I gave up on getting an H-1B visa because of the $100k fee. I’m optimistic about my future outside the US.

Mishra Reddy is deciding whether to live in Canada or India Courtesy of Shreya Mishra Reddy Shreya Mishra Reddy planned to apply for an H-1B visa from outside the US.

When news hit that an employer might have to pay $100,000 to hire her, she changed course.

Reddy is now weighing up where to live, and is no longer setting her sights on the US.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Shreya Mishra Reddy, 34, an Indian national currently staying in Toronto on a tourist visa.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I moved to the US from India to do my master's in engineering management at Duke University in 2021.

I graduated in 2022 and got a job at Visa the following year.

But despite trying, I didn't get an H-1B visa , so I had to leave the country in January 2026, when my student work authorization expired.

My plan was to move back to India and keep applying for US-based jobs.

But, in September 2025, news hit that companies could face an extra $100,000 fee to hire H-1B employees from outside the US.

An H-1B no longer seemed like a realistic option because I expected the fee would apply to me.

The fee was challenged in court and isn't currently being enforced, but I'm still not pursuing opportunities in the US because of the uncertainty around the fee and finding H-1B-sponsored jobs.

This is part of our ongoing coverage of how the Trump administration's H-1B visa changes affect workers.

If you've been impacted and want to share your story, please fill out this short form for the reporter.