These highly skilled, highly educated foreign workers documented the challenges of trying to build a career in the United States: “If I can’t find a job, I have to leave the country. » “I sent 907 applications.” “Have I ever really relaxed in America?” They need an H-1B visa, issued through a lottery system that allows U.S. companies to hire highly skilled international professionals for up to six years, in sectors like technology and medicine. But the Trump administration made changes to the program, requiring companies to pay high fees and implementing new rules that prioritize higher-paid foreign workers, in an effort to create more jobs for Americans. This has forced some foreigners to rethink their career plans. “I think the United States remains the benchmark. » Wen-Hsing Huang arrived from Taiwan to the United States in 2022 for the tech scene and was hired by Amazon on an H-1B visa. “I want to use my talents to change the world, and I think the United States was the best platform to do that. » Ananya Joshi came from India to pursue a master’s program in Chicago in 2022. “So it was actually my father’s dream that I inherited because my father couldn’t go because of his financial situation.” Haina, a Chinese national, fell in love with the United States while studying in New York. She got her H-1B in 2022. “I remember there were a lot of companies, they could sponsor. » Haina said she has experienced a recent change, where it has become more difficult to find companies that sponsor H-1B visas. “This time when I was looking for a job, I didn’t realize that this could be a deal breaker. I just had my second interview of 2026, and the call was pretty short.” (Recruiter) “I don’t think we are eligible or able to sponsor this role at this time. » “They don’t even really know if I’m qualified, if I have experience or anything. The decision is already made at that point.” “Please make sure the company you are about to work for has experience handling international recruitment.” Joshi said a startup she interned at during graduate school rescinded its promise to sponsor her H-1B visa. “Ask everything in writing. And then there were jobs that were contract jobs. They would just reject me. They only needed people with green cards or U.S. citizenship.” Even with an H-1B and a six-figure salary, Huang said he felt increasingly anxious, as tech layoffs intensified and Trump’s immigration policies kept changing. “I woke up every morning with this knot in my stomach because my whole life depended on a policy I couldn’t control. The United States doesn’t seem very welcoming to immigrants who contribute to this country.” “The signals are pretty clear at this point. They want to make this H-1B, it’s risky and also more difficult.” Hello everyone.” Despite this, Haina says she is determined to continue looking for a job until she is forced to leave the country. “The pressure on the rest of my career or my life. I somehow lost the ability to enjoy my life or just be happy. “So I had to leave the United States. Of course, I expanded my search beyond the United States. I found a job in Germany.” Joshi packed up his life and started a new role at a European biotech company in January. “I think I left at the right time, because there would have been more stress. I would have been stuck in a loop. “It’s a never-ending cycle of anxiety.” After leaving his job at Amazon, Huang is now back in Taiwan and planning to start his own business. “Bet on building an AI company that gives me complete control over my time, place and future. Staying in the United States is no longer the only way to achieve my American dream.
Skilled foreign workers consider leaving the United States
