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Immigration takes center stage at Unshackled Annual Conference 2025
The two-day event gathered over 2,000 high-skilled immigrants in person and 20,000 online participants.
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Pranavi Sharma - Wed, 20, Aug 2025
- 02:46 EDT
- 13
Panelists who spoke at the Conference including Ajay Bhutoria. / Ajay Bhutoria
The Unshackled Annual Conference (UAC) 2025 was held on Aug.15–16 at the India Community Center in Milpitas, California, drawing more than 2,000 high-skilled immigrant visa holders in person and another 20,000 online.
Organized by Unshackled Ventures, the two-day gathering featured over 40 speakers, including immigration lawyers, startup founders, researchers and corporate professionals. Sessions focused on immigration pathways, entrepreneurship, and career development, with information tracks on EB-1A, EB-2 NIW, O-1 and EB-5 visa options, startup funding, and strategies for building professional networks. Attendees also had access to consultations, a visa-friendly job fair, and networking sessions for international students, researchers, and H-1B professionals.
Notable speakers included tennis player and UN Messenger of Peace Vijay Amritraj, Lyft co-founder Rajat Suri, Menlo Ventures investor Deedy Das, Careerflow.ai co-founder Nikita Gupta, and community builder Andrew Yeung. The conference also featured a comedy segment by Kenny Sebastian and breakout lounges for professionals navigating O-1 and EB-1 visas.
An informal poll during the event highlighted a significant concern among attendees: nearly 50 to 60 percent of participants said they were considering returning to India. Factors cited included family ties, the growth of technology hubs in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune, and reduced uncertainty compared to the U.S. visa system.
Ajay Bhutoria, a former advisor to President Joe Biden on the White House AANHPI Commission, spoke at the conference about his policy contributions and ongoing proposals. He pointed to domestic H-1B visa renewals and his recommendations for employment authorization for approved I-140s and a 180-day grace period for terminated workers as measures aimed at easing difficulties faced by immigrant workers.
Addressing the audience, Bhutoria said, “The United States is not just a land—it’s an idea, a living promise where opportunity meets resilience.” He added, “Tough times never last, but tough people do—this shall pass.”
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