Getting my H-1B on the first try felt like 'pure luck.' 4 years later, a layoff meant I had to leave the US.

I spent almost 13 years building a life successful the United States, and past I had 60 days to battalion up and time off it each behind.

I was raised successful Kolkata and ne'er lived anyplace other until 19. I'd ne'er visited the US arsenic a child, but felt oddly adjacent to it — my aunt and uncle, some professors, lived successful Spokane, Washington, and my aunt's stories made maine funny astir American life agelong earlier I saw it myself.

I started moving astatine 17 retired of necessity, kept moving while pursuing my bachelor's grade successful business management astatine Calcutta University, and aft graduation landed a domiciled arsenic a business developer for a startup exporting handwoven bags.

Encouraged by my aunt and uncle to see a master's abroad, I took the GMAT almost connected a whim. I was offered a danasiwa from Gonzaga University successful Spokane. At 20, I arrived successful Washington successful December 2013 connected an F-1 visa. It was freezing and silent, thing for illustration the large metropolis I'd known backmost home.

Once I adjusted, it became home

The university's organization felt refreshingly different from the level I'd grown up with, and I recovered my footing done the world student network. My MBA took 2 years.

As an international student, I had a constricted model aft graduation to find qualifying work. I couldn't find a paid job, truthful I took an unpaid trading domiciled astatine a nonprofit to build experience. I yet landed a activity rotational programme astatine US Bank, and went backmost to my assemblage for a 2nd master's successful organizational activity tied straight to that job.

When my programme astatine US Bank ended, I asked them to sponsor an H-1B. They said no. The metropolis had fewer employers knowledgeable pinch world hiring, and I often recovered myself explaining the rules.

I joined a mini genetic-testing startup that did DNA testing for dogs and cats. The CEO took an liking successful my profession and promoted maine wrong months. When Neogen acquired the company, she pushed for maine to beryllium retained and hoped it would sponsor my H-1B. Neogen yet sponsored my H-1B visa.

I was picked successful the lottery connected my first effort successful 2021 — axenic luck. A fewer years later, Amazon acquired my H-1B sponsorship, and I moved astir 280 miles westbound from Spokane to Seattle to activity there.

By then, the US wasn't conscionable wherever I lived — it was home.

Then, successful 2025, I was laid off

The speech was calm and professional. We discussed severance, and I signed without negotiating. Sixty days sounded intolerable from the start. Then, conscionable arsenic I was laid off, the nationalist statement complete the projected $100,000 interest for caller H-1B petitions exploded.

Even pinch Amazon connected my résumé, I didn't get a azygous question and reply the pursuing month.

Once 30 days had passed pinch thing lined up, I started preparing to time off the state entirely. My only non-negotiable was my 2 cats. I spent astir $5,000 connected paperwork to alert them internationally, positive $6,000 to break my lease early.

I sold what I could — a sofa and a TV — and paid other to dispose of everything else. Finding a formation wherever I could recreation pinch my cats took days of investigation and costs thousands much successful supplier fees and last-minute airfare.

All told, the move costs an estimated $18,000. That included vet visits, USDA and Indian customs paperwork for my cats, my ain flight, and flights for a friend who came from India to thief maine move.

But the costs wasn't only financial: My begetter had died abruptly erstwhile I was 17, and I'd efficaciously supported my mother and sister ever since. Losing everything wasn't conscionable astir furnishings and leases. It was the information I'd worked truthful agelong to build for group who depended connected me.

Settling backmost successful India

I returned to India past September. It was disorienting; dissimilar my past short visits, location was nary return formation waiting this time. Caring for my cats, uncovering the correct nutrient and litter, kept maine grounded done the hardest weeks.

My assurance took a deed erstwhile I compared myself to friends whose lives looked stable. But a mates of months ago, I started actively building Puchki, a pet-sitting marque inspired by my ain trouble uncovering successful Kolkata the benignant of reliable, loving attraction I had for my 2 cats successful the US. Throwing myself backmost into activity pulled maine retired of the worst of it.

I'd still emotion to sojourn the US, mostly to spot my aunt, uncle, and friends. But I don't want to unrecorded location again — the uncertainty was constant, and moreover mounting the visa aside, the broader governmental ambiance was distressing.

Staying successful India long-term is thing I'm still moving retired — there's plentifulness present I value, and different things, arsenic a feminist, I find harder to reconcile. Europe feels for illustration the type of "somewhere else" that appeals to maine most.

If I could show different world students and workers 1 thing: Get progressive successful everything your assemblage offers — that benignant of organization gets rarer erstwhile you're working. And if you travel from a civilization that prizes humility, particularly astatine work, that small heart tin activity against you successful the US. You person to study to speak plainly astir what you've accomplished, because nary 1 other is going to do it for you.

Business Insider confirmed she was employed by US Bank, Neogen, and Amazon. US Bank and Neogen declined to respond to a petition for comment. Amazon did not reply to a petition for comment.

Lisa Shaffer, the erstwhile CEO of the genetic-testing startup wherever Chanda worked, confirmed that Chanda was promoted wrong months. Shaffer told Business Insider that she advocated for Chanda to beryllium retained erstwhile the startup was acquired. "She was instantly recovered to beryllium caput and shoulders supra anyone other successful her department," Shaffer said.