miracle and believed that her previous work experience in India helped her secure the opportunity.
Shreya also said several of her classmates had to return to India after failing to find jobs, despite taking loans and spending heavily on their US education.
She believes students and parents should be more realistic about the challenges of studying in America, especially at a time when layoffs are common and artificial intelligence is making the job market tougher for fresh graduates.
Shreya is currently in Toronto, where her husband lives, on a tourist visa. She is now considering whether to settle in Canada or return to India.
During her career break, she has been working on personal projects, including writing a fiction book and launching her own handloom brand. She is also exploring corporate opportunities in fintech.
Interestingly, Shreya said she does not consider returning to India a failure.
She pointed out that cities such as Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru offer strong career opportunities and that India’s startup ecosystem is growing rapidly.
Despite the difficulties she faced in the US, she still values the education and experience she gained there.
She was also accepted into a master’s programme in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania in March, but decided not to pursue it because of uncertainty around student visas and the job market.
For now, Shreya remains positive about her future outside the United States.
She said moving to the US taught her strength and resilience and helped her grow both personally and professionally.
Her message to other international students is simple: not getting a job or visa in the US is not the end of the world.
