Si ce
the
o set
of
the
seco d
T ump
admi ist atio ,
the
H-1B
visa
has
t a sfo med
f om
a
gove me t
docume t
i to
a
coveted
goal.
F om
applyi g
to
the
lotte y
ume ous
times
to
hopi g
fo
othe
visas
a d
eve
pla i g
to
switch
cou t ies,
people
have
do e
all
thi gs
imagi able
to
be
able
to
exte d
thei
stay
i
the
U ited
States.The
e ti e
effo t
is
i
espo se
to
T ump’s
tighte i g
of
visa
guideli es
to
cu b
illegal
mig atio
while
also
p io itisi g
ative
Ame ica s.
While
the
i itiative
has
bee
impactful,
it
has
led
to
displaci g
ma y
people
who
we e
actively
a d
effectively
co t ibuti g
to
the
U ited
States
eco omy.
O e
such
pe so
is
Soha
Sethi,
a
29-yea -old
I dia -o igi
atio al
who
faced
th ee
H-1B
lotte y
ejectio s
befo e
t yi g
all
his
might
to
be
able
to
get
a
O-1
visa.Sethi,
was
bo
a d
aised
i
Mumbai
a d
spe t
25
yea s
of
his
life
i
I dia.
Befo e
movi g
to
the
US
fo
his
maste ‘s,
he
had
eve
set
foot
outside
the
cou t y.
Si ce
doi g
a
u de g ad
ove seas
was
ot
fi a cially
viable,
he
completed
a
bachelo ‘s
deg ee
i
compute
e gi ee i g
f om
the
U ive sity
of
Mumbai
a d
gai ed
expe ie ce
fo
about
a
yea
a d
a
half
as
a
busi ess
a alyst
while
savi g
mo ey
a d
p epa i g
fo
g aduate
school.It
took
him
th ee
yea s
of
co ti uous
p epa atio ,
effo t,
a d
savi g
mo ey
to
get
to
the
US.
“While
wo ki g
full-time,
I
p epa ed
fo
my
GRE,
gathe ed
ecomme datio
lette s,
a d
applied
to
seve al
u ive sities,”
he
told
Busi ess
I side .
The
U ive sity
of
Illi ois
Chicago
was
his
d eam
school
a d
it
had
a
busi ess
a alytics
p og am
he
eally
wa ted
to
get
i to.
Eve tually,
he
got
accepted
a d
a ived
i
Chicago
i
Ja ua y
2022.”I
had
a
wallpape
o
my
laptop
of
a
b idge
ove looki g
the
Chicago
skyli e.
Eve y
time
I
felt
exhausted
o
a xious,
I
would
mi imise
eve ythi g
o
my
compute
a d
look
at
that
pictu e.
Twe ty
days
late ,
o
my
25th
bi thday,
I
stood
i
the
exact
same
spot
that
had
bee
my
wallpape ,”
he
said.
A
ca ee
i
data
a d
a alytics
As
a
i te atio al
stude t,
Sethi’s
fees
we e
oughly
$60,000
ac oss
th ee
semeste s.
He
eceived
a
esea ch
assista tship
du i g
his
seco d
a d
thi d
semeste s
a d
the
u ive sity
cove ed
a
sig ifica t
po tio
of
the
costs.
Afte
g aduati g
i
May
2023,
he
bega
wo ki g
as
a
se io
busi ess
a alyst
at
a
healthca e
compa y.
A
yea
a d
a
half
late ,
he
was
p omoted
to
ma age
of
a alytics
a d
epo ti g
a d
life
was
good.