28-year-old secured H-1B, then quit US job and returned home: Here's why

After securing the visa she had worked towards for years, Disha Lamba left her six-figure US job within two months

For Indian professionals, an H-1B selection is often seen as a major milestone after years of studying and working in the United States. For Disha Lamba, it became a moment to reconsider her plans.

 

Lamba, 28, was informed in March that her employer-sponsored H-1B petition had been selected. Two months later, she had resigned from her six-figure job at CVS Health and returned to Gurugram without another offer.

 

Her decision, she told Business Insider, was driven less by money or career prospects and more by family and the constraints she associated with the H-1B system.

 

From New York to Gurugram

 

Lamba moved to the US in 2021, aged 23, to pursue a master's degree in computer engineering at New York University. She subsequently joined CVS Health as a data scientist in 2024.

  

On paper, she had many of the things Indian professionals seek when moving to the US: A well-paying job, a career she enjoyed and a social circle in New York.

 

Yet she said she missed her family.

 

In her account, Lamba described the loneliness she felt after the workday ended. She said that after 5 pm, there was no family member around to ask about her day. Even conversations with her mother, whom she described as her best friend, had to be arranged around the time difference.

 

After returning to Gurugram, she moved in with her parents and brother and took a two-month career break using her savings.

 

Why the H-1B did not feel like freedom

Lamba also said the H-1B's restrictions played a role in her decision.

 

“The H-1B visa has its pros, but I wasn’t okay with the cons,” she said, according to Business Insider.

 

She spoke about the limitations in changing employers, taking career breaks, pursuing additional income streams and managing international travel and visa stamping.

 

For Lamba, being outside the US employment-visa system meant having greater flexibility. She could take a break, explore different jobs, consider entrepreneurship or work on a side project without having to factor immigration status into every decision.

 

This distinction is important for Indian H-1B workers. The visa can provide a route to work in the US, but it also ties an individual's immigration position closely to employment and ongoing status requirements.

 

H-1B uncertainty adds another layer

Lamba's experience comes amid wider uncertainty for Indian professionals and their families in the US.

 

The Department of Homeland Security has proposed changes that could remove certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B workers from the categories eligible to obtain employment authorisation. The proposal seeks to reverse the 2015 rule under which certain eligible H-4 spouses could obtain employment authorisation.

 

However, the proposal is not a current ban on H-4 spouses working. The Times of India (TOI) reported earlier that immigration experts have said existing H-4 EAD holders are not immediately affected. Any change would have to go through the regulatory process, including publication, public comments, review and a final rule.

 

Some families are looking beyond H-1B

The uncertainty is also prompting some Indian families to explore permanent-residency routes.

 

TOI reported increased enquiries from Gujarat families considering the EB-5 investor visa, particularly where children are already studying or working in the US and face uncertainty over their long-term green-card prospects.

 

The EB-5 programme currently requires a minimum investment of $1.05 million, or $800,000 in qualifying targeted employment areas or infrastructure projects, according to the report.

 

The TOI report also highlighted cases where parents were funding EB-5 applications for their children but were themselves reluctant to seek US permanent residency because of the potential tax implications of becoming green-card holders.

 

Rethinking the traditional US dream

Lamba's decision does not amount to a rejection of her US experience. She said her years there made her more ambitious, independent and confident, while she still misses aspects of life in New York.

 

But her priorities changed.

 

Her story illustrates that a US job and H-1B may offer strong career opportunities, but they can also bring immigration-related constraints that affect decisions about family, mobility, career breaks and entrepreneurship.

 

For Lamba, the calculation ultimately favoured returning home — even after she had achieved the H-1B milestone she had spent years working towards.