This as-told-to effort is based connected a speech pinch Sohan Sethi, 29, an Indian nationalist who faced 3 H-1B lottery rejections earlier becoming an O-1 visa holder. He useful successful information analytics and AI astatine a healthcare company.
The pursuing has been edited for magnitude and clarity.
I was sitting astatine the table successful my Chicago apartment, anxiously refreshing my email, arsenic I'd been doing astir 20 times a time for months. I was connected a telephone pinch my champion friend erstwhile an email from my lawyer popped up.
It said, "Congratulations." That's erstwhile each the worry flew away.
The contiguous aftermath was soundlessness and complete bliss. It took maine immoderate clip to negociate my emotions because I'd been anxious astir this for almost a year.
The first group I called were my mom and my relative back successful India. Seeing their large smiles connected the video telephone made each of my difficult activity worthy it.
After being rejected 3 times successful the H-1B lottery, my O-1 visa had yet been approved.
I was calved and raised successful Mumbai
I spent the first 25 years of my life successful India. I'd ne'er near the state earlier moving to the US for my master's.
I'd ever dreamed of studying abroad. I'd wanted to spell to undergrad overseas, but because of funding, it wasn't possible. Instead, I completed a bachelor's grade successful machine engineering astatine the University of Mumbai and worked for astir a twelvemonth and a half arsenic a business expert while redeeming money and preparing for postgraduate school.
It took almost 3 years for maine to get to the US. While moving full-time, I prepared for my GRE, gathered proposal letters, and applied to respective universities.
The University of Illinois Chicago was my dream school. I'd ever been fascinated by Chicago, and it had a coagulated business analytics programme and a bully alumni network.
I had a wallpaper connected my laptop of a span overlooking the Chicago skyline. Every clip I felt exhausted aliases anxious, I would minimize everything connected my machine and look astatine that picture.
Eventually, I sewage accepted and arrived successful Chicago successful January 2022. Twenty days later, connected my 25th birthday, I stood successful the nonstop aforesaid spot that had been my wallpaper.
I built a profession successful information and analytics
As an world student, my tuition was astir $60,000 crossed 3 semesters. I received a investigation assistantship during my 2nd and 3rd semesters, and the assemblage covered a important information of the costs.
After graduating successful May 2023, I started moving arsenic a elder business expert astatine a healthcare company.
About a twelvemonth and a half later, I was promoted to head of analytics and reporting.
Professionally, things were moving successful the correct direction.
I started preparing for the O-1 a twelvemonth earlier my last H-1B lottery rejection
I entered the H-1B lottery 3 times, but wasn't selected successful immoderate of them. After my 2nd rejection successful April 2025, I realized I couldn't trust connected the lottery unsocial if I wanted to proceed my profession successful the United States.
I started preparing for the O-1 visa successful June 2025, almost a twelvemonth earlier my OPT was owed to expire.
Unlike the H-1B, the O-1 isn't based connected a lottery. Instead, applicants person to show "extraordinary ability" done achievements successful their field.
I hired a lawyer and spent the adjacent respective months building my floor plan while continuing to activity afloat time. I audited my achievements, secured media coverage, judged astatine manufacture events, received awards, published scholarly articles, and gathered letters of recommendation.
By February 2026, my lawyers and I had organized much than 700 pages of supporting evidence. I spent astir $13,000 connected lawyer fees.
In March, I wasn't selected successful the H-1B lottery for the 3rd time. At that point, my STEM OPT was owed to expire connected July 5, leaving maine pinch astir 100 days to legally enactment successful the United States unless different pathway worked out.
I filed my O-1 petition by April.
After filing, I received a Request for Evidence, which required maine to taxable further archiving and hold again. I was perpetually refreshing my email, waiting for an update from my lawyer.
During that time, I started reasoning astir different possibilities. I cognize group who person gone back to their location countries, pursued a 2nd master's degree, aliases moved to places for illustration Canada aliases the United Kingdom.
I considered those options too, but I couldn't find different state wherever I felt I could build the aforesaid career. I activity successful information analytics and AI, and I judge the opportunities, infrastructure, and vulnerability disposable present are difficult to find elsewhere.
None of the different countries comes anyplace adjacent to the level astatine which the US operates. That's why I didn't want to springiness up without exploring each imaginable option. Today, I negociate a squad of analysts working successful healthcare information and analytics.
I want to thief others navigate uncertainty
Throughout this journey, I started sharing my acquisition connected LinkedIn. I've shared proposal astir occupation searching, life arsenic an world student, and the O-1 process because I cognize really uncertain it tin each feel.
The only intent down that was to beryllium location for personification successful the measurement I wish personification had been location for me.
For now, my attraction is connected making the astir of the adjacent 3 years successful the United States.
English (US) · 
Indonesian (ID) ·