The Big Tech Visa
Big Tech companies like Amazon, Meta, Google and Apple are among those allocated the highest number of these visas annually. And they can pay top dollar — sometimes as much as $500,000 — to secure talent, H-1B data reviewed by Business Insider shows.
The largest demographic of H-1B beneficiaries over the last decade has been Indian nationals working in computer-related roles, according to USCIS records.
Business Insider spoke to seven current or former H-1B recipients who moved from India and found work in Big Tech.
Their experiences reveal a program that grants access to life-changing opportunities and also imposes limitations that shape everything from career moves to family planning.
Tech layoffs, immigration policy shifts, and a booming Indian tech sector add to the daily pressure of living on this temporary visa in the United States.
For some, high salaries and career opportunities make the precarity worth it; for others, doubt is creeping in. These are their stories, as told to Business Insider.
The H-1B has allowed me to have a dream career, but it comes with uncertainty
Pushkar Singh, 31, is a staff engineer at Google, where he's worked in AI ads. He lives in California.
The H-1B visa has allowed me to continue my work in the US, but the biggest issue is the psychological toll.
I've been on an H-1B visa with Google for nearly seven years. My appetite for risk is lower because of my visa. Although you can switch jobs on an H-1B, you want to avoid moving to companies where there are high turnover rates to avoid getting fired.
You've contributed so much in work and taxes, but if you're laid off, you only have 60 days to find a new job. You don't have the luxury of waiting for the economy to improve before getting back into the job market.
I joined Google in Bangalore in 2015. I was interested in AI, but there weren't many opportunities in India. All the cutting-edge work was happening in Silicon Valley.
In 2017, the company relocated me to work on the ads team in California on an L-1 visa, which is for internal company transfers.
I wanted to switch to an H-1B visa to give me a bit more peace of mind because you can't really switch companies on an L-1. Google sponsored my petition, and I was selected in the H-1B lottery on the first attempt in 2018.
I've helped develop cool technologies for Google Ads, like PMax, which helps small businesses use AI for their advertising.
Alongside the psychological impact of being on an H-1B, there's also uncertainty around family.
My wife and I have to be mindful about starting a family or moving our parents here. If I lost my job, I might have to take my entire family back to India within 60 days.
I've seen misconceptions about the H-1B visa that it is replacing US jobs. Companies that hire a lot of H-1B workers have to give Americans fair opportunities for employment. I also get paid similarly to my US colleagues, so I don't think it's fair to say H-1B visa holders are cheap labor.
I support the H-1B program but also think it can be improved. Having part of the application process take the person's achievements into account, like other visas such as the O-1 or EB-1, could mean that good people don't miss out.
The H-1B has given me so many opportunities, but even after 12 years, my life in the US feels unstable and temporary
Surabhi Madan, 30, is a senior software engineer at Google. She lives in New York.
I've been with Google for eight years and am a senior software engineer. Now I'm in a phase of my life where I'm thinking more about long-term stability.
I enjoy my work, but there is an internal expectation to do well because, on an H-1B visa, my performance is the only thing in my hands.
I've thought about teaching full- or part-time, but I can't have a secondary job on an H-1B. A career change also seems challenging: I would have to return to a student visa to get a graduate degree, and salaries for high school teachers may not meet the minimum requirement for work visas.
I came to the US in 2013 to pursue a bachelor's at Brown. I interned at Google's New York office and landed a full-time offer before I graduated. I kicked off the process for my Optional Practical Training and received my H-1B visa in the lottery on my first try.
Once, after returning to the US from traveling abroad, a border officer asked me about the purpose of my visit. I said, "I live here." The officer responded, "You don't live here; you work here." I remember thinking, "It's true."
Even after more than a decade in the US, I have challenges that my friends don't. My life feels temporary in a lot of ways. I'm anxious about making mistakes when I drive or file taxes. I don't volunteer because I'd have to contact my immigration lawyer to check that it wouldn't jeopardize anything.
