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H-1B setbacks prompts Indian-origin AI engineer to leave America
Her LinkedIn post highlights how visa uncertainty is shaping decisions of skilled immigrants in the U.S.
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Staff Reporter - Tue, 03, Feb 2026
- 14:07 EST
- 28
Sunjana Ramana / LinkedIn/ Sunjana Ramana
An Indian-origin data and AI engineer said she is leaving the United States after failing to secure an H-1B work visa despite multiple attempts and a strong professional record.
Sunjana Ramana, who is a Data and AI Engineer, TEDx speaker, and a Columbia University scholar, shared her decision in a LinkedIn post titled, “I’m leaving America.”
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“Four-and-a-half years ago, I landed in the U.S. with $80,000 in student debt and a stubborn belief in the American Dream,” Ramana wrote.
She said she pursued what she believed was the “right” path: an Ivy League education, a six-figure technology job, repayment of her student loans, speaking at global platforms such as TEDx, and selling her first software-as-a-service product.
“After three H-1B attempts, the answer was still no,” she wrote, explaining that her decision to leave was not due to a lack of “ambition, talent, or effort,” but because of the constraints of the U.S. immigration system.
“You can do everything right and still have no control over the outcome,” she wrote, describing it as a reality faced by many immigrants on temporary visas.
She added that her next chapter would be in London. “America, thank you for the opportunities and the growth. This isn’t goodbye forever (I hope..). And London let’s do this,” she wrote.
The post drew more than 4,200 likes and prompted users to share similar experiences. One commenter wrote that the “American Dream is not what it used to be,” adding that many IT professionals they know are choosing to return to their home countries for affordability and healthcare.
Another user who left the U.S. in 2024 said it felt “unfair” at the time but later viewed the move as “an opportunity to dream and create bigger,” while still hoping to return someday.
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