After four years of building a life and career in the United States, Shreya Mishra Reddy packed her belongings and relocated to Toronto, bringing a bittersweet close to an American chapter defined by elite education and systemic immigration barriers.
Reddy, who arrived in the U.S. in 2021 with six years of prior professional experience in India, completed an engineering management degree at Duke University in 2022.
She subsequently secured a corporate position at Visa, marking a major professional milestone. However, despite holding credentials from both Duke and Harvard Business School, her long-term residency remained bound to the unpredictable H-1B specialty occupation visa lottery.
In September 2025, President Trump set in motion a change that would throw the H-1B visa application process into disarray.
His proposed $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions changed the immigration landscape for employers, employees, and visa hopefuls alike.
READ: ‘Pause, not final ruling’: International students get last-minute relief as judge blocks DHS rule (September 21, 2026)
Realizing that potential employers might have to pay a $100,000 fee to hire her, Reddy pivoted as part of her decision-making process.
Over her tenure, Reddy entered the annual H-1B lottery three separate times and each attempt resulted in non-selection.
The strain culminated after her third denial, a moment she shared publicly on LinkedIn, recalling how she broke down in her office facing the reality of an expiring student work authorization.
Rather than achieving permanent stability, her legal authorization lapsed, forcing her departure from the country in January 2026.
Since last September, Business Insider has been interviewing people who have borne the brunt of the chaos, including those who have applied for visas and are debating whether to stay in the US. Others have opted to tap out of the system altogether.
“I genuinely believed the H-1B lottery would work out for me, but it didn’t, and that is certainly a regret,” she told Insider. She explained how the sudden career obstacle sparked intense confusion, leaving her torn between pressing forward with a U.S. job search or packing up to look for opportunities back in India.
READ: Green card shock for Indians: USCIS expands public-charge scrutiny from September 18 (September 17, 2026)
Her experience mirrors this broader statistical trend facing international academics and professionals in the American labor market. Recent U.S. State Department data indicates that 41% of F-1 student visa applications were refused during the 2023-24 fiscal year, accompanied by a broader contraction in visa issuances for Indian students heading into 2025.
Reflecting on her departure, Reddy expressed gratitude for the academic and professional growth she experienced, characterizing her time abroad as an education in resilience rather than a simple narrative of failure.
Rather than returning immediately to India, she established a temporary base in Toronto on a tourist visa to evaluate future international prospects.
Her journey showcases the complex realities confronting global talent who invest years into foreign academic institutions, only to find their professional trajectories ultimately dictated by chance, lottery caps, and exorbitant petition costs rather than qualifications.