Friends are buying apartments and thinking about having families. I find it hard to put down roots. Every time I renew my apartment lease, I have the option for one or two years. I always choose one year.
My visa has become a consideration in family planning, too.
I've looked into egg freezing recently. But I had this vision of having to return as a tourist with a suitcase to pick up my eggs if my status changed, and decided it wasn't worth it. I also can't imagine having another person depend on me while on a temporary status tied to my job.
Once a year, I ask myself if this is still worth it. So far, the answer has been, "yes."
Living in the US has granted me so many opportunities; I'm grateful.
On the days I feel more anxious, I focus on the things in my control. I also have a decent financial cushion, another huge benefit of working in tech in the US for eight years.
I was laid off from Twitter on an H-1B visa. It was the worst season of my professional life.
Debpriya Seal, 40, lives in California. He was laid off from Twitter in 2022, leaving him with 60 days to find a new employer to sponsor his visa and remain in the US, per the program's restrictions.
In early November 2022, I got an email saying I'd been laid off. It was the worst season of my professional life.
I came to the US for a master's degree in 2012 and joined Twitter in data engineering four years later. Twitter transferred my H-1B visa from my previous company and sponsored my green card application, which is still pending.
Being laid off was emotional because I'd given six years to Twitter, but I didn't have much time to think about it. I had to find a new job before my visa ran out in 60 days.
The aggressive timeline felt like I was running down the clock. It was a constant dilemma to try to be prepared enough for interviews in a time crunch.
I looked for data and machine learning jobs, trying to get referrals from friends. I probably applied to around 50 companies overall.
Requiring a visa sponsorship probably made things harder for me. The first thing I'd say when speaking with HR departments of potential employers is that I'd require sponsorship. When you apply to Big Tech companies like Facebook, Apple, or Amazon, this generally isn't an issue. During the application process, a few companies told me they couldn't sponsor H-1Bs.
The market was tough. It was the last quarter of the year, when companies tend to slow hiring. I hoped I'd find a job in time, but I had to consider moving back to India. I started looking into selling my possessions on Facebook Marketplace.
After roughly a month, I was offered a staff software engineer position at Intuit. They filed for my H-1B transfer. I was so relieved. I've since moved to a role at LinkedIn.
Overall, my experience with the H-1B visa has mostly been positive. I can renew it and change companies relatively smoothly. There are just a few elements I'd say are unfair, like the fact that the lottery is basically a lucky draw, and the 60-day window if you get laid off.
I left the US to start my company and moved back. People on H-1Bs feel restricted from entrepreneurial ventures, and some are considering moving back to India.
Soundarya Balasubramani, 29, is the founder and CEO of The Curious Maverick LLC. She divides her time between San Francisco and Bengaluru, India.
I moved to the US on an F-1 visa to study at Columbia, then got a job at Salesforce, which sponsored my H-1B visa.
Salesforce, where I was a product manager from 2019 to 2021, had a comprehensive internal process for sponsoring my H-1B. I uploaded my passport and degree certificates to a portal where I was told I'd been selected in the lottery. Big companies also often have in-house legal counsel or partner law firms to handle immigration processes for employees.
In January 2023, I moved back to India to start a company focused on educational content and talent mobility. I felt I needed to move to become a founder. (My US work authorization meant I had to stay employed by the company that hired me.)
Coming back to the US was always part of my plan. I applied for an O-1 visa, which is for "extraordinary individuals," with my own company sponsoring me. It was approved in 2023, and I moved back that October.
Getting an O-1 is much harder than getting an H-1B. The visa is for people at the top of their fields, so the burden of proof is pretty high. I had to submit evidence, such as awards, publications, and recommendations.
Although the American immigration system has problems, I can't imagine making the same kind of money anywhere else. My starting salary at Salesforce was $130,000, plus bonus and stocks. I could save aggressively and send money back home.
Indians on H-1Bs get criticism from two sides. Some people make negative statements about there being too many Indians in the US tech space, but there are also Indians who'll say you're propagating brain drain from India.
