“Changed the trajectory of my life”: Redditor shares how employer’s H-1B visa withdrawal left him numb

"Welcome to the real world, it sucks!," said Monica to Rachel in FRIENDS. If you truly look around yourself, the statement holds true more than ever. Wars are being fought, diseases plague countries and uncertainty is the theme of life. The latter stands true for everyone on an H-1B visa in the US right now and those who have been dreaming of it for years.

Recently, a Redditor took to the app to share how their employer withdrew support for their H-1B visa application, leaving them to tackle job loss and the harsh possibility of leaving the United States within a few weeks.

The harsh life of H-1B visa users

In the post titled "HR withdrew my H-1B visa" the user said that they were called for a meeting with the HR department recently and informed that their last working day would be in two weeks.

The decision they added came as a shock especially since they were already in the final stages of transitioning from OPT to an H-1B visa. “I felt shocked, curious, disappointed and more,” the user wrote, adding that he is an international student who transitioned to an H-1B visa.

He went on to explain that he had completed his Master's in Marketing and began working as a Sales Enablement Coordinator in July 2024. In April 2025, he was selected in the H-1B lottery and received approval of the Form 1-797 in June. " I was very happy to be among a few thousands candidates that were chosen for this visa, considering the current climate of the immigration," he wrote.

"Everything was set for me to receive the H-1B visa around November of this year. I was striving as Sales Enablement Coordinator, creating collateral, launching internal intranet for the team, and preparing our reps for conferences. Woohoo!," he added.

Company restructuring

He shared that quickly things started to change as the company went through a lot of management changes, layoffs and more. As a result, their role was abruptly changed to Marketing in July 2025 with just a day's notice. While the new position came with the same pay, the scope of work was broader and not in direct contact with the brand's team.

“I was juggling two roles at the same time as Marketing Coordinator and as Sales Enablement Coordinator, while HR was searching to fill the role,” he wrote adding that a formal job description was provided about two months later.

“I was confused because my role become “demoted” to be more of a marketing adminstration role while I was empowered and trusted to initiate projects in my previous role. Regardless of the responsibility, I felt grateful that I even have a job at this point, and this is October 2025,” he said.

H-1B visa withdrawal

Soon in November 2025, he was informed by HR that “…we would need to make an amendment to the USCIS for your new role as Marketing Coordinator. We will work with our attorney on this issue. We will do our best, and with no gurantee, let's schedule a meeting to see if things do not go as planned…”

He shared that he felt confused but optimistic, only to learn in a December 2025 meeting with HR and his supervisor that they had made the decision to withdraw his application for the H-1B visa. The reason cited was that the new role was "too general" to be qualified for the H-1B visa.

He was informed that his last day was in two weeks, right before Christmas. "If I could not find my jobs within the 60 days of my last day, I will have to leave the U.S for good," he added.

"I felt hurt, disappointed, and numb. I tried my very best, but this cancellation of H-1B visa totally changed the trajectory of my life, which I intitially thought I have 3 more years to be in the U.S." he shared writing how one decision had changed his life and not for the better.

He ended the post by asking if anyone had a similar experience and how they have been navigating the H-1B situation.

H-1B visa and an uncertain future

Ever since his second term began in January 2025, Trump has been targeting migration and the H-1B visa, as if these are the only two problems present in the American economy.

The Trump administration increased the H-1B visa fees from US$5,000 TO US$100,000 from September 2025. Additionally, recently the US began screening and vetting social media accounts of H-1B visa applicants and their dependent H-4 visa applicants from December 15, 2025.

Moves like these are being considered Trump's way of "de-Indianising" the American workforce, considering 71% of approved H-1B visa petitioners in 2024 were Indians.

However, the larger consequences of these actions and policies are the looming uncertainties in the lives of the H-1B visa workers who are left feeling hopeless and helpless in sudden conditions like the Reddit user's.