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Visa stamping delays cost H-1B techie a final goodbye
California resident Gautam Dey highlighted the pain of choosing his kids and their life in the U.S. over seeing his mother for one last time.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Mon, 04, May 2026
- 03:25 EDT
- 18
Representative image / IANS
Gautam Dey, an Indian H-1B techie, said he was unable to return to India from the U.S. to see his mother after she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and began a 17-day battle with the disease. He described the experience as “the biggest regret of my life,” and his story highlights the human cost of the Trump administration’s visa policies.
Dey noted, “I was desperately trying to get a visa stamping appointment so I could travel to see her.”
However, he added, “Because of visa stamping delays, lack of interview slots, and sudden changes to the dropbox process, I was trapped.”
Dey noted, in his LinkedIn post, that he was not writing as an H-1B worker or an engineer or as a professional with over two decades of experience; he said that he was writing as a son.
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A software professional, Dey was “invited” to the United States by a multinational American company for specialized software work. He highlighted that, contrary to what the administration claims, he was brought in for his expertise, to “solve a serious software problem and fix vulnerabilities that needed attention,” and not to undercut anyone’s salary.
Dey had the option to leave the United States without proper visa approvals; however, this would mean that there was a good chance that he would not be able to return.
He remarked, “If I traveled without an appointment, I could be stuck outside the U.S. for months. I could lose my job, my legal status, and my family’s status.”
Additionally, not returning to the United States sounded like a scary option for Dey because that would result in the lives of his two daughters, a college student and a high school student, getting uprooted.
He noted, “So I was forced into an impossible choice: Be with my dying mother. Or protect the future of my children. No human being should ever be placed in that position.”
Dey continued, “I sent hospital documents to the Consulate. I tried for 26 days to get an appointment. I refreshed, waited, prayed and hoped. But time did not wait. My mother passed away. I could only see her through a phone screen. I could only hear her voice over the phone. That will remain the biggest regret of my life.”
Dey ended his post with a profound question. He urged “every young professional dreaming of an H-1B life” to think carefully before leaving because “no career dream should ever put you in a position where you must choose between your mother’s final moments and your children’s future.”
He continued, “I lost that choice. And I will carry that pain forever.”
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