An ex-Microsoft employee who once won the highly sought-after H-1B visa lottery has returned to India, saying the visa system limited his ability to become an entrepreneur and forced him to rethink the “American Dream.”Hemant Shetty spent around 11 years in US after moving there for higher studies in 2015. Talking to the American Bazaar, he spoke about his decision to leave a high-paying tech job and restart his professional journey in India. He was selected in the H-1B lottery on his first attempt and went on to work in US healthcare sector before joining Microsoft in Seattle.Shetty pointed to growing uncertainty around the H-1B system, particularly travel disruptions and administrative delays that affected his ability to move freely between countries.“The recent H-1B upheaval and cancellation of interview slots has meant that the travel to and from the US is no longer straight forward for visa holders,” he told the American Bazaar.He said this uncertainty became more personal when travel was disrupted.“I was supposed to visit India in January of 2026. I had also booked a slot months’ in advance. But then my appointment was rescheduled to 2027.”Shetty said family circumstances also played a role in his decision, particularly his father’s health. This made long periods away from home increasingly difficult.Beyond personal reasons, he said there were structural limits of being on an H-1B visa, especially for those wanting to build companies.“I wanted to pursue my own business ventures which I could not do due to the constraints the H-1B visa comes with. All these reasons compounded together and it felt like the right time to move,” he told The American Bazaar.He added that he had always viewed his stay in the US as temporary due to long green card backlogs.“Our plan was to go back to India eventually because we had no real pathway to a green card due to the EB-2 backlog.”Shetty described his time in the US as professionally rewarding, but he said the complexity around immigration rules and job security created pressure, especially during industry layoffs and visa policy changes.“The number one reason would be travel fragility. After the $100k visa fee and social media vetting rules, the reality of H-1B life has changed and traveling has become a high-risk gamble,” he said. He added that delays in visa appointments had kept him away from his family for extended periods.“My own visa appointment dates were pushed by a year, effectively barring me from visiting home and my parents for a year. Keeping my parents’ health in mind, this kind of uncertainty is no longer the price I am willing to pay.”He also pointed to the emotional strain of remaining tied to visa conditions.“Visa stress is real. The 60-day clock in the times of industry-wide layoffs is a pain. No professional should have to uproot their entire life in two months.”He said the decision did not happen suddenly but built up over time because of visa uncertainty, family needs, and his long-standing wish to start his own business.Despite stepping away from a high-profile role in US tech industry, Shetty said he has returned to India with a positive mind and plans to build a startup. He chose to share his experience because many professionals face similar dilemmas but often struggle in silence while weighing stability against ambition.