I founded a company on an H-1B. I have to be very careful how I approach it
I started a company in the US as an H-1B visa holder. I have to follow the rules very carefully while running my business.
I came to the US in 2013 on a student visa for a master's in computer science. After finishing my studies, I started a full-time software engineer role at Oracle, where I worked until June 2021. They sponsored my H-1B.
While at Oracle, I had an idea for starting a business. My cofounder and I were discussing how immigrants struggle to get good mortgage rates because they lack credit history. We wanted to build a solution.
I relied on my employer for my H-1B visa status and was cautious of not violating my immigration status. Attorneys I consulted told me I could invest in the business but couldn't run its day-to-day operations. My cofounder was the CEO while I continued working for Oracle.
Eventually, I left the US in 2022 while our business, HomeAbroad, petitioned to transfer my H-1B.
To transfer my visa, our company had to show that it could pay me a salary that matched what those in similar occupations in our area made. We're a bootstrapped company, so my cofounder and I invested our own money in the company as working capital. My salary was then paid through operational revenue.
In 2023, I returned as the CTO.
As an H-1 B holder, I have to be careful to only do the type of work outlined in my petition. Even though I'm the cofounder, I can't do things outside my remit as CTO, like marketing.
It's a slippery slope, so it's always good to consult attorneys about whether you can take on a certain responsibility.
I've been following recent immigration debates and have tried to have a fallback plan. I'm looking into the EB-1 green card pathway.
The H-1B visa has helped me build a career in the US, and I feel fortunate to be building my company here. The Indian market is growing, but I think America is still the best place to get an education and enter the workforce.
I moved back to India after nearly 10 years. Visa challenges and the growing tech sector made the decision easier.
Vaashu Sharma is a senior software engineer at Airbnb, who moved from California to Bengaluru in November 2024.
I did my bachelor's in India and moved to the US in 2016 to pursue a master's in computer science at Stony Brook University.
After graduating, I landed a job at IBM. I got an offer from Meta a year later and worked there for four years. I was on a post-study visa called an OTP for three years before I got my H-1B visa in my fourth attempt at the lottery. In 2022, I moved to Google for a new challenge.
Two years later, I moved to Bengaluru. Being closer to my family and the culture I grew up with was my biggest reason to move home. I was tired of missing celebrations and festivals.
I also felt Big Tech companies' presence had increased in India since I left. I saw positive changes in the products being built and salary potential.
Visa challenges also made my husband and me want to move home. We fell into different cycles for our three-year H-1B visa renewals.
While we were allowed to live and work in the US once our extension was approved, international travel became complicated. Once you leave the US on an old visa stamp, re-entry is only permitted with a renewed stamp. Post-pandemic, visa appointments were limited due to a significant backlog. Because it was so difficult to secure a slot in India to get new stamps, we weren't traveling back home.
We missed important events and were scared that if we ever got bad news about our family in India, we couldn't be there.
The H-1B also felt restrictive. We made good money and were growing our careers, but we couldn't pursue side hustles or take a career break.
And the worry that we could be deported was always there.
I landed a senior software engineer role at Airbnb in Bengaluru. Groceries can be delivered within 10 minutes, and we can afford to hire help with cooking and cleaning. The pros of living in India heavily outweigh the cons, like overcrowding or pollution.
H-1B challenges pushed me to move to Canada and become a citizen there, but it wasn't the end of all my problems
Sai Chiligireddy is an engineering manager at Amazon, where he works on Alexa. He lives in Seattle.
I came to the US in 2014 to pursue a master's at Texas A&M University.
I knew I could receive a longer post-study visa as a STEM major. Even if I didn't get an H-1B, I thought I'd have three years of solid work experience and could pay off any loans before moving back to India.
After graduation, I worked for a year and a half at Juniper Networks.
It was there, while trying for the H-1B lottery, that I heard about a Canadian visa program that gave applicants points based on their education, family ties, and work experience.
I moved to Canada after landing a software engineer position at Amazon — and three failed attempts at getting an H-1B in the lottery.
