An Indian woman who spent years studying and working in the US has decided to look beyond America after failing to secure an . She said uncertainty around US immigration rules made her reconsider her plans to build a future there.
In an as-told-to essay published by Business Insider, Shreya Mishra Reddy, 34, shared that she moved from India to the US in 2021 to pursue a master’s in engineering management at Duke University. She graduated in 2022 and got a job at Visa the following year. However, despite trying, she was unable to secure an H-1B visa and eventually had to leave the US in January 2026 when her student work authorisation expired.
Shreya Business Insider that she initially planned to return to India and continue applying for US-based jobs. However, she said that her plans changed after news emerged in September 2025 that companies could face an additional $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,” she said.
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Challenges faced by an international student
Shreya said that she and her family had not fully understood the difficulties international students could face while trying to build a career in the US.
“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,” she said, adding that her family encouraged her to find a job in America.
However, she said that she found the job search difficult, particularly as a recent graduate with limited experience in the US. “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,” she said.
She further revealed that several of her classmates had to return to India after failing to find jobs, despite taking loans and spending significant amounts of money on their US education. While things worked out well for her and she gained valuable experience at a top company, she said that students and parents should be aware of the challenges involved in studying and working in the US.
“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,” she told the outlet.
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‘Returning to India is not a failure’
Shreya shared that she is currently in , where her husband lives, on a tourist visa. She is considering whether to settle in Canada or return to India. She said that she has been taking a career break while working on personal projects, including writing a fiction book and starting her own handloom brand. She is also exploring corporate roles in fintech.
The 34-year-old said that she does not see returning to India as a failure after spending years in the US. “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,” she said.
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Why did she turn down master’s opportunity in the US?
Despite her hardships in the US, Shreya said that she still highly values the education she received there. “I learned so much from doing my master’s at Duke,” she said.
She also revealed that in March, she applied for a master’s programme in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She was accepted but decided not to pursue the programme because of factors including uncertainty around student visas and the job market.
Shreya said that she remains positive about her future despite having to leave the US. “I couldn’t stay in the US longer, but I feel optimistic about my future outside the country,” she said.
She added that moving from India to the US required “strength and resilience”, qualities she believes will continue to help her in the future. She said that the experience transformed her personally and professionally and added significantly to her resume.
“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,” she concluded.
