An NRI techie shared the honest sentiment that even after being selected in the recently concluded H-1B lottery, he was feeling a strange sadness and sense of confusion, and was even thinking of going back to India, because the employer, which he said was a small startup, would allow him to continue with the same job from India. The admission comes amid a flood of despairing posts about the end of the American Dream for people who are not selected in the lottery and have no other option to stay in the US legally. As the Redditor asked for help considering possible scenarios ranging from if he moves back to India and regrets his decision, to if he stays in the US and loses the job over the next year, social media users pointed out how the grass will always be greener on the other side, and that the Redditor needed a clear goal to make the decision. Many people suggested that he work from India for a month to see if he would like to work from India. But at the same time, others cautioned them that this option comes with the risk of being stuck in India indefinitely due to the immigration impasse.
Redditor says mental stress caused no joy from H-1B lottery selection.
The Redditor explained that he has been living in the US for the last four years, doing his Masters and then doing OPT, STEM OPT and now H-1B as well. “I did everything right to get here. But now that it actually happened, I feel mentally exhausted. Almost exhausted… I always thought this would be the “finally, I made it” moment. But instead, I feel this weird feeling of sadness and I don’t really understand why,” the person wrote.This was the first time USCIS conducted a salary-based lottery, giving those who qualify for a higher salary base more chances, rather than a random lottery to select candidates.
