An Indian man who was rejected from the H-1B visa lottery three times has shared how he managed to continue living and working in the US through an O-1 visa.
In an as-told-to essay in Business Insider, Sohan Sethi, a 29-year-old data analytics and AI professional at a healthcare company, shared his immigration journey. After three unsuccessful H-1B lottery attempts, Sethi turned to the O-1 visa, which is not lottery-based and requires applicants to demonstrate extraordinary ability in their field.
From Mumbai to Chicago
Sethi, who was born and raised in , shared that he spent the first 25 years of his life in India before moving to Chicago for his master’s degree. He had completed a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Mumbai and worked as a business analyst for about a year and a half while saving money and preparing for graduate school.
“It took almost three years for me to get to the US. While working full-time, I prepared for my GRE, gathered recommendation letters, and applied to several universities,” Sethi shared.
The 29-year-old said that he eventually secured admission to the University of Illinois Chicago and arrived in the US in January 2022. “Twenty days later, on my 25th birthday, I stood in the exact same spot that had been my wallpaper,” he recalled, referring to a Chicago skyline image that had inspired him while preparing to move abroad.
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Visa struggles
After graduating in May 2023, Sethi said that he began working as a senior business analyst at a healthcare company. About a year and a half later, he was promoted to manager of analytics and reporting. “Professionally, things were moving in the right direction,” he said.
However, his immigration status remained uncertain. Sethi said that he entered the H-1B lottery three times but was not selected. Following his second rejection in April 2025, he began preparing for an O-1 visa.
“I started preparing for the O-1 visa in June 2025, almost a year before my OPT was due to expire,” he told the outlet.
Over the following months, he shared that he worked with a lawyer to build his profile and compile evidence of his professional achievements. He said that this included media coverage, judging industry events, awards, scholarly publications and recommendation letters.
“By February 2026, my lawyers and I had organized more than 700 pages of supporting evidence. I spent about $13,000 on lawyer fees,” he said.
Sethi revealed that his third H-1B rejection came in March 2026, leaving him with around 100 days before his STEM OPT was due to expire on July 5. He subsequently filed his O-1 petition in April.
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The process was not straightforward. Sethi shared that he received a Request for Evidence after filing, requiring him to provide additional documentation. He said he spent weeks anxiously waiting for updates from his lawyer.
“During that time, I started thinking about other possibilities. I know people who have gone back to their home countries, pursued a second master’s degree, or moved to places like Canada or the United Kingdom. I considered those options too, but I couldn’t find another country where I felt I could build the same career,” he said.
Then came the news he had been waiting for.
“I was sitting at the desk in my Chicago apartment, anxiously refreshing my email,” Sethi recalled. When an email from his lawyer arrived with the word “Congratulations”, he said the anxiety immediately disappeared.
“After being rejected three times in the H-1B lottery, my O-1 visa had finally been approved,” he said.
Sethi said the first people he called were his mother and brother in India. He described seeing their smiles during the video call as a moment that made the effort worthwhile.
Today, Sethi manages a team of analysts working in healthcare data and analytics. He has also been sharing his experiences on LinkedIn, offering advice on job searches, life as an international student and navigating the O-1 process.
“The only intent behind that was to be there for someone in the way I wish someone had been there for me,” he wrote.
“For now, my focus is on making the most of the next three years in the United States,” he said.
