# H-1B visa turmoil: 10 stories of immigration uncertainty

> Foreign workers navigate H-1B visa chaos with $18,000 costs and survival mode.
- Title: H-1B visa turmoil: 10 stories of immigration uncertainty
- Summary: Foreign workers navigate H-1B visa chaos with $18,000 costs and survival mode. Ten immigrants share how H-1B visa uncertainty, $100,000 fees, and job losses…
- Keywords: h-1b visa, us immigration, foreign workers, h-1b lottery, h-1b fee, h-1b job loss, h-1b sponsorship, h-1b status, h-1b uncertainty, h-1b system, business, technology
- Source: Business Insider — https://businessinsider.com/foreign-workers-us-immigration-turmoil-personal-stories-2026-10
- Author: Alexandra Karplus
- Published: 2026-10-19T09:49:05.124+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: h-1b visa, us immigration, foreign workers, h-1b lottery, h-1b fee, h-1b job loss, h-1b sponsorship, h-1b status, h-1b uncertainty, h-1b system, business, technology
## H-1B visa system uncertainty
The H-1B visa system faces high stakes, shifting rules, and little certainty.
## One year of H-1B turmoil
Business Insider spoke to over 20 H-1B visa holders and hopefuls about immigration policy changes.
## Soumi Chanda's move
Chanda spent $18,000 to move her cats and belongings back to Kolkata after Amazon laid her off.
## Luciana Pereyra's survival mode
Pereyra described her job search as the last match of her career after Amazon laid her off.
## Mohamed Zeeshan's concerns
Zeeshan, a green card holder, worries about immigrants building stable lives amid H-1B uncertainty.
## Zeeshan's H-1B dilemma
Zeeshan says he wouldn't choose H-1B if he had to rely on it today due to job instability.
## Vivienne Yang's pivot
Yang left the US after her student visa was denied and now works as a content creator in Taiwan.
## Ananya Joshi's move
Joshi moved to Germany after visa setbacks and a job loss, now taking German classes.
## Gu Yichen's Google layoff
Yichen was laid off by Google a month after joining, then returned to Amazon on an I-140 petition.
## Disha Lamba's return
Lamba moved back to India after struggling with H-1B visa restrictions and distance from family.
## Sunjana Ramana's UK move
Ramana secured a two-year UK visa after failing three H-1B attempts and now works in fintech.
## Madhur Mehta's H-1B selection
Mehta got an H-1B selection but remains uncertain about his long-term US plans.
## Shreya Reddy's decision
Reddy left the US after failing H-1B and now weighs Canada or India for her future.
## Key takeaway

Ten immigrants share how H-1B visa uncertainty, $100,000 fees, and job losses reshaped their lives in the US.