I loved my team in the Vancouver office, and the move boosted my career. But starting from scratch twice in five years was the most emotionally taxing thing I've ever done. I'm not an extrovert, so leaving my friends and family in the US and building new relationships was difficult.
I got citizenship after living in Canada for three years. Shortly after, I moved back to Seattle because my H-1B application was pulled in the lottery on my fourth try.
There are positives to living in the US as a Canadian citizen.
I feel less restricted than my Indian friends, who need to get their visas stamped overseas and spend their vacation time waiting for embassy appointments. Canadians are eligible for the North American Free Trade Agreement professional or "TN" visa, which I can fall back on if there are changes to the H-1B.
I still face challenges. The queue for green cards is based on the country of birth, and is exceptionally long for those born in India.
I'm still on H-1B, and even though I have more leeway than others, I make sure that I am giving 100% or more at work and try to ensure that I'm always providing value to the company so my job is safe.
My job would feel more like a job if I had a green card; now, it's what keeps me in the US.
Are you a current or former Big Tech employee with an immigration story to share? Email the reporters Charissa Cheong and Shubhangi Goel via email at ccheong@businessinsider.com and sgoel@businessinsider.com, or on Signal at charissacheong.95.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Epoch Times
10 minutes ago
- Epoch Times
Trump Wants China to Quadruple US Soybean Orders
President Donald Trump says he hopes that China will dramatically increase its purchase of American soybeans. 'China is worried about its shortage of soybeans. Our great farmers produce the most robust soybeans,' the president wrote on his Truth Social platform late on Sunday.


CNN
10 minutes ago
- CNN
Ninja's viral Creami Swirl soft-serve maker just got its first-ever deal at $50 off
If you've spent any time on TikTok or wandered into the depths of CNN Underscored's reviews, you already know the Ninja Swirl by Creami is the kitchen gadget of the moment, churning out homemade ice cream, sorbet, frozen yogurt and more. The sister appliance to the popular Ninja Creami launched in February, with a waitlist in tow. While the buzz has calmed a little, shoppers may be running to snatch it up again now that it's on sale for the first time. Ninja Swirl by Creami Ice Cream and Soft-Serve Maker Since debuting in the spring, the Ninja Creami Swirl finally got its first-ever Amazon discount, bringing the ice cream maker down to the same retail price as its predecessor. Snag $50 off the appliance and make homemade frozen desserts from home. Read our review The Swirl comes with two pint slots instead of one, so you can churn up a matcha gelato and a chocolate protein shake simultaneously (or just prep ahead, so you can come home to a sweet treat). It also introduced a swirl function, so you can layer or combine flavors, much like a soft-serve machine. During testing, a CNN Underscored staffer created everything from a one-ingredient sorbet and a peach fruit whip to a cookie crumble milkshake. In its soft-serve form, she appreciated how similar it looked to something you'd buy at an ice cream shop, like Dairy Queen, but basically on tap. Normally priced at $350, the Ninja Swirl is a hefty spend to bring frozen treat making to your countertop. But if you're been waiting for the most opportune moment (aka a great kitchen deal) to take the plunge, today's the day. This $50-off Amazon discount brings a significant price drop on the small appliance for the first time in six months. As a bonus, a two-pack of additional pints is selling for $30 on Amazon at 33% off, so you can keep multiple treats on deck. Or, if you'd rather stick to the basics, the Ninja Creami is also on sale — for $200. We've been tracking the Ninja Creami Swirl from launch to review to sale. Our team, consisting of senior editor Rikka Altland, editor Jacqueline Saguin and associate editor Elena Matarazzo, is passionate about unearthing deals we would be tempted to shop. We enjoy finding a great discount on a coveted item, especially one that's a best-tested pick by our experts, because it means we're helping our readers make savvy buying decisions.


New York Post
11 minutes ago
- New York Post
Less than half of student loan borrowers are current on $1.6T debt — and some refuse to pay in protest
Less than half of student loan borrowers have been making their payments on $1.6 trillion of debt as they struggle to afford housing and groceries – and some are letting the bills pile up as a form of protest. Only 38% of the 42.7 million borrowers nationwide are in repayment and current following five years of leniency measures from the US government following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Education said in April. While most borrowers have loans that are less than $40,000, about 3.6 million Americans owe more than $100,000 each in federal loans totaling $656.7 billion – or about 41% of total student debt. 4 Only 38% of borrowers are in repayment and current on their student loans, according to the Department of Education. REUTERS As of May, about 30% of borrowers with a payment due, or 5.6 million people, were at least 90 days behind, according to TransUnion data. At the 270-day mark, the government can withhold tax refunds and order employers to garnish up to 15% of a borrower's after-tax salary. But these consequences may 'feel too abstract to feel motivational for people,' Sarah Newcomb, senior behavioral scientist at Edward Jones, told Bloomberg. About 2.2 million borrowers saw their credit scores tank by at least 100 points in the first quarter, according to the New York Federal Reserve. Kameron Davis, a 24-year-old Uber driver in Miami, recently saw his credit score plunge about 180 points for not paying his student loans – but he's unbothered since he doesn't plan to buy a home anytime soon. After dropping out of college when classes went online during the pandemic, Davis is more concerned with supporting his wife and two kids than prioritizing an $800 monthly student-loan payment. 4 A sign reading 'Cancel Student Debt!' is seen outside the Supreme Court in 2023. AP 'If I have to choose between paying my rent and paying my student loans, I'm not going to pay my student loans,' he told Bloomberg. He and his wife owe about $20,000 and $40,000 in student loans, respectively. Wage garnishment isn't a concern for the couple, since most Uber drivers are classified as independent contractors and Davis' wife is a stay-at-home mom. Some borrowers – like Stephen Jakubowski, a 32-year-old without a job who says he is barely able to afford rent and groceries – claim repayment is the last thing on their minds. 'I just don't even care, it's so far down the radar,' he told Bloomberg. 'It's never been a huge priority.' Jakubowski owes $10,000 from a two-year stint at San Diego Christian College more than a decade ago. 4 Education Secretary Linda McMahon and President Trump at an executive order signing ceremony in July. Getty Images He dropped out of college halfway through his degree to become a firefighter and now feels 'disconnected from the debt.' But the Department of Education is determined to crack down on delinquent borrowers. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in April that 'American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies.' 'The Biden Administration misled borrowers: the executive branch does not have the constitutional authority to wipe debt away, nor do the loan balances simply disappear,' she added. 4 About 30% of borrowers with a payment due were at least 90 days behind as of May, according to TransUnion data. AP Borrowers who were in default before the pandemic will be the first to be targeted with wage garnishment, while freelancers and gig workers likely won't face the same consequences. 'If they can't find the employer, they can't collect,' Alpha Taylor, staff attorney for the National Consumer Law Center, told Bloomberg. Tyler Scruggs, 30, dropped out of college when the pandemic hit. He owes $20,000. Now a freelancer in the film industry, Scruggs said he never checks his credit score and isn't planning to make any loan payments. Explore Student Loan Lenders SoFi SoFi offers student loan refinancing and private loan options with competitive interest rates, flexible repayment terms, and no hidden fees. It's a popular choice for those looking to save on interest or monthly payments. With added perks like career coaching, financial planning tools, SoFi goes beyond lending to support long-term financial wellness. Learn More College Ave College Ave simplifies the student loan process with customizable repayment plans, competitive fixed or variable interest rates, and a quick, hassle-free online application. Whether you're taking out a new loan or refinancing, the company offers flexible terms and helpful tools to fit your budget, making it a smart option for students and parents alike. Learn More Sallie Mae Sallie Mae offers private student loans with a variety of repayment options, no origination fees, and competitive interest rates tailored to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Sallie Mae also provides tools, scholarships, and credit-building opportunities to manage education costs with confidence. Learn More New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click/buy something through our links. 'There are simply more pertinent financial obligations,' he told Bloomberg. 'It's a form of protest — I believe all student debt should be cancelled.'