I'm A Recent Graduate And Visa Holder In The Us. The H-1b Debate Is Making Me Question My Decision To Stay Here.

Pooja Asuri was advised to cancel travel plans because of recent debates on new H1B restrictions.

Pooja Asuri

• Pooja Asuri is a recent graduate and OPT visa holder in the US.
• The uncertainty of being on a visa under President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration has affected her attitude at work and at home.
• Asuri said she has started to question her decision to move to the US.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Pooja Asuri, a recent college graduate and an Optional Practical Training visa holder who works at a research laboratory in Maine. It has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified her visa and employment history.

I graduated from San Jose State University with a bachelor's in science in December 2023. I was born and raised in Singapore but hold Indian citizenship, and I moved to the US for college in 2019.

After graduation, I landed a job as a lab technologist at The Jackson Laboratory, a nonprofit research organization. As an international student who only had 90 days to find work, I applied to hundreds of jobs and felt extremely lucky to land this role.

It meant moving from California to a remote town in Maine where I didn't know anyone, but I was grateful. My parents had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars so I could study in the US, and part of me felt embarrassed if I could not find a job here after graduation. It would also make me question if my degree was worth it.

Missing out on family

Last year, I started planning a trip to India in January to meet my parents, who had recently moved there from Singapore, and my extended family.

As a Science-Technology-Engineering-Math graduate, I am allowed a two-year extension on my Optional Practical Training visa, which is seen as a pathway to securing an H-1B — a visa for highly skilled foreign workers.

Recent debates in the US about stricter immigration rules spooked me and the company's legal team. Late last year, I was advised to apply for my two-year extension as soon as possible. My legal advisor was worried that President-elect Donald Trump's administration might suspend the OPT pathway, as they threatened to do in 2020.

I was stressed, and earlier this month, I paid almost $1,700 for a fast-tracked version of the application. My application was approved last week, days before Trump's inauguration.

I also canceled all my international travel plans until the summer.

It was heartbreaking — I have been desperate to visit India because there are family members there, including my aging grandparents, who I have not met in six years.

Constant uncertainty

I've spent every Thursday for the past five to six weeks meeting the legal team at my company.

The uncertainty of being on a visa has also affected my attitude at work, especially with the constant threat of layoffs. I don't speak up strongly even when we're asked for opinions because I don't want to upset anyone. I've become quieter and more compliant.

Outside of work, I'm worried about the smallest mistakes, like getting a parking ticket. I'm anxious that it'll go on my permanent record and hold me back down the line.

I never imagined facing any of these challenges when I first applied to universities in the US. Before university, I had only been exposed to Asia, and I was excited to live in a Western country and see the American Dream for myself.

Looking back, I'm not sure if moving here was worth it. Every week, I question whether I should be here, if I should change my job, and if I even want to apply for an H-1B and eventually pursue citizenship.

My dad has spent his adult life in Singapore, one of the world's most developed countries. He still talks to me as if I'm in the best place on the planet. I think there has been a huge shift in sentiment towards migration since his generation, which moved out of India in the early 2000s for better career opportunities.

I've come to realize that I crave stability and family more than anything. If I can find a job in India, where I'm a citizen, I would not mind relocating even though I've never lived there. I'd be relieved knowing that nobody can deport me, I can move jobs, and I can be close to family.

Editors note: The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider for this